Pentagon Alum Helps Shape CSR Curriculum at C2CEO

Babs Chase to Co-Lead C2CEO Corporate Social Responsibility Course

Chase is a 2021 graduate of the George W. Bush Institute’s Veteran Leadership Program and recognized with the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award and Meritorious Civilian Service Award as well as the Department of State Group Superior Honor Award.

We are very excited to welcome Babs Chase to the C2CEO curriculum knowledge team.

C2CEO: How Did You Learn about C2CEO, and How Did You Get Involved?

BABS CHASE: Cary Broussard, C2CEO, and I recently reconnected on LinkedIn (never underestimate the power of LinkedIn!), and we discussed my passion for bringing changemakers together and my focus on supporting the women and men in uniform and their families serving alongside them.

When Cary reached out to me about the opportunity to co-lead the spring course, I was so excited to have another way to bring great people together with a joint mission of increasing individual and collective impact. Cary and I also serve on an alumni board to the Hutchison School in Memphis, Tennessee where we are mentors to the students as they make career choices and prepare for life after college.

C2CEO: What Do You Think is One of the Most Important Takeaways From C2CEO’s CSR Course?

BABS CHASE: The course is great for those who want to get started on the right path with CSR, and it’s also great for people who want to enhance the program they already have. We want to empower leaders to be mission-focused and provide a map or a way forward to have a successful CSR program.

I’ve had a lot of career experience around creating connections outside of an organization. Company leaders have to identify and engage with the right people in a way that is still aligned with the mission of the company and their stakeholders, and CSR is a great way to do that.

C2CEO: How Does a CSR Strategy Impact a Company?

BABS CHASE: Many years ago, it used to be that companies could buy a ticket to a gala or an event, and that could be enough. You were “giving back,” but society demands MUCH more now.

From a business side, CSR is a must-do. It’s expected by the C-suite, the employees that you’re recruiting and want to retain, your customers, and your investors. At the end of the day, to whom much has been given, much really is expected, and that includes our business community. We’ve watched society shift so much in the past few years, and CSR shows the influence and opportunity companies have when they build these programs strategically. CSR leaders can make not only their communities better, but the country and the world better, as well.

C2CEO: How Can Companies Decide Where They Spend Their CSR Dollars?

BABS CHASE: It’s important to understand how company CSR efforts can make a difference, but it’s critical to be strategic. They need to define the causes that are important and align and build in flexibility to engage as situations arise in the world.

The C-suite can’t just dictate from above anymore. Companies must have conversations with their stakeholders. It’s important to take the pulse of your employees or the leaders among your employees, depending on the size of your company. If you’re a company that has employee resource groups, use those relationships. Of course, this spending has to make sense from a business perspective, and CSR efforts have to be externally and internally focused.

Companies can also broadcast ways that employees can get involved and feel heard without the company necessarily taking a stand. That may be bringing in experts to facilitate listening sessions and conversations amongst the employees. It’s also helpful for companies to provide resources for where their stakeholders can give personally. Companies can focus on their expertise and look at what they do right or do best as a company, whether that’s rolling up their sleeves in a clean-up effort, pivoting to making masks or hand sanitizer or canning water during and directly after natural disasters.

Click here for information and registration to C2CEO’s CSR course taught by Cary Broussard, Dr. Rick Garlick, and Babs Chase.

Learn more about Babs Chase and her background

Babs Chase, President and Founder, Chase Magnolia Partners, has dedicated her career to making a difference, and we are honored that she will join C2CEO to share her unique perspective on the value of corporate responsibility. She has led outreach programs and built an impressive network across a variety of industries including politics, economic development, not-for-profit, corporate America, and defense. She is a 2021 graduate of the George W. Bush Institute’s Veteran Leadership Program and has also been recognized with the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award and Meritorious Civilian Service Award as well as the Department of State Group Superior Honor Award. She spent many years in the Halls of the Pentagon orchestrating executive outreach on behalf of the U.S. Army and serving on the Public Affairs Team in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Most recently, she was the Vice President of Military and Veterans Programs at The Manufacturing Institute where she led the Heroes MAKE America initiative to build connections between the military community and the manufacturing industry. Through her current role at Chase Magnolia, Babs is dedicated to bringing true change makers together for the betterment of our communities, our nation and the world.