Cohort 2008–2009.  I received my PhD in 2015 from Princeton’s English department, where my research focused on narrative strategies invented over the last century and used to fuel social and cultural movements–from the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights Movement.

I wanted to put that body of research into practice, and I launched MK Impact, my social impact consulting firm, that same year. Through my consulting practice, I work with mission–driven organizations—both for-profit and nonprofit—to amplify their reach and influence.

For several years, I worked at the HuffPost, where I was an architect and leader of the Impact division, an innovation hub in the newsroom that secured philanthropic funding to develop collaborative initiatives. As an example, I co-created a digital content and learning platform focused on economic justice with MIT’s Sloan School of Management that built capacity for community-led solutions to issues of inequality.

Along the way, I’ve also been an evangelist for re-imagining the public impact of the humanities. From 2016–17, I served on a grant-funded planning committee at Princeton to develop new models for graduate education in the humanities, which led to the implementation of interdisciplinary programs by the Graduate School.

A common point of convergence across my career has been a deep focus on narrative change, working with organizations to raise their profile with key stakeholders and translating unorthodox ideas for wider public audiences to inspire social change. My time at Princeton provided the mentorship, networks, and resources to develop my work around narrative change and its crucial role in creating a multiplying effect and a route to impact. I wrote my dissertation under the direction of Peter Brooks, Anne Cheng, and Diana Fuss, three exemplary models for the impact that the public humanities and multidisciplinary thinking can have on political and social life.

Princeton has had a strong tradition of fostering and influencing conversations around the public humanities. My work has benefited tremendously from its beginnings in this tradition. I’ve sought to continue building collaborations across multidisciplinary environments and bringing the resources of humanities knowledge and methods to social sector organizations that are working to create a more just future.