B Impact Team of the Year: Case Western Reserve University Business for World Benefit Clinic

Congratulations to the Case Western Reserve University Business for World Benefit Clinic for their well-deserved recognition as the 2025 B Impact Team of the Year! Under the exceptional leadership of Megan Buchter and Dr. Ayushee Agarwal, this program has become a powerhouse of experiential learning since its launch in Fall 2022. Over the course of eight impactful semesters, the team has worked with over 30 companies and mentored more than 200 students, successfully bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world sustainable practice. By empowering students to drive meaningful change, Megan, Ayushee, and their students are truly defining what it means to lead with purpose—congratulations to the entire CWRU community on this incredible milestone!

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Publication of the Year: “The escalation of prosocial commitment: How the B corporation movement catalyzes social impact.” (Garima Sharma, Joel Gehman, Leonardo Boni, Alim J. Beveridge)

Congratulations to Garima Sharma, Joel Gehman, Leonardo Boni and Alim J. Beveridge for their impactful research “The escalation of prosocial commitment: How the B corporation movement catalyzes social impact.”This groundbreaking research, recently featured in the Journal of Applied Psychology, explores why B Corps continue to push their social and environmental limits even after achieving the ‘gold standard’ of certification. By analyzing the Inclusive Economy Challenge, the authors identified key drivers—like organizational identity and the urgency for impact—that lead to significant improvements in DEI and general sustainability practices. Their work not only offers deep insights into the ‘stickiness’ of the B Corp movement but also provides a vital framework for policymakers and organizations looking to truly remake capitalism. Congratulations to this incredible team of researchers!

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B Local of the Year: B Local Mid-Atlantic

Congratulations to B Local Mid-Atlantic! Serving the vibrant DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area, this chapter has been an valued partner to B Academics, most notably through the successful execution of two Mid-Atlantic Research Workshops. By skillfully utilizing design thinking, they have bridged the gap between academia and industry, bringing together researchers and practitioners to spark innovative new research questions for the B Corp movement. We also want to extend a special shout-out to one of our newest sponsors, certified B Corp Pariveda Solutions, also based in the DMV area, for their commitment to this growing community. Also a HUGE shout out to DMV certified B Corp Ecolytics for there in-kind sponsorship of our Summer B Impact Teams program. Thank you, B Local Mid-Atlantic, for your leadership and for fostering such a collaborative ecosystem for business as a force for good!

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Course of the Year: University of Georgia & University of Maryland

This year, we’re excited to recognize a tie for Course of the Year, celebrating two outstanding programs that empower students to drive meaningful impact. First, we honor the University of Georgia’s BUSN 7850: B Collaborative course. Led by Nathan Stuck, this sustainable business consulting practicum integrates a high-impact B Impact Team model to help businesses evolve. In a full-circle success story, Nathan actually served as one of the very first students in the course he now leads—congratulations to the UGA team!

Joining them in this top honor is the University of Maryland’s specialized Management and Organization course, the Social Innovation Practicum: Consulting and Metric Creation. Led by Nima Farshchi, this course expertly incorporates B Corp principles and the B Impact Assessment to provide students with hands-on experiential consulting opportunities. Beyond the classroom, Nima is a vital leader in our community, serving on the B Academics Teaching Committee and the board of LEPE (Leaders of Experiential Project-Based Education). Congratulations to both the University of Georgia and the University of Maryland for setting the gold standard in purpose-driven education!

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Instructor of the Year: Nima Farshchi & Dr. Ayushee Agarwal

congratulations to Nima Farshchi and Dr. Ayushee Agarwal! Dr. Ayushee Agarwal is an ESG and Corporate Governance expert currently serving as the Program Director for AIM2Flourish at Case Western Reserve University. With a PhD in Corporate Governance and over 14 years of experience across legal compliance, consulting, and academia, she has been instrumental in scaling responsible business research globally. Ayushee’s unique background as a lawyer and entrepreneur allows her to bridge the gap between regulatory frameworks and sustainable business strategy, helping students and organizations alike embed purpose and SDG-aligned innovation into their core models.
Nima Farshchi is a Lecturer and Executive Director at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, where he leads the Office of Experiential Learning and the Center for Social Value Creation. An expert in ESG and CSR, Nima is dedicated to empowering students to tackle global challenges through business frameworks. Beyond his impactful classroom teaching and faculty advising, he serves on the B Academics Teaching Committee and the board of LEPE, while championing the B Corp movement through leadership roles in B Local Mid-Atlantic and the Best for DMV campaign.

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Committee Member of the Year: Jen Jones

Congratulations to Jen Jones from the teaching committee! A longtime and deeply valued member of the B Academics community, Jen has been instrumental in our Teaching Committee, serving as a lead facilitator for our recent Teaching Roundtables. She is a true bridge-builder, consistently bringing innovative ideas to our organization and representing B Academics at international conferences. In the classroom, she stays on the cutting edge of the movement, recently leading her students through presentations on the new B Corp standards as our academic community navigates these changes together.

Dr. Jones is a Professor and Department Coordinator at Seton Hill University, where her teaching and research integrate the humanities with leadership ethics. Her global impact is vast, having conducted seminars on B Corps and ESG from Italy to Sri Lanka. From her scholarly work in the Journal of Business Ethics to her hands-on community projects serving the homeless in Pittsburgh and partnering with fair trade organizations, Jen perfectly blends high-level theory with ‘business as a force for good’ practice. Congratulations, Jen, on this well-deserved honor!

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Board Member of the Year: Maria Ballesteros-Sola

Congratulations to Maria Ballesteros-Sola for her exceptional leadership and contributions to B Academics. Since returning to the board this past year as our Chair of Membership, Maria has been a total powerhouse, bringing fresh insights, bold ideas, and relentless energy back to our leadership team. Most notably, Maria has spearheaded the development of our brand-new B Corp Case Competition, which is registration is open right now! In a brilliant collaboration with AndCo. Hospitality, she is currently writing the case study to be published on behalf of B Academics—a major milestone for our organization and opportunity to engage over 100 students globally in which we already have over 20 teams registered! We are so grateful to have her back in the fold. Congratulations, Maria!

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Student of the Year: Rayna Phillips

Congratulations to Rayna Phillips from NC State University! Rayna served as an instrumental, curious, and courageous leader throughout the 2025 Summer B Impact Teams program. Tasked with guiding the client Craft Good Business through the rigorous B Corp certification process, Rayna faced numerous challenges over the summer, yet she persevered with unwavering dedication and leadership. We are thrilled to share that, thanks to the journey Rayna started in this experiential learning program, Craft Good Business has officially submitted their B Corp certification this past January! Rayna truly embodies the spirit of the B Corp movement as she also now supports the new B Corp Collective based in Charlotte, NC. Congratulations, Rayna!

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