Watson Institute Team

Recognized as an Ashoka fellow, Echoing Green fellow, and one of Forbes 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs, Eric’s work is driven by a simple belief: to solve the toughest challenges facing humanity, the place to start is within the hearts and minds of the next generation.

Andrew manages three crucial organization-wide functions: Program Implementation, HR/Operations, and Enrollment Engine. He builds and instills culture in our top-notch teams and supports each team in achieving their goals. He is known as a GyShiDo Master and aims to set the foundation for Watson Institute to become a hundred year old institution.

Isabel leads our global admissions team with the goal to strengthen our search strategy and impact worldwide. She also oversees our admissions processes for Watson Institute including managing scholarships, fellowships, tuition, and visas. In addition, Isabel spends significant time working to diversify Watson Institute’s nominator network and key partnerships.

Prior to joining the team, Brin lived in Uganda where she co-founded The African SOUP. Brin and her team built the SOUP from a community program to an organization making national education impact across Uganda in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Brin believes deeply in our collective capacity to improve the trajectory of our world, should we invest our time and resources in developing ethically-driven leadership and economic systems.

Jeremy leads the team and development, as well as oversees the curriculum at Watson Institute, Boulder. He integrates each element of the Watson Institute model to build a strong team and create a powerful experience that equips the next generation to solve the toughest challenges of our time.

Jorge leads all of the programming elements at Watson Institute, Boulder including program implementation, managing the Watson Mentor Program, facilitating workshops and events, supporting Master Course Teachers, and local partnerships. He also leads branding and marketing for Watson Institute.

Miranda leads the global search to find and select the most promising young innovators by improving, expanding, and diversifying Watson Institute’s nominator network and key partnerships in Colorado.

Audrey designs and implements a world class logistics and operational experience for students selected to attend Watson Institute. She implements and coordinates a large portion of Watson Institute’s daily operations, including elements of a vibrant student life experience.

Molly supports early-stage, impact-driven entrepreneurs as they strategize and operationalize. Her current consulting focus is helping established nonprofits develop new revenue streams, which she does through On Purpose Consulting.

Rob has more than twenty years of experience working with businesses, governmental agencies and nonprofits in various leadership and entrepreneurial roles across diverse sectors.

Jim integrates the fields of anthropology, education & design to support individuals and organizations define and activate their purpose. At the heart of this work is his deep sense of empathy and an orientation towards the future.

Tyler manages the team, preceptors and development of Watson Institute, South Florida. In her role, she oversees all programming including curriculum design, workshops, Master Courses, and both our Mentor and Employer Networks. She also serves as a liaison to the broader South Florida community for the program and scholars.

Nicholas leads all of the elements to our programming at Watson Institute at Lynn University including curriculum design and ideation, the Mentor Network, facilitating workshops, and the support of Master Course Teachers.

Alberto leads the Watson Institute, South Florida Campus Operations. This position entails implementing and coordinating large portions of daily Watson Institute programmatic operations. In addition to spearheading campus logistics and developing a vibrant student life experience for Scholars.

Javier leads the global search to find and select the most promising young innovators by improving, expanding, and diversifying Watson Institute’s nominator network and key partnerships in South Florida.

Eduardo is a passionate leader with 25+ year-experience in finance, management, social innovation, business strategy, product development, human development, partnerships and startups.

Eduardo founded //Movement, a socially-responsible fitness initiative that recycles the energies of it’s fans and patrons into socially conscious projects in the community and around the world.

Julia is the founder and CEO of imvest, committed to building a sustainable future through social entrepreneurship and impact investing.  Julia also brings to the table a decade of experience in capital markets. For 6 years she worked in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs, and 4 years in venture capital & private equity investing in emerging markets

Erick is a digital designer, who focuses on user experience design and user experience research.Specializing in data analysis and data visualization, Erick’s passion lies in transforming data into knowledge through immersive experiences that engage audiences.

Santra currently serves as the Interim Executive Director for the Miami Workers Center, a strategy and action center whose purpose is to build the power and self-determination of South Florida’s most oppressed communities, and help to build a progressive voice and platform that can nurture the growth of movements for social change in Florida and in the United States.

Marte is a classically trained professional musician and strategic planner, founded Cultured Innovations to help clients translate vision into value and facilitate success on purpose. Her work as a coach and consultant, allows her to support artists, nonprofit leaders and boards in creating more value, visibility, and financial security.

Derick is a social entrepreneur with an authentic voice for change, particularly in the areas education technology, and the growth of local ecosystems for entrepreneurs of color nationally. In 2008, Derick Pearson co-founded Feverish Pops, a venture backed frozen dessert company, raising a seed round of three-quarters of a million dollars.

Marla Friedman is a dynamic professor, best-selling author and innovative entrepreneur. Marla has taught business courses to undergraduate and MBA students for over 20 years. She is enthusiastic about global leadership; directing university programs in six countries. 

Helda leads all of the programming elements at Watson Institute at UFM such as program implementation, managing the Watson Mentor Program, supporting Master Course Teachers, and local partnerships.

Monica leads our global search for promising next-generation leaders and entrepreneurs at Watson Institute’s Career Accelerator at UFM, in addition to other programmatic offerings.

Pablo is the Founder and General Manager of Gestla Ventures, a Search Fund Accelerator and Private Equity Fund. He’s the instructor for the Money Lab at Watson Institute at UFM in Guatemala.

Molly supports early-stage, impact-driven entrepreneurs as they strategize and operationalize. Her current consulting focus is helping established nonprofits develop new revenue streams, which she does through On Purpose Consulting.

Travis’s goal is to assist and inspire individuals and corporations in creating more authentic cultures through collaboration and purpose.

Megan leads curriculum design and creates programmatic consistency to elevate the quality of Watson Institute programs across all locations. She has been with Watson Institute since 2016 and has been in the Director of Search and Director of Programs role.

Lallas is responsible for leading Watson Basecamps in China, as well as searching China and the globe for entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers to join our programs.

Recognized as an Ashoka fellow, Echoing Green fellow, and one of Forbes 30 social entrepreneurs under 30, Eric’s work is driven by a simple belief: to solve the toughest challenges facing humanity, the place to start is within the hearts and minds of the next generation.

Associate in Private Equity and Corporate Practices of Benesch, Jason has extensive legal, pro-bono, and non-profit expertise. From the board, he supports Watson Institute with legal and strategy questions, among others.

A recognized leader in the natural and organic food industry, Jane is CEO of Lily’s Sweets and has 30 years of executive experience in PepsiCo, Heinz, and Rudi’s Bakery. Jane publishes the popular blog JaneKnows.com on the tips, tools, and truths to lead a meaningful career.

As co-founder and former Community Director of AshokaU, Erin has been a key player in supporting colleges and universities everywhere to become hubs of social innovation.

Mike is a retired Microsoft executive where he led high profile, global products and most recently the Community Development program that supports 50+ global communities. Mike is an early-stage investor, advisor and board member of numerous non-profit and for-profit start-ups.

Robin believes that the education system needs a boost. With that, she has committed her time to systemic change with charter school oversight, preschool readiness for Spanish speakers, and executive functioning skills for marginalized communities.

Under Kevin’s leadership, the university has implemented a redesigned core curriculum, the nationally recognized Dialogues; a first-year student experience titled The Citizenship Project; and a three-year undergraduate degree program.

Scott Sherman is the Executive Director of Transformative Action Institute and has worked on nonviolence and social justice projects from the war-torn island of Sri Lanka to the inner city ghettoes of America.

David is a writer, filmmaker, and passionate believer in the millennial generation. He is the author of the book Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation is Shaping our World.

Roshan is the Founder of Ashoka’s Globalizer and the Amani Institute. He is a guest lecturer at over a dozen universities – from Harvard to Paris’ HEC Business School. His course is entitled: “Scaling Social Enterprises Globally.”