Suzi Sosa

Suzi leads the Dell Social Innovation Challenge and is responsible for stewardship of the vision and strategy of the program. She also leads strategic partnership development, including the DSIC Advisory Boards, Regional Champions, and international sponsors. Suzi first joined the DSIC as a Final Judge in 2008 and served in that position for three years before joining full-time in October 2010 to lead the program. In January 2011, Dell announced a five-year, $5 million gift to support significant global expansion and transformation of the initiative beyond a simple venture plan competition.

 

In addition to her role as Executive Director of the DSIC, Suzi is also the Associate Director of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in The University of Texas at Austin. She is an Associate Adjunct Professor and teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in Social Entrepreneurship.

 

Suzi has more than ten years of experience in social entrepreneurship in both the for-profit and non-profit worlds. She has a particular interest in innovation, design thinking, and organizational models of social enterprise. She is a Contributing Editor in social entrepreneurship for Inc magazine.

 

Prior to joining the DSIC and the University of Texas at Austin, Suzi was the Chief of Staff at MPOWER Labs and the President of the MPOWER Foundation. She has also led a number of non-profit social enterprises, including RISE Austin and Austin Women Entrepreneurs. Suzi has a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a B.A. in the Plan II Honors Program from the University of Texas at Austin.