Ami Dar - Ami Dar is the Executive Director of Action Without Borders and Idealist.org. Launched in 1996, Idealist is one of the most popular nonprofit resources on the Web, with information posted by 55,000 organizations around the world, and over 40,000 visitors every day. Ami was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Peru and Mexico, and worked as a waiter, translator, and marketing manager at a software company before starting AWB. In the last four years, the Nonprofit Times included Ami in its annual list of the 50 most influential people in the nonprofit sector, and in 2004 Ashoka invited him to join its global fellowship of social entrepreneurs. Ami chairs the board of N-TEN, and also serves on the board of Aspiration and on the editorial board of the Nonprofit Quarterly.
Mark Hanis - Mark Hanis founded the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net) to provide ordinary citizens with tools to prevent and stop genocide.
GI-Net's goal is to change the way the United States and the international community respond to the world's worst crime. GI-Net's aim is to recruit a committed and diverse group of individuals and communities to form an active network that realizes the never in never again.
GI-Net members educate their communities, lobby their elected officials, and fund raise directly for civilian protection.
As a grandchild of four Holocaust survivors with a background in human rights, Hanis was compelled to focus on genocide prevention. A recent Swarthmore College graduate, Hanis has been featured in The New York Times and The New Republic, and has appeared on CNN Headline News and NPR.
David Macquart - A French-American, David met the founders of Global Nomads Group (GNG) in Paris while attending college and joined the fledgling organization in 2000 in Dallas, Texas. Prior to joining GNG, he was Manager of Content Development at the European Press Network, a web-based news agency in Paris. Parallel to his work with GNG, he founded the web marketing shop BoldWord Communications and worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). David received his BA in Communications from the American University of Paris (AUP) in 1999.
Lucas Welch - Lucas Welch is President of Soliya, an organization that aims to build intercultural understanding between young adults in the US and predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and galvanize them to become agents of change in their societies. Prior to his work with Soliya, Mr. Welch was a producer for ABC News working with Peter Jennings. He also taught media at Birzeit University, and conducted research at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Mr. Welch also worked as the Director of Communications for America Abroad Media, conducting a videoconferencing initiative between high schools in the US and Pakistan.
Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) presents a panel on Social Entrepreneurs. The panel was part of The Transition Generation Summit: Fulfilling the Promise.
What are the most promising opportunities for social entrepreneurship today? How can we use the power of technology to connect key social actors and create positive change?
In collaboration with the World Education Corps at Oxford University, Americans for Informed Democracy hosted a young global leaders summit entitled The Transition Generation: Fulfilling the Promise in New York City on Saturday, September 16th. The summit brought together students and young professionals from across the U.S. for a series of panels, discussions, and workshops aimed at examining the unique responsibilities of the transition generation and the opportunities for young leaders to fulfill these responsibilities through innovative global leadership and social entrepreneurship.
Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization working to raise global awareness and civic participation through town hall forums and conferences focused on the U.S. role in the world. Through these efforts, AID seeks to build a new generation of globally conscious leaders who can shape an American foreign policy appropriate for an increasingly interdependent world.