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Social Change Conference: Learning to Lead Change Walden’s fifth annual conference addressed social entrepreneurship. What is social entrepreneurship, and what steps need to be taken to become successful agents of change? Walden’s fifth annual Social Change Conference—held on Sept. 30, 2009, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.—addressed this question through theme “Social Entrepreneurship: Taking Action, Leading Change.”  Conference speaker Dr. Cheryl Dorsey
The Social Change Conference reflects Walden’s commitment to support change agents by convening leaders with international perspectives to share best practices. This year’s conference attracted 168 attendees, as well as hundreds of others who attended via a real-time Web broadcast of the event, which was archived and is available online.
The conference began with remarks by Walden President Jonathan Kaplan, who explained that social entrepreneurs “believe the same entrepreneurial spirit that has driven great economic progress can also foster new solutions to complex social problems all over the world.”
The featured speakers shared their insights about the state of social entrepreneurship today and answered questions from the audience.  Conference speaker Michele Jolin
Dr. Cheryl Dorsey, president of Echoing Green, a global nonprofit that awards start-up capital to social entrepreneurs, outlined the characteristics of effective social entrepreneurs, describing them as “resource magnets” with an “asset-based worldview.” They are also experts on their issue and hold themselves totally accountable for solving the problem they’ve identified.
Dorsey also looked at trends in the field, predicting increased cooperation between sectors and more participation in social innovation from retiring baby boomers. She advised aspiring social entrepreneurs to focus their efforts on working with established groups or institutions that address the issues that matter to them, rather than starting a new organization.
Michele Jolin, senior advisor for social innovation for the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, spoke on the efforts of the Obama administration to encourage social innovation and public/private partnerships.
 Panel discussion with (from left to right) Peter Kannam, Dr. Kathia Castro Laszlo, David Bornstein, Anthony Jewett and Dr. John Nirenberg. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Peter Kannam, executive director of New Leaders for New Schools Maryland, who said that those who want to lead change should start with what they’re passionate about: “There’s need everywhere, but what really hits home for you?”
The discussion featured David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas; Anthony Jewett, president of Bardoli Global; Dr. Kathia Castro Laszlo, Walden University faculty member and co-founder and executive director of Syntony Quest; and Dr. John Nirenberg, Walden University faculty member and author of Global Leadership. The panelists discussed their personal experiences, how to start a social entrepreneurial organization or project, working as an “intrapreneur,” measuring social return on investment, and the personal drawbacks and benefits of a career as a social entrepreneur.
Finally, attendees participated in a working lunch dedicated to discussing three aspects of social entrepreneurship—K–12 education, public service and green innovation.
View the Social Change Conference video.
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©2009 Walden University |