Jessica Droste Yagan

Jessica Droste Yagan has spent her career building the case that financial returns and positive social impact are not just compatible but inseparable.

As CEO and Managing Partner of Impact Engine, one of the most respected impact investing firms in the country, she leads venture capital and private equity strategies that invest in for-profit businesses and funds delivering measurable social and environmental returns. Founded in Chicago when impact investing was still considered a niche idea, Impact Engine has grown into a nationally recognized firm proving that the market for doing good is real, scalable, and financially sound.

Before Impact Engine, Jessica led the creation of McDonald’s Corporation’s global and U.S. sustainable sourcing strategies, integrating ethical, environmental, and economic sustainability across one of the largest food supply chains in the world. She also worked in urban economic development at the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, bringing the same rigor to community economic health that she would later apply to impact capital markets.

She holds a BA from Haverford College, an MBA from Stanford, and an MPA from Harvard. She serves on the board of the Global Impact Investing Network, The ImPact, and the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at Chicago Booth. Crain’s Chicago Business named her to its 40 Under 40 list in 2013.

Jessica was involved in Invest for Better in our earliest days, helping shape the ecosystem that made this work possible. We are proud to celebrate her here.