To demonstrate the real-world value of their coursework in the class Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Impact Investing, Lecturers John Oxtoby and Leah Yablonka took a group of Harris students to visit Discover’s Customer Care Center in Chatham. This call center, located in one of Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods, opened two years ago with a focus on providing results for Discover while simultaneously strengthening and empowering the community it joined – a real-life example of investing to make an impact.
"Discover’s successful investment in Chatham is a great example of how companies can align their business strategy with positive societal outcomes,” Oxtoby said. “For many companies, bringing an ESG lens to corporate strategy is just good business.”
Juatise Gathings, the Regional Operations Director at the Discover facility and a Chicago native, took the class on a tour of the building to share all the ways in which the center tries to meet their goal of “adding wealth into the community and doing nothing to take wealth out.”
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This story was first published by Harris School of Public Policy.
