Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity: 10 YEARS OF IMPACT

IMPACT REPORT 

10 YEARS OF IMPACT

Communities around the world are experiencing increasing 

uncertainties with respect to livelihoods, inequality and 

environmental degradation. Dallas exhibits the paradox of 

being home to Fortune 500 corporations along with vast food 

deserts, a digital divide, severe neighborhood inequality and 

urban heat islands. 

Photo: Melody Hamilton 

2

Hunt Institute Impact Report 

TABLE OF 

CONTENTS 

1 

2 

TEN YEARS OF IMPACT 

• Our Mission 

• Translating Global Goals into Local Action 

• Letter from the Executive Director 

• Our Milestones 

AGGREGATING FOR IMPACT 

• Igniting Collective Action 

• Leveraging Market Forces 

• Our Focus 

• Our Approach 

3 

OUR PROGRAMS 

• Building the Ecosystem 

• Engaging the Community 

• Incubating Solutions 

4 

EMPOWERING THE NEXT 

GENERATION OF CHANGEMAKERS 

5 

PIONEERING CLIMATE-SMART INCLUSIVE 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION 

6 

OUR PEOPLE 

3

01 

Hunt 

Institute Impact Report 

TEN YEARS OF IMPACT

OUR MISSION 

• Develop and scale sustainable and affordable technologies and solutions 

addressing the challenges facing under-resourced communities 

• Foster market-based mechanisms that create sustainable livelihood 

opportunities that respect the dignity of individuals and communities 

• Serve as a national and international hub and convening platform for 

business, academia, NGOs and governmental organizations 

• Leverage talent from various disciplines and focus on the education of 

engineering and non-engineering students alike


10 YEARS OF IMPACT 

TRANSLATING GLOBAL GOALS INTO LOCAL ACTION 

Scaling social impact with climate-smart inclusive economic development 

During its first decade of operation, the Hunt Institute’s 

work has impacted all 17 Sustainable Development Goals 

(SDGs) set forth in 2015 by the United Nations and 

subsequently adopted by 193 countries. The SDGs call 

for action by all countries to promote prosperity while 

protecting the planet. These goals reflect the important 

recognition that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand 

with strategies that build economic prosperity and address 

a range of social needs including education, health, social 

protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate 

change and protecting the natural environment. 

The Hunt Institute’s work touches each of the 17 SDGs 

through its holistic approach to fostering climate-smart 

inclusive economic development. We thank all of our 

partners and supporters who have empowered our work 

over the past ten years. 

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs) are a call for action by all countries 

to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. 

6



LETTER FROM 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EVA CSAKY 

Much of our current economy, institutions and approaches to addressing societal problems predates what Stephen Hawking termed the 

“century of complexity.” A hallmark of this era of complexity is interconnectivity, rendering the dichotomies of developed vs. underdeveloped 

countries increasingly meaningless. Complex societal challenges such as poverty, inequality, food insecurity, climate change, deteriorating 

health, gender disparity, educational divide and environmental degradation, just to name a few, are deeply interconnected and shared across 

rich and poor countries alike. 

Over the past decade we tested, piloted, and implemented novel approaches to holistically tackle these interconnected problems to foster 

climate-smart inclusive economic development. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that access to opportunities and economic prosperity is shared 

and we leave a healthy planet for future generations. While that might sound like a Utopian aspiration and a theoretical exercise, it is not. 

The hundreds of scaled best practices from around the world that we have collected and analyzed clearly indicate that there are possible 

solutions, driving our persistence to find the most effective and efficient approach for fostering such solutions in our era. The novel approach 

we utilize simultaneously leverages international best practices, the ingenuity of our close to one hundred expert affiliates, the passion and 

talent of students from across disciplines, and the insights and wisdom of communities. 

Our approach has been operational for only a few years but its impact has already been noteworthy and we are proud to share some of the 

highlights in this report. Perhaps even more importantly, as we focus our attention on building back better from the pandemic, we hope that these 

experiences offer an actionable roadmap for scaling impact and deliberately transitioning towards a climate-smart and inclusive economy. 

Thank you for your partnership. 

Eva Szalkai Csaky, PhD MSF 

Executive Director 

7



OUR MILESTONES 

E&H Week:’From 

Innovation to Impact‘ 

Opening of 

James Pratt Library 

Design of new 

operational and 

programmatic structure 

to support scaling the 

Institute’s impact 

Launch of Blockchain 

and Transformational 

Technology Hub 

Launch of MASD CIED 

course & concentration 

Launch of Social 

Enterprise Program 

‘Intrapreneurs’ cohort 

2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 

2012 2014 2018 2020 

Hunt Institute becomes 

operational with launch 

of Engineering & 

Humanity (E&H) Week 

called ‘ReFrame’ to 

highlight affordable and 

sustainable housing 

E&H Week: ‘Water: 

Ripple Effects’ 

Climate Extremes 

conference leading 

up to COP21 Launch 

of Inclusive Economy 

Consortium Testing of 

innovation incubation 

approaches 

Launch of Global 

Development Lab 

and Social Enterprise 

Program Pilots 

Launch of 

ImpactNights TM 

& Satellites 

AWARENESS RAISING PHASE 

CLIMATE—SMART INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

(CIED) TEST & PILOT PHASE 

CIED SCALING PHASE 

8

Photo: The 2014 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the James Pratt library, donated to and housed in the Hunt Institute, included James and Joan Pratt, Alexandra, Ilya and Sabrina Pratt, Dr. 

Bobby Lyle, Stephanie and Hunter Hunt, Dr. Eva Csaky, Peter Brown and others. 

“James Pratt was a celebrated mid-century Texas architect with many significant buildings to his name. His even greater legacy is as an early, thoughtful and provocative 

thinker about the urbanism of the city of Dallas. His book, ‘Dallas Visions’, beautifully illustrated with his drawings and plans, laid out a conceptual structure not only for 

Dallas city planning, but also for the ambitious quality of urban life that Pratt imagined for the whole city.” 

—Dr. Jessie Marshall Zarazaga, PhD, RIBA leed AP, Curator of the Pratt Collection 

9

02 


AGGREGATING FOR IMPACT



IGNITING COLLECTIVE ACTION 

The Hunt Institute's novel multiplier approach forges connections across geographies, stakeholders, sectors, disciplines and even generations to ignite collective 

action. These include a core leadership team, an international multidisciplinary group of experts who serve the Institute as fellows and affiliates, students from 

across disciplines, partners from every community where we work, both locally and internationally, and a professional network of interested parties. 

Networked Impact+ 

Partners 

Our Network 

Collective 

Action 

Core Team 

Fellows & 

Affiliates 

Student Team 

NETWORKED IMPACT + is accomplished through 

the Hunt Institute’s novel multiplier approach 

Photo: The Hunt Institute hosts regular convenings to foster connections, 

knowledge sharing and collaborations. 

11



LEVERAGING MARKET FORCES 

Solving social and environmental problems while creating 

economic opportunities 

Five billion people who earn less than $8 a day around the world spend $5 trillion a year on food, housing, energy, water, information and communication technology (ICT), 

transportation, and health. Businesses that address those needs with quality products and services have an opportunity to profit while positively impacting low-income 

communities. This is the essence of “base-of-the-pyramid” (BOP) strategies. 

Despite the influence of BOP strategies over the 

past 15 years, they have gained little ground in 

industrialized economies. The Hunt Institute estimates 

the size of the BOP market in the United States at 

$1 trillion, representing 25% of U.S. households 

and 13% of all U.S. consumer expenditures. These 

households are more likely to be headed by a woman 

and to have a dependent (child or elderly), more 

likely to be African American, and less likely to own 

a home or hold a college education. Not surprisingly, 

the demand is concentrated in the same areas 

as internationally: housing, food, transportation, 

healthcare and energy. The Hunt Institute’s work 

focuses on these sectors to generate economic 

opportunities and jobs while meeting people’s 

most important needs in a sustainable and 

climate-smart fashion. 

$5 TRILLION GLOBAL BOP MARKET 

HEALTH 

WATER 

ENERGY 

HOUSING 

ICT 

TRANSPORTATION 

OTHER 

Source: World Resources Institute 

FOOD 

WATER 

$1 TRILLION US BOP MARKET 

HOUSING 

FOOD 

HEALTHCARE 

OTHER 

Source: Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity 

TRANSPORTATION 

ENERGY 

APPAREL & 

PERSONAL 

CARE 

INSURANCE & 

PENSIONS 

ICT 

EDUCATION 

WATER & 

PUBLIC SERVICES 

Low-income and under-resourced communities collectively represent an significant and often untapped market at the “base-ofthe-pyramid” 

(BOP). Most of this purchasing power represents demand for food, housing, transportation, energy and healthcare. 

2% 

12

R FOCUS 



RK FOCUSES 

OUR 

ON LEVERAGING 

FOCUS 

TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE 

IC OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS. WE DO SO WITH AN 

IS ON TWO SECTORS IN PARTICULAR: SUSTAINABLE FOOD 

AND RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, SUCH AS HOUSING, 

AND ICT. THESE ARE TWO AREAS FACING SOME OF THE 

ESSING CHALLENGES AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES TO 

E HUMAN The WELL Hunt Institute’s BEING, work CREATING focuses on two critical ENTREPRENEURIAL 

areas; sustainable food systems and 

UNITIES AND resilient DECENT infrastructure (housing, JOB IN energy THE and ICT). PROCESS. We develop technologies IN ORDER and solutions TO 

THAT THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE INCLUSIVE AND 

LE, HOWEVER, in these areas WE that ALSO not only mitigate NEED the TO risks of PRIORITIZE climate change, but HUMAN simultaneously meet 

IN EVERY basic ASPECT needs and create OF decent OUR jobs WORK and entrepreneurial AND FOSTER opportunities. THE To ensure that these 

RY FINANCIAL INNOVATIONS TO ENABLE IMPACT AT SCALE. 

opportunities are inclusive and equitable, we develop human capital through education 

and training. To guarantee the scalability of these solutions, we foster innovative impact 

finance approaches. 

HUMAN 

CAPITAL 

sustainable 

food 

system 

SUSTAINABLE 

RESILIENT 

FOOD 

FINANCE TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY INFRA- 

SYSTEM 

STRUCTURE 

HUMAN 

CAPITAL 

FINANCE 

RESILIENT 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

Photo: Melody Hamilton 

13



OUR APPROACH 

A holistic model for tackling 

complex problems 

Making sense of the complexity that influences the work of social 

entrepreneurs & climate-smart inclusive economic development 

BUILD 

ECOSYSTEM 

Best Practice & Ecosystem Analysis 

Blockchain & Transformational Technology Hub 

Financial Innovation & Inclusion 

Convening stakeholders 

across sectors and disciplines 

to connect, share and act 

Inclusive Economy Consortium 

ImpactNights 

Outreach 

ENGAGE 

COMMUNITY 

INCUBATE 

SOLUTIONS 

Transforming the best 

ideas into actionable 

projects and solutions 

Social Enterprise Program 

Global Development Lab 

Special Initiatives 

14

03 



OUR PROGRAMS 

Photo: In front of the Meadows Museum on SMU’s Dallas campus is Santiago Calatrava’s dynamic sculpture,“The Wave,” the artist’s first large-scale sculpture to be permanently installed 

in the United States.

BUILDING THE 

ECOSYSTEM 

Photo: Launch of the Blockchain & Transformational Technology Hub in 2018


OUR PROGRAMS 

BEST PRACTI CE & ECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS 

For climate-smart inclusive economic development 

The forces of globalization, technological advancement, and climate 

change have created new and often complex challenges when it comes 

to economic inclusion and livelihoods. To address these issues, the Hunt 

Institute team and fellows have been studying innovative solutions and 

best practices in climate-smart inclusive economic development from 

around the world. 

While solutions often cannot and should not simply be replicated 

across different geographies, there is much to learn from studying the 

experiences of others. We document and analyze best practices and 

the ecosystems they have succeeded in to identify key patterns to help 

empower all relevant stakeholders. 

PHASE 1 

105 

INTERNATIONAL 

BEST PRACTICES 

PHASE 2 

418 

INTERNATIONAL 

BEST PRACTICES 

Photo: Executive Director Dr. Eva Csaky and Hunt Institute Fellow Anna Clark were 

invited to present "Pathways to Scaling Social and Environmental Impact towards 

Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Development” at the Disruptive Innovation, 

Value Chains and Rural Development Conference hosted by the World Bank. The 

key findings of this work arecaptured in the CAISE model and the subject of an 

upcoming book (see page 18). 

17

COLLECTIVE ACTION FOR AN 

INCLUSIVE SUSTAINABLE 

ECONOMY (CAISE) MODEL 

The aim of this work is to demystify the paradigm of climate-smart 

inclusive economic development for all stakeholders. Our analysis of 

best practices from around the world reveals key features that successful 

climate-smart inclusive economy efforts share, including: 

• Systems approach to 

complex problems 

• Multi-sector and multistakeholder 

partnerships 

• Leveraging of private sector 

value chains 

• Aggregation of small 

economic actors 

• Ongoing knowledge and 

skill development 

• Communities empowered 

to lead 

• Policies with ongoing data 

collection and feedback loops 

Source: “Scaling Social and Environmental Impact Through Inclusive Value Chains and Disruptive Collaboration” (Csaky, E.; 

Clark, A.; Rivera, S., 2018) 

• Innovative risk assessment 

and financing approaches 

18


OUR PROGRAMS 

BLOCKCHAIN HUB 

In partnership with: 

The Blockchain Hub was created in 2018 in partnership with FinTech4Good and the Blockchain Frontier Group to promote the understanding of the potential 

applications of blockchain and adjacent technologies for social and environmental impact and to serve as a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder hub for those solutions. 

Data aggregation 

& mapping 

The Hunt Institute and its partner 

organizations are working to 

improve access to information and 

resources through the ecosystem 

mapping of the climate-smart 

inclusive economy and the innovative use 

of technology. The Hub aggregates data through multiple 

mechanisms and disseminates relevant information as well 

as analytics to different audiences. This approach helps 

empower individuals, businesses and service providers alike 

while generating policy-relevant analytics. 

10 

USE 

CASES 

FROM 

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL 

IMPACT AREAS 

CATALOGUED 

Graphic: Blockchain Hub and adjacent technologies have proven to have high potential for transformational impact. 

19

In 2020, during the pandemic, the Veteran Women 

Enterprise Center (“VWEC”), led by Hunt Institute 

Fellow and Navy veteran VR Small, successfully 

piloted the Financial First Bootcamp, an innovative 

and comprehensive capacity-building program 

aimed at financial empowerment, developed by 

the Hunt Institute and FinTech4Good. Beyond 

financial management, the program includes 

training on access to finance, climate-smart 

strategies and their financial benefits, as well as the 

latest insights about innovative financing options 

such as crowdfunding and fintech. Based on the 

success of the pilot, the partners are in the process 

of expanding the program, which will be offered by 

VWEC across the United States in 2022. 

“The 4th industrial revolution can both empower 

and leave behind small businesses. This is especially 

the case for under-resourced entrepreneurs. Training 

curriculums become outdated quickly and small 

businesses often do not have access to the latest 

knowledge that can help them succeed. This novel 

dynamic program that is designed to connect to cuttingedge 

knowledge resources in our fast changing world 

greatly benefi ts our entrepreneurs.” 

VR Small, 

CEO of the Veteran Women 

Enterprise Center 

20


OUR PROGRAMS 

IMPACT FINANCE & 

FINANCIAL INCLUSION 

The Hunt Institute’s team and fellows have been pioneers in the impact 

finance field and are focused on developing innovative solutions to solve 

the significant funding gap for climate change, especially as it relates to 

underserved groups such as farmers, small businesses, low-income families 

and female-owned businesses. Despite its growing importance, impact 

finance only meets a small fraction of this need and has relied heavily on 

public funding sources. The Institute is addressing this challenge through 

multiple fronts. We developed programs to address critical demand-side 

barriers to financial inclusion such as financial literacy. Additionally, we have 

created innovative tools to assist social entrepreneurs in accessing financing 

and implemented capacity building regarding crowdfunding and fintech. 

Critically, our team has developed unique expertise in designing 

and implementing novel financial structures and approaches that 

reduce the barriers and has shown to significantly increase the 

engagement of private capital in impact financing. 

Partner: 

Chart: The World Bank estimates that $90 trillion is necessary in the 

next 10 years just to mitigate the risks of climate change. Annual impact 

finance flows are not on track to meet this need. Innovative financial 

mechanisms have proven to be able to mobilize private capital with a 

strong multiplier effect. 

21

As part of a collaboration with the George W. Bush Presidential 

Center’s WE Lead Scholars program, an initiative for women 

leaders from the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan 

(”MENA”), the Hunt Institute convened an Impact Finance 

workshop in Washington, DC with international experts in 

sustainable finance and impact investing. 

Hunt Institute Executive Director Dr. Eva Csaky and Hunt 

Institute Fellows Dr. Yasmin Saadat, Dr. Debra Perry, Xiaochen 

Zhang, Alison Harwood designed a workshop to share the latest 

knowledge about the global impact finance ecosystem and 

opportunities and challenges for social entrepreneurs seeking 

alternative sources of financing. 

As Dr. Nadia Zrelli Ben Hamida, a Tunisian economist and 

WE Lead Scholar, remarked, “the workshop was very beneficial 

and unique in its dichotomy of offering both practical insights 

to social entrepreneurs in MENA as well as a comprehensive 

overview of the global impact finance ecosystem, including 

discussions about different types of funders, financial 

instruments, innovative financing mechanisms and the fastevolving 

crowdfunding and fintech impact finance landscape.” 

Photo: Hunt Institute Impact Finance workshop for the 

George W. Bush Presidential Center’s WE Scholars at the 

White House Historical Association in Washington DC 

22

ENGAGING THE 

COMMUNITY 

Photo: Community Innovation Lab 2017. The Hunt Institute and its partners convened more than 30 organizations to co-create solutions for equitable healthy food access. 

23


OUR PROGRAMS 

CLIMATE 

EXTREMES 

A forum on adaptation 

and resilience in Texas 

In 2015, the Hunt Institute hosted Climate Extremes, an official conference of 

COP21 Paris, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. The largest 

convening for climate change ever held in Texas until that time, the Climate 

Extremes conference was also part of the French American Climate Talks of the 

French Embassy in Washington on the road to COP21. Held in Paris, COP21 

was a truly global and local collaboration among countries and cities as well as 

the public, private and third sectors.. 

Above left: Mayor Mike Rawlings. Above right: Conference was sold out with over 

300 participants and broadcast live online for those unable to attend in person. 

The Climate Extremes conference had a unique 

focus on the intersection of climate change and 

economic inclusion. It offered a unique opportunity 

to understand why mitigating climate extremes is 

important, and redefined what is possible in using 

collaboration and collective action to address climate 

change at home and abroad. 

Above: Other speakers included Garrett Boone, Container Store Co-Founder 

and Chairman Emeritus, Drew Byrd, Schneider Electric executive, Trammell S. 

Crow, founder of EarthX, Dr. Eva Csaky, Executive Director of the Hunt Institute, 

Jill Jordan, Dallas’ Assistant City Manager, Russell Laughlin, Hillwood Properties 

executive, Dr. Bruce McCarl, Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist, Janette 

Monear, President and CEO of the Texas Trees Foundation, with renowned 

journalist Lee Cullum moderating the discussion. 

24

Photo: The Climate Extremes conference generated connections and conversations across the private, public and nonprofit sectors, leading to requests for the creation of an ongoing 

forum to facilitate the continuation of these conversations, collaboration and collective action. This led to the birth of the Inclusive Economy Consortium and its flagship regular 

gatherings, ImpactNights TM . Pictured is Hon. Sujiro Seam, Consul General of France, giving his opening remarks. 

25


OUR PROGRAMS 

INCLUSIVE ECONOMY 

CONSORTIUM 

By popular demand, the Inclusive Economy Consortium was created as 

an outcome of the Climate Extremes conference to support the ongoing 

collaboration of all stakeholders towards climate-smart inclusive 

economic development. 

The Inclusive Economy Consortium (IEC) is an interdisciplinary 

community of diverse stakeholders who are dedicated to creating 

an economy that works for all. A collaborative platform for social 

entrepreneurship, thought leadership, and collective action, our network 

empowers change makers from the private, public and nonprofit sectors 

to connect, share and act in order to help build the ecosystem for a 

climate-smart inclusive economy. 

20+ 

COALITION OF ITS 

KIND IN TEXAS 

PARTNERS 

1 ST 

26

www.insightintodiversity.com 

September 202 

$3.99 


OUR PROGRAMS 

Impact NightsTM 

As a multidisciplinary, peer-based network, the Inclusive Economy 

Consortium hosts monthly convenings via ImpactNights in which likeminded 

people come together to share experiences and knowledge, and 

build relationships and collaborations. Sessions are kept small to promote 

conversations and led by topic experts. 

Topics covered include: 

• Social enterprise vs. social entrepreneurship vs. social innovation 

• What is social intrapreneurship and why it is more important than ever 

• AI, IOT & blockchain 

• Climate change: challenges & opportunities 

SEPTEMBER 2021 

• Role of corporations in climate-smart inclusive economic development 

• Economic lives of refugees 

• How can we build back better? 

• Sustainable & inclusive finance 

• Forgotten fuel: energy efficiency 

• Trees: a prescription for Dallas 

• How civic journalism can restore trust & create a more inclusive economy 

with support from 

37 

EXPERT-LED 

SESSIONS 

Inspiring Programs in 

STEM Award Recipient 

INSIGHT Into Diversity recognizes the immense 

importance of increasing the number of leaders from 

underrepresented groups working in STEM professions 

and is proud to announce its 2021 Inspiring Programs 

in STEM Award recipients. We recognize colleges, 

universities, and organizations for programs that are 

improving access to STEM fields for students from 

underrepresented groups. 

This award is being presented to institutions whose 

programs inspire a new generation of young people 

to consider STEM careers as well as support working 

professionals in these fields. These remarkable initiatives 

are making a significant difference by providing mentoring, 

academic and professional support, hands-on activities, 

research opportunities, and more. For these efforts, they 

are worthy of national recognition. We congratulate these 

institutions on their accomplishments and offer support for 

their future endeavors. 

202 

INSPIRING PROGRAMS 

IN S 

AWARD 

2021 Inspiring Programs 

in STEM Award Recipient 

FROM 

Your Program Name 

27

Photos: ImpactNights TM is a regular gathering of social entrepreneurs from across sectors and disciplines, and the manifestation of the Inclusive Economy Consortium’s mission to 

“connect-share-act”. The event connects interested professionals, facilitates the sharing of knowledge and experiences, and fosters collective action towards a more climate-smart, 

inclusive and equitable economy. In addition to professional networking, each ImpactNights TM offers interactive knowledge-sharing sessions led by 2-3 experts. Topics are crowdsourced 

from the Hunt Institute’s expert network, and sessions that generate the most interest are followed by collective action sessions designed to implement specific collaborative initiatives. 

28


OUR PROGRAMS 

OUTREACH 

In collaboration with community partners, asset-based community 

research was completed in 2015-16 to improve our understanding of 

challenges and opportunities in Dallas’ under-resourced communities. 

The results helped inform our outreach priorities around sustainable 

food system, food justice, and community resilience. 

We learned early on that the Institute’s mobile greenhouse and 

science center, “Evie”, fascinated children and youth as much as our 

students who helped design and retrofit the old trailer. Evie became a 

beloved fixture during the Texas State Fair educating the public about 

the sustainability of the food system. Evie’s popularity led to “Eviein-a-Box”, 

instructions and related educational content developed 

in collaboration with the Caruth Institute for Education for their 

renowned summer camps (see next page), which has since been used 

as far away as Tunisia. 

STEM 

EDUCATION FOR GIRLS 

FROM TEXAS TO TUNISIA 

WITH “EVIE” 

15 

INTERVIEWS WITH UNSUNG 

HEROES DURING 

THE PANDEMIC 

The Sages & Seekers podcast shares the stories of innovative social 

leaders, the resilient communities that have shaped them, and how they 

are carrying that legacy forward for themselves and others. The series 

explores guests' personal experiences with social issues ranging from 

inequity in the arts and school segregation to climate change and police 

violence. Through conversations with these agents of change, listeners 

gain insights into the history of pressing social problems and discover 

how we as a global community can work to solve them. 

29

Photo: In partnership with the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education, rising 7th and 8th graders visited the Hunt Institute to learn about sustainable food systems and 

build a “mini-Evie” aquaponic system. Pictured are SMU students Wilkie Stevenson (SMU 2020, BS in Mechanical Engineering) and Anna Grace Carey (SMU 2019, BA in 

Journalism, Political Science and Fashion Media) offering a multidisciplinary perspective on sustainable food systems. 

30

INCUBATING 

SOLUTIONS 

Photo: Earthen construction has been used for over 6,000 years. Compressed earth blocks, with the integration of modern technology while still using primarily local 

soil, have the potential to be a leading affordable solution for sustainable housing construction if some technical and scaling challenges are addressed. Dr. Story and 

his research team have successfully tackled some of these challenges in the Global Development Lab and continue to work on others. 

31

“The Hunt Institute’s support has been 

critical to Break Bread Break Borders’ 

success. They were willing to engage with 

us at an early stage. Beyond their toolbox, 

we benefi ted from the involvement of 

many experts, student interns and exposure. 

Theirs is not simply a fi nite program 

but a permanent hub for empowerment 

and a community for impact. Initially 

we were simply focused on learning and 

creating a solid business plan. Now we are 

sharing our experiences, mentoring others 

and forging partnerships, including for 

replicating our model in other parts of the 

world. You don’t graduate but evolve in this 

approach and in the process our collective 

impact is being scaled exponentially.” 

Jin-ya Huang, 

Founder & CEO 

>80,000 

LIVES 

IMPACTED 

32


OUR PROGRAMS 

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE PROGRAM 

Social entrepreneurs take on social and environmental problems 

head-on, and they are the link between the Institute and under-resourced 

communities. Social entrepreneurs build resilience in the communities 

they work in by creating economic opportunities for under-resourced 

communities while tackling societal challenges including access to healthy 

food, renewable energy, education and waste reduction. 

Social entrepreneurs are catalytic innovators who produce disruptive 

innovations, using entrepreneurial and earned income strategies. Social 

entrepreneurs often face momentous obstacles, especially in the prescaling 

stages of their development. Our program was designed to provide 

hands-on and comprehensive support to some of the most innovative 

early stage social entrepreneurs and empower them to fulfill their 

potential for transformative impact. 

Social intrapreneurs represent a key, but often neglected, type of 

social entrepreneur. They embody all key traits of social entrepreneurs 

but within large organizations, companies or governments. Social 

intrapreneurs can bring together the best of both worlds: the innovation 

and dynamism of entrepreneurship with the market platform, reach and 

expertise of large companies and organizations. 

Left: Tyrone Day of Restorative Farms Top Right: Break Bread Break Borders community 

dinner Bottom Right: solar panels installed in the Gambia” 

33

Photo: Restorative Farms, a Hunt Institute Social Enterprise Program alum, is transforming the Dallas food system. Growing food in the lowest income neighborhoods of Dallas, using 

sustainable intensive farming methods while training urban farmers and creating decent jobs. But the vision of Dr. Owen Lynch, Restorative Farms co-founder is much larger. It is creating a 

network of small farms and food producers so they can better compete in the complex market dominated by very large players, through improving their access to inputs, information and 

markets at the most favorable terms possible. Restorative Farms is the result of Dr. Lynch's pioneering research into food deserts over a decade ago and his community research with the 

Hunt Institute to better understand the needs, desires and aspirations of those living in under-resourced communities in Dallas. But, according to Dr. Lynch, “Restorative Farms would not 

have become the success it is without the dedicated efforts of co-founders Brad Boa, Tyrone Day and Dr. Doric Earl along with the multidisciplinary group of experts at the Hunt Institute.” 

Restorative Farms is on track to scale its operations in Dallas and is in discussions about replication in other locations. They are also embarking on incorporating emerging technologies in 

their operations as they are scaling production continuing to be at the forefront of innovation towards a more climate-smart and inclusive food system. 

34

Photograph by Mohammed Njie, SMU/Lyle student, Hunt Institute Social Entrepreneur, and founder of Janta, a social enterprise with the mission to bring clean energy to the Gambia. 

35


OUR PROGRAMS 

GLOBAL 

DEVELOPMENT LAB 

The Global Development Lab (GDL) was launched to empower 

transformational ideas in their early stages when many fall through the 

cracks. In the GDL theory meets practice with the goal of creating 

innovative solutions for a resilient humanity addressing the UN’s 

sustainable development goals. 

Dr. Ali Beskok and Dr. J.C. Chiao, along with their research group, are 

developing a novel low-cost, fast and accurate diagnostic device for the 

detection of malaria, tuberculosis and Covid-19 human antibodies. 

A crucial aspect of this approach involves partnerships with local social 

entrepreneurs or other entities with systemic community engagement. 

The other key pillar of the GDL is the interdisciplinary network of 

experts supporting the development and testing of ideas, to help 

maximize the viability of the solutions. 

PROJECTS 

LED BY 

HUNT INSTITUTE 

FELLOWS FROM 

20 3 

11 

PATENTS 

DISCIPLINES 

Dr. Zarazaga and her team developed the design and booklet to convey 

the vision for the retrofit of a South Dallas building into a multi-purpose 

community and arts center. 

36


OUR PROGRAMS 

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT LAB —PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS 

Testing artificial intelligence-based legal app to reduce 

the justice gap 

Developing low-cost biodegradable plastic for 

3D printing 

Using biopolymer to enhance the nutrient absorption 

and productivity of food crops 

Developing a novel low-cost seismic protection in 

Peru, with potential for replication in multiple countries 

Exploring market access for handicrafts, the 2nd most 

important source of livelihoods for the global poor 

ijiKji (Tanzania): Participatory visioning for rural 

development, empowerment and related 

sustainable community center design 

37

Dr. Candice Bledsoe is the Founder and Executive 

Director of the Action Research Center 

(“ARC”). ARC’s flagship program, the Cutting 

Edge Youth Summit (CEYS), has been running 

for twelve years, having trained thousands of 

youth in leadership skills, innovation and social 

entrepreneurship, with 99% of participating 

students graduating from high school and 90% 

going on to college. 

Dr. Bledsoe’s project in the Global Development 

Lab focused on creating a toolkit, called Youth 

Up Next, for youth social entrepreneurs to 

empower them in their entrepreneurial aspirations. 

According to Dr. Bledsoe, “the shift to virtual 

activities in the past year has proven the universal 

appeal of these programs, with many from around 

the US and even internationally attending virtually. 

In response to the demand, we are in the process 

of replicating our programs in several locations 

on three continents. The Youth Up Next toolkit 

plays an instrumental role in our ability to scale 

and replicate our programs in order to address the 

need of youth entrepreneurs and innovators at this 

critical time.” 

38


OUR PROGRAMS 

SPECIAL 

INITIATIVES 

Empowering rural development 

through technology 

Tintinto School in The Gambia before and after the installation of solar panels by the Hunt Institute 

Stem-Up is a low-cost, solar-powered wifi, server and multi-user 

network, empowering access to education and computer literacy in 

rural communities, even in the absence of electricity and internet 

access. The server is pre-loaded with vast amounts of open-source 

educational content that teachers are able to curate and customize 

for their students. To be piloted in The Gambia with the Tintinto 

School, in collaboration with the Gambian Ministry of Education. 

Stem-Up demonstration to seek the input of international development expert Haddijatou Lamin Njie, 

Stem-Up demonstration to seek the 

input of international development 

expert Haddijatou Lamin Njie, visiting 

from The Gambia. 

Stem-Up follows the successful installation of solar panels in the 

Tintinto School, allowing students to study in the school until 9 PM 

as most homes in rural Gambia do not have access to electricity. 

As a result, students have 3 extra hours for learning each day. The 

number of students taking advantage of after-school studying in the 

school building has increased significantly as a result and just a year 

after the installation of the solar panels students outperformed other 

schools on standardized tests. The solar panel generated electricity 

also helps power computers and mobile phones. 

The Stem-Up Technical Team (from 

left to right): Dr. Suku Nair, Dr. James 

Olivier, Derek Phanekham, Mohammed 

39 

Njie, Wilkie Stevenson


OUR PROGRAMS 

SPECIAL INITIATIVES 

Growing Sustainable Food Systems 

Evie joined the Institute in 2017 when she was transformed from an old camping trailer into an experimental mobile greenhouse. Evie has since hosted scientific 

experiments aimed at improving the sustainability and economic viability of urban agriculture, supported various STEM education programs and starred in an 

award winning documentary. Starting in the Spring of 2022, in partnership with Frasier Revitalization, Restorative Farms, and food entrepreneurs, Evie will serve 

as a temporary produce and fresh food storefront in South Dallas to help analyze customer preferences, demand and value chain dynamics. The ultimate goal 

of this new phase of Evie’s journey with the Hunt Institute is to assess the community appeal and economic viability of permanent fresh food store options in a 

community that is considered to be a food desert by the USDA. 

40

04 


EMPOWERING THE NEXT 

GENERATION OF CHANGEMAKERS 

41


EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CHANGEMAKERS 

STUDENT 

EXPERIENCE 

Students play an integral part of the Hunt Institute’s work. Undergraduate 

and graduate students apply the knowledge and skills they have been 

learning at the university and contribute to programs and projects in 

interdisciplinary teams under the guidance of faculty and Fellows. 

They work as part of interdisciplinary teams in a variety of professional 

roles such as project managers, program managers, research analysts, 

communication specialists, graphic designers and videographers, just to 

mention a few. While they work for the Institute part time, most of them 

stay engaged for 2-3 years, allowing them to gain invaluable professional 

experience and exposure to the impact field. 

43 

STUDENT TEAM 

MEMBERS 

IN 2020 

41% 

HAVE TWO OR 

MORE MAJORS 

100% 100% 

OF ACADEMIC 

OF ENGINEERING 

DISCIPLINES 

SUB-DISCIPLINES 

REPRESENTED 

REPRESENTED 

99% 

RECEIVE JOB OFFERS 

PRIOR TO 

GRADUATING 

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS REPRESENTED 

THE FOLLOWING MAJORS IN 2020 

42

Photo: There are students from across all disciplines involved with the Institute’s work on a regular basis. Under a novel organizational structure and approach, students 

work at the Institute part time and take on various professional roles in the areas of their studies, under the guidance and supervision of Institute faculty, staff and fellows. 

Many students get “hooked” by the nature of our work and the spirit of our community and stay involved in a range of different capacities after graduation. 

43


EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CHANGEMAKERS 

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS 

Manuela Murillo Sanchez 

’21, BS in Mechanical Engineering 

& Mathematics 

DeVincent Martin 

’18, MA in Sustainability 

& Development 

Anna Grace Carey 

’19, BA in Political Science, 

Journalism & Fashion Media 

Harshada Pednekar 

’21 MS in Environmental 

Engineering 

Wilkie Stevenson 

’20, BS in Mechanical Engineering, 

EMIS & Entrepreneurship 

“I never would have imagined 

that I would have the opportunity 

to help expand access 

to education in rural parts of 

The Gambia. Education is the 

basis for development, enabling 

thousands to impact their communities 

& beyond.” 

“I understood the depth of 

mistrust [and] I knew that 

participatory mapping [with 

respect to food deserts] in the 

traditional format was not going 

to happen. Once I realized 

my unique position within the 

community of South Dallas, I 

took on the challenge of getting 

a better understanding of 

the problems that have blocked 

certain types of research.” 

“Nothing is more rewarding 

than doing work in the impact 

space. Contributing to initiatives 

that move us towards a 

more sustainable, inclusive 

and conscientious future is 

such a gift.” 

“I am really grateful for the opportunity 

to work on the ‘“Waste to 

Energy”’ report at the Hunt Institute, 

in collaboration with Toyota, 

analyzing organic waste to energy 

solutions and their potential for 

economic viability and implementation 

around the world.” 

“What motivates me is making 

education more accessible.” 

44

05 




Photo: Dr. Zarazaga’s Sustainability and Development graduate class is collecting primary data in under-resourced communities and learning analytical methods and GIS to better 

understand the problems and to empower the students to design inclusive and participatory solutions. 

45


PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 



Over the past decade the Institute has held educational, 

awareness raising and collaborative programs in the area 

of climate-smart inclusive economic development (CIED). 

During the pandemic the interest in a more formal educational 

offering became apparent and a first of its kind interdisciplinary 

graduate course was launched in 2020 focusing on CIED, as 

part of SMU’s Sustainability & Development Program (SDP). 

Through in-depth investigation of the interconnected social 

and environmental challenges facing our society, best practices 

from around the world for tackling them and tested approaches 

for designing and implementing solutions, the course empowers 

students to be problem solvers and contributors in this critically 

important new field. Students also learn to apply technological 

and financial innovations to create market-based solutions that 

can achieve scale and economic viability. 

In response to popular demand, students can now choose to 

complete their SDP with a CIED concentration. 

Photo: The extensive firsthand climate-smart inclusive economic development experiences of 

Dr. Csaky and several Hunt Institute Fellows are empowering the Institute to play a pioneering 

educational and thought leadership role in the emerging CIED field. 

46

06 



OUR PEOPLE 

47


OUR PEOPLE 

LEADERSHIP TEAM 

Eva Csaky, PhD MSF 

Executive Director & 

Research Professor 

Corrie Harris, MA MBA 

Assistant Director 

Candice Bledsoe, PhD 

Adjunct Professor & Expert In 

Residence 

Anna Clark, MA 

Co-founder, Inclusive Economy 

Consortium & Expert In Residence 

Valencia Harris, MA 

Social Enterprise Program Lead 

James Olivier, PhD 

Adjunct Professor & 

Expert In Residence 

Jessie Zarazaga, PhD 

Associate Clinical Professor & 

Expert In Residence 

48


OUR PEOPLE 

OUR EXPERTS 

Fellows & Associates 

Hunt Institute Fellows and Associates play an active role in the work 

of the Institute. Fellows are scholars and industry experts whose 

work furthers the state of knowledge about effective inclusive and 

sustainable economic development. Associates are early career 

practitioners dedicated to help build a more climate-smart inclusive 

economy and contribute to the work of the Institute in various ways. 

84 

AFFILIATES FROM 

5 CONTINENTS 

20 

GOVERNMENTAL 

ACADEMIC 

EXPERTS FROM 

16 

PRIVATE SECTOR 

INDUSTRY 

DISCIPLINES 

EXPERTS 

10 

& 

INTERGOVERNMENTAL 

EXPERTS 

49


OUR PEOPLE 

FELLOWS & ASSOCIATES 

Dr. Khaled Abdelghany 

Tammy Adams 

Dr. Michael Adler 

Susan Alvarez 

Pharr Andrews 

Dr. Ali Beskok 

Dr. Candice Bledsoe 

Juilanna Bond 

Tynesia Boyea-Robinson 

Ryan Brook 

Mike Brown 

Paola Buckley 

Jessica Burnham 

Stephanie Byrd 

Dr. Maryann Cairns 

Anna Grace Carey 

Dr. Sila Cetinkaya 

Anna Clark 

Dr. DeeDee Conway 

Jeff Corkran 

Adam De Jong 

Betsy Del Monte 

Kunthear Douglas 

Dr. Scott Douglas 

Sienna Dugan 

Dr. Doric E. Earle 

Clara Ford 

Dr. Bruce Gnade 

Alison Harwood 

Eric Hinton 

Dr. James Hollifield 

Jin-Ya Huang 

Kathy Hubbard 

Dr. Robert Hunt 

Dr. Kathy Jack 

Chris Kelley 

Dr. Mohammad Khodayar 

Dr. Paul S. Krueger 

Haddijatou Lamin Njie 

Dr. Eric Larson 

Dr. Owen Lynch 

Dr. Duncan MacFarlane 

Dr. Simon Mak 

Dr. Nicos Makris 

Srikanth Mangalam 

Dr. Olga Martinez Hickman 

Miguel Martins 

James McGuire 

Dr. Barbara Minsker 

Janette Monear 

Regina Montoya 

Dr. Suku Nair 

Ajay Narayanan 

Lillie Noe 

Dr. James Oliver 

Dr. Evelyn L. Parker 

Dr. Debra Perry 

Dr. Andrew Quicksall 

Dr. Alex Radunsky 

Dr. Dinesh Rajan 

Ana Rodriguez 

Dr. Yasmin Saadat 

Dr. Ahmet Can Sabuncu 

Mohan Seneviratne 

Dr. Sevinc Sengor 

Matthew Sheldon 

VR Small 

Suzanne Smith 

Dr. Jeff Snell 

Elizabeth Sobel Blum 

Dr. David Son 

Jolanta Stankeviciene 

Wilkie Stevenson 

Meghna Tare 

Jamila C. Thomas 

Dr. Halit Üster 

Clyde Valentin 

Benjamin Vann 

Meredith M. Walker 

Yulise R. Waters, Esq. 

Paul Westbrook 

Dr. Jessie Zarazaga 

Michael Zaretsky 

Xiaochen Zhang 

50

51

Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for 

Engineering & Humanity 

Lyle School of Engineering 

Southern Methodist University 

3451 Dyer Street, Caruth Hall Suite 206 

Dallas, Texas 75205 

214-768-3360 

www.smu.edu/HuntInstitute

Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity: 10 YEARS OF IMPACT

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