The ASE Conference Series brings together hundreds of leaders to discuss strategies to advance social entrepreneurship globally. Two elements distinguish the ASE series. The first is our audience, which is intentionally assembled so as to reflect coequal representation from private, public, not-for-profit and academic sector leadership. This allows participants to understand how a given conference topic plays out across governmental, business, charitable and intellectual institutions, and encourages cross-sector collaborations. The second distinguishing feature of the ASE convenings is the meta-level theme: “Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship…” This reflects our interest in identifying strategies that are at the cutting edge of moving the field forward.

The first two conferences succeeded in energizing the social innovation movement in Virginia, while the third and fourth convenings took aim at topics of global interest.

ASE IV: On November 10, 2011, the Mason Center for Social Entrepreneurship convened“Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Austerity.” 250 participants joined together on Mason’s Arlington campus in the newly completed Founder’s Hall.

ASE III:  On May 4, 2009, the Phoenix Project and the Corporation for National and Community Service convened “Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship: How Technology is Knocking Down Doors and Fueling Social Innovation.”  The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, Root Cause, Community Wealth Ventures, George Washington University, Old Dominion University, Craigslist Foundation, and American University joined as co-conveners. It took place in Washington, DC and was simulcast to Hampton Roads, Virginia.  A capacity-crowd of 300 people attended in person while attendees from 40 countries participated virtually and tweeted in questions and comments.

ASE II:  “Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship in Virginia, Part II” took place on March 19, 2008, and was co-convened by Virginia’s Governor Tim Kaine and Lt. Governor Bill Bolling in Richmond, VA with 225 participants and 30 thirty colleges and universities represented. Other speakers included Richmond entrepreneur Jim Ukrop, Duke University’s Dr. Gregory Dees, and Ashoka President Diana Wells.

ASE I:  In 2007 we convened “Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship in Virginia,” a luncheon and panel discussion with former Virginia Governor (now U.S. Senator) Mark Warner.  150 of Virginia’s public, private, nonprofit sectors and representatives of 21 institutions of higher education gathered in Falls Church.  Other speakers included Robert Egger from the DC Central Kitchen, Bill Dietel, Chairman of Guidestar International, Marco Davis, Director of Youth Venture, and Carol Thompson Cole, President and CEO of Venture Philanthropy Partners.

ASE III Slideshow