Over the past 20 years we've been fortunate to build out a network of some truly amazing friends, partners and collaborators who are working in their own innovative ways to create a positive dent in the universe. Greg Van Kirk hosts this new podcast structured as informal "master class" conversations, so to speak. Learn how some of the best people we know have shaped both their own changemaker journeys and "the how" of their changemaking strategies. Bring your notebook!
RECENT + UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS
Lennon Flowers
Lennon is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Dinner Party, a community of 10,000+ (mostly) 20- + 30-somethings working to turn loss from a conversation-stopper to a conversation-starter, with the goal of transforming our most isolating experiences into sources of meaningful connection and forward movement. She is a co-founder of The People’s Supper, which uses shared meals to build trust and connection among people of different identities and perspectives. Since January 20, 2017, The People’s Supper has powered thousands of suppers across the country, with partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Righteous Persons Foundation, USC Center EDGE, the Obama Foundation, and more.
Alanna Hughes
Alanna is currently Vice President for Implementation Strategy at Per Scholas. Prior to this she was a manager at Deloitte, entrepreneurship consultant at MIT, program assistant at Ashoka and a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Alanna graduated with her BSFS from Georgetown University, has a MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and MPA from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. She’s an advisory board member of Soccer Without Borders. Alanna lives in Boston.
Jordan Kassalow
Jordan is the Co-Founder of EYElliance and Founder and Co-Chairman of VisionSpring. He is as well a practicing optometrist. Jordan is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, an Ashoka Fellow and a Skoll Awardee. He has a MPH from the Johns Hopkins University, Doctor of Optometry from New England College of Optometry, and BA from University of Vermont. He recently co wrote the book “Dare to Matter: Your Path to Making a Difference Now.” Jordan lives in New York City.
Mohsin Mohi Ud Din
Mohsin is an artist, activist, and founder of #MeWe International Inc. (#MeWeIntl), a global non-profit that builds communications and storytelling interventions for psychological wellbeing, leadership development, and community engagement. His work has received honors from the United Nations, SOLVE MIT and Open Ideo. Mohsin’s innovative work has reached thousands of people across more than 12 countries, beginning with his Fulbright Scholarship in 2010. He has been a featured speaker at the World Economic Forum, United Nations,MIT, TedX, and his work on #MeWeSyria has been published on UNHCR Innovation, VICE, and Al Jazeera.
Matt Nash
Matt's an adjunct professor of the practice at Duke University. He teaches courses in social innovation and social entrepreneurship. As a managing director of Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, he works with students, faculty, alumni, and practitioners to design, implement, and assess innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Matt has led two accelerators at Duke including, most recently, the Duke-UNICEF Innovation Accelerator, which supports the scaling of innovations for youth, with an initial focus on menstrual health and hygiene in East Africa. Previously, he was a consultant in strategy and change management , and served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Romania.
Dana Mortenson
Dana is the Co-Founder and CEO of World Savvy. Dana has extensive experience as an advisor/board member for organizations. She’s been an advisor/ board member for On the Map Records, Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable, and Global Education Conference, to name a few. She was a team leader for the Intellectual Property Group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She earned her Masters from Columbia SIPA and a BA from Connecticut College. Dana lives in Minneapolis.
Brett Smith
Brett R. Smith, Ph.D. is the Cintas Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship; Founding Director, Center for Social Entrepreneurship; and Founding Director, Leading the Integration of Faith & Entrepreneurship (L.I.F.E.) Research Lab at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His research interests focus on social and faith-based entrepreneurship. His research appears in a number of leading academic journals including Academy of Management Journal, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice and Journal of Business Ethics. Smith has been a startup, corporate, and social entrepreneur as well as an angel investor. Smith is a co-founder and advisory board member for Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub and a member of the Board of Directors of OCEAN Programs, a faith-based technology accelerator.
Kofi Taha
At MIT D-Lab, Kofi's focuses on developing, using, and understanding inclusive design and implementation processes that lead to more equitable outcomes in historically excluded communities. He's co-facilitated village-level technology design workshops in Uganda and Haiti; helped interdisciplinary teams commercialize social impact products in Ghana and Tanzania; provided support to local innovation centers in Brazil, Colombia, and India; and helped build a global community of 1000+ innovators, entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, researchers, and educators (IDIN.org). Kofi studied political economy at Columbia University, urban planning at MIT, and is a doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Greg Van Kirk - Introductory Podcast
Greg is the founder of Social EntrepreneurU and the host of the It's about the HOW podcast. He has designed social entrepreneurial experiences, taught courses and led workshops for thousands of students and professionals. Greg is a former Ashoka Leadership Group Member, is a two-time Ashoka Globalizer Fellow and World Economic Forum "Social Entrepreneur of the Year for 2012 (Latin America)". Greg is the principal designer of the award-winning MicroConsignment Model, now being applied globally. He has consulted for dozens of global organizations throughout the world. He started his changemaking journey as a Guatemala Peace Corps Volunteer after working in investment banking in New York and San Francisco. Greg lives in New York City.
Steve Wanta
Steve is the co-founder and CEO of JUST. After 13 years finding, funding, and supporting organizations dedicated to alleviating poverty around the world, he launched JUST to reimagine global microfinance for the United States. Since 2016, JUST has made over 3,000 loans totaling more than $5M with a 99% repayment rate to low-income female entrepreneurs in Central Texas without checking a credit score or demanding collateral. Yet, Steve is most proud of the fact that JUST entrepreneurs now believe a new, better future is possible.
Start off your morning with some inspiration, increase your changemaking "chops" and get in the right mindset for the day. We send you a handful of resources such as our favorite articles, tools, talks, podcasts, organizations, and/or opportunities.
Every week we send you a curated toolkit of changemaking resources selected from our "every morning a changemaker" newsletter. A robust mix of our favorites to help you practically accelerate your changemaking journey.