Our Do Good alums, whether they graduated from the School of Public Policy or participated in Do Good programs, have continued to achieve great things since leaving University of Maryland. We caught up with graduates to hear about the great nonprofit and social innovation jobs and internships they've landed, as well as awards they've won. And, we have updates about how Terps are continuing to create change for issues they care about with their social ventures and nonprofits.
- Ashley Williams (MPP/MBA ’15) has been promoted to Director Of Operations at the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, one of the largest and most influential family foundations in the region.
- Kahlil Kettering (MPM ’15) is being honored with a Casey Trees DC Tree Canopy Award for his work to expand the D.C. stormwater credit market and develop a local pilot with Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
- The UMD Alumni Association is honoring two Do Good alumni in its latest Maryland Awards. Jonathan Fix '16, Founder and Chairman of Terps Against Hunger, won the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Linda Powers ’15 and 2019 DDS candidate in University of Maryland School of Dentistry, won the new Do Good Award.
- The James Hollister Wellness Foundation, founded by Matthew Hollister, has provided recycled medications to over 40,000 people as of this past January. The Foundation is primarily operating in Honduras, Bolivia, and Ghana, and has begun to expand its services to Brazil and Nigeria as well. On a more local level, Foundation and Save Inc, its for-profit sister organization, are launching our new project to reduce the amount of medicinal waste in the U.S. though a new online platform. This platform allows pharmacies, nursing homes, and hospitals to easily upload their medicine surplus. These donor organizations are then matched with a recipient organization based on geographic proximity and where their medical surplus is needed, much like a “Match.com” for medicine.
- The Atlantic magazine published an article in January on the ugly produce business and prominently discussed two Do Good alumni companies, Imperfect Produce, founded by Ben Simon, and Hungry Harvest, founded by Evan Lutz.The Washington Post also published an article on the ugly produce industry that prominently featured Do Good alumni companies Hungry Harvest and Imperfect Produce.
- Benjy Cannon (student on the Israel/Jordan trip in 2014) was on Kojo Nnamdi Show recently to discuss hotel workers’ rights.
- Erich Meissner '18, founder of Symbiont Health, a medical device company working to accelerate the response and rescue of the elderly who lose consciousness and fall through an enhanced medical alert system, was accepted into the Dorm Room Fund (a student-run venture fund backed by First Round) after graduation to continue work on Symbiont Health. And, earlier this year, Erich started working at Medical Guardian, a medical alert system provider.
