Vanessa Kirsch

1991

Vanessa Kirsch

Public Allies

http://www.publicallies.org

Washington, DC, United States

Education & Youth Leadership

The Bold Idea:

Create a national leadership training program that identifies talented young adults from diverse backgrounds and prepares them for careers committed to community and social change.

Biography:

Prior to launching Public Allies in 1992, Vanessa founded Women’s Information Network, a national organization that train young women to be effective in politics. She ran Public Allies until 1996, when she and her husband traveled the world interviewing over 350 other social entrepreneurs, citizen leaders, philanthropists, and political officials to identify problems within the social change field. She leveraged this research to launch New Profit, Inc. in 1998.

Vanessa has received numerous public service awards and recognition for her work. In 2005, Ernst & Young named her "Entrepreneur of the Year" in the category of Social Entrepreneurship, an award that recognizes the innovation, vision, and tenacity of New England's top entrepreneurs. Vanessa also has been recognized by both Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report as a leader of her generation; by Forbes as one of 15 innovators who will reinvent the future; Harper's Bazaar as one of 30 young women to be leaders in the 21st century; by Fast Company as "Who's Fast 2000"; and by the Boston Business Journal's "40 Under 40" as one of the most promising leaders in Boston. Additionally, she was selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders for Tomorrow (GLT) for the year 2003.