CEM was launched with seed money from the Liberty Mutual Foundation, followed by a grant from the US Department of Education.
Since our founding in 2007, we have been honored to receive generous gifts from several dedicated board members, alumni, and corporate partners to develop and strengthen our student programs, event series, and research initiatives. Gifts from David R. Nardone, Vivek & Vandana Sharma, Venkat & Pratima Srinivasan, Ed and Colleen DiSanto, and the Revvity Foundation have transformed CEM's ability to support faculty and student research, facilitate global learning experiences, and engage the academic and business community in Boston and beyond with emerging markets topics.
For more information on how you can support the Center for Emerging Markets, please visit the Northeastern University Giving Page.
Benefactors
The Nardone Family Seminar Series brings scholars and practitioners to Northeastern to share research and firsthand experience on emerging markets with the CEM and Boston community. David Nardone (DMSB'79/MBA'82) first funded the series in 2015 with a five-year commitment. In January 2021, he endowed it permanently, ensuring it continues indefinitely.
The Srinivasan Family Awards for Projects in Emerging Markets provides $1,000 to $3,000 grants to full-time students at Northeastern University pursuing research, startups, service-learning projects, conferences, or other innovative work that addresses pressing problems in emerging markets. The fund was established in 2022 through a gift from Venkat and Pratima Srinivasan.
The Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative supports a package of programs that deepen Northeastern's engagement with economic and business issues in India. Vivek and Vandana Sharma endowed the initiative in February 2021, funding CEM's India Lecture Series, visiting terms for Indian scholars and practitioners, faculty research in India, and a growing network of business leaders in the U.S. and India focused on American and Indian economic ties.
The Edmund and Colleen DiSanto Student Engagement and Innovation Fund supports Boston-area public high school graduates to participate in transformative experiential learning opportunities that align with CEM's mission to develop globally minded business leaders. The fund was endowed in June 2024 by Edmund “Ed” DiSanto (CPS '75), former Executive Vice President at American Tower Corporation, and his wife, Colleen.
The Revvity Access CEM Scholarship enables full-time graduate students from emerging markets to advance their studies and further their leadership development through direct exposure to executive decision-making. Selected students receive a $2,000 scholarship and are paired with a C-Suite leader at Revvity for a two-day shadowing experience. The scholarship was endowed in August 2024 by the Revvity Foundation.
