Each year the Grunin Center works with paid student Research Assistants (Tepper Fellows) to:
- maintain and expand the Social Enterprise Law Tracker, a status tool that allows user to visualize how laws and regulations impacting social entrepreneurship have spread across the United States, and
- publish an annual report, Mapping the State of Social Enterprise and the Law, that evaluates the state of social enterprise and the law in the United States. The report generally examines the challenges in defining the field of social entrepreneurship and impact investing, legislative developments in the United States with respect to forms of legal entities that are available to social entrepreneurs, and the role of U.S. legal education in training a new generation of lawyers knowledgeable about the field of social entrepreneurship and impact investing.
Application Process
The application window for the 2024-2025 academic year will open in early Fall 2024.
2023-2024 Tepper Fellows
Matt Kuhlik '24
Matt is a second-year JD candidate at NYU School of Law. He is interested in social enterprises, emerging companies, and tech law. Matt attended Emory University, where he majored in business administration. Prior to law school, he worked in management consulting and as an analytics manager at a healthcare-focused tech startup. At NYU, Matt is a staff editor for the Annual Survey of American Law. This summer he will be working as a summer associate at Debevoise & Plimpton in their New York office.
Walla Elshekh '24
Walla Elshekh (she/her) is from New Jersey and graduated from Seton Hall University in 2018 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Economics. Before law school, Walla worked at the Center for Court Innovation, supporting community courts’ training and technical assistance across the U.S. and to justice practitioners globally. She also is a trustee of a local nonprofit that provides resources to unify and strengthen Muslim communities throughout the state, including connecting leaders to anti-racism and gender equity training. Walla is a 2021 Sponsors for Equal Opportunity (SEO) fellow who spent her pre-1L summer at Shearman & Sterling LLP and her 1L summer at Morrison Foerster LLP. In addition to being a Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Fellow at NYU Law, Walla participates in the Entrepreneurship Clinic, is a Lawyering Teaching Assistant, and is the Private Professional Development Co-Chair for the Black Allied Law Students Association.
Elise van den Hoek '25
Elise is a first-year student at NYU Law. She is interested in social enterprise, international law, and sustainability, with a particular focus on renewable energy. As a Robertson Scholar, she was jointly enrolled at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill during her undergraduate career. Duke was her home campus, where she received a BA in Public Policy, and founded a zero-waste food pop-up business on campus called Scoop. As a Russian language speaker, she also has expertise and research experience in US-Russia relations and Transatlantic Security. She hopes to pursue a legal career that spans these interests, with a focus on international transactions and sustainable development.
Christelle Mazloum '25
Christelle is a second-year JD candidate at NYU School of Law. She grew up in Qatar and earned her B.A. in Business Management and Accounting at the University of Edinburgh. Before law school, she contributed to research and advocacy on corruption in the Middle East at Transparency International. At the Qatar Financial Centre Authority's legislative arm, Christelle supported the development of regulatory initiatives aimed at advancing the nation’s financial ecosystem. At NYU Law, Christelle promotes access to legal services for entrepreneurs as Co-Chair of the Rising Tide Capital program. Christelle is interested in exploring how corporate law and securities regulations can accelerate sustainable and socially responsible development.
Andy Guan '26
Andy is a first-year student at NYU Law. He was born and raised in Beijing, China, and attended the University of Washington where he majored in Finance and Philosophy. Andy is interested in social impact entrepreneurship and he co-founded a startup Incubator called ProSeed which aimed to provide underprivileged students with access to startup resources and mentorship. ProSeed held hackathons, incubation camps, and startup case competitions, and incubated two social-impact-driven startup projects. The best thing in operating a startup incubator, Andy said, was to experience growth together with the founders and learn from the brilliant people around him. In Andy's future law school studies, he will keep exploring the intersections between law and social entrepreneurship.
Social Enterprise Law Tracker Co-Founder and Tepper Fellow Advisor
Rob Esposito
Mr. Esposito is a Managing Director and Senior Counsel, ESG. He joined Apollo in 2020 in the Legal Department as the firm's first ESG Counsel. Prior to that, Mr. Esposito was an associate in the Private Funds Group at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP from June 2017 to March 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Esposito was an M&A and private funds associate in the New York offices of two international law firms. Mr. Esposito previously served as a Jacobson Fellow in Law and Business at New York University Law School, and as a professional lecturer in law on the adjunct faculty at The George Washington University Law School.
Mr. Esposito received his B.A. from Dartmouth College, his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, and his. LL.M., with highest honors, in International and Comparative Law from The George Washington University Law School.
“When we co-founded the Social Enterprise Law Tracker (SELT), we were driven by an academic interest in the intersection of emerging corporate law and cutting edge technology. The interactive SELT website was a product of that combined interest. I am honored and grateful to NYU Law for embracing its stewardship and maintenance of the SELT website since its founding, and am delighted to continue participating in its evolution as an advisor to the Tepper Fellows and the Grunin Center.”
- Rob Esposito
Meet our Tepper Fellow alumni
(Bios are as of respective fellowship years.)
2022-2023 Tepper Fellows
Elise van den Hoek
Elise is a first-year student at NYU Law. She is interested in social enterprise, international law, and sustainability, with a particular focus on renewable energy. As a Robertson Scholar, she was jointly enrolled at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill during her undergraduate career. Duke was her home campus, where she received a BA in Public Policy, and founded a zero-waste food pop-up business on campus called Scoop. As a Russian language speaker, she also has expertise and research experience in US-Russia relations and Transatlantic Security. She hopes to pursue a legal career that spans these interests, with a focus on international transactions and sustainable development.
Matt Kuhlik
Matt is a rising second-year JD candidate at NYU School of Law. He is interested in social enterprises, emerging companies, and tech law. Matt attended Emory University, where he majored in business administration. Prior to law school, he worked in management consulting and as an analytics manager at a healthcare-focused tech startup. At NYU, Matt is a staff editor for the Annual Survey of American Law. This summer, Matt is working at the SEC in its Division of Enforcement.
Walla Elshekh
Walla Elshekh (she/her) is from New Jersey and graduated from Seton Hall University in 2018 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Economics. Before law school, Walla worked at the Center for Court Innovation, supporting community courts’ training and technical assistance across the U.S. and to justice practitioners globally. She also is a trustee of a local nonprofit that provides resources to unify and strengthen Muslim communities throughout the state, including connecting leaders to anti-racism and gender equity training. Walla is a 2021 Sponsors for Equal Opportunity (SEO) fellow who spent her pre-1L summer at Shearman & Sterling LLP and her 1L summer at Morrison Foerster LLP. In addition to being a Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Fellow at NYU Law, Walla participates in the Entrepreneurship Clinic, is a Lawyering Teaching Assistant, and is the Private Professional Development Co-Chair for the Black Allied Law Students Association.
2021-2022 Fellows
Wolfgang Jorde
Wolfgang is entering his third year in the JD/MBA program at NYU School of Law and NYU Stern School of Business. Wolfgang attended Wesleyan University as an undergraduate, where he was on a pre-med track and majored in psychology. Prior to law school, Wolfgang worked in and around the food world in New York, both through restaurants and the nonprofit sector, with his last position being at the James Beard Foundation as a finance associate. At NYU, Wolfgang is a member of the Black Allied Law Students Association and was the treasurer of the JD/ MBA Association. This summer, he is serving as a summer associate at both Davis Polk & Wardwell and Gunderson Dettmer in the New York City offices, and in the fall, he will begin his first year of business school at Stern.
Matt Kuhlik
Matt is a rising second-year JD candidate at NYU School of Law. He is interested in social enterprises, emerging companies, and tech law. Matt attended Emory University, where he majored in business administration. Prior to law school, he worked in management consulting and as an analytics manager at a healthcare-focused tech startup. At NYU, Matt is a staff editor for the Annual Survey of American Law. This summer, Matt is working at the SEC in its Division of Enforcement.
2020-2021 Fellows
Sydney Forrest
Sydney is a first-year student at NYU School of Law. She is from Tampa, Florida. Before law school, Sydney attended Wesleyan University for her undergraduate degree in mathematics and Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College for her MS in finance. At NYU, besides being a Tepper Fellow for the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship, Sydney is a Jacobson Leadership Scholar for Law and Business and the Social Innovation Symposium chair for the Social Enterprise & Startup Law Club. Outside of law school, she enjoys rock climbing, spending time with her younger sister, and taking non-degree math courses at NYU Courant.
Nadia Greggs
Nadia Greggs is a second-year JD candidate at NYU School of Law. She graduated with a BA in economics from Georgetown University and an MA from Hunter College in applied mathematics and statistics. Prior to law school, Nadia worked at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, DC where she assisted with research on competition and financial stability in the banking industry. She then moved on to develop student-growth metrics for New York State as a senior research analyst for an education research organization. In addition, she was an expert consultant for the Wisconsin Innocence Project. She is a member of the Black Allied Law Students Associate at NYU and will be joining Davis Polk & Wardwell after graduation.
Hannah Yang
Hannah Yang is a third-year student at NYU School of Law. She is interested in technology, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. Yang is an articles editor for the Environmental Law Journal, and she was previously on the boards of the Supreme Court Forum, Environmental Law Society, and Rights Over Tech. In her first summer, she interned at the ACLU of Michigan. In her second summer, she interned at Morrison & Foerster in New York. As a student in the UN Diplomacy Clinic, Hannah served as a legal adviser to Solomon Islands. Prior to law school, she worked as a paralegal at Simpson Thacher. Yang graduated from Princeton University with a degree in chemistry. Upon graduation, she will be returning to Morrison & Foerster in their corporate practice group.
2019-2020 Fellows
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is a third-year student at New York University School of Law. He is interested in social enterprises and alternative corporate ownership structures, housing and welfare law, urban policy, and municipal government. He recently participated in a Housing Clinic with the Legal Aid Society, representing tenants threatened with eviction from their homes. Currently, he is a pro bono scholar in the Civil Justice Practice of Brooklyn Defender Services. Prior to law school, he was a member of the third-ever class of NYU Abu Dhabi, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in political science.
Hanna Downing
Hanna Downing is a third-year student at New York University School of Law with a focused interest in social entrepreneurship, international law, and education policy. In addition to her work at the Grunin Center, she has participated in the Education Advocacy Clinic, as well as the Education Sector Policy and Consulting Clinic at Columbia Law School’s Center for Public Research and Leadership. She served as a judicial intern for United States District Court Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto and United States District Court Chief Judge Lee H. Rosenthal. Prior to law school, she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan. Downing graduated cum laude from Rice University with a degree in Asian studies and policy studies. Upon graduation, she will be working at Latham & Watkins’ New York office within their corporate practice group.
Ahmed Yacout
Ahmed Yacout is a second-year student at New York University School of Law. He is interested in international law, social entrepreneurship, and Islamic jurisprudence. Yacout is a student editor at the Journal of International Law and Policy and is on the board of NYU’s Immigrant Rights Project. Prior to law school, he conducted archival research on the history of slave abolition in Europe and the United States. Yacout graduated cum laude from NYU Abu Dhabi with a degree in history and political science. This summer he will be working as a summer associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London.
Hannah Yang
Hannah Yang is a second-year student at New York University School of Law. She is interested in tech law, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. Yang is a student editor at the Environmental Law Journal and is a co-president of the Supreme Court Forum. She is also on the boards of the Environmental Law Society and Rights over Tech. Prior to law school, she worked as a paralegal at Simpson Thacher. Yang graduated from Princeton University with a degree in chemistry. This summer she will be working as a summer associate at Morrison & Foerster in New York.
2018-2019 Fellows
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is a second-year student at New York University School of Law. He is interested in social enterprises and alternative ownership structures, housing and welfare law, urban policy, and city government. Brown is a student editor at the NYU Tax Law Review and president of the NYU Law International Arbitration Association. He is currently participating in a Housing Clinic with the Legal Aid Society, representing tenants threatened with eviction from their homes. Prior to law school, he was a member of the third-ever class of NYU Abu Dhabi, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in political science. This summer he will be working in the Impact Litigation Department of Housing Works working on cases involving HIV/AIDS, homelessness, public benefits, disability, and housing and gender discrimination.
Hanna Downing
Hanna Downing is a second-year student at New York University School of Law with a focused interest in social entrepreneurship, international law, and education policy. In addition to her work at the Grunin Center, she is involved with the Education Advocacy Clinic. She served as a judicial intern for United States District Court Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto and United States District Court Chief Judge Lee H. Rosenthal. Prior to law school, she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan. Downing graduated cum laude from Rice University with a degree in Asian studies and policy studies. This summer she will be working as a summer associate at Latham & Watkins.
Ava Haghighi
Ava Haghighi is a third-year student at New York University School of Law. She is interested in the intersection of international business and human rights law. During her time at NYU, Haghighi was the International Law Society Public Practice chair, a student advocate for the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), a Women of Color Collective high school mentor, and a law student advocate with the Global Justice Clinic. She spent her last semester at NYU Shanghai as part of NYU’s Law Abroad program. Prior to law school, Haghighi founded and ran an international social enterprise focused on empowering women artisans around the world. She graduated magna cum laude from USC Marshall School of Business with a degree in business administration. Upon graduation, she will be working at Baker McKenzie’s New York office in their corporate and securities group.
Carolina Henriquez-Schmitz
Carolina Henriquez-Schmitz is the founding executive director of the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship at New York University School of Law. She is an international attorney who has spent a significant part of her career working to educate and empower other lawyers to be proactive leaders in driving social change. Prior to joining the Grunin Center, she was regional lead and legal manager at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, where she oversaw an award-winning pro bono service that facilitates legal support for social enterprises in the Americas, and worked with social impact partners around the world to develop strategic resources and capacity-building opportunities for lawyers and entrepreneurs. Earlier in her career, Henriquez-Schmitz worked at two leading international law firms, the World Bank and the Zambia Law Development Commission, where she specialized in international f inance, dispute resolution, and business and human rights. She is a dual-qualified lawyer and holds a JD from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Venezuela and an LLM from Harvard Law School.
2017-2018 Fellows
Alice Thai
Alice Thai is a third-year student at New York University School of Law interested in the potential synergies between the private and public sector. She strongly believes that what she coins as conscientious capitalism will be the future and that impact investment and social entrepreneurship will be two of its main tools. She is currently working on a paper about how municipalities can use social impact bonds to fund permanent supportive housing for the homeless. Upon graduation, she will be working at Skadden Arps's Palo Alto office in their general corporate group.
Margaret Suh
Margaret Suh is a first-year student at New York University School of Law seeking innovative ways to support social entrepreneurs. Prior to law school, Margaret managed customer experience at a tech start-up that sought to empower small business owners and served as interim director of a newly formed think-and-do tank, The Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity. Margaret graduated cum laude from Boston College in 2013 with a degree in Philosophy and International Studies.
Riley Jones
Riley Jones is a first-year student at New York University School of Law. Riley has a background in social entrepreneurship; in 2015 he co-founded an organization, Bloc, to increase education and career access for students of color across the United States. Riley was also a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow who did research under tenured sociology and American Studies faculty. Riley graduated from Columbia University in 2017 with a degree in Political Science and American Studies.
Flynn Coleman
Flynn Coleman is the founding Grunin Fellow at the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship at New York University School of Law. She is an international attorney, a social entrepreneur, an educator, an author, a public speaker, an ethical fashion designer, a former competitive athlete, and a founder and CEO. She holds a BSFS from Georgetown University, a JD from UC Berkeley School of Law, and an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science.