2023 Crandall Challenge
Citation Winners
Los Angeles, CA
Carmen Jones Hill used the financial skills she learned at Wharton and major financial service institutions to increase the supply of affordable housing units, to save landlords and homeowners from foreclosure, to fight unfair lending practices, to share Wall Street investment principles with investors in minority communities and to train the community in how to secure government resources. As past President of various outreach organizations in South Los Angeles she has given workshops in churches, community centers and neighborhood group settings to educate underserved communities and reduce homelessness.
New York, NY
Following a Wall Street career, Jerry became a Disaster Action Team Supervisor for the American Red Cross in Greater New York. On his first day on the job, he responded to a downed commercial airplane in the freezing waters off Manhattan, an incident known as the “miracle on the Hudson.” He is responsible for assessing damage and, if called for, arrange housing and provide immediate financial assistance. He is also a Government Liaison, staffing the city’s Emergency Operations Center when necessary.
Jerry also volunteers as Baruch College, his undergrad alma mater, where he mentors one or two students every year. Because of his international experience, he is usually assigned foreign or immigrant students.
He also is active with the United Jewish Appeal, where he serves on the Global Safety Net Committee which makes decisions on allocating funds in emergencies around the world. This includes having liaison responsibility with the American Joint Distribution Committee, a huge non-profit (which is currently heavily involved with aid in Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees).
Bangkok, Thailand
Once finished with his career as an investment banker, Sivaporn became Chair of the Rama IX Art Museum Foundation dedicated to the promotion of modern art.
He is the long time Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation. The Foundation was established to acquire captive elephants, rehabilitate them and release them back into the forest to re-establish a wild elephant population that is self-sustaining. He founded World Elephant Day in 2012 alongside film makers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark. Their work has inspired a worldwide movement to raise awareness and funds to save elephants from extinction.
As Chair of the TISCO Foundation, he has raised funds to provide educational scholarships for poor children and medical assistance to those not covered by Government programs.
Honor Roll
Alan Ahrens, WG’63
Lynchburg, VA
Alan has devoted himself to being a “Business Mentor” for SCORE (a nonprofit dedicated to providing experienced ‘retired’ business executives to provide face-to-face help for new businesses as business counselors and mentors.) The Lynchburg SCORE chapter has provided business counseling to over 600 clients from several large counties in Central Virginia.
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.
John Baker, WG’68
Wallowa, OR
When John and his wife retired to a 63 acre ranch in Oregon, in 2001, they devoted their talents, time and energy as Founders, Board member and Treasurer of the “Joseph Branch Trail “ consortium which is a $20,000,000 trail restoration project in Wallowa County, Oregon. In addition to walking/biking/hiking/riding trails, a major goal is also to improve the fish habitats of Steelhead and Chinook salmon. In addition to working with Oregon and federal agencies and the Bonneville Power Administration, John works closely with the sovereign nation of the New Pierce Tribe to restore Fish Habitat in the Wallowa River in Oregon, which is part of the coho salmon 600 mile journey that includes the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Columbia and Snake Rivers
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.
Filemon Berba, WG’64
Antipolo, Philippines
Following his career in several Philippine companies that included electric and water public utilities, electronic and pharmaceutical industries, Filemon has devoted his retirement to the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology (PFST). This Foundation, of which he was a founder, has the objective of creating a critical mass of young people exposed to science with the intent of preparing them for engineering and technological careers. As President and Chair of the PFST Board of Trustees, he has developed outreach programs that involve 400,000 Philippine high school students each year. They created the Philippine Science Centrum, the first interactive science museum in the country. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, they created 7 mobile exhibits that over the years have been visited by 7 million students and teachers. They have trained 6000 teachers all over the country. Filemon also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Philippine Science High School, the University of the Philippines and the Batangas State University, both of which have a student population of over 35,000.
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.