Adlai Wertman is a Professor of Clinical Social Responsibility at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. In this position, Professor Wertman originated and spearheads the Marshall School’s efforts in the growing field of business and society – a
major thrust for the School. He is also the founder of the Social Enterprise and Business Lab at
Marshall – a center focused on creating new opportunities for civic engagement by the for-profit
sector. Prior to joining the faculty at Marshall, Adlai spent seven years as President and CEO of
Chrysalis - the only non-profit in Los Angeles devoted solely to helping homeless change their
lives through employment. As part of its award winning program, Chrysalis ran one of the larger
social enterprises in the country. Prior to Chrysalis, Adlai spent 18 years as an Investment
Banker. His last position was Managing Director and Manager of Prudential Securities’ West
Coast Public Investment Banking Group. He also spent two years teaching non-profit
management to second year Masters in Social Welfare candidates at UCLA.
Adlai is a Senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs and a Wexner Heritage Fellow. He
has worked extensively in the Los Angeles community as founder and Board Member of several
non-profits. He is a frequent speaker on the issues of homelessness, non-profit management
and social entrepreneurship. Adlai is also a consultant to numerous NGOs in the US and in
Israel.
Adlai earned his BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his
MBA in Finance, Public Policy Management and Strategic Planning from The Wharton School at
the University of Pennsylvania.