Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva.org to speak tonight

Another opportunity for your students to hear from someone with a very interesting story.

Jessica Jackley is a leading female entrepreneur.  She co-founded Kiva.org, the first peer to peer micro-lending organization.  In 2009 she was a finalist for Time’s 100 most influential people award.  She will be speaking tonight @ 7pm in Brendle Auditorium for free, so there is no cost to hear from her.

Jessica’s story – as told on the Kiva web site – is this:  “Jessica is a Cofounder of Kiva, and served as Kiva’s first Chief Marketing Officer. Jessica was first inspired to start Kiva in the spring of 2004, working in East Africa with rural entrepreneurs. She became deeply moved by their stories of success, and wanted to provide a way for her friends and family to participate in the next chapter of those stories.Jessica is currently Founder and CEO of ProFounder (www.profounder.com), a platform providing new ways for small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. to access start-up capital through crowdfunding and community involvement.Jessica has also worked with the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Amazon.com, Potentia Media, the International Foundation, World Vision, and others. Jessica is an active advisor and board member on a number of organizations championing microfinance, women’s issues, tech, and the arts. She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with Certificates in Global Management and Public Management, and a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from Bucknell University. She teaches Global Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business at USC, and is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society.”

For students interested in volunteering, finance, microfinance, and world issues such as poverty, this will no doubt be a compelling talk.  Be sure to share the opportunity with your students, if they are not already aware.