Vanessa Wilkins
Board Advisor at Lightspeed- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Sabreena Cook
I had the pleasure of working with Vanessa during her time as the Director of the Nike School Innovation Fund. Vanessa is without a doubt the most passionate leader that I have worked with! Her unrivaled determination, perseverance, and compassion kept every project innovative, inclusive, and impactful. Through her dedication to the Nike School Innovation Fund, she partnered with organizations, teachers, students, politicians, and Nike employees across the state of Oregon to bring awareness and millions of dollars of grant funding towards increasing graduation rates and college enrollment. Vanessa and I made a wonderfully collaborative team, both playing to our individual strengths and efficiencies. Vanessa was a joy to work for, she manages with honesty, open communication lines and kindness. I am incredibly proud of the work Vanessa and I achieved together and have no doubts that Vanessa’s next venture will just as successful as her time with NSIF.
Mat Johnson
Vanessa is one of the most astute business women I have worked with globally in 25 years. Highly engaging and brilliantly sharp, she brings critical assessment and dynamic vision to every business challenge. Not afraid to test boundaries for solutions she is a true innovator and visionary. I look forward to continuing to work together in the future and would totally recommend her talents to other businesses / companies.
Sabreena Cook
I had the pleasure of working with Vanessa during her time as the Director of the Nike School Innovation Fund. Vanessa is without a doubt the most passionate leader that I have worked with! Her unrivaled determination, perseverance, and compassion kept every project innovative, inclusive, and impactful. Through her dedication to the Nike School Innovation Fund, she partnered with organizations, teachers, students, politicians, and Nike employees across the state of Oregon to bring awareness and millions of dollars of grant funding towards increasing graduation rates and college enrollment. Vanessa and I made a wonderfully collaborative team, both playing to our individual strengths and efficiencies. Vanessa was a joy to work for, she manages with honesty, open communication lines and kindness. I am incredibly proud of the work Vanessa and I achieved together and have no doubts that Vanessa’s next venture will just as successful as her time with NSIF.
Mat Johnson
Vanessa is one of the most astute business women I have worked with globally in 25 years. Highly engaging and brilliantly sharp, she brings critical assessment and dynamic vision to every business challenge. Not afraid to test boundaries for solutions she is a true innovator and visionary. I look forward to continuing to work together in the future and would totally recommend her talents to other businesses / companies.
Sabreena Cook
I had the pleasure of working with Vanessa during her time as the Director of the Nike School Innovation Fund. Vanessa is without a doubt the most passionate leader that I have worked with! Her unrivaled determination, perseverance, and compassion kept every project innovative, inclusive, and impactful. Through her dedication to the Nike School Innovation Fund, she partnered with organizations, teachers, students, politicians, and Nike employees across the state of Oregon to bring awareness and millions of dollars of grant funding towards increasing graduation rates and college enrollment. Vanessa and I made a wonderfully collaborative team, both playing to our individual strengths and efficiencies. Vanessa was a joy to work for, she manages with honesty, open communication lines and kindness. I am incredibly proud of the work Vanessa and I achieved together and have no doubts that Vanessa’s next venture will just as successful as her time with NSIF.
Mat Johnson
Vanessa is one of the most astute business women I have worked with globally in 25 years. Highly engaging and brilliantly sharp, she brings critical assessment and dynamic vision to every business challenge. Not afraid to test boundaries for solutions she is a true innovator and visionary. I look forward to continuing to work together in the future and would totally recommend her talents to other businesses / companies.
Sabreena Cook
I had the pleasure of working with Vanessa during her time as the Director of the Nike School Innovation Fund. Vanessa is without a doubt the most passionate leader that I have worked with! Her unrivaled determination, perseverance, and compassion kept every project innovative, inclusive, and impactful. Through her dedication to the Nike School Innovation Fund, she partnered with organizations, teachers, students, politicians, and Nike employees across the state of Oregon to bring awareness and millions of dollars of grant funding towards increasing graduation rates and college enrollment. Vanessa and I made a wonderfully collaborative team, both playing to our individual strengths and efficiencies. Vanessa was a joy to work for, she manages with honesty, open communication lines and kindness. I am incredibly proud of the work Vanessa and I achieved together and have no doubts that Vanessa’s next venture will just as successful as her time with NSIF.
Mat Johnson
Vanessa is one of the most astute business women I have worked with globally in 25 years. Highly engaging and brilliantly sharp, she brings critical assessment and dynamic vision to every business challenge. Not afraid to test boundaries for solutions she is a true innovator and visionary. I look forward to continuing to work together in the future and would totally recommend her talents to other businesses / companies.
Experience
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Lightspeed
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United States
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Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing
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1 - 100 Employee
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Board Advisor
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May 2023 - Present
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Harvard Innovation Labs
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United States
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Education Administration Programs
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1 - 100 Employee
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Expert In Residence
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Aug 2020 - Present
Advise teams and individuals from across the university on business plan pitches and scaling strategies for social ventures. ► Facilitator for Scaling for Impact, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professional program in 2023. ► Judge for the Social Venture track of the President's Innovation Challenge, a $500,000 business plan competition in 2021 and 2022. Advise teams and individuals from across the university on business plan pitches and scaling strategies for social ventures. ► Facilitator for Scaling for Impact, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professional program in 2023. ► Judge for the Social Venture track of the President's Innovation Challenge, a $500,000 business plan competition in 2021 and 2022.
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Future School Lab
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United States
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Education Administration Programs
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1 - 100 Employee
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Founder
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Feb 2018 - Present
Sought out as a global thought leader who has spoken in Finland, Denmark, Australia and the US on the topic of education innovation, public/private partnership, and the future of learning and work. Key projects: ► Led a historic and highly diverse alternative school through an inclusive strategic visioning process to create an identify affirming exemplar school. ► Served as the intermediary for Remake Learning to bring their national experiential learning days to Oregon. ► Created a bespoke education tour for education policy leaders in Finland (see our article in the Stanford Innovation Review) ► Advised world-class education research and consulting org to create a repeatable and scalable product offering, resulting in a swift and profitable pivot for the organization during COVID. ► Planned and MC'd a public/private partnership convening (IGNITE Partnerships for the Future of Learning and Work) to spark new partnerships to advance opportunities for rural, low-income, students of color and girls in CTE-STEM. Show less
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Oregon Venture Fund
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United States
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Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
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1 - 100 Employee
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Venture Partner
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Jan 2017 - Present
Participated in due diligence for $2M SEL curriculum investment and advise on social impact investments. Received Most Valuable Angel award for 2022. Participated in due diligence for $2M SEL curriculum investment and advise on social impact investments. Received Most Valuable Angel award for 2022.
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Nike
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United States
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Retail
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700 & Above Employee
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North America Community Impact Director
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2017 - 2017
Promoted to lead national strategic partnerships, cross-functional teams and strategy for WHQ community impact. ► Created a cross-functional strategy to lead community engagement in NIKE’s “backyard” with Global Community Impact and Government and Public Affairs. ► Led NIKE’s BIKETOWN partnership with the City of Portland ending with the launch of themed Pride bikes, a brilliant idea from NIKE’s CEO.► Served as the NIKE lead for an FSG support collective impact strategic plan (FSG supported). Show less
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Nike School Innovation Fund Director
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2014 - 2017
After Oregon’s high school graduation rate ranked last in the country and Doonesbury made fun of our notoriously short school year, NIKE executives decided they needed to act and created a $9M fund to raise graduation rates and close the opportunity gap. I was hired to build a strategy and a team of NIKE executives to execute it, resulting in a 3:1 increase in graduation rates in NIKE schools compared to non-funded schools (focus of a 2018 Harvard Case Study – link). ► Created and executed a grant program funding 99 high schools to implement AVID, the program I selected after deeply listening to school leaders across the state and nationwide experts on high school improvement. ► Tripled NIKE’s investment by partnering with other foundations and the State of Oregon. ► Applied NIKE’s playbook for innovation to school design in partnership with school teams and NIKE execs creating a “Future You” training for school teams (link to News video).► Planned and MC’d inspirational events for 1,600 educators at sports fields during AVID’s professional development training to build momentum and commitment to our shared vision. Show less
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Partners in Scale
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Non-profit Organizations
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Co-Founder
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May 2009 - Apr 2014
Served in a consultancy-focused role to aid mission-driven organizations to maximize results for positive change. Advised NGO’s and foundations globally on organizational development and business strategy, ► Created an organizational development plan as part of a Gates Foundation grant to READ Global in India, Nepal and Bhutan. ► Advised NIKE Access to Sport on hiring a global convenor for the Sports for Social Change Network. ► Advised an environmental science education INGO on scaling strategy and business model for sought-after educational travel program in Central and South America. ► Authored a significant study on charter school funding in Oregon, replicated five years later by ECONW. Awarded “Charter School Friend of the Year” at keynote speech where I presented findings. ► Hired by Nike Foundation to create a replication strategy for a self-sustaining all-girls entrepreneurial school deep in the jungle of Paraguay, resulting in a Mastercard Foundation funded expansion to Tanzania. Show less
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Friends of the Children
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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200 - 300 Employee
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Managing Director
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Sep 2001 - Oct 2003
Served in a leadership role for this multi-nonprofit with 26 chapters. Recipient of large Mackenzie Scott Grant. ► Managed due diligence process securing a catalytic grant from Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. ► Partnered with The BridgeSpan Group to develop a business plan and detailed theory of change. Served in a leadership role for this multi-nonprofit with 26 chapters. Recipient of large Mackenzie Scott Grant. ► Managed due diligence process securing a catalytic grant from Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. ► Partnered with The BridgeSpan Group to develop a business plan and detailed theory of change.
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EF Education First
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Switzerland
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Education Management
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700 & Above Employee
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General Manager, Pacific Northwest (Portland, OR)
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2000 - 2001
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Vice President, Worldwide Human Resources (Cambridge, MA)
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1999 - 2000
Scaled Boston staff from 270-650 in 3 years and reduced Boston attrition rates from 40% to 25%, saving $1.5M/year through management training, developing “EF core skills,” data dashboard, new benefits and programs.
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Director of Recruitment & Professional Development (Cambridge, MA)
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Jan 1998 - Jan 1999
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Regional Director, EF Foundation for Foreign Study
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Jun 1997 - Dec 1997
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Assistant to the President
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1991 - 1995
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Education
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Harvard Business School
Master of Business Administration - MBA -
Questrom School of Business, Boston University
BS, Finance -
Harvard Business School
Executive Education Certificate, Governing for Nonprofit Excellence