Faculty Spotlight — Ben Mangan Shares his Career Inspired by the Power of Social Contracts
Faculty Spotlight: Ben Mangan, Haas Lecturer and CEO of EARN
Business students in Lecturer Ben Mangan’s Leading Non-Profit and Social Enterprises course get exposure to more than lectures; they receive a toolkit for launching social ventures and nonprofits — strategies Mangan, who Fast Company recognized as a Social Capitalist of the Year, has tested in the real world. As CEO of EARN, Mangan has a well of experiences to draw from as he advises young social entrepreneurs.
As a young man with self-described “humble beginnings,” Mangan took care to carve a career path — from working as a teacher straight out of college, to stints in management consulting and an early micro-currency tech company-that allowed him to be more “effective at advancing the kind of progress for people that changed the course of his own family’s history”.
Mangan says his experience working his way up in the workforce “made [him] a believer in the power of social contracts between governments, markets and citizens” and promoting that intersection has motivated his career. While Mangan tactically selected jobs that would advance his career, he says he has been able to do so thanks to advocates who “fought for policies that allow all Americans to have opportunities earned through effort and aspiration.”
As a lecturer Mangan says, “I wanted to see talented people who want to make change in the world have the best possible toolkit to do so — in terms of intellectual rigor and real-world pragmatism. I’ve grown tremendously through the opportunity to teach — sharpening my own strategy and leadership skills while helping students sharpen their own.” In addition to teaching, Mangan spends time advising students who are trying to launch social ventures and nonprofits. “It’s a pleasure and privilege to be able to share what I’ve learned building EARN to guide the tremendous energy and intention from students working to change the world.”
Mangan earned his BA in History from Vassar College and a MPP from Harvard University Kennedy School. In addition to his career accomplishments, Mangan fantasizes of being a chef, and often shares his family’s great Italian recipes with relatives, friends and some lucky donors.
Following is a video is a Ted Talk by Mangan at TedX Presidio in 2012.
