PAST EVENTS

2009 – David Bornstein

The 2009 Solutions for Society event took place on April 15th in the Mellon Institute Building, on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University.

Guest speaker David Bornstein gave a fascinating presentation about social entrepreneurship and innovation. David is the author of “How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas,” which was described by The New York Times as “must read” for “anyone who cares about building a more equitable and stable world” and a “bible” in its field. The book, which has been published in 20 languages, chronicles and analyzes the work of social innovators who are successfully addressing social problems at scale in several countries. Bornstein’s first book, “The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank,” traces the history of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Grameen Bank during its first 20 years and describes the global emergence of the now-famous anti-poverty strategy known as “micro-finance.” Bornstein grew up in Montreal, Canada and now lives in New York City with his wife and son. He is currently at work on a book exploring the growth and implications of social entrepreneurship in the United States and Canada, and developing a non-profit that will serve as a tool for the discovery of solutions to major social problems.

Dr. James Garrett, Professor & Head of Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering welcomed everyone to the event. Max Miller, Managing Director, Raise Your Spirits, gave the closing remarks.

Jeremy Resnick, Founder & Executive Director of Propel Schools was given the Venture Philanthropy Award, presented by John Denny. Pete Decomo, Founder of Renal Solutions and CEO of Alung, was given the Entrepreneurial Award, presented by Barry Lhormer.

The event was followed by a lively networking reception, catered by Bob Sendall, All in Good Taste Productions.

2008 – Jerry & Monique Sternin, Positive Deviance Initiative

The 2008 Solutions for Society event took place on April 16th in the Chosky Theater on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University.

Featured speakers were world-renowned social activists and founders of the Positive Deviance Initiative, Jerry and Monique Sternin, who presented a program on Positive Deviance. The Positive Deviance Initiative is aimed at helping communities scale up solutions that are already working within those communities, rather than engineering a solution based on an external formula. The model has been successfully tackling serious issues around the world such as; malnutrition in Viet Nam; girl trafficking in Indonesia; school performance in the United States; pharmaceutical sales in Latin America; family planning in Guatemala; and many other challenges requiring diverse applications.

Dr. Jared Cohen, President of Carnegie Mellon University, welcomed everyone to the event, followed by remarks from Dr. James Garrett, Professor & Head of Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Antoinette Muller, Director, MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. gave the closing remarks.
Tom Canfield was given the Venture Philanthropy Award, presented by John Denny. Gerald McGinnis, Chairman of the Board and Advanced Technology Officer, Respironics, was given the Entrepreneurial Award, presented by Jack Roseman.

The event was followed by a lively networking reception, catered by Bob Sendall, All in Good Taste Productions.