Rich Harwood is founder and president of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit that teaches, coaches and inspires people and organizations to solve pressing problems and change how communities work together. Under his leadership, the Institute’s tools and approaches for deepening impact have spread to thousands of communities in the U.S. and abroad, and through partnerships with some of the world’s largest nonprofits including United Way Worldwide, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the American Library Association.
After working on numerous political campaigns and with a number of respected national nonprofits, Rich founded what became the Institute when he was 27 years old. He was driven by a belief that we needed to do more to make sure everyone had a fair shot at reaching their full potential and that everyone’s voice mattered. He continues this work today, helping people address the divisiveness that has taken hold of our politics and public life and stand in the way of progress. He has authored a number of books and has spoken extensively on these subjects throughout his career. Rich is a graduate of Skidmore College and Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.