Will Byrne is an activist and entrepreneur. Will was named one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30,[2] and his writing has appeared in Forbes and Fast Company.[3][4]
Will Byrne | |
|---|---|
 Byrne in 2014 | |
| Alma mater | B.A. Vassar College,[1] Stanford University |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, entrepreneur, CEO |
| Known for | Groundswell (organization) |
Early career edit
Byrne worked in journalism at Der Spiegel as well as the American Academy in Berlin, Germany, before joining Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.[1]
During his work on President Obama's 2008 campaign, Byrne utilized online and offline community organizing tactics. Byrne and his co-founders saw the impact of community organizing in the political sphere.[5][6] Rather than joining the administration after Obama was elected, Byrne went on to develop these tactics as a social entrepreneur.[7]
Groundswell edit
In 2009, Byrne, Max Harper, Marcus Ryan, John Lauer, Kristen Psaki, and Tony Ficarotta co-founded Groundswell after working on President Obama’s 2008 campaign.[8] Groundswell is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that uses collective buying power to drive positive social change, especially in the clean energy sector.[9] Byrne called this model "civic consumption."[10] Byrne served as CEO until 2014; as of 2022, it is led by Michelle Moore, a former White House official.[11]
Stanford Design School edit
In 2015, Byrne joined the Stanford Design School as a Civic Innovation Fellow.[12]
Later work edit
Following Stanford, Byrne was Senior Director of the Innovation Lab at Human Rights First, and presented about issues of bias, inclusion, and human rights in computer vision and artificial intelligence technology.[13][14] He also wrote articles on emerging technology, AI, human rights and democracy for Fast Company.[15][16] As of 2023, he was listed as an affiliated fellow at the Citris Policy Lab, which describes itself as supporting interdisciplinary research and education regarding the role of regulation in promoting innovation.[17]
Honors and awards edit
- Forbes 30 Under 30 Selection; Social Entrepreneurs, Forbes Magazine (December 2012) [2]
- Champions of Change, White House Executive Office of the President, 2011 [1][18]
- Lisa B. Hall Fellow, Concord Academy, 2013 [19]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Champions of Change: William Byrne" Whitehouse.gov
- ^ a b "Forbes 30 Under 30" Forbes, Retrieved on 17 December 2012
- ^ "4 Innovators Using Civic Consumption to Change the World" Forbes, Retrieved on 23 December 2013
- ^ "Purchasing Power is Social Impact Power" Fast Company, Retrieved on 22 June 2012
- ^ "Power in Numbers: Crowd Purchasing Brings Clean Energy Within Reach" Grist, Retrieved on 16 May 2012
- ^ "The Evolution of a Green Organization" BlogTalkRadio, Retrieved on 21 March 2012
- ^ "Who’s Next: Will Byrne" Washington Life, Retrieved on 19 May 2011
- ^ "Will Byrne, Cofounder, Groundswell". Forbes. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "The Evolution of Cool in DC. Will Byrne: Socially Conscious CEO" Capitol File magazine, Retrieved on 1 June 2014[dead link]
- ^ Townsend, John (29 September 2015). "Is 'Civic Consumption' Our Best Hope For Climate Action?". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Michelle Moore, CEO, Groundswell". Greenbiz.com. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Will Byrne". The Whiteboard. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "Bias in AI: How it's affecting your business & what you can do about it". B Capital Group. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ ""Overcoming Bias in Computer Vision – A Business Imperative," a Presentation from Entrepreneur Will Byrne". Edge + AI Vision Alliance. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Byrne, Will; Knauss, Dale (1 November 2017). "Virtual And Augmented Reality Can Protect The American Workforce". Fast Company. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Byrne, Will (10 May 2018). "5 ways to ensure AI unlocks its full potential to serve humanity". Fast Company. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "People". CitrisPolicyLab.org. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Champions of Change: Harnessing the Power of Community and Clean Energy" White House Blog, Retrieved 13 April 2011
- ^ "Hall Fellowship".