Keynote Speaker

Deborah Frieze - Boston Impact Initiative

Deborah Frieze is an author, entrepreneur and social activist. Her award-winning book (co-authored with Margaret Wheatley), Walk Out Walk On: A Learning Journey into Communities Daring to Live the Future Now, profiles pioneering leaders who walked out of organizations failing to contribute to the common good - and walked on to build resilient communities. She is a founding partner of the Boston Impact Initiative, an impact investing fund focused on economic justice, which means investing in opportunity for all people - especially those most oppressed or abandoned by our current economic system - to lead a dignified and productive life. The fund takes an integrated capital approach, combining investing, lending, and grant making to build a resilient and inclusive local economy. Deborah is also founder of the Old Oak Dojo, an urban learning center where neighbors gather to rediscover how to create healthy and resilient communities.