The Sullivan Foundation will wrap up its Fall 2020 Ignite Masterclass program with a pair of sessions in November about groundbreaking companies that are inventing new paradigms aimed at disrupting the status quo, leading up to the Foundation’s semester-closing Social Entrepreneurship Opportunity Fair on Monday, Nov. 16.

November’s first Masterclass introduces Erin Boyd, head of business operations for Culdesac, a company that is building a car-free community in Tempe, Ariz. The class, titled “Placemaking as a Tool for Community + Network Building,” takes place from 4:15-5:30 p.m. (ET), on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Click here to register for the free session.

In her Ignite Masterclass session, Boyd will talk about a new approach to urban design that re-envisions our public spaces for the enjoyment of people rather than the movement and storage of automobiles. Her session will also focus on how to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. Boyd, who also cofounded Ashoka U, a global network for social entrepreneurship in higher education, will draw on her experience at Culdesac to explore the role of physical, cultural and social identities that define a space and support its ongoing evolution.

Erin Boyd of Culdesac

Related: Read more about the session and the car-free community called Tempe Culdesac.

Abhinav Khanal, cofounder of Bean Voyage (pictured at top), will lead the second November masterclass, titled, “How to Disrupt a Broken Global Supply Chain,” on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The class will be held in two sessions from 2-3:15 p.m. (ET) and from 6-7:15 p.m. (ET).

Click here to register for the first session and click here for the second session.

Khanal will share the story of how he cofounded a social enterprise—while he was still in college—aimed at helping smallholder womxn coffee producers lead their families and communities toward a sustainable future. Smallholder womxn coffee producers make 40 percent less than their male counterparts, although they comprise 70 percent of the coffee farmer workforce. Khanal’s nonprofit, Bean Voyage, provides training and direct-market access to these smallholder womxn coffee producers in Costa Rica.

The Fall 2020 Ignite Masterclass program culminates in the first Social Entrepreneurship Opportunity Fair, to be held from 6-8 p.m. (ET), Monday, Nov. 16. Participants will learn about internships, jobs, education and service positions that can help launch their careers as changemakers. From Benefit Corporations to global service organizations and from large foundations to small rural startups, the Social Entrepreneurship Opportunity Fair offers a multitude of ways to take concrete steps on your career path.

Space for the Social Entrepreneurship Opportunity Fair is limited, so click here to register and claim your spot today!

Back to all News items.