Suzi Sosa, Executive Director
Suzi leads the Dell Social Innovation Challenge and is responsible for stewardship of the vision and strategy of the program. She also leads strategic partnership development, including the DSIC Advisory Boards, Regional Champions, and international sponsors. Suzi first joined the DSIC as a Final Judge in 2008 and served in that position for three years before joining full-time in October 2010 to lead the program. In January 2011, Dell announced a five-year, $5 million gift to support significant global expansion and transformation of the initiative beyond a simple venture plan competition.
In addition to her role as Executive Director of the DSIC, Suzi is also the Associate Director of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in The University of Texas at Austin. She is an Associate Adjunct Professor and teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in Social Entrepreneurship.
Suzi has more than ten years of experience in social entrepreneurship in both the for-profit and non-profit worlds. She has a particular interest in innovation, design thinking, and organizational models of social enterprise. She is a Contributing Editor in social entrepreneurship for Inc magazine.
Prior to joining the DSIC and the University of Texas at Austin, Suzi was the Chief of Staff at MPOWER Labs and the President of the MPOWER Foundation. She has also led a number of non-profit social enterprises, including RISE Austin and Austin Women Entrepreneurs. Suzi has a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a B.A. in the Plan II Honors Program from the University of Texas at Austin.
Cristián Méndez Sâbre, Marketing Director
Cristián leads DSIC's Marketing Strategy. His role encompasses web, social media, creative, market research, strategic partnerships, and direct-to-consumer outreach. He's currently working on creating a scalable plan to exceed DSIC's goals for 2013 by unifying the brand, using the community's insights to provide an outstanding user experience, and reaching out to key potential partners.
Cristián is also the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Latin Field, a Marketing Research and Consulting Agency specializing in Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic Market. He is responsible for brand & marketing consulting as well as business development. He has over ten years experience in qualitative/quantitative research in Latin America (and with the U.S. Hispanic Market), and five years experience in marketing in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
For the past five years he was the Global Marketing and Program Director for Rev Worldwide Inc., a financial services company with a dual bottom line that focuses on underserved markets. He was responsible for strategy, customer experience, and marketing for programs in North America, Asia Pacific, and South America including: Product, Web & Social Media, Email, Print, Mobile, and Retail.
Prior to Rev, Cristián was Latin Field's (formerly Improdir) Director of Qualitative Research designing, managing studies and conducting over five hundred in-depth interviews and focus groups. His analysis and recommendations resulted in major brand and marketing decisions for Fortune 100 companies including: Abbott , Bank of America, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, New York Life, Pepsico, Target, and and Wal-Mart. He also managed hundreds of quantitaive projects in Latin America and with the U.S. Hispanic Market on virtually every industry.
Cristián has a B.A. from Saint Edward's University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Degree in Communications and a minor in business.
Randall Macon, Director of Global Strategy
Randall Macon is dedicated to the creation of durable viable businesses that can generate profits with a strong eye towards ensuring long term value to society.
Randall has 20 years of experience in early stage and rapid growth organization in both the non-profit and for-profit worlds. Randall was the Director of Innovation at the Lance Armstrong Foundation leading the creation and launch of the LIVESTRONG brand that catapulted the organization from a $10MM organization to a $65MM organization in less than two years.
He has a B.A. in Journalism and Design from Baylor University. His greatest joys are hearing his children giggle and running around Lady Bird Lake with his wife.
Mary K. Gershon, Acting Director, University Partner Program
Mary K. leads the Dell Social Innovation Challenge's University Partner program, which is a worldwide network of university leaders. Through this program, the DSIC team provides resources for educators to support their students, strengthen their social innovation programs, and collaborate with like-minded peers around the world.
Mary K. has a passion for education, and brings 14 years of experience engaging institutions of higher education. In her most recent role prior to joining DSIC, Mary K. served as the Marketing Director for Education, State and Local Government at Dell. In this capacity, Mary K. collaborated with her Global counterparts to drive marketing programs across Higher Education segments worldwide and deepen connections within Dell's customer base.
Mary K. received a B.S. in Commerce with Distinction from the University of Virginia, and an M.B.A. with High Honors from the University of Texas at Austin.
