Alumni Profile: Michael Belinsky '08 - Innovating for Social Impact and Public Good

Many Dartmouth alums are involved in public service. This includes not only elected officials, but innovators for the public good. 

One such alumnus is Michael Belinsky ’08.  Belinsky was involved in a number of Rocky programs including RLF and the 2007 Democratic Presidential Debate.  He has also given back to undergrads as a MLDP speaker. 

Belinsky was recently featured in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine Newsmakers section and the Boston Globe when his Harvard Kennedy School of Government team won the Public Sector Innovation Award in the Harvard College Innovation Challenge.

Recent Harvard Kennedy School graduates Belinsky, Avnish Gungadurdoss ’09 and Michael Eddy founded award-winning Instiglio to use the “social impact bond” concept in developing countries. As the venture grows, Instiglio has offered internship opportunities for students interested in social impact.

“Whereas the rest of the College were devoted to helping me ask tough academic questions and discover myself as a person, Rocky was the place I went to learn how those answers and those discoveries apply to the outside world. From its Civic Skills Training, to the 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidates Debates, to the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows, Rocky inspired me with enough alumni rock stars to convince me to choose public policy as my profession.” –Michael Belinsky ‘08

Have you utilized the skills, interests, and experiences from your undergraduate days to benefit the world around you? How are you involved in public service? We’d like to connect you to current students and feature your story in an upcoming project.  Please contact the Center for more information.