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Alice Tepper Marlin is the wise and passionate architect of some of the most innovative models for corporate social responsibility. Her energetic work over decades has helped provide concrete research and practical methods for bringing companies, investors, consumers, and workers together to address issues of environmental and economic justice worldwide. In this warm, personal reflection, Tepper Marlin traces her own history from her early days on Wall Street to her ongoing work in the not-for-profit sector, providing blueprints for social entrepreneurs.

Throughout her career, Tepper Marlin has combined a practical understanding of the business world with a deep belief in economic justice. As a young securities analyst, she had a key insight that ethical, socially motivated investors could influence corporate practices in positive ways. Founding the Council on Economic Priorities was a pivotal step in the birth of the socially responsible investment movement. Through the concept of a "peace portfolio", CEP developed tangible incentives for investors and analysts to hold companies accountable in the board room. Under Tepper Marlin's leadership, the organization grew into a highly respected provider of research for stock selection based on environmental and fair labor practices.

"Shopping for a Better World", CEP's internationally renowned consumers' guide to rewarding good corporate citizenship, highlighted the global nature of many of the most pressing issues. To address this expanding mission, Social Accountability International was established and Tepper Marlin led the challenge of drafting the SA 8000, a set of international standards for decent working conditions forged by the collaboration of business, trade unions, human rights organizations, development agencies, and child welfare organizations. In the face of economic disparity, Tepper Marlin's is a message of hope: we have the ability to fix our problems if we strive to ensure that the products we purchase in the global market come from places where people are treated fairly and with respect.

Alice Tepper Marlin serves as president of Social Accountability International. She has held this position since 1996, upon the founding of SAI. She is currently also Adjunct Professor of Markets, Ethics and Law at NYU's Stern School of Business.

Ms. Tepper Marlin is the recipient of numerous awards, including: Japan Society Fellowship, Right Livelihood Award, Wellesley College Alumnae Achievement Award, Social Venture Pioneer Award, and both Adweek's and Mademoiselle's Woman of the Year Award. She has been profiled in The New York Times, People, Vogue, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, Newsday, The Palm Beach Post, Asahi Shimbun, Time and numerous other publications around the world. Ms. Tepper Marlin has also been interviewed by "The Today Show," CNN, "Good Morning America" and over 1,000 radio programs.

In 1969, Ms. Tepper Marlin founded the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP) and served for 33 years as President. At CEP, she wrote and/or edited dozens of books, including Shopping for a Better World (Ballantine Books). Earlier, she served as a securities analyst and labor economist at Burnham & Co., and as the editor of the tax journal of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation in the Netherlands.

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