Dear Fellow Community Members,

Over the past year, the Economic Development Group has undergone one of the most significant periods of advancement in its history. It is with this letter, the first President’s Annual Reflection, that we begin a longstanding practice of evaluating our progress and defining our path forward. What began as a student initiative committed to exploring economic policy and community-focused development six years ago has matured into a growing institution, one that now operates with a clear identity, a sharpened mission, and a steadily expanding footprint across both NYU and New York City.

This year, our organization delivered measurable progress across every dimension of our mandate. We expanded our membership and attendance base to record levels, strengthened the infrastructure of our Executive Board, deepened our academic and professional programming, and invested strategically in building long-term partnerships that extend far beyond a single semester. With each initiative and each collaboration, EDG is laying the groundwork for the kind of institution we are determined to become: outward facing, intellectually rigorous, and operationally sound.

Professional and Academic Engagements

Throughout 2025, EDG’s growth was grounded in action. Over the course of the year, EDG facilitated a dozen high value professional engagements, ranging from policy oriented dialogues to industry focused speaker sessions, thanks in part to our continued relationship with NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business. We express our gratitude to the Center for its ongoing support and partnership, which has meaningfully elevated the caliber of our events and the depth of our conversations.

This year marked two milestones for EDG. Our first-ever alumni panel convened graduates now shaping careers in finance, consulting, policy, and related fields, offering our members an uncommon level of candor, perspective, and professional insight. The conversation affirmed the growing strength of our alumni community and underscored EDG’s emergence as an institution whose influence continues well beyond a student’s time at NYU. It represented an important step in building a durable, intergenerational network that will support our members for years to come.

We also partnered with the Singapore Global Network for one of the most distinguished professional engagements in EDG’s history. This dialogue brought together students and global development leaders for a conversation that was both intellectually rigorous and international in scope. The event expanded EDG’s global footprint and demonstrated our capacity to host high-caliber programming that situates NYU students within a broader ecosystem of economic thinkers and practitioners. It reaffirmed a core belief at the heart of our mission: that when EDG convenes people, we create spaces where global perspectives, professional insight, and academic rigor meet to elevate our community and advance our work.

Student Development and Internal Growth

We also invested in deepening student engagement and professional development through over 350 individualized advisory conversations, structured and intentional interactions designed to support students navigating academic interests, professional choices, and economic development related pathways. While our Lunch and Learns continued to foster student engagement through casual, interactive discussions of world issues, our network has expanded to include accomplished leaders whose perspectives broaden the intellectual and professional horizons available to our members.

EDG’s internal programs reached historic participation levels this year. With over 50 students across initiatives and a growing number of Directors, Associates, and team leads, our organization now operates with the largest leadership structure in its history. But this expansion is not just numbers. It represents our investment in talent, in institutional continuity, and in the long-term sustainability of the organization. As responsibilities have grown, so too has our capacity to execute with precision and ambition.

Expanding Our Presence

Beyond campus, EDG has taken deliberate steps to build a presence within the broader institutional landscape of NYU. Our work with all-university organizations, including the NYU International Relations Society, marks an important step in establishing EDG as a cross-school and cross-disciplinary partner in economic thought and practical engagement. These collaborations will be central to EDG’s forward strategy as we take on larger and more impactful projects.

Looking Ahead

As we transition into the next phase of our growth, EDG is entering a pivotal chapter defined by outward expansion, strengthened institutional presence, and a deliberate effort to position ourselves within the economic ecosystem of New York City. Our mandate now extends beyond NYU. We are actively pursuing engagements with civic organizations, policy groups, mission-driven nonprofits, and economic development entities across Manhattan. These relationships, once fully realized, will shape the opportunities available to our students for years to come. At the same time, we remain firmly committed to the foundational disciplines that have always anchored EDG, including rigorous analytical work, market and industry focused programming, and the professional development pathways that support careers in finance, consulting, and related fields. This balance of outward growth and core strength is central to the trajectory we envision for the organization.

This new chapter requires more than vision. It requires an Executive Board that is disciplined, operationally capable, and unified around long-term strategy. We are pleased to share that this year we have taken decisive steps toward building such a board. Through structural refinement, strategic recruitment, and the elevation of high-performing members into leadership capacities, EDG now possesses the internal foundation necessary to support ambitious initiatives and drive durable institutional growth.

Our focus has shifted from increasing our reach to solidifying the institutional framework that will sustain EDG’s long-term development. We are maturing as an organization, translating aspiration into infrastructure and intention into institutional capacity. We are building the architecture, discipline, and vision necessary to transform potential into lasting capability. And we are approaching this chapter with a renewed sense of purpose, committed to the long-term strength and sustainability of the institution.

The path ahead is defined by possibility. In the coming semester, EDG will continue expanding its professional partnerships, strengthening its internal programs, and formalizing its presence across the NYU community. We will pursue deeper collaboration with university centers, broaden our connection with citywide organizations, and invest in programming that is academically rigorous, professionally meaningful, and unmistakably reflective of the standard we intend to set. With each partnership forged, each initiative refined, each project carried forward, we are building permanence. 

Our goal is clear: to establish EDG as the premier student-led platform at NYU for understanding, engaging with, and contributing to the economic development landscape of not only New York City. This is our charge, our opportunity, and our responsibility.

None of this would be possible without our Executive Board, our Directors, our Associates, and the members who have made EDG their community. Your dedication, your effort, your belief in what this organization can become are the forces that propel us forward. It is an honor for us to serve alongside you.

We look forward to releasing the EDG Annual Stakeholder Report at the end of the Spring semester, a detailed account of the achievements, initiatives, and organizational development that have shaped this academic year in particular. In the time between now and its publication, EDG will continue driving forward with new events, deepened partnerships, and expanded programming across both NYU and the broader New York City community. The months ahead promise continued momentum, meaningful engagement, and the kind of sustained growth that reflects the trajectory we have worked to build.

With gratitude for your commitment and confidence in the work ahead, we wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year.

Jo-Lynn Kok and Khushi Munjani

Co-Presidents, Economic Development Group