Turning Purpose Into Progress: Justine Zinkin ’02 on Leading Change in Social Enterprise

In this episode of More MPE, hosts Ray Horton and Sandi Wright speak with Justine Zinkin ’02, CEO of Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, a national social enterprise providing financial services to low-income workers. Born and raised on New York's Upper West Side, Zinkin’s journey into social enterprise was influenced by her family's academic background and her parents' diverse experiences.

Zinkin joined Neighborhood Trust directly after graduating from Columbia Business School in 2002, initially leading two separate but related organizations: Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union and Credit Where Credit Is Due. What she didn’t know at the time is that she was inheriting two nearly insolvent organizations. Fortunately, she was able to turn things around by applying some of the things she learned in business school, like turnaround management.

Neighborhood Trust has changed a great deal under Zinkin’s leadership, evolving from a local nonprofit financed entirely by donations to a national organization that earns 25 percent of its revenues by selling financial consulting services to other organizations. Her growth plans see the Trust financed almost entirely by earned income, with donations limited to serving the organization’s research needs.

Looking ahead, Justine discusses the challenges facing Neighborhood Trust, including potential changes in consumer financial protections that would threaten the Trust’s record of expanding the financial inclusion and empowerment of low-income workers. She closes by encouraging MBA students to pursue social enterprise careers, emphasizing the rewarding nature of applying business skills to solve intractable social problems.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Justine Zinkin ’02

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More MPE is co-hosted by Sandi Wright and produced by The Podcast Consultant. Special thanks to executive producer Hannah Slow and student producers Sofia Martins '26 and Dominica Wambold '26.