The Social Innovators in Residence are social innovators and entrepreneurs who come to spend a week at Nova SBE to share their experience and enthusiasm for social impact with our students, staff and faculty, partners and the general public.
During their visit, they engage with various audiences through one-on-one meetings, small group events or workshops or larger discussions. Additionally, they are invited to be guest speakers on the Design Thinking Roundtable Podcast.
Through this program, we aim to share knowledge, trigger meaningful interactions and conversations while sparking potential collaboration.
Social Innovator in residence #7
Meena Kadri
April 7-11, 2025
Meena Kadri is a social innovator dedicated to tackling complex social challenges through human-centered design and community engagement. With a background in social anthropology and design, she has worked across diverse settings, from urban slums to corporate boardrooms.
Meena spent eight years at IDEO, where she led community engagement for OpenIDEO and advised IDEO U’s initiatives. Her expertise lies in fostering collaboration, equity, and innovation to drive meaningful change. Born in Aotearoa New Zealand with Indian ancestry, she brings a global perspective to her work in social impact.
Residency Activities
April 08, 2025- 10am – 12pm / 2pm – 5pm
One-on-one 30min chat slots for NovaSBE community members
April 09, 2025- 2.30pm – 4.30pm
“Power Play: Exploring Power Dynamics in Public Space” – Workshop
April 10, 2025- 6pm – 9pm
“Power, Place & Craft: A Conversation with Meena Kadri + Homelore Exhibition” at Live Content (Santos)
Social Innovator in residence #6
Engin Ayaz
November 27-28, 2024
“Engin is a transdisciplinary designer and strategist with a background in architecture, systems thinking, and interaction design. As a co-founder of ATÖLYE, Engin focuses on leading a diverse team around interscalar strategy and design projects while honing the organization’s shared culture.
In 2013, Engin received his master’s degree in Interactive Design and Media Arts from Tisch School of Arts, ITP of New York University. Following his ITP thesis on collaborative creative spaces, he co-founded ATÖLYE.
Between 2003 and 2007, Engin received a dual degree in Architectural Design and Engineering from Stanford University. Afterwards, Engin worked in the European and US offices of ARUP as a Sustainable Design Consultant. Engin has also received fellowships from Merage Foundation and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Engin has also taught a range of courses pertaining to architecture, urbanism and systems design at Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, United Nations Staff College, and Istanbul Bilgi University.
His work has been exhibited worldwide and received awards from Core77, Architizer, Arkitera, World Architecture Community, and Good Magazine, among others. He has also presented in various conferences globally, including two TEDx sessions.
Alongside ATÖLYE, Engin is focusing on building community-powered systems within the kyu Collective as a Director and serves in the Board of IDEO.org.
Engin enjoys spending time in the great outdoors in his spare time, searching for that “state of flow” in whatever he is immersed in.” by ATOLYE
Residency activities
November 27, 2024 – 11am – 12.30pm / 3.45pm – 5.30pm
One-on-one chat slots for NovaSBE community members
November 28, 2024 – 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Flash talk at WithCompany around community-powered transformation (open to all)
Social Innovator in residence #5
João Rafael Brites
April 15-19, 2024
João is an entrepreneur, breakdancer, and agroforester who has lived in Portugal, Mexico, United States, Brazil and Spain (his current home). Currently, João is Director of Growth & Innovation at HowGood, a SaaS platform that helps companies measure, improve, and communicate their social and environmental impact. Prior to HowGood, João worked as Global Director of Sustainable Development at AB InBev and co-founded initiatives like Movimento Transformers, the Amazon Summer School, and Carbono Biodiverso. João is the recipient of Nova’s Impactful Alumni Award, the Do Something Ambassador Award, and was at age 19 one of the world’s youngest participants at the WEF in Davos through the Global Changemakers Program. João holds a M.S. in Economics and a CEMS Masters in International Management from Nova SBE, Spring 2024 Social Innovator-in-Residence by the ERA Chair in Social Innovation and the DESIS Lab at Nova SBE.
Residency Activities
April 15, 2024 – 2.30pm – 4pm
“Entrepreneurship Workshop – Finding our Entrepreneurial Essence” (Exclusively for NovaSBE Students)
April 16, 2024 – 10am to 11.30am
“Economics Workshop – Becoming Makers of a Regenerative Economy” (open to all)
April 18, 2024 – 6.30pm – 8pm
“Energy of Will – Generating the Energy Field to Keep Going”
Social Innovator in residence #4
Liz Gerber
September 11-15, 2023
Liz Gerber is a Professor at Northwestern University, and Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Computer Interaction + Design. Liz designs and implements new technologies to effectively collaborate. She is particularly interested in how new social technologies enable new ways to solve problems with diverse stakeholders; how the technologies change the roles stakeholders play, and the new organizations needed for this work. Her work cuts across management, design, and human-computer interaction, is generously supported by foundations and industry, and informed by her formal training in product design, management science, and studio art at Stanford University and Dartmouth College.
Residency Highlights
September 12, 2023
Workshop – “Towards A Desired Future of Work” (Exclusively for NovaSBE Students)
September 14, 2023
Public Talk – “Connection = Impact” at Casa do Impacto (open to all)
Social Innovator in residence #3
Isaac Jumba
April 17-21, 2023
Isaac Jumba is the founder of Mideva Labs – a research, design and innovation consultancy studio based in Nairobi Kenya, and a co-founder of Idea Studio Africa – a community-powered learning, skills development and apprenticeship studio helping young professionals build meaningful career pathways in innovation and entrepreneurship.
He also previously co-founded the Africa YES Program – a 6-month leadership and entrepreneurship accelerator program for young social entrepreneurs in Kenya, which has supported over 80 entrepreneurs to launch social ventures since 2019.
Isaac has over 8 years of experience working in the design, social innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem across Africa and supporting initiatives around the world, including working for openIDEO – IDEO’s open innovation platform that supported innovators across the globe to solve some of the biggest world’s challenges.
Residency Highlights
April 17, 2023
Guest Speaker at Design Thinking for Social Innovation class course
April 19, 2023
Workshop – “Business design for social innovators” (Exclusively for NovaSBE Students)
Social Innovator in residence #2
Karine Sarkissian
September 12-16, 2022
Karine Sarkissian is a founding partner at Tamar Capital (2016), a single-family office based between the Middle East, the UK, and the US. She oversees the FO’s Impact and Venture portfolio. Designer and Design Strategist by background, Karine has extensive experience in social innovation for urban and economic development initiatives within New York City and Internationally. Leveraging her expertise, she co-founded Le Studio as part of Tamar Capital to actively support portfolio companies and investors alike through design, impact measurement, and strategy development. Since inception 2 years ago, Le Studio has supported more than 50 aspiring entrepreneurs across 4 continents.
Karine also co-created and co-facilitated the Open IDEO NYC Chapter, served as a Design for America mentor to graduate students within New York University, as well as a Hult Prize accelerator mentor. She often freelances as a graphic designer and illustrator, and spends most of her time outside or in the ocean.
Social Innovator in residence #1
Lisbeth Shepherd
March 21-25, 2022
Lisbeth Shepherd is an Entrepreneur in Residence at MIT’s designX and Visiting Lecturer at MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning. Her work focuses on how “climate corps” in cities can promote environmental and economic justice. Shepherd co-founded Green City Force (GCF) in 2009 to address the dual imperatives of youth unemployment and climate change. She previously coordinated the Clean Energy Corps working group at Green for All, and co-founded Unis-Cité, the leading national youth service program in France. Lisbeth’s interests center on “climate corps” as organized efforts engaging young adults, those in frontline communities most affected by climate change and unemployment, that provide a platform for service, training and leadership for young people on a path to careers in the green economy.”
During her visit, on March 24th, Lisbeth participated in a fireside chat entitled “Climate corps for equity and resiliency in cities”. She was in conversation with Manuel Nina, co Founder of GoParity, about climate corps at Casa do Impacto.
