Ed Mitzen ’95S (MBA)

What advice would you give to young professionals who want to build careers rooted in purpose?

Challenge the myth that you have to choose between a lucrative career and doing good.
Don’t wait until you’re a CEO or a billionaire to give back. You can champion ethical practices, volunteer, or mentor right now, within the role you already have.
And surround yourself with people who share your values about helping others. You can’t change the whole world, but you can change someone’s world.

What was the moment or insight that led you to create the Business for Good Foundation?

We wanted to be active in the change we were seeking. We didn’t want to just write checks. The real insight was realizing that infrastructure—giving people jobs, training, and equity—creates permanent economic mobility and lasting change.
When we donated $1 million to the surviving families of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, we saw firsthand how marginalized communities can thrive through business. Tulsa—and its Greenwood district—was once the most affluent Black community anywhere in the United States. There’s no reason that, through hard work, bridging connections, and supporting entrepreneurs, we couldn’t lift up other communities that have been left behind.

What has been the most fulfilling part of building the Business for Good Foundation?

It is an absolute privilege to be able to help others. The smiles on people’s faces when they realize we’re there to help and want nothing in return—that is truly a magical experience for us.
We’ve focused a lot on workforce development and entrepreneurship, helping people move up the income curve and out of poverty or the working-poor trap.
The next major frontier for the Business for Good Foundation is housing attainability. The missing middle—teachers, cooks, healthcare workers—are being priced out of the very communities they serve. We need smart minds and deep pockets to help us structure these future real estate and community-wealth initiatives.

How did your Simon experience shape the way you think about building businesses that create social impact?

Simon is famous for its rigorous, analytical approach to economics and framing. That quantitative mindset taught me that social impact shouldn’t just feel good—it needs to be measurable, scalable, and run with the same operational discipline as a Fortune 500 company.
My business education helped me see that treating employees exceptionally well and investing in communities isn’t an “expense” on a balance sheet; it’s a long-term strategy for building resilient economic ecosystems.
I was fortunate, back in the 1990s, to have some amazing guest speakers in my entrepreneurship classes—including Tom Golisano, Danny Wegman, and past leaders at Kodak and Xerox. My advertising class was even taught by the creative director who lost his job when Michael Jackson’s hair caught fire during a Pepsi commercial. You learn more from people with experiences like that than you ever will from a textbook, in my opinion.

What advice would you give to alumni who want to build ventures that make a meaningful difference?

The alumni network is full of sharp minds who understand both margin and mission. Don’t build in a silo—collaborate.