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Hosted By: The Centre for Social Impact @ Virtual – Online
The UnSilicon Valley: Bridging the Social-Tech Innovation Chasm
The Centre for Social Impact Technology (CSIT) was formed in response to what appeared to be a massive and possibly irreconcilable gulf between the norms, practices, and ethical space of social innovation and the norms, practices, and ethical space underpinning technological innovation.
A year after the launch of CSIT, it’s an opportunity to take stock: Are we on the right track? What has changed? What still needs to be done to bridge this divide?
In this event, we will feature 3 guest speakers to elaborate and offer insight into the meaning of ‘social innovation’ and what that looks like in technological transformation
James Stauch: James Stauch is the Executive Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at MRU, where he has developed or co-created social innovation, leadership, and systems-focused learning programs for both undergraduates and the broader community. The Institute hosts an array of local and regional social innovation learning programs, as well as the Canada-wide competition of the global Map the System student challenge. A former foundation executive and philanthropy and social change consultant, James is a Visiting Fellow at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford, and also serves as the Managing Partner for the Centre for Social Impact Technology. He is the lead author of an annual scan of trends and emerging issues, produced in partnership with Calgary Foundation, and has co-authored a wide variety of works, including on aging, artificial intelligence, accessibility, food security, nonprofit mergers, northern policy, philanthropy, social change leadership, social enterprise, and systems mapping.
Jillian Mah: Jillian Mah’s work sits at the intersection of big data and community impact. As the Manager of Community Success at HelpSeeker Technologies, her work’s common thread is innovation, using her expertise in information design and strategic management to transform service delivery and maximize social impact. With a proven track record across start-up and scale-up environments, Jillian approach to complex problem-solving and her leadership in agile project management have significantly advanced goals of using information to evoke meaningful systems change at local, provincial, and national policy levels. An alumnus with honours from MRU, Jillian is also pursuing an MBA at the Haskayne School of Business, not only expanding her skill set but also redefining what it means to be a leader in the rapidly evolving nexus of technology and community welfare.
Megan Davidson: Megan (she/her) is an accomplished professional with a diverse background in hospitality, data management, criminal justice, and situational crime prevention.
Currently serving as an advisor (and former Interim Director) for the Centre for Social Impact Technology, she brings a wealth of experience to her role, utilizing systems thinking and multidisciplinary approaches to address complex problems. Recognized for her expertise in public interest technology, Megan has made notable contributions to research on cult practices in social media and Indigenous parole conditions. Concurrently pursuing her Masters in Criminological Research at the University of Liverpool, her focus lies on critical feminist perspectives on rehabilitative architecture.
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