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One look at Anita Nowak's advice to other young professionals and you'll see exactly what makes her notable. As the founding Integrating Director for the Social Economy Initiative (SEI) at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ’s Desautels Faculty of Management, here's how she's looking to make a difference in today's world...

Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.

As the founding Integrating Director for the Social Economy Initiative (SEI) at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ’s Desautels Faculty of Management, I am responsible for integrating social entrepreneurship and social innovation into the Faculty’s teaching, research and outreach. As a faculty lecturer, I also have the privilege of teaching Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation to phenomenal undergraduate students.

As a Senior Fellow with the , I am currently writing a book with the working title Empathic Action: A Force for Good whose Time has Come.

On the heels of the inconceivable mass killings that took place in Norway and Newtown, in response to man-made suffering happening across the globe in countries such as Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in reaction to climate disasters brought on by our insatiable and unsustainable over- consumption, and as an antidote to the unprecedented levels of illness in our society, which include depression, anxiety and addiction, I believe we are desperate for a different way of being in the world.

Exploring this zeitgeist, my book is meant as a call to action based on empathy. Informed by neuroscience, positive psychology, social movement theory, secular spirituality and new world consciousness, I will invite readers to adopt a philosophy of Empathic Action in five domains of life: 1) on a personal level; 2) in our families; 3) in our communities; 4) in our schools & universities and; 5) in our organizations.

The book will be replete with inspiring examples of everyday people engaged in empathic action – some of whom have since become major agents of social change. And each story describes how they have reaped unimaginable personal rewards. In so doing, I hope to make a convincing case that adopting an Empathic Action mindset has game-changing implications for self and society.

Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?

In 2011, I worked as a post-doc research consultant for the . As part of a feasibility study, I conducted an exhaustive mapping project with 150+ leading business schools around the world to identify if/how social entrepreneurship education was being delivered, as well as the best practices of different programs & curricula.

Upon my return from Italy, I met with Dean Todd of the Desautels Faculty of Management and discussed the opportunity I felt McGill could and should seize to become Canada’s leading university vis-à-vis social entrepreneurship & social innovation teaching/research/outreach. That conversation led to some fundraising and that’s how the Social Economy Initiative was born.

I am inspired daily by my role and responsibilities because I believe wholeheartedly in developing a pipeline of engaged global citizens who are committed to positive, sustainable social change.

What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?

The best part – by a wide margin – is my interface with students and Sauvé scholars. Back in 1997, when I was a BComm student, I had a major light bulb moment that changed the trajectory of my life. So, I thrive on providing space for other light-bulb moments to happen. Bringing inspiring speakers onto campus,

showing thought-provoking films in my class or meeting students in my office who want to advice about their career choices (or life!) are all ways in which I feel I am making a contribution.

The most challenging part of my day is carving out time to write my book.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

On a speaking tour with my second or third best-selling book and growing my Empathic Action Foundation!

Read full article: , January 15, 2013