B Academics is a network of educators, researchers, students, and practitioners from around the world who are committed to accelerating the sustainable business movement by studying B Lab, B Corporation certification and benefit corporations. In this conversation with Jessica Yinka Thomas, we examine the impact of B Academics, how B Impact Teams create better business leaders, and the importance of B Corp business collaboration.
Jessica is Co-founder, Executive Director and Board Member at B Academics. She teaches business sustainability, social innovation, and ethics in the undergraduate and MBA program as an Associate Professor of the Practice at North Carolina State University. In this episode, Jessica shares her extensive career with us and tells us how she became so passionate about B Corp. We hear about her B Corp Clinic at North Carolina State University, how she created it, and why academics studying B Corps are so beneficial to the community.
Finally, you’ll hear all about how you can support Jessica’s work either as a B Corp business or as an individual. This episode is filled with incredible insights so be sure to tune in to discover how B Academics can help grow the B Corp movement!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Jessica tells us about her fascinating background and extensive career at places like Stanford University and Leap Frog.
- When she first got involved in the B Corp movement and why she’s passionate about it.
- How her B Corp Clinic came to fruition and what they do in the B Corp space.
- Why the average person should care about B Academics; the value they provide to B Corps.
- How they make sure their courses and curricula are truly informed by the B Corp community.
- Jessica tells us what B Impact Teams are and why they are so important and effective.
- The B Impact team at North Carolina State and examples of the projects they’ve completed.
- Where her students end up after graduation and experiencing B Impact Teams.
- What our guest is most excited about regarding her future work with B Academics.
- How listeners can help support her work and the B Corp companies she works with.
- Where to learn more about Jessica and her team’s incredible work.
Mentioned in the Episode:
At the 47:10 mark in this episode, Ryan mentions the "B Corp MVP Medallion" he had created for Christina Noel at the 2014 B Corp Champions Retreat. Here it is!
Quotations:
“[We are] working with B Corps to rethink how we teach – the purpose of business, of our economic system, and to really be a part of this transformation from [the] focus on shareholder privacy to stakeholder capitalism.” — @jyinkathomas [0:17:16]
“If you are here because you care about the B Corp movement, then you should definitely care about the [B] Academics also.” — @jyinkathomas [0:19:10]
“We’re seeing [our B Impact Team] model replicated around the world!” — @jyinkathomas [0:33:42]
“We love to partner with B Corps!” — @jyinkathomas [0:51:42]
“How can we be a resource to your community? – We’d love to hear from you [about the] research questions you have that might inform our work.” — @jyinkathomas [0:53:44]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
- Jessica Yinka Thomas: https://www.jessicayinkathomas.com/
- Jessica Yinka Thomas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicayinkathomas/
- Jessica Yinka Thomas on X: https://x.com/jyinkathomas
- Jessica Yinka Thomas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jyinkathomas/
- Jessica Yinka Thomas on Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/jessicayinkathomas
- B Corp Clinic: https://bsc.poole.ncsu.edu/b-corporations/b-corp-clinic/
- B Academics: https://bsc.poole.ncsu.edu/b-corporations/b-academics/
- B Impact Teams: https://bacademics.org/membership/resources/b-impact-teams-about/
- Christina Noel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamarienoel/
- Better Made Easy: https://bettermadeeasy.com/
- Beneficial State Bank: https://www.beneficialstatebank.com/
- Creative Chi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creative-chi/
- Fairware Promotional Products: https://fairware.com/
- Rachel Haynes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelchaynes/
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Gratitude:
Thank you to Corey Lien and Nozomii Torii for being our monthly contributors at Beyond the B!
