Advocating for Impact: Panel from Pepperdine University's Social Enterprise Collective DC

What does it truly take to drive social change — locally and globally?

In this powerful live-recorded episode of The Social Impact Podcast, host Bree Jensen moderates a conversation with four inspiring leaders at Pepperdine University’s Social Enterprise Collective in Washington, D.C. Together, they unpack the real meaning of advocacy, how change begins, and how to stay in the fight even when the issues feel overwhelming.

Featured Speakers:

• Demara Catlett – Executive Vice President, Bryson Gillette Advocacy
• Allison Wheeler – Senior Director of Global Health Advocacy, United Nations Foundation
• Isabel Carlotta Robbie – Senior Staff Attorney for Latin America, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
• Allison Gilmore – Program Manager, John Lewis Young Leaders, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
• Moderator: Bree Jensen – Host, The Social Impact Podcast and Founder of The Social Impact Firm

Topics include grassroots activism, global health policy, youth-led advocacy, strategic litigation, and real-world case studies ranging from Brazil’s Indigenous movement to corporate accountability campaigns. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen your impact, this conversation offers practical advice and powerful encouragement.

Presented in partnership with:
Pepperdine University’s Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship and Change

Ready to take action on your advocacy goals?
Schedule a consultation with The Social Impact Firm or email hello@thesocialimpact.co.

Listen now and join the conversation.

Transcript

Transcript: Advocating for Impact - Live from Pepperdine University

Podcast: The Social Impact Podcast
Episode: Advocating for Impact: Driving Social Change at the Local and Global Level
Recorded Live at: Pepperdine University's Social Enterprise Collective, Washington DC
Presented by: Pepperdine University’s MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change

[Intro]
Welcome to The Social Impact Podcast. Today is a very special episode because we recorded it live at Pepperdine University's Social Enterprise Collective in Washington, DC just a month ago. And we talked about advocating for social impact.

We had the pleasure of hosting wonderful guests from across different sectors. We had:

• Allison Wheeler, Senior Director of Global Health Advocacy at the United Nations Foundation
• Demara Catlett, Executive Vice President at Bryson Gillette Advocacy
• Isabel Carlotta Robbie, Senior Staff Attorney for Latin America at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
• Allison Gilmore, Program Manager of the John Lewis Young Leaders program at RFK Human Rights

The conversation was compelling and gave us some tools to get started on our journey of advocacy. So let’s get to it.

[Opening Remarks]
Moderator Bree Jensen is an inspiration. Despite losing her home in a wildfire, she organized and hosted this incredible event. One of the panelists noted how inspiring it was to see Bree lead with resilience, intelligence, and grace.

Bree introduces the topic: “Advocacy is a huge topic, and lately many organizations I work with are asking, ‘Are we even moving the needle?’ So that’s what we’re talking about today.”

[Panel Question: How Do You Define Advocacy and Where Does Real Change Begin?]

Demara Catlett: Advocacy starts with the personal. Policy is just the rules that govern our lives, so advocacy is deeply personal. A huge part of my work is about research—understanding the strategies, funders, and ecosystem of the opposition. For example, 54 organizations connected to Project 2025 generated over $2.5 billion in traceable money in one year. Three of those groups—all university-affiliated—received over $1.5 billion. We need to understand the infrastructure that’s driving systemic change from the other side. Advocacy is research.

Allison Wheeler (UN Foundation): At the UN Foundation, advocacy is defined as results-driven campaigns that influence policy and improve global health outcomes. We use a 360-degree strategy: grassroots mobilization plus congressional advocacy. Through structured evaluation, we found that individuals involved in grassroots work took three times more actions than a control group. The personal leads to the community, leads to the national, and then to global policy.

Allison Gilmore (RFK Human Rights): I run a student fellowship that helps young people become advocates. We teach them to lead capstone projects grounded in human rights and to understand their own agency. Like John Lewis, who started at 19, we need to empower students to see themselves as changemakers. Advocacy starts with community and grows through experience and confidence.

Isabel Carlotta Robbie (RFK Human Rights): Advocacy is promoting the rights of marginalized individuals and communities. I see it as strategic litigation, public awareness, and constant, persistent work. You must be “politely annoying” about the same issues, bringing evidence and truth. Policy, community, and the personal are all connected.

[Youth Advocacy & Burnout]
Allison Gilmore adds: It’s vital to support youth leaders and give them frameworks that prevent burnout. Some students advocate on the frontlines, others create educational toolkits or do visual storytelling. Advocacy must be sustainable.

Allison Wheeler echoes this: Advocacy is a journey. It often starts with a social media post or campus event and can grow into meetings with members of Congress. We need to lower the barrier to entry and give people options.

[Campaign Case Studies]

Demara Catlett:

• Black Lives Matter is a major success in message clarity and values-based engagement.
• The Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index held corporations accountable for LGBTQ+ rights.
• Civil rights-era boycotts show the power of sustained economic pressure.

Isabel Carlotta Robbie:

• Brazil’s Indigenous Movement connected land rights to global climate change, which mobilized international allies and brought real legal protections.
• Venezuela Human Rights Crisis: Language matters. Calling people "terrorists" without due process undermines truth. Advocacy means protecting the right to tell your story, to face a judge, and to be seen as human.

[Audience Q&A]

Q1: What do you wish you focused more on early in your career?
A: Follow your passion and pause to reflect. Know what motivates you. Don't ignore what gives you purpose.

Q2: How do I pivot into being a professional advocate?

• Be in community. Understand the real issues from the people affected.
• Consider graduate programs like a PhD if you want deep subject-matter expertise.
• Follow your dream orgs and headhunters on LinkedIn.
• Build relationships and peer networks. Most opportunities come from people who know your work.
• Apply to conferences and emerging leader tracks. They open doors and give visibility.

[Closing Remarks] Bree Jensen: Whether you're a professional advocate or not by title, we're all advocates in some way. Thank you to our guests, our audience, and our partners at Pepperdine University.

Presented by: Pepperdine University’s MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change
Schedule a Consultation with The Social Impact Firm: thesocialimpact.co | Email: hello@thesocialimpact.co

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