Ashoka's Executive in Residence Joins Taproot Foundation's Second Annual Pro Bono Week

Arlington, VA., October 1, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Ashoka will join Taproot Foundation for the second year to showcase and explore the impact of pro bono partnerships. Ashoka is the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs, which seeks to empower everyone with the skills of changemaking to solve complex societal problems. In our world of accelerating social change, business leaders, citizens and social entrepreneurs must collaborate across sectors effectively to solve complex problems. Building these relationships through pro bono collaborations requires an innovative and empathetic mindset, and cultivates critical skills that are key to leadership in a rapidly changing world.  Ashoka’s Executive in Residence program is excited to highlight these collaborations through daily interviews, live Webinars, and Twitter conversations.

On Tuesday, October 21, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Ashoka’s Executive in Residence team will host a live webinar featuring Shawn Liu, Global Head of Leadership Development at Boehringer Ingelheim, and Shannon Sisler, an Executive in Residence alumna and Senior Vice President of Talent Management & Transformation at Western Union.  The panelists will examine how pro bono collaborations create innovative leadership development opportunities for business by leveraging partnerships with Ashoka’s leading social entrepreneurs.

The October 21 Webinar is free and available to all here. On the day of the event, participants will enter their name and email address in the “Join Event” window, then click “Join Now.” To ask the panelists questions, participants should email mcoolidge@ashoka.org in advance, or use the Q&A function on WebEx during the webcasts.

On Friday, October 24, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, those interested in learning about the field of pro bono can join Ashoka’s Executive in Residence team for a live Twitter chat hosted by the A Billion + Change Pro Bono Collaborative. The conversation will focus on the importance and impact of pro bono service and the future of pro bono. On the day of the event, use the hashtag #probonochat to join the conversation.

Ashoka will update the Ashoka Executive in Residence blog daily with new interviews of pro bono leaders from a diverse array of organizations.  Posts will cover pressing topics within the field of pro bono work and insight into effective design and impact. Examples will include talent development, research and development through pro bono, how to build a pro bono program, and the future of pro bono initiatives in the social sector.

About Ashoka
Ashoka is the world’s largest organization of social entrepreneurs and changemakers. Founded in 1980 with the belief that the most powerful force in the world is a big idea in the hands of an entrepreneur, Ashoka has funded more than 3,000 social entrepreneurs in over 80 countries, providing these extraordinary individuals with funding, collaborations, and pro bono assistance to launch and scale their ideas and to create a network of peers and partners. With the increasing pace of change, Ashoka works to advance an Everyone a Changemaker™ world, where anyone can apply the skills of changemaking to solve complex social problems.

About Ashoka’s Executive in Residence Program
Executive in Residence (EiR) is one of Ashoka’s signature global programs bridging the private and social sectors. EiR fosters high-impact collaborations between corporate executives and leading social entrepreneurs that have the potential to change the dynamics of traditional markets, enhance competitiveness, and create systemic social impact. Simultaneously, by working with the world’s leading social innovators, executives bring back lessons learned about new innovations, emerging markets, and leadership techniques.

About Pro Bono Week
Taking place October 19-25, 2014, Pro Bono Week is a global celebration of the pro bono ethic across all professions that use their talents to make a difference. Taproot Foundation, founded by Ashoka Fellow Aaron Hurst, drives social change by leading, mobilizing and engaging professionals in pro bono service across all sectors. Each year during the third week of October, Taproot works with partners around the world to focus attention on the pro bono movement. Interested professionals are encouraged to sign up for pro bono consulting opportunities, join a nonprofit board, or participate in conversations such as those being hosted by Ashoka.

For more information, please contact:

Megan Coolidge

Ashoka

Executive in Residence Program

703-600-8242

mcoolidge@ashoka.org