Adlai W. Wertman

Wertman_Adlai_Headshot 2010

ROLE

Board of Trustees, Leadership

BIO

Adlai W. Wertman works directly with leaders and boards of high impact organizations – with a focus on using business and business models to address social challenges. He was a professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, and the founding director of its Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab. Professor Wertman originated and spearheads the Marshall School’s efforts in the growing field of social enterprise and corporate social responsibility. He is also the founding director of the Society and Business Lab at Marshall, a center focused on using business education and resources to address global community needs. Prior to joining the faculty at Marshall, Adlai spent seven years as president and CEO of Chrysalis, the only nonprofit in Los Angeles devoted solely to helping the homeless change their lives through employment, and one of the larger social enterprises in the country. Prior to Chrysalis, Adlai worked for 18 years as an investment banker. His last position was managing director and manager of Prudential Securities’ West Coast Public Investment Banking Group. He also taught nonprofit management at UCLA and was a senior fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Mr. Wertman is a trustee of the Jewish Community Foundation and currently serves as co-chair of its Center for Designed Philanthropy Committee. He is a Wexner Heritage Fellow, an appointed commissioner of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Fund, a senior fellow at the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, and an Advisory Board member of the Global Health Institute and the Roberts Enterprise Development Foundation. He is a frequent speaker on issues of social entrepreneurship, social enterprise, and nonprofit management. Mr. Wertman earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his master’s of business administration in finance, public policy management, and strategic planning from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Adlai lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Janet, and their three children.

Expertise/Specialty Areas:

  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Nonprofit management
  • Philanthropy

Community Leadership Summary:

  • Foundation trustee
  • Co-chair, Center for Designed Philanthropy Committee
  • Senior fellow, USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture
  • Advisory Board member, Global Health Institute and Roberts Enterprise Development Foundation
  • Wexner Heritage Fellow
  • Previously senior fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs
  • Previous appointed commissioner of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Fund