Running For: Council


Campaign Statement

Strong and accountable governance is the bedrock of protecting the full scholarship model that has catalyzed all of our lives. From 2012-2014, I worked with and supported CUAA officers from the sidelines in the effort to restore proper governance at our school. In my “dayjob,” I develop the pragmatic mechanics of implementing bold strategies and upholding necessary ideals. In this position, I would apply a mix of this experience drawing on board governance, financial expertise, and mission-driven investments – all to be used as levers in service of achieving Cooper’s mission.


Biography

Malini Ramanarayanan Moraghan balances margin and mission in the food & agriculture investment space. After a decade in the private sector as a JPMorgan investment banker and a McKinsey consultant, Malini became Managing Director of Investments at Wholesome Wave, where she launched and led a small Impact Investments team that sourced and structured patient, flexible investment into regional food & agricultural enterprises. Malini now runs Drawing Board, a multi-million dollar portfolio of activity, advising private funds, agencies and national foundations on investment diligence, cross sector impact investments, and food & agriculture capital deployment. She currently serves as an advisor to the Kresge Foundation, was a past advisor to the MacArthur Foundation, and is a key thought partner to USDA leadership on impact investments, new business models and regional food economies.

She has been nationally recognized for her work, speaking at the White House Rural Council Summits, USDA’s AgOutlook, Southern SAWG, OFN, and SARL Conferences. Malini serves on the Joint Federal Reserve-USDA Publication Advisory Committee. She is a Board member of Red Hills Small Farm Alliance and a past Board Member of a Feeding America food bank.

Malini served on the 2012 Cooper Union President’s Revenue Task Force, a cross disciplinary group which developed and offered a range of ideas and recommendations to preserve full scholarship for undergraduate students.

Malini has an MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cooper Union. She is also a CFA Level II Candidate. Malini is based in Chicago where she regularly gets together with good friends from Cooper.



Election FAQ HERE