Experiences of Insight

We are thankful and happy to be able to speak with Dr. Diana L. Ascher from UCLA. Her work focuses on information, technology, and decision making in organizations. Dr. Ascher's interdisciplinary research interests draw from her work in a variety of fields, including financial communication, journalism, and public policy. Dr. Ascher is the director of the Information Studies Research Lab (IS Lab) at UCLA, where she develops resources and programming to support the curriculum of the Department of Information Studies. Dr. Ascher, is also the founder of the Information Ethics & Equity Institute (IEEI), which translates data management priorities for information workers, the ethics, economics, and politics of long-term data management, and information ethics with respect to identity, privacy, power, and freedom. Dr. Ascher earned a Ph.D. from the Department of Information Studies in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles; an M.B.A. from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University; and a B.A. in Public Policy with concentrations in journalism and international policy from Duke University.

We are joined by Ross Chapman. Ross is the Head of the Design Sprints at Etch. Ross started as a video editor following formal training at Southampton Institute in Media with Cultural Studies, Cinematography, and Film/Video Production. He then spent some time honing his skills in post-production, new media, and IT at Connected Pictures. In 2008, Ross started to freelance as a UX designer and in 2012 moved back to London to continue to develop his skills as a Lead User Experience Designer. For the next 5 years, Ross would move through the United Kingdom and Germany working with organizations such as Ericsson, CareerFoundry, and Wiggle. In 2017, Ross joined Etch as a product design lead. In Oct 2018, Ross launched Etch Sprints and is currently helping product managers, CEOs, CTOs, team leaders, and marketers to focus on learning what to work on. Professionally, Ross can be found designing products, facilitating design sprints, or training teams to do this themselves. Etch is a Design Sprint agency based in London, United Kingdom. Etch is committed to creating the best products on the market with the best teams around the world. The larger Etch Group, is a collection of people, agencies, and partners that exist to redefine how traditional consultancies operate.

In this episode, we are lucky and thankful to have with us, Jacob Lief. Jacob or Jake, as he is known is the Founder and CEO of Ubuntu Pathways. Jacob brings over two decades of experience to conversations on philanthropy and social entrepreneurship and has actively called for redefining impact, sustainability, & the theory of ‘going-to-scale’ in the nonprofit sector. After visiting South Africa to observe the country’s historic elections, Jake returned to the Eastern Cape to co-found Ubuntu in 1999. He has since developed the organization from its humble beginnings in a broom closet to a world-class institution that supports 2,000 children on individualized pathways out of poverty. Currently, Ubuntu’s 70 employees work across three continents,. Ubuntu has grown into an internationally-recognized model for community development. In 2016, Jacob appeared in Fortune Magazine’s ‘40 Under 40’, a list of the most influential young people in business. He has served as a member of the Clinton Global Initiative Advisory Committee. He has also been named one of the world’s 101 Most Innovative Visionaries at the Decide Now Act Summit and recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. Jake is an Aspen Institute Global Fellow. Jake is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and is a visiting fellow at the University’s new global policy research center, Perry World House. His book, I Am Because You Are, chronicles his journey in South Africa and sets forth a new & bold vision for breaking the cycle of poverty.

“We believe through open dialogue, we offer ourselves, our guests, & listeners a chance to hear a perspective on how learning & innovation are incorporated into divergent lives.” In this episode, Lee and Dave introduce themselves and give some context around what Experiences of Insight means to them. They also share some insights and lessons learned. This was recorded to give the audience an introduction to what our general mission is and what they expect as listeners.