Kat Taylor and Tom Steyer have a passion for life, and a drive to make society and our earth better. They are using their resources to be part of the solution. And when I say resources, I mean the same definition as I use for our business… a high-impact plan for giving… giving of money, time, intellect and voice. A very lucrative career in business has led them to creating social enterprises and a foundation focusing on Good Energy, Good Money and Good Food. A panel, moderated by my fellow USC Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy board member, Wendy Wachtel, kicked off the Philanthropy: Imagination, Innovation, and Impact Leadership Forum at USC. Kat is CEO of One PacificCoast Bank. Their vision is called Beneficial Banking. “One PacificCoast offers a full line of traditional banking services, but with a distinct focus on the traditionally underserved: low-income communities, sustainable businesses and job creation.” The bank is owned by a foundation and is a B-Corp. Their aim, Kat said, is to be “influential and annoying” to cause real change. They align themselves with talented people and then let them do their jobs. The bank is just one of their initiatives. They were well on their way to using their wealth for good when Tom received a call from Warren Buffet asking to join the Giving Pledge. They were one of the early joiners of the movement. Tom’s focus is the environment and more specifically energy. He uses politics, and with it public policy, along with philanthropy. “If you truly care about the environment, you can’t avoid politics.” In all of their efforts, Tom and Kat say that they are working for “true outcomes and it must be fun.” They take on operational roles with their philanthropy to truly be able to lead the efforts and stay close to issues. http://onepacificcoastbank.com/ http://cppp.usc.edu/