Our Team
Our Story
Racial Equity Pledge was developed from a prototype concept designed in the +Impact Studio at the Michigan Ross School of Business, with a mission to engage students and companies in advancing racial equity in the workplace. The prototype concept for Racial Equity Pledge was generated in the +Impact Studio course BA670 and has been refined and incubated by Impact Design Fellows Justin Woods, Lucy Jiang, and Elizabeth Sofranek in the Impact Studio’s Design Lab.
The +Impact Studio’s mission is to bring impactful ideas to life using business and design tools along with research expertise from the University of Michigan community. Launched in 2019, the studio is part of the larger Business+Impact Initiative at Michigan Ross. The Impact Design Lab works to develop, launch, and nurture impactful ideas to help them take root in the world. Impact Design Fellows in the Lab work on prototypes developed through the +Impact Studio BA670 course and other impact projects to make a difference in the world through design innovation and business.
The +Impact Studio is a design studio for impact creators and innovators. Launched in 2019, the studio is part of the Business+Impact Initiative at the Ross School of Business. Our mission is to bring impactful ideas to life using business and design tools along with research expertise from our university community.
Impact Design Fellows - Racial Equity Team
Shayon Donaldson
(MBA)
Shayon is a second year MBA student with a focus in consulting. Prior to Ross she attended the University of Florida and earned a degree in Marketing. She previously worked as a Finance Administration Manager for Universal Music Group before moving to the wedding-tech startup, Zola where she . Her long term goal is to work on the improving financial inclusion, through technology.
Joi James
(MBA)
Joi James is a first year MBA student at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Prior to beginning her MBA, Joi worked in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector for five years. Joi started her career at the Urban Institute Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy as a project coordinator, where she evaluated and initiated equitable grantmaking practices for large foundations such as the Citi Foundation, Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Beyond her time at Urban Institute, Joi became a fellow with the Detroit Program at the Kresge Foundation where she facilitated multi-million dollar community driven initiatives focused on racial justice and community development distributing and committing almost $35M in her tenure. Joi's long-term passions include re-imagining more equitable social and corporate systems prioritizing social determinants of health and wellness in BIPOC communities.
Lucy Jiang
(MSI)
Lucy is a design researcher currently pursuing a masters degree in Information (HCI track) at the University of Michigan. Prior to attending the University of Michigan, she majored in Economics and minored in Psychology at Pomona College in Claremont, CA. Lucy discovered a love for human-centered design after working at a nonprofit with a mission to help low-and-moderate income users reach financial prosperity.
Justin Woods
(MBA/MSW)
Justin was raised in Colorado and completed his undergraduate degree at George Washington University where he studied Political Science and Philosophy. Upon graduation, he served as a TEFL Instructor in Peace Corps Rwanda for two years, before extending his service to support HIV prevention and LGBTI equity work at a Rwandan health equity organization. At the University of Michigan, Justin is pursuing a dual Master of Business Administration degree and Master of Social Work with the long-term goal of starting a social enterprise.
Sasha Kapur
(MBA)
Sasha is an MBA candidate who is passionate about using technology to drive social change. After graduating from Duke University, Sasha experienced the power of strategic curriculum development as a DEI & Inclusive Leadership trainer and then as a 4th grade teacher. More recently, Sasha worked to develop learning modules at an e-learning startup and then led Customer Success at an EdTech startup. Immediately after business school, Sasha plans to gain experience as a Product Manager in big tech. Long term, she plans to build a career in the social impact entrepreneurship space.
Ana Taylor
(MBA)
Ana is an MBA candidate who strives to connect her love for health and wellness with her passion in tackling inequity and disparity. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in BioEngineering and Industrial Engineering, Ana worked as an engineer for a medical device company. While in this role, she also became the Lead for their Black Employee Resource Group, where she helped tackle internal DEI initiatives as well as societal health inequity issues the company pledged to support. Immediately after business school, Ana plans to gain experience as a management consultant to gain experience in strategic decisions with executive leadership. Long term, she plans to become Chief Innovations Officer of a healthcare company, utilizing both her healthcare and strategy backgrounds to make innovative decisions for all mankind.
Elizabeth Sofranek
(MBA)
Elizabeth is a first year MBA student at the University of Michigan interested in how technology and business can solve pressing environmental problems. Before starting her MBA Elizabeth worked at a fintech startup in San Francisco working to deliver affordable quality financial advice to everyday Americans. She has a B.S. in Society & Environment from UC Berkeley.
Impact Design Coaches
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks
The +Impact Studio Faculty Director provides leadership in developing strategic direction to foster and leverage internal and external relations with student clubs, units around campus, executive education clients, and alumni. Read full biography
Cat Johnson
Cat has developed, launched, and led social enterprises with organizations such as Ben & Jerry’s and Goodwill Industries, and led social impact initiatives in higher education. She most recently served as COO of a Detroit social enterprise internationally recognized for impactful product design innovation – a sleeping bag coat for individuals experiencing homelessness. Cat holds a BA, MBA, and MSW from the University of Michigan.
Moses Lee
Innovator-in-Residence Moses Lee (BBA’02, MA’03) is an experienced educator and social entrepreneur who is passionate about working with students to discover and take action on their passions. In 2011, Lee founded Seelio, an educational service and technology company that partners with universities to prepare students for their careers. Previously, Lee directed TechArb, the University of Michigan student startup accelerator, where he coached and mentored students across all disciplines.
Haley Phillips
Haley works on design and implementation of the +Impact Studio programming, events, and graduate course. She also leads other Business+Impact programming and events. Previously Haley worked on community engagement programs at the University of Michigan School of Information. She earned her B.A. in International Relations and Communication Studies from UNC Wilmington, and her M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan.