Prior to joining the early stage, technology-focused venture capital fund, Labrador Ventures, and founding Sonen Capital, an asset management firm, Stuart served as CEO of Combion, Inc., which was later acquired by Incyte. He was also president of Alkermes, Inc., and worked for MCI Communications and Warner Communications. We all have Stuart to thank for things like electronic messaging, data networking and interactive cable TV (thank you, Stuart). In addition to serving as our Board Chair, Stuart is a Trustee of Woodcock Foundation, Vice Chair of REDF and on the board of Acumen. Stuart is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

As a faculty member at the Stanford d.school, Debra is spearheading classroom and project work in Design for Sustainable Abundance, a radically human-centered approach to sustainability. In 2013 she co-founded the FEED Collaborative (Food, Entrepreneurship, Education, and Design) at Stanford, a design-thinking based initiative focused on food-system transformation. As a founding board member of B Lab she is working to build a new business sector of companies committed to meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental performance. She is a champion and proponent of social entrepreneurs as a board member of the Skoll Foundation and an advisor to the African Leadership Academy and numerous social entrepreneurs around the world. Previously, Debra worked as a business executive at Hewlett Packard where her career spanned diverse roles including Sr. VP Corporate Affairs and Global Citizenship, VP Strategy and Corporate Operations, and others. She holds a bachelor's degree in comparative economics from Brown University and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard. 

Fred leads IDEO’s Systems at Scale, the group responsible for helping clients with large, systemic questions about infrastructure, from governmental shifts to behavioral change and beyond. During his tenure with IDEO, he has helped guide the realization of a future-focused education center at Stanford University, worked with patients and staff to build innovative service models for the Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente, and worked with the Social Security Administration to define 21st century government services. He holds numerous guest professor positions and has been published in various journals and several IDEO books, so it’s nearly impossible to escape his insightful and entertaining musings on design. And really, why would you want to? Fred holds a BA in art history from Reed College and a master’s in architecture from the School of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley.

Whitney Mortimer is a partner at IDEO and has led the company’s marketing efforts since 1997. In that time, she has helped shape IDEO’s position as a thought leader in innovation and design in a rapidly changing global marketplace. Prior to joining IDEO, Whitney was senior vice president at Supercuts Inc., where she led brand strategy and research, marketing, and new business development functions. Whitney has held various positions in brand management and strategy with E. & J. Gallo Winery, Frito-Lay, and American Express. She has taught courses in industry and competitive strategy and led seminars in service management for senior managers. Whitney earned an MBA with high honors from Harvard Business School and a BA in Russian civilization and French studies from Smith College.

A design thinker by profession, farmer by vocation, and philanthropist by passion, Pam brings curiosity and creative verve to everything she does. Her projects are manifold: She has led team retreats for IDEO.org; used improv to help Mini Cooper crystallize its offer; facilitated Design Labs at The Clinton Global Initiative; and hosted Thought Leader salons with the likes of Alice Waters and Elon Musk at her home. The common thread? A passion for architecting and leading meaningful conversations that inspire ideas, insights, action, and impact.