In 2011, the Social Innovation Champion awards was launched to recognize individuals who advance social innovation, demonstrate a measurable impact in fostering social change, and display exemplary leadership in the field of social entrepreneurship.
Honorees are recognized at a major entrepreneurship conference and are provided with a monetary stipend that recipients can direct to the social enterprise of their choosing. The 2011 awards were distributed at the ASE IV Conference.
Please check back for the posting of nomination information for the 2012 awards.
This award is co-sponsored with Mason’s Center for Consciousness and Transformation
2011 Social Innovation Champions
| Muna AbuSulayman (Mason BA '96, MA '96) is the secretary general and executive director of TheAlwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company. She oversees operations and multi-million dollar projects in domains spanning poverty alleviation, community development, disaster relief, Islam/West dialogue and female empowerment. AbuSulayman is a well-known figure in the Middle East and served as the first Saudi woman to host a television show on MBC, the premier Pan-Arab television channel, when she co-hosted an all-women talk show entitled “Kalam Nawaem” (Softly Speaking). She was also Saudi Arabia’s first woman to be appointed by the United Nations as a Goodwill Ambassador and won numerous awards for her work on behalf of women, as well as being recognized as one of the Most Influential Arabs in the world in 2010 and 2011. AbuSulayman holds a BA and an MA from George Mason University. |  |
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| Mario Morino is co-founder and chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners and chairman of the Morino Institute. His career spans more than 40 years as entrepreneur, technologist, and civic and business leader. Morino retired from the private sector and founded the Morino Institute in 1994 to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, advance more effective philanthropy, close social divides, and understand the relationship and impact of the Internet on our society. In 2000, Morino co-founded Venture Philanthropy Partners as a philanthropic investment organization that strategically concentrates investments of money, expertise, and human resources to improve the lives and boost the opportunities of children of low-income families in the National Capital Region. Morino co-authored the book “Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity.” Morino holds a B.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University. |  |
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| Diana Wells, PhD, has served as Ashoka president since 2005 and ensures a solid infrastructure by driving organization progress around technology, finance and talent development. She has overseen a budget that has tripled and organization expansions to Western Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. Dr. Wells launched Ashoka’s Fellowship program to connect, resource, and support the work of Ashoka Fellows. In 1997, she developed and implemented Ashoka’s Measuring Effectiveness program to better understand the progress of social entrepreneurs toward systemic social change. This widely respected program was one of the first standard tools to measure the impact of social entrepreneurship. Dr. Wells formerly taught Anthropology and Development at Georgetown University and has authored and edited numerous journal and book publications. She holds a Ph.D. from New York University and a B.A. from Brown University. |  |