Junctional Thinking

Few things impact our lives as much as education. It creates opportunities for income, personal growth, and community impact. But all education systems are not created equal, and as city neighborhoods undergo revitalization and gentrification, public schooling often finds itself at the busy intersection of persistent needs, inequitable pasts, new voices in the conversation, and an uncertain future. Rock Branch has spent much of his career in public service including almost a decade with DCPS. As an education and and social impact operative with a taste-maker / urban influencer background he and his new venture, Inside Urban are poised to make a difference in a few ways that are sure to have community-level impact.

Health and education are often combined, and rightly so. But health education is more than simply telling people to stop smoking, eat better, & exercise, it’s a science of persuasion. With over 10 years of experience in the field, self-described dot-connector and cultural specialist, Kerriann Peart joins the Junctional Thinking podcast for a conversation at the intersection of health and education.

Junctional Thinking is all about operating at intersections to make innovation happen This week's guest, Eric Letsinger, CEO of the outcomes-based capital firm, Quantified Ventures is the a junctional thinker extraordinaire whose company helps partners from various sectors link their program's social impact outcomes to investors aligned with their mission. We will discuss the key elements of social impact bonds; what makes them attractive to investors; what makes them good for the right kind of programs; and what those programs need to be capable of before they step into the impact bond ring.

Pierre is joined by Veronica Vela, Lead Associate, in the Strategic Innovation Group at Booz Allen Hamilton. As a design thinking practitioner, health policy scholar, and systems engineer, she epitomizes junctional thinking. Veronica talks about how she goes about combining her personal and professional passions and uses a human-centered design approach to her health impact work.

Junctional Thinking is all about operating at intersections to make innovation happen This week's guest, Eric Letsinger, CEO of the outcomes-based capital firm, Quantified Ventures is the a junctional thinker extraordinaire who's company helps partners from various sectors link their program's social impact outcomes to investors aligned with their mission. We will discuss the key elements of social impact bonds; what makes them attractive to investors; what makes them good for the right kind of programs; and what those programs need to be capable of before they step into the impact bond ring.