INQUIRY

Can focused anti-bias interventions be automated into product development tools?

Frustrated by the inability for organizations to resolve internal HR and operational obstructions, I wanted to investigate alternatives to current DEI efforts by moving beyond staff trainings (education) into the production cycle (process).

Recognizing this was a departure from typical practices, InclusionVentures hosted my exploration. Like most of the DEI industry, they’ve traditionally focused on organizational culture and hiring practices.

CONTEXT

Even if we assume best intentions, people can’t build solutions for problems they can’t see. Issues around racial and gender bias continue to plague products and services, perpetuating societal inequities from seemingly inconsequential actions that scale. As we wait for cultural attitudes to progress, how do we put measures in place to shift power even when we’re not there?

HIGHLIGHTS

+ Investigated which stakeholders in the technology product development process might best leverage their skill sets to 1) manage tools and insights from interventions, and 2) influence a more robust DE&I accountability chain.

+ Developed learnings into a customized workshop that was piloted at the EuroIA conference to begin validating collaborative bias mitigation models with strategic partners.

+ Created strategic roadmap with short to mid-term solutions that can be quickly deployed within pre-existing product development practices, in addition to an ecosystem approach to building and enhancing shared infrastructure to drive long-term cultural change.

INQUIRY

How do we harness the power of 30,000 social innovators and their networks around the world to coordinate progress on a global scale?

CONTEXT

• RSA US Ambassador (present)
• Global Fellowship Councillor
• Washington DC Ambassador
• Fellow

+ Selected to represent the US on the Global Fellowship Council, a 30-member governing body that represents the interests of Fellows (Fellowship duties are conducted within a volunteer capacity).

+ Program, produce, and moderate talks designed to build community and collaboration among social impact leaders around the world. Events include conferences, panel discussions, and salons.

HIGHLIGHTS

+ Developed RSA US Fellowship orientation guide, a synthesis of the vast RSA ecosystem to help with the onboarding experience.

+ Spearheaded exploratory projects that brought people together across industry silos, including –

• Street University: seeks to democratize high-level knowledge of economics, political advocacy, and social movements so that more participants are empowered to drive equitable economic practices in their local areas.
• Art of Change: supports Fellows in providing key insights, tools and analysis into the art and mechanics of social change-making.

INQUIRY

Can we intentionally optimize for the mechanics of empathy and deeper human connection to scale? Can we facilitate more high-quality opportunities for productive conversations?

TABLETRIBES emerged out of the desire to scale empathy, and was grounded in research and experimentation around practical solutions that activate more meaningful understanding among strangers.

CONTEXT

+ Combining best practices in cross-cultural facilitation, evidence-based conversation design methods, and a foundation of empathy feedback loops helped to build consistency around elements like network diversity, productive group dynamics, collaboration potential, and most importantly, event/topic/partner relevance.

+ Radius Project – launched in Washington DC, extending into SF, NYC, and Philadelphia – helped clarify how TABLETRIBES can coordinate and facilitate collective conversational intelligence for focused engagement around current events and issues.

HIGHLIGHTS

+ Radius Project – featured in Forbes, Fortune, Financial Times, and others – was a collaboration centered around discussions from an art exhibit responding to the urgency of a newly emerging Black Lives Matter movement. TABLETRIBES convened thousands of participants – including artists, experts, and community leaders – for conversations about race and politics.

+ Civic Hall is an interdisciplinary innovation center that advances the use of technology for the public good. Selected as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence to explore whether TABLETRIBES can help create sustained relational organizing infrastructure in political organizing and civic innovation contexts.