Voices in Action: Meet CASI’s 2025–2026 Student Leadership Team
Incoming 2025–2026 CASI Leaders (left to right): Tina Mondragon, CASI Project Manager, Wesley Cash, (MBA ’26), Santiago Paz Ojeda, (MBA ’26), Tunç Ekin Yavuz, (MBA ’26), Nirali Devgan, (MBA ’26 and CASI Co-Director), Anat Admati, CASI Faculty Director, Alexis Opferman, (MBA ’26 and CASI Co-Director), Céline Vendler, (MBA ’26), Helen Cashman, (MBA ’26), and Lisa Sanchez-Corea Simpson, CASI Staff Director.
The Corporations and Society Initiative is pleased to introduce the 2025–2026 CASI student leaders, a dynamic group committed to examining the role of business in society. This year’s cohort brings curiosity, energy, and diverse perspectives to high-impact events and conversations that challenge conventional thinking and foster deeper dialogue on the economic, legal, and social forces shaping our world.
Leading the group as CASI co-directors are Nirali Devgan and Alexis Opferman. Other CASI members include Dylan Ackerman, Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa, Wesley Cash, Helen Cashman, Santiago Paz Ojeda, Céline Vendler, and Tunç Ekin Yavuz.
CASI staff director Lisa Sanchez-Corea Simpson expressed excitement about the year ahead.
“Our student leaders are not just asking tough questions, they’re creating space for others to join the conversation,” she said. “They bring a thoughtful urgency to issues that matter, and that energy will help shape a powerful year of learning and discussion at CASI.”
As CASI welcomes the new group, the outgoing student leaders reflected on how their involvement broadened their thinking and deepened their understanding of the complex issues shaping business and society.
Tyler Walker (MBA ’25) said moderating a wide-ranging conversation with Curt Mills of The American Conservative pushed him to think more critically and engage more openly on issues.
“CASI was one of the most meaningful parts of my GSB experience,” Walker said. “At a time of major political change, it provided a recurring forum to process the noise and hear from a wide range of voices. Through CASI, I sharpened many of my beliefs, changed some of my perceptions, and gained greater confidence in having productive conversations across disagreement.”
As co-director of the CASI student leadership group, Rachel Hersh (MBA ’25) found value in both the public discussions and behind-the-scenes connections.
“I learned how rewarding it is to help people share their stories and explore the broader impact of their business decisions beyond just shareholders,” she said. “Hearing from our speakers inspired me to consider creating something of my own. I'm now even more interested in shaping a business's culture and mission in a meaningful way.”
One standout moment for Richard Hamrick (MBA ’25) was moderating a packed session with Kevin Warsh, a distinguished fellow at the Hoover Institution.
“CASI is a rare space on campus where students and faculty engage on such complex and existential questions about the role of business and government in shaping a better future for America,” Hamrick said. “The opportunity to help shape these conversations has helped me consider what kind of leader I want to be moving forward and has opened my eyes to the possibility of public service at some point down the road.”
For Hendrick Townley, (MBA ’25), CASI is one of the highlights of his time at the GSB, both for the conversations it sparked and the community it built.
“Our biweekly meetings and events hit a craving I had to go beyond just learning how to run organizations,” he said. It also helped him to “examine what role those organizations do and should play in our society.”
He added that he came to business school at Stanford because of CASI and other organizations that provided deeper insight through greater dialogue on timely and important issues.
“I’m proud that my fellow student leaders and I could continue that legacy for others.”
