Her Story
About Meg
I began my career as a registered nurse after dropping out as a theater major, then earned a master's in health policy. With four sons to put through college, I pursued a PhD in policy history at Carnegie Mellon in 1992 and a postdoc in organizational behavior, becoming a professor there teaching leadership and policy. After tenure, I transitioned to international development work after meeting an Ashoka fellow, securing grants to help indigenous groups like Ethiopian coffee farmers and the Maasai use intellectual property for licensing income. I now teach at the University of Maryland, mentor students, and lead projects including shea butter cooperatives in Uganda with former child soldiers, while authoring books on social entrepreneurship models.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Meg
01What do you attribute your success to?
The challenges in my own life, like raising my kids alone after my former husband got involved in a strange religious cult, prompted me to do the PhD. This developed empathy I didn't have when younger, and the drive to make a difference.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
When people have told me I can't do something, it's really lit a fire under me to do it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You can't do real international development alone, it's part of an ecosystem. Learn fields around it, travel, seek mentoring, do projects and internships that build skills, don't get wedded to one field as solutions come from many areas, allow your career to adapt.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is not getting discouraged when trying to change systems, as setbacks are easy to focus on. The opportunity is connecting with the ecosystem of people doing amazing work, passing on knowledge and legacy through mentoring and networks.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Resilience, hard work, ethics, connecting people, kindness in small things, transparency, honesty, curiosity, and people who want to do good.
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