Kjerstin Erickson

Activist, Blogger, Change agent, Connector, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, Foodie, Social entrepreneur, World traveler, Writer/Editor

Kjerstin Erickson, 26, is the founder and Executive Director of FORGE, an international nonprofit organization that uses a unique social entrepreneurship model to facilitate community-driven peacebuilding in war-torn parts of Africa. Kjerstin started FORGE in 2003 as a junior at Stanford University. In 2004 she stopped out of Stanford to grow the organization into an internationally-recognized NGO serving upwards of 70,000 victims of war each year. In addition to being an Operational Partner of the United Nations, FORGE's work has been profiled by leading media outlets such as CNN and Fast Company. In September, FORGE was honored by former President Bill Clinton and Queen Rania of Jordan at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative. An avid blogger and pioneer of 'radical transparency,' Kjerstin has become a leading voice in the social entrepreneurship space. She maintains a popular blog on the Skoll Foundation's SocialEdge website, and is a contributor to the Huffington Post. Her social media efforts have been profiled in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, and Smart Money Magazine. In 2009 FORGE was honored with the Jenzabar Foundation's "Social Media Leadership Award” and was a finalist for the Agape Peace Prize. A regular speaker at conferences and events both nationally and internationally, Kjerstin has received numerous awards for her service and leadership. She has been named one of America's "Top 40 Leaders Under 40" by the New Leaders Council, a "Top 10 College Woman" by Glamour Magazine, and a "Person You Should Know" by CNN. In 2008, Ms. Erickson belatedly attained her degree in Public Policy from Stanford University, with a concentration in Global Development Solutions.

post-war reconstruction, conflict resolution, local capacity building in international development, asset-based approaches to poverty alleviation, great writing, food, being outside, travel, people.

African Development, asset-based work, Capacity-building in International Development, Nonprofit management, Peacebuidling, post-conflict reconstruction, Social Entrepreneurship, Social media for social good, marketing, communications, writing