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Think. Do. Discover. Speaker Series

Conversations with inspirational leaders

The Think. Do. Discover. Speaker Series brings luminary innovators to UC Davis for engagement and inspiration.

Meet our past speakers.

 

Sadie St. Lawrence

Sadie St. Lawrence | The Courage to Create: Building a Company and Life by Design

"Put your weird self out there."

Sadie St. Lawrence is the Chief AI Officer at SSL Innovations and the Founder of Women in Data, an international nonprofit organization represented in 55 countries with a community of over 60,000 data leaders, practitioners, and enthusiasts. She joined us in February 2024.

composite graphic with headshot of a man and text: All Pride, No Ego

Jim Fielding | All Pride, No Ego

"It is more important now than ever to share our authentic stories and address the urgent issues and needs in our community."

Jim Fielding's bestseller, All Pride, No Ego: A Queer Executive’s Journey to Living and Leading Authentically, delivers a call-to-action for servant leadership that encourages us to live our truth and bring out the best in ourselves and our communities. He joined us in November 2023. Learn more >

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Hardeep Gulati | Transforming K-12 Education Globally

"Our job as educators and technologists is to challenge the status quo."

Hardeep Gulati is an innovative leader and executive with more than two decades of experience leading software businesses. He is CEO of PowerSchool and serves on UC Davis Chancellor Gary May's board of advisors. He met with our community in April 2023.

photo of group of students meeting with SF Mayor London Breed w/text

London Breed | Innovation in Public Service

"I think innovation could play a stronger role in government if government was more open to innovation and less bureaucracy. If we could focus on getting to 'yes' rather than 'what you can’t do'.”

Students in our fellowship programs traveled to San Francisco City Hall in February 2023 to meet with Mayor London Breed, a UC Davis alumna. Click here for student blogs and more.

photo of a woman with overlay of a video play icon and text: Think. Do. Discover. | Building Inclusive Democracies

Yordanos Eyoel | Entrepreneurship for Building Inclusive Democracies

"Democracy entrepreneurship is a vehicle through which organizations and movements drive pro-democracy structural, relational, cultural and behavioral outcomes."

Yordanos Eyoel, founder/CEO of Keseb, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization building a global ecosystem of pro-democracy innovators, entrepreneurs, activists, funders and scholars, met with us in fall 2022.

composite image of view from Virgin Galactic tailcone plus headshot of a male executive

Michael Colglazier | The Hero's Journey

"Humankind evolved to innovate and push boundaries, and at Virgin Galactic innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We are defining the next generation of space travel. Spaceflight has the unique ability to shift our perspectives, our technology—and even our trajectory as a species."

Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, met with our community in spring 2022.

image of person playing with kids on playground and video play symbol

Jill Vialet | Why Play Works

"I am inspired by the basic human impulse to make a difference. And I'm convinced that change is possible and that each of us has the capacity to make it happen."

Jill Vialet is a social entrepreneur, author and advocate for play—in all arenas. She met with our community in February 2021.

 

image of people building the scaffolding for a house

Jonathan Reckford | An Unexpected Path to Purpose

"Our individual efforts will make a difference. Our collective efforts can change the world."

Jonathan Reckford is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity. He met with our community in November 2020.