Debra is a member of the faculty at the d.school at Stanford. She also works as an Advisor to business start-ups and social ventures around the world. Previously Debra worked as a business executive at Hewlett Packard. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard. She serves on the Boards of the Skoll Foundation and B Lab and the advisory boards of IDEO.org and Yoxi.
2012 SESSIONS
Dancing with Elephants: Influencing Education Systems in a World in Flux
Location: Lecture Theatre 4
Education is one of the sectors most impervious to change, as evidenced by continued reliance on outdated curricula, teaching methods and administrative processes. Yet helping today’s youth develop new ways of thinking and relevant skills has never been more urgently required, given complex and accelerating local and global challenges. Where are innovations in the education system coming from and how are creative entrepreneurs working in traditional educational institutions to mainstream these approaches?
Speakers: John Merris-Coots, Anjani Kumar Singh, Mary Anne Müller, Mike Marriner, Daniela Bertoglia, Debra Dunn, Madhav Chavan
2011 SESSIONS
Social Innovation By Design
Design thinking is a powerful approach to problem solving and innovation that has generated significant buzz and validation from the business community. In the hands of social entrepreneurs, the design process can unlock barriers to progress. Learn from the experiences of three social entrepreneurs who have used design thinking in their work in Africa and India, and discover the resources available to organisations that want to try this methodology.
Speakers: Debra Dunn, William Drenttel, Sathya Jeganathan, Elizabeth Scharpf, Fred Swaniker
2009 SESSIONS
We’re From The Government And We’re Here To Help
Social entrepreneurs can tap governments to expand impact. Escuela Nueva assisted the Colombian government to debut a new model of teaching more attuned to the needs of rural children and their communities. Riders for Health negotiated innovative delivery of health services to remote communities in Africa. YouthBuild USA partnered with government to scale a program to address core issues facing low-income communities. Hear about best practices in working with governments and how to stay true to the mission when partnering with a larger organisation.
Speakers: Dorothy Stoneman, Barry Coleman, Vicky Colbert, Debra Dunn
2008 SESSIONS
Replication And Scale
Replication is often the challenge standing between a social entrepreneur’s exciting innovation and major impact. This panel will explore examples of different replication models in an attempt to shed light on some key questions: What are the challenges implicit in the replication model? What are some of the internal and external factors that fuel success? What should a social entrepreneur consider in determining which approach to try?
Speakers: Chuck Slaughter, Dorothy Stoneman, Martin Burt, Debra Dunn
2007 SESSIONS
Design Thinking
Innovation happens through strong multi-disciplinary groups. Experience the user-centered design methodology at the heart of the new and highly acclaimed Design School at Stanford University. Learn to drive multi-disciplinary innovation using design thinking and use rapid prototyping to discover new solutions.
Speakers: Sarah Stein Greenberg, Perry Klebahn, Debra Dunn
2007 SESSIONS
Tapping The Right Leadership Talent At Every Growth Phase
Leadership requirements evolve dramatically as an organisation grows. Social entrepreneurs must be able to assess the skills and competencies they need and determine where to get them both today and into the future. This session offers tips on how to identify talent gaps, utilise innovative talent sources and manage executive staff transitions.
