Challenge: How might we envision regenerative and nourishing food futures for 2050? Given the harsh realities of climate change and our current food system governed by major corporations and governments, we sought to to replace dystopian narratives with positive futures in global food systems.
Approach: The Food System Vision Prize was created as an open innovation challenge to enhance the global discourse on food systems and empower communities and local actors in the food system to devise actionable blueprints and start building nourishing and regenerative food systems equipped for the challenges of 2050.
Role: Program Design, Research, Outreach, Project Management

Challenge: How might we make stories of care, connection, and civic life visible in a media landscape that often prioritizes division and crisis? At a time when loneliness, polarization, and disconnection shape public life, many everyday examples of people strengthening community go unseen.
Approach: The Curiosity Mobile is a cross-country storytelling project that travels community to community to surface and share stories of people cultivating connection, belonging, and civic resilience. Through short-form video, interviews, and place-based storytelling, the project highlights local acts of care and curiosity, offering a counter-narrative to despair and helping audiences reimagine what a more connected society can look like.
Role: Connection Advisor

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Challenge: How might we allow for the United States Surgeon General to speak directly to the American public on issues around connecting, mental health, and healing in an era ripe with misinformation?
Approach: We created the first podcast by an American government official to modernize the voice of the United States Surgeon General, create pathways for the General to connect with the American public and allow for the General to speak about matters important to him and the American public. House Calls is now top 8% of all podcasts and has reached a million unique listens thus far.
Role: Producer, Operation, Partnerships, Copy Writer

Challenge: How might we build workplaces that are engines for workplace wellbeing? Mental health challenges are ripe in the workplace. Research shows 84% of workers said their workplace conditions had contributed to at least one mental health challenge and 81% of workers reported that they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future.
Approach: User research showed that leaders in the workplace felt unequipped to support the mental health challenges of their workforce. Through human-centered design, we created an evidence based Workplace Wellbeing Framework to guide leaders in building work places that are engines of wellbeing.
Role: Program Management, User Research, Framework Conception, Copy Writing

Challenge: How might we foster meaningful, real-world social connection in our communities? Loneliness and social isolation affect millions of Americans, undermining mental health and well-being and highlighting the need for accessible ways to connect beyond screens.
Approach: Project Gather harnesses the universal, joy-filled act of gathering over food to spark connection. Built on the belief that sharing meals and food-centered experiences can bring people together, the initiative offers resources, playbooks, and events, both hosted and community-driven, to empower individuals and organizations across the U.S. to plan and attend food-focused gatherings that deepen relationships and build community.
Role: Program design, Toolkit Development, Partnerships

Challenge: How might we connect stakeholders to advocate for global UN plastics treaty to save our oceans? We are at a critical point in the oceans plastic crisis. Governments and organization must take action now to save our oceans however the plastics landscape is complex and stakeholders have been unable to collaborate at scale thus far.
Approach: OPLN believes experience design has the power to align stakeholders. Through art, program design, and group facilitation, we bring all sides of the plastics crisis together to connect and negotiate the terms of a Global UN Treaty. Through our work, 400 organizations have connected and advocated to vote for a Global Treaty on plastics at UNEA 2024.
Role: Program design, Copy writing, Communications