What's Wrong With: The Podcast

Erin Mote is the CEO and Founder of InnovateEDU. In this role, Erin leads the organization and its major projects, including its policy and strategy portfolio. She leads the organization’s work on creating uncommon alliances to create systems change - in special education, talent development, artificial intelligence, and data modernization. An enterprise architect, she created, alongside her team, two of InnovateEDU’s signature technology products - Cortex, a next-generation personalized learning platform, and Landing Zone - a cutting-edge infrastructure as a service data product.

Nader Afzalan, Ph.D., is the Founder of The Triangle, a firm dedicated to supporting organizations in enhancing the community impact of their programs and policies as they navigate urban transitions. He is also the Endowed Chair of Social Justice and a Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design. Nader collaborates with organizations to examine the potential, future, and observed impacts of their programs and policies. His expertise bridges climate resilience, collaborative governance, technology, and smart cities. With more than 20 years of professional experience, Nader has led policies and programs across diverse regions, including the United States, China, Central America, and the Middle East. As a scholar, Nader has published over 30 articles and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals, with his work cited more than 700 times.

Today in the episode of What’s Wrong With: The Podcast, we are thrilled to be talking with Sarah Kirwan, a global disability inclusion strategist and the founder of Eye Level, a Disability:IN certified Disability Owned Business Enterprise. With 15 years of experience in operations support, technical assistance, and awareness training in workplace and healthcare settings, Sarah has dedicated her career to empowering women with chronic conditions through coaching, mentoring programs, and peer-led support groups. She also volunteers as a mentor for the National MS Society Emerging Leaders Alliance and as a coach for the Ability 360 adaptive sports program. We’ll explore her inspiring journey, the impact of her work, and the insights she’s gained in championing disability inclusion on a global scale.

Jelle Vedder, Co-Founder of Bartels & Vedder, joins SOUR's Pinar Guvenc to discuss the transformative potential of floating structures in urban environments. Bartels & Vedder is an engineering firm co-founded by Jelle in 2011, dedicated to the technical design and implementation of sustainable infrastructure. The firm specializes in innovative floating and climate-resilient projects, including residential, commercial, and recreational structures. Under Jelle’s leadership, Bartels & Vedder has delivered pioneering projects such as the Floating Ferry Terminal in Malaysia, the Floating Office, Floating Park, and Floating Farm in Rotterdam, as well as Amsterdam's sustainable Schoonschip residential neighborhood.

Marzia Mortati, Founder, Associate Professor at the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano, joins SOUR’s Pinar Guvenc to discuss the role of designers as problem setters as opposed to problem solvers. Her research interests focus on Service Design and public sector innovation, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of Design, Data, and Innovation, as well as Design for Policy and the role of Artificial Intelligence in public services. Since 2007, she has taught these topics to international and multicultural groups and has published academic papers in leading journals since 2008. She has also participated in numerous international research projects, collaborating with both researchers and practitioners worldwide. Nowadays, her curiosity about the future of design research and practice continues to drive her academic journey, keeping her passion for the field alive.

Today in the episode of What’s Wrong With: The Podcast, we are excited to be joined by two guests to talk about our environmental responsibility! First off, we are happy to speak with Drew Pendergrass. Drew is a PhD student in Environmental Engineering at Harvard University and co-author of the 2022 book Half-Earth Socialism. His current research uses satellite, aircraft and surface observations of the environment to correct supercomputer models of the atmosphere. His environmental writing has been in publications such as Harper’s and the Guardian With Drew today is Filip Mesko. Filip is an architect working between Paris and Auterrive, with an emphasis on reuse and renovation. He has lectured at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and at the Architectural Association. Filip was an editor for Half-Earth Socialism and has collaborated with the authors to apply the ideas of the book to architecture.

Today in the episode of What’s Wrong With: The Podcast, we are excited to be talking with Neil Redding, a speaker, author, Innovation Architect and Near Futurist! As Founder & CEO of Redding Futures, Neil has led teams and served as an advisor at multiple spatial computing startups, including Auki Labs, Bitreel, and Friends With Holograms, among a range of other clients. Prior to Redding Futures, Neil led innovation at Mediacom, Gensler, and ThoughtWorks. A computer scientist by training, he has also delivered for dozens of clients, including Visa, Nike, NBA, TED, The Economist, MoMA, Apple, and Oracle. In addition to consulting with clients worldwide, Neil is a frequent keynote speaker and has presented at conferences like SXSW, Building the Future, AWE, and Immerse Global Summit.

Today in the episode of What’s Wrong With: The Podcast, we are excited to be talking with Emily McGarvey, Director of Sustainability for Room & Board. Emily McGarvey brings 20 years of experience spearheading social and environmental strategies with a focus on product, supply chain, operations, and branding. Leading sustainability initiatives for Room & Board and Room & Board Business Interiors, the brand’s commercial arm, she is strategically focused on bringing sustainability to the forefront of furniture manufacturing. Prior to her role with the company, McGarvey served as Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Target, where she played an integral role in developing the corporation's sustainability program, rolling out enterprise-wide initiatives including the company’s chemical management and transparency policy and their incredibly popular Car Seat Trade-In program. In 2018, she founded Star Impact Consulting, where she provided purpose-driven strategy and branding for both for-profit and nonprofit business sectors such as Apparel Impact Institute.