Sorenson Impact Center names impact investor Geoff Davis CEO

Geoff Davis will take on the new role of CEO for the Sorenson Impact Center at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. He begins his new position on July 13, 2020.

Davis is a seasoned entrepreneur turned social entrepreneur turned impact investor, and his most recent position was CEO & Managing Partner of Cicero Impact Capital. He will bring his wealth of experience and knowledge to Sorenson Impact.

“Geoff has dedicated much of his life to improving the lives of others, and this next step in his career will continue to grow that impact,” said Jim Sorenson, founder of the Sorenson Impact Center. “I know his deep experience and passion for this work will grow Sorenson Impact’s support of people around the world and make an even bigger difference in the lives of so many. His leadership and experience will build upon the many success stories Sorenson Impact has already been part of and take the center to the next level.”

Jim Sorenson endowed the Sorenson Impact Center in 2013, and in 2014 the center hosted its first Winter Innovation Summit and was awarded a White House Social Innovation Fund Grant. The center has continued to grow and develop data science and field-building teams, all while providing hands-on learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students, ranging from the largest student impact fund in the nation in its $8.2 million University Venture Fund to performing due diligence on potential impact investments.

“We are delighted to have Geoff take on this important leadership role at the Sorenson Impact Center,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “The center’s ability to develop the next generation of impact investors is incredible, and I know those experiences will continue to make positive impacts around the world for generations to come.”

Davis looks forward to the new role and working with the staff and students at Sorenson Impact.

“Jim and Taylor have proven visionary, innovative and bold in creating the center, and it has become a powerful platform for global impact. I am honored and elated to join the impressive team as we work to create a better world,” said Davis. “I’ve hired multiple students trained through the center’s programs and have been consistently impressed with their strategic thinking, technical capabilities, and ‘can-do’, entrepreneurial attitude. We look forward to enhancing and expanding the center’s programs and continuing to attract and train the best and the brightest ‘doers’ committed to impact.”

Davis has founded, co-founded or advised more than 25 startups and investment funds, sat on 14 boards, and his work has impacted millions of families as they work their way out of poverty. In 2018, he joined Cicero Group as the CEO & Managing Partner of Cicero Impact Capital.

“While Cicero was fortunate to have Geoff’s expertise, leadership and deep commitment to impact, we are thrilled at the role he will play in the broader impact industry as CEO of the Sorenson Impact Center. We are also pleased that Geoff will remain a Senior Advisor at Cicero,” said Randy Shumway, founder and chair of Cicero Group and a University of Utah trustee. “Salt Lake City is home to world-renowned organizations who are leading innovation in the Social Impact space – the Sorenson Impact Center and Cicero Group, among others. We look forward to great partnership and collaboration between the two heavyweights that will catapult Utah to becoming a global center in helping individuals and organizations best apply evidence-based practices to solve the world’s most pressing social challenges.”

Davis earned a master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. He speaks both French and Spanish. He is married and has three daughters.

About the Sorenson Impact Center

The Sorenson Impact Center is a think-and-do tank at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. Sorenson Impact’s mission is to marshal capital for social good, empower data-driven programs, break down silos across sectors, and equip the next generation of leaders with social purpose.

About the David Eccles School of Business

The Eccles School is synonymous with ‘doing.’ The Eccles experience provides a world-class business education with a unique, entrepreneurial focus on real-world scenarios where students put what they learn into practice long before graduation. Founded in 1917 and educating more than 6,000 students annually, the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business offers nine undergraduate majors, four MBAs, eight other graduate programs, a Ph.D. in seven areas and executive education curricula. The School is also home to 12 institutes, centers and initiatives that deliver academic research and support an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. For more information, visit Eccles.Utah.edu or call 801-581-7676.

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