Carla McCanna – Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

October 21, 2021February 10, 2022

DeeDee Conway, Ed.D., Hunt Institute Fellow

DeeDee Conway Ed.D. serves as an Associate Dean at the Lyle School of Engineering and Research Assistant Professor in the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education at Southern Methodist University. DeeDee joins The Hunt Institute team as a Fellow, accompanied by her valuable expertise in education.

Her research focuses on engineering education professional development and technical training as a means of understanding what institutions do to prepare students for not only positions in the industry but also positions in higher education, such as organizational and leadership development practices. This includes the analysis of cultural norms within an institution and opportunities for the reform of education to better suit the requirements of today’s industry and higher education institutions. Other research interests include creating a better understanding of culture in education, finding ways to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as understanding the needs of non-traditional learners.

DeeDee’s recent publications are grounded in identifying pathways to prosperity for underserved populations, adult learners, and organizational leadership/culture. DeeDee holds a BBA from American Public University and her M.Ed. in Education and Ed.D. in Higher Education from Southern Methodist University.

When asked what motivates her impact work, DeeDee said, “I want to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to advance and grow in whatever way they choose. I work to advocate and help those that have difficulty navigating through various systems, policies, and processes.”

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

October 8, 2021February 15, 2022

Kathy Jack, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Fellow

Kathy Jack The Dallas Healthy Cities Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas (TNC)

Katherine Jack, Ph.D., brings her expertise in environmental technologies, sustainable development, and community health and resilience to the Hunt Institute as a newly appointed Fellow. Since 2017, she has served as The Dallas Healthy Cities Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas (TNC), working with community partners to create a climate-resilient Dallas and to leverage the power of nature to benefit all residents. Dr. Jack also serves as Co-chair for the TNC Cities Network group to refine shared metrics for human and conservation well-being in the urban landscape.

Dr. Katherine Jack is an experienced Program Director and researcher, with more than twenty years working in both local government and non-profit sectors to advance community conservation, resilience, and sustainability. Her focus has always been at the intersection of people and nature. This includes the social dimensions of conservation and technological innovation, with expertise in renewable energy, emissions science, and nature-based strategies (NBS).

Notably, one of her recent research project publications is “Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Urban Flood Resilience: Opportunity Analysis for Dallas, TX”. This research study was conducted by Dr. Jack and TNC team, as well as Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, to assess the potential for GSI to enhance stormwater flood management in Dallas. Wherein, her team identified substantial cost-effective opportunities to deploy GSI for flood resilience and community benefits within the City of Dallas.

Her other key initiatives include advancing local air monitoring for improved public health outcomes, a collaborative effort of tree planting through Cool & Connected Oak Cliff, serving on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee to Dallas’ Environmental and Climate Action Plan, and on the Best Practices Advisory Committee for the Texas Tree Foundations’ Southwestern Medical District Streetscape Transformation project.

When asked what motivates her to do impact work, Dr. Jack said, “I am solutions driven! I am motivated by the urgency and complexity of the challenges we face at the intersection of society and the environment, and I am absolutely inspired by the richness of creating solutions with people across disciplines, experiences, and perspectives.”

Dr. Jack received her Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Society from Cornell University, a Master of Science in Environmental Resources Engineering, in the International Development Technologies Program at Humboldt State University, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the University of North Texas.

September 24, 2021February 10, 2022

Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions Design Competition Update

Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions (K.I.S.S.)—in partnership with SMU’s Sustainability + Development Program (S+DP), the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity (HI), and three universities in Tanzania—launched an architectural competition for the design of the Rulegura Centre back in 2020.

Student teams drafted building plans for the Rulegura Center, which were then evaluated by a panel of three international jurors (Dr. Michael Ramage, Dr. Victoria Marwa Heilman, and Paul Westbrook). As the final step in the Rulegura Design Competition, each university (Mbeya University of Science and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, and Ardhi University) hosted separate events to celebrate both the participants and the winners.

Surprisingly, when our international jury panel unanimously selected the top three project placements in the competition, each chosen project was designed by a group of students from a different one of the three Universities that participated. Due to the anonymity of the competition, this outcome was completely by chance. However, these results left everybody involved pleasantly surprised because all the universities had equal reason to celebrate!

Organizing the participation certificates, placement awards, and printed design submissions would not have been possible without the dedication of University Coordinators, Professor Sayuni Bupe, Professor Buberwa Tibesigwa, Professor Raymond Kassonga, and SMU S+DP student Alejandra Hinojosa, with the HI Team. Also, Kijiji Board Members Clara Rulegura Ford, Martin Rulegura, and Dr. Jessie Zarazaga contributed to making sure the posters, trophies, and monetary awards were delivered to the students. Despite an 8-hour time difference and a number of moving pieces, the Kijiji team was able to get all of the parts in place so that the universities could hold their celebrations.

Following several weeks of coordination and planning, we received pictures from Raymond at Ardhi University of their school’s event. At this event, winners and participants of the Kasisa Community Center Competition received awards and certificates. An array of dynamic students studying architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, building economics, and civil engineering attended the celebration. The images depict the first-place winners, Renalda Lwilla and Muhumuliza Luveiyamu, as well as Ardhi University student participants, and images from the event that day.

On possible future student opportunities regarding this collaboration, Dr. Jessie Zarazga said:

“Students in the SMU S+DP Masters program followed-on by jumping into the same design challenge, producing their own sustainable design proposals for Kasisa, and learning from the work of the Tanzanian cohort. For the next stage we hope to coordinate a more direct integration of teaching structures, so that real international collaboration can be developed.”

This update was written by Alejandra Hinojosa, S+DP Grad Program Manager 2021.

January 7, 2021February 28, 2022

Dr. Candice Bledsoe, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Intrapreneur

Candice Bledsoe, Ph.D., Social Intrapreneur and Executive Director of the Action Research Center

Dr. Candice L. Bledsoe is a well-known scholar, professor, and social entrepreneur. A strong advocate for innovation, leadership, and diversity, her unwavering efforts to combat social and economic gaps have earned her international recognition.

In 2020, the United Nations awarded Dr. Bledsoe with the UN Day Global Leadership Award, for Sustainable Goal 4: Quality Education, because of her tireless advocacy for increasing access to education and school enrollment rates, especially for young women.

Dr. Bledsoe joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as an Intrapreneur in pursuit of her program’s success. The Young Social Innovators & Social Entrepreneurs Program aims to address issues of poverty in local communities by seeking to equip young individuals with the entrepreneurial skills they need to help close economic and social gaps.

With a focus on underrepresented and minority student education, the program is aiming to develop minority youth as change agents and successful social entrepreneurs through the promotion of personal development, academic excellence, and social change.

Dr. Bledsoe currently sits as the Executive Director of the Action Research Center in Dallas, Texas which is an organization that aims to enhance equity in local Dallas/Ft. Worth communities. In addition, she is also the founder of the Collective, a group of community leaders, writers, scholars, and entrepreneurs who tell the story of minority women in America.

Dr. Bledsoe conducts research on equity, equal access, and granting voice to minority narratives as a means of addressing wealth disparities and underrepresented groups. Over the years, she has led numerous international initiatives in partnership with organizations such as the Bank of Thailand, Microsoft, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Aba Dhabi Department of Education and Council (ADEC), and more.

Dr. Bledsoe is no stranger to the Institute; she sits as one of the distinguished Fellows, serves on the Leadership Council in the Inclusive Economy Consortium, and is an Expert in Residence for the Hunt Institute. Recently, in 2020 she completed a project in the Global Development Lab called Youth Up Next, which continued the development of The Young Social Innovators & Young Social Entrepreneurs Program.

“I believe that innovation is a tool to help improve organizations and create sustainable solutions,” Dr. Bledsoe said. “The Young Social Innovators & Young Entrepreneurs Program uses an innovation and social entrepreneurship framework to enhance students’ self-confidence, discipline, and self-efficacy. Not only do students help create a business while addressing a social need, they also develop leadership skills that will support them for the rest of their lives.”

Stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest to follow Dr. Bledsoe, and her Cohort, as she pursues developing youth into agents of change for the betterment of their communities.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 7, 2021February 28, 2022

Pharr Andrews, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Intrapreneur

Pharr Andrews joined the Hunt Institute's Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as an Intrapreneur to find solutions to address the energy poverty gap exasperated by the effects of climate change.

As an experienced scholar and fervent advocate for the mend of environmental and sustainability issues, Pharr Andrews joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as an Intrapreneur.

Andrews aims to continue to push for solutions that address the energy poverty gap exasperated by the effects of climate change.

Currently serving as the Senior Climate Coordinator for the City of Dallas, her primary role is to coordinate the City’s first Comprehensive and Climate Action Plan (CECAP). Through her extensive experience, traversing 20 years of acquired knowledge in the field, she displays a strong commitment to preserving the environment and has earned a reputation among peers as a leader in the field.

Andrews’ social enterprise project “Energy Equip” attempts to provide basic energy services to low-income areas and proposes to address energy poverty symptoms through six main pathways: education, leveraging of resources, commitment to amplifying ongoing actions, expanding partnerships, outreach, and awareness-building.

Her employment background stretches across various environmental initiatives; these include Environmental Outreach Manager for the City of Richardson and Air Quality Manager for the City of Austin.

While in Austin, she chaired the region’s Clean Air Coalition Advisory Committee and helped implement three regional air quality improvement plans. She was also a founding member of the City’s Climate Protection Team and played a vital role in the climate planning effort. Prior to serving at the City of Austin, she worked for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on environmental policy issues.

This December, Pharr Andrews will be presenting her social enterprise project at the Hunt Institute’s Impact Forum where she will continue to spark discussion around reducing the energy burden and raise awareness for the issue’s urgent need for action.

When asked what has motivated her impact work, Andrews said, “Climate Change impacts everyone on the planet, but does not affect everyone equally. I am very motivated to help ensure vulnerable front line communities have access to the tools that reduce negative impacts, build resiliency and improve quality of life.”

Look forward to more from the Hunt Institute Digest, to stay up to date on Pharr’s work and progress as she pursues solutions to energy poverty in the DFW area.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 6, 2021February 28, 2022

Matthew Sheldon, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Intrapreneur

Matthew Sheldon, Social Intrapreneur and Communications Lead for Toyota Motor North America Social Innovation

Matthew Sheldon is a highly dynamic individual with experience across corporate communication programs, public relations, investor relations firms, and a passion for combating societal and environmental challenges.

Sheldon joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as a Social Intrapreneur with his project, which focuses on combatting bioplastic waste and decreasing the environmental impact of waste.

As the Communications Lead for Toyota Motor North America Social Innovation, Sheldon is tasked with developing and implementing communications programs for the division’s community sustainability, inclusive mobility, and workforce development initiatives.

Sheldon’s Social Enterprise Project is working to find ways to divert waste from landfills, putting forth initiatives that aim to create a circular system to recover food waste and bioplastics and convert them into energy. This system has many benefits: diverting waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating new revenue streams, and the potential for new fueling sources for hydrogen-powered vehicles.

This project is set to spur a coalition of local companies, government organizations, and academia to bring forward a solution in DFW while also creating a template to replicate in other regions.

Sheldon says he is motivated by “a sense of urgency to address societal and environmental challenges. Through social innovation, we can tackle systemic issues while strengthening business.”

Stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest to follow Matthew as he pursues waste-to-energy solutions in the DFW area.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

September 16, 2020February 28, 2022

Clara Rulegura Ford, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Entrepreneur

Clara Rulegura Ford joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise Program as a social entrepreneur in the 2020 Cohort. Clara is the Founder and CEO of Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions (K.I.S.S.)

With a lust for life and affinity towards advancing sustainable development, Clara Rulegura Ford, CEO of Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions (K.I.S.S.), joined the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort as a Social Entrepreneur, with aspirations of encouraging sustained economic development.

A multifaceted individual, Clara Ford is an alumna of the Clinton Global Initiative University and has earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting as well as a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and Sustainability & Development from SMU. She is currently a Senior Associate Examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and has over 10 years of experience in commercial lending and the financial industry.

Clara grew up in Tanzania, and she aspires to generate real solutions to sustainability issues in order to inspire locals to be able to lift themselves out of poverty. From a young age, her parents had instilled in her the importance of public service and giving back. Given this inspiration, Clara founded her nonprofit organization — Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions (K.I.S.S) — with her former economics professor at SMU, Dr. Thomas Osang. K.I.S.S aims to promote development in rural Tanzanian villages through education, community activism, sustainable initiatives, and youth and women empowerment. Plans to implement these initiatives are highlighted through her current project’s focus: the buildout of K.I.S.S. Training and Education Center in the village of Kasisa in northern Tanzania.

In the summer of 2020, Phase 1 of her Kijiji project was completed through a partnership with Hunt Institute Fellow Dr. Jessie Zarazaga and the Institute’s Global Development Lab. The focus was on the development of a sustainable fence for the community center she aspires to build in Kasisa.

Now, her project has turned to the center’s initiatives, to focus on the following nine training and education projects: sustainable and durable housing, energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean water access, toilet design & sanitation system, sustainable agriculture & aquaculture, garbage reduction & recycling, education & vocational training, and health care. Collectively, these development programs hope to reduce rural poverty and significantly improve the quality of life for local rural communities.

Her nonprofit’s logo “means ‘help me to help you’, a symbol of cooperation and interdependence,” says Clara Ford. “That’s what K.I.S.S. is all about. To bring about sustained economic development through cooperation and interdependence between us, our partners, and the communities we serve.”

In partnership with SMU’s Sustainability + Development Program (S + DP), the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, and three universities in Tanzania, Clara’s team launched an architectural competition for the design of the Rulegura Centre. Winners were announced over the summer months and the finalists were exhibited in the Hunt Institute in the spring of 2021. Most recently, an update of this competition was released in the fall of 2021.

Clara discussed her passion for her impact work saying, “I wouldn’t be here where I am today if not for all the people who have helped me along the way. The Kijiji Project is one of the ways for me to pay it forward. Along the way I realized it will take a diverse model that brings all stakeholders together, to work in symbiosis to better address problems that are unique to each locale. Through Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions, we have a platform to do that. The partnerships we make with various institutions, NGOs, businesses and individual volunteers together with the communities we try to help make a ‘mastermind’ necessary to generate real solutions that will empower the locals in the long run to lift themselves out of poverty.”

Stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest for updates on the Kijiji project and for more examples of social entrepreneurs.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 27, 2020March 2, 2022

Mohammed Njie, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Entrepreneur

Mohammed Nije, Social Entrepreneur, Inventor, Change Agent, The Gambia, Clean Energy, Digital Access

As the first student Social Entrepreneur in the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise Program, Mohammed Njie joined the Cohort in 2021 and is setting a precedent for dedicated, young entrepreneurship.

Mohammed was born and raised in The Gambia, a country in Western Africa, and has witnessed energy poverty firsthand. He attended high school at one of the few schools with electricity, and seeing students at other institutions without access to the same vital resources inspired him to make a difference in this area.

He is currently conducting research on efficient renewable energy systems that can be used to alleviate energy poverty in developing countries. Mohammed founded Janta Clean Energy with the intention of providing The Gambia with reliable, clean energy. A vision of his is to see all of Africa having access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy during his lifetime.

“I think it is important to realize that here at the Institute we are involved in a lot of projects where we can impact the lives of a lot of different people,” Mohammed said. “For their sake, it is very important that we push through…they are waiting for us.”

Mohammed initiated a pilot project called Innovation inTintinto on his last trip to The Gambia that installed solar panels in rural schools, tested capacity, and determined which elements are needed to enhance students’ academic experience. His second project Illuminating Tintinto expanded on these elements and installed additional panels for Tintinto Primary and Secondary School. Now, centered around these innovative solutions, his current project titled STEM Up Phase II is working to design and implement Wi-Fi-generating computer carts in local schools.

All the while, Mohammed is currently a senior at Southern Methodist University working toward a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and has been recognized as a Grand Challenges Scholar, winner of SMU’s Big Ideas, and is also part of the SMU Incubator.

Discussing his motivation for impact work as a social entrepreneur he said,“My passion for the work I do started when I was young. When you experience the problems you are trying to solve, it becomes personal. So as a young boy, I made it my life’s mission to help solve some of the problems I experienced growing up. So many people are in poverty because they do not have an opportunity. I want to change that.”

The December, Mohammed will be showcasing his work in the Institute’s Impact Forum along with other 2020 & 2021 Social Enterprise Cohorts.

More posts about Mohammed Njie:

December 15, 2019: “2019 Social Enterprise Cohort”

February 28, 2020: “Mohammed Njie – Travel Feature”

July 1, 2020: “Hunt Institute’s First Student Social Entrepreneur”

November 9, 2020: “Innovation in Tintinto, The Gambia”

December 15, 2020: “2020 Social Enterprise Cohort”

April 13, 2021: “Illuminating Tintinto | Hunt Institute’s Project for SMU Giving Day 2021”

April 14, 2021: “2021 SMU Giving Day: The Power of One Person’s Vision”

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.