Cheryl is the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Social Innovation, formerly The Lewis Institute for Social Innovation at Babson College, which amplifies college’s mission to educate entrepreneurial leaders to create social and economic value simultaneously.
The Institute has become an influential entity at Babson and beyond. Cheryl quickly understood that being at a business school, one of the Institute’s most crucial roles is in helping stakeholders to understand the changing role of business in society. The Institute inspires people to create positive social impact in any role, any sector, and any community. It educates students to see the UN Global Goals as an opportunity (and a $12 trillion market opportunity, at that) for addressing the biggest challenges of our time, such as poverty, climate action, and inequality.
Cheryl has a long-standing reputation as a positive disruptor and lives by the mantra, “Find a way to say yes.” She has an uncanny ability to connect people, resources, and ideas in a way that catalyses change.
Through these connections, Cheryl has co-created transformational experiences for Babson, partners, and communities.
Cheryl has developed immersive learning experiences for Babson students, creating unique opportunities for students to work at a strategic level on real-world social impact challenges and allowing organisations to benefit from fresh entrepreneurial thinking, from her MBA elective on Creating Social Value to the Social Innovation Inventureship program. She has inspired countless entrepreneurial leaders through her BabsonX course, From Corporate Social Responsibility to Social Innovation. She also co-founded Food Sol, an “action tank” that brings together eaters and food entrepreneurs of all kinds for regenerative conversations and actionable connections.
