On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Jim Ziolkowski, founder, president, and CEO of buildOn, will address members of the Class of 2026, their families, and friends during Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business Graduate Diploma Ceremony.The ceremony, which will be held at 4:00 p.m. in the Rose Hill Gymnasium on Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, will celebrate the achievements of 721 graduate degree candidates.
Ziolkowski’s career trajectory is certain to provide inspiration for business school graduates who seek to do well and do good. After graduating cum laude from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in finance, he traveled around the globe, visiting some of the poorest countries and witnessing the suffering that extreme poverty causes. Once back in the United States, Ziolkowski started a career in corporate finance at GE, but an experience he had while backpacking in Nepal stuck with him. In an isolated village, he witnessed the opening of a school that would provide access to the education needed to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy. It was this spark of hope that prompted him to take a huge professional gamble.
Driven by a passion for service, his faith in the power of education as an agent of societal change, and his belief that anyone can make a difference, he quit his job and founded buildOn in 1991, serving as the organization’s president and CEO. Under his leadership, more than 200,000 students in the U.S. have contributed 2.6 million hours of local service, strengthening their communities while building their own leadership skills. Globally, the nonprofit has organized hundreds of thousands of local residents to contribute over 6 million volunteer workdays to build nearly 3,200 schools in some of the world’s poorest countries. There are now more than 400,000 individuals attending the schools they helped to build—half are girls.
“We are delighted that Jim Ziolkowski will address our students during our Graduate Diploma Ceremony. His profound commitment to improving the lives of others serves as a shining example of the ways individuals can collectively come together to make the world a better place. His work speaks to the power of education and its ability to lift people out of poverty and despair,” said Lerzan Aksoy, PhD, dean, George N. Jean PhD chair, and professor of marketing at the Gabelli School of Business. “His compassion directly aligns with the Jesuit values that are the bedrock of the educational experience we provide—one that is selfless and anchored in leveraging business as a catalyst for positive and lasting change.”
Ziolkowski, the New York Timesbestselling author of Walk in Their Shoes: Can One Person Change the World? will be introduced by Robert J. O’Shea, ’87, founding partner and chairman of Silver Point Capital, who co-founded the Gabelli School of Business O’Shea Center for Credit Analysis and Investment with his wife, Michele O’Shea’88, and his colleague, Michael Gatto, partner and head of private side business at Silver Point Capital. O’Shea was first introduced to Ziolkowski’s work by reading his book. He is a firm believer in the transformative experience buildOn affords to those who volunteer, as well as those who benefit from their labors. Through the O’Shea Center, he seeks to instill the same leadership qualities in Gabelli School students that have propelled the success of buildOn. Through the O’Shea Family Foundation, the O’Shea’s have partnered with buildOn to build 12 schools in impoverished countries such as Malawi, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
buildOn high school students will be in attendance at the Diploma Ceremony, including Blessing Otabil, Amoy Beckford, and Faith Omotosho. They are among the 34 students who completed the Fordham Youth Impact Program this year, an immersive partnership between buildOn and the Gabelli School of Business O’Shea Center that brings high school students to campus for hands-on leadership workshops, classes with renowned faculty, and mentorship from Gabelli School students—culminating in a certificate from the Gabelli School.
Doing Well and Doing Good: Three Graduating Students Making Their Mark While Making an Impact
The Gabelli School’s academic programs are characterized by the deeply rooted conviction that business research and education can help move society forward. Students gain the knowledge, practical skills, and hands-on experience that not only empower them to compete and succeed in any business setting, but also to utilize their expertise in ways that serve the greater good, ranging from developing sustainable and responsible business solutions to taking on leadership roles in organizations that aim to solve pressing societal issues. Like their Graduate Diploma Ceremony speaker, many members of this year’s graduating class have chosen to devote their life’s work to making the world a better place. Below are three examples of Gabelli School soon-to-be graduates who are leveraging their business acumen to create a positive impact and foster meaningful change.
Sara Mestizo ’26 MBA is driven by a deep commitment to urban revitalization and the transformative power of real estate. A civil engineer and architect with experience managing complex, multimillion-dollar construction projects across New York and Colombia, Mestizo enrolled at the Gabelli School to take her finance knowledge to the next level and advance her career in real estate.
During her time at the Gabelli School, she secured an acquisitions internship with Red Stone Equity Partners, LLC, a firm dedicated to creating and preserving high-quality affordable housing communities, gaining invaluable hands-on experience doing real estate work that directly aligns with her vision for sustainable and inclusive urban development. Through her graduate studies, she further strengthened her financial analysis and risk management skills. Mestizo, who served as president of the Real Estate Club at Fordham, aims to leverage her unique blend of technical and financial expertise to drive impact in the real estate industry.
Following graduation, Mestizo will join Red Stone Equity Partners as an assistant vice president, where she will be at the forefront of structuring and advancing affordable housing investments across the United States. “The Gabelli School gave me the tools I need to make my mark in real estate while making a real difference in local communities,” she said.
Father Dae Kim ’26 EMBA is a Catholic missionary priest with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America). Answering a deep vocational call to international mission work, he served in South America, primarily in Bolivia and Brazil. With a background in chemistry and chemical engineering, as well as professional experience in IT prior to entering religious life, he brings a unique perspective to his ministry and leadership, which has helped open a new career path for him within the organization.
One of Maryknoll’s mottoes is “We go where we are needed but not wanted, and we leave when we are wanted but not needed.” Despite his love for mission work in South America, the urgent needs of his religious organization convinced him to return to the U.S. and take on mission support work in financial operations. As a large 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it was paramount to have a deeply knowledgeable CFO who could shape the financial future of the organization. That led Fr. Kim to Fordham University and the Gabelli School’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program.
Now based at Maryknoll’s New York headquarters, Father Kim has been preparing to step into the role of chief financial officer while building his financial expertise through his studies. He was drawn to Fordham for its Jesuit values, holistic education, and strong sense of community—all of which align closely with his own faith and worldview. He has been deeply inspired by his cohort of diverse, mission-driven peers, finding common ground with his classmates in a collective desire to make a positive impact. Blending faith, leadership, and financial stewardship, Father Kim embodies service at the intersection of mission and management.
Prior to enrolling at the Gabelli School of Business, Colleen Lee ’26 EMBA held leadership roles at nonprofit organizations such as Ronald McDonald House New York and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Lee decided to pursue an Executive MBA (EMBA) with the goal of transitioning to a career in corporate social responsibility in the private sector. The Gabelli School’s value-driven, Jesuit approach, which integrates leadership and compassion into every aspect of the EMBA curriculum, including finance, inspired her to rethink her move to the corporate world. The program’s emphasis on ethics, sustainability, and social impact reaffirmed her commitment to making a difference in the nonprofit sector. During her graduate studies, Lee secured a new role as director of corporate partnerships – NE with Blood Cancer United (formerly known as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society), where she applies the strategies and skills she has learned at Fordham to her purpose-driven work. Lee also completed a fellowship with the Gabelli School’s Responsible Business Center, which focused on responsible decision-making in modern business, exploring the intersection between profitability and ethical issues. “The Gabelli School has taught us what business leaders need to be successful—especially those focused on leading teams effectively and making well-informed decisions,” she shared. “We have learned how you can do good business while doing good for the world as well, which is critical for building a sustainable nonprofit.”
About Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business
At the Gabelli School of Business, we envision a future where responsible business shapes the global marketplace. Founded in 1920 and inspired by our Jesuit traditions of discernment and excellence, the Gabelli School engages in groundbreaking research, industry engagement, and teaching and learning that promotes ethics, sustainability, and accountability. We develop business leaders who will be equipped to drive responsible impact for companies, communities, society, and the planet. We see the evolving landscapes of business, technology, and the world as opportunities for growth, and are committed to providing transformative education that will prepare students from all walks of life to be forward-thinking, lifelong learners who truly make a difference that matters through the business they conduct and the people they become.
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