Driven by curiosity. Aiming to make the world a bit more just.

In aspiring to increase the public good, the best path I've found is to help smart people and organizations build better.

I've always loved learning about people and what interests them. Over the years, it's when I've collaborated with great people and organizations, helping them innovate and strengthen their resiliency, that we've been able to accelerate and increase impact significantly. Whether in nonprofit program development, grant making, public policy, or cross-sector strategic initiatives, I've put to task knowledge acquired through years of capacity building, strategic partnerships, and digital innovation. These have formed firm basis for shaping consistently strong teams and processes that are able to transform lean resources into outsized results in the near- and long-term.

“Benjamin is a true professional and was wonderful to work with during his tenure at JSTOR.”

— Laura Brown, Managing Director, JSTOR

Across varied fields, working for the public good is at the heart of every role I hold and every project I lead. By developing creative strategies, programs and partnerships—designed to sharpen, accelerate, and amplify the impact of organizations—I've had the chance to help increase civil liberties, freedom of expression, equitable access to education, scientific impact and international cooperation, among other areas of public benefit.

How did I get here?

Thanks to years-long studies in rhetoric, literature and history, of course! Teasing aside, rigorous research in the humanities forms a part of a broader historical, cultural, and analytical foundation. Boosted by vital training in economics and business analytics—as well as sustained experience working hand-in-hand with seasoned leaders across sectors—the resulting strategic toolkit allows me to develop frameworks that invariably yield actionable insights, and achieve meaningful impact.

Be it in helping shape strategy and program development at nonprofits like JSTOR / ITHAKA (a consultancy and leading scholarly platform with over 100 million users annually), devising on-the-ground organizing strategies for the Obama Campaign, spearheading novel solutions to overcoming historic development challenges at the American Red Cross, or managing the competing priorities of policymaking at the Department of State, targeted analysis combined with creative thinking and an eye for the broad view have been critical to surpassing stakeholders' expectations.

"We need more diplomats with Benjamin's impressive combination of analytical talent and common sense. He is the real deal."

— Christopher Palmer, Senior Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State

The complexity of such roles has required innovative approaches, including using digital tools to advantage. To that end, my work for companies such as Adobe and Microsoft on the early development of core products has given me an eye for where and how technology can be effectively deployed in both managing and maximizing strategic outcomes.

What I did before finding my way to cross-sector strategy consulting.

Even in the era of AI, smart use of technology must go hand in hand with continual input from organizational experts and leaders. Effectively creating this loop has been at the core of my recent work, but I was able to appreciate the idea even in my earliest career roles. For instance, as a Faculty Fellow at Columbia University, I concurrently served as the first New Media Teaching Fellow and was elected a University Senator. In this way, I was able to combine pedagogical and technological innovation with university-wide impact. I have held other teaching posts at Princeton University and the École Normale Supérieure in France, where I similarly collaborated on cross-disciplinary, inter-institutional initiatives.

"I cannot overstate Benjamin’s pedagogical skills and the high quality of his teaching. Benjamin is conscientious, competent and generous with his time."

— Véronique Rancurel, Director, Interdisciplinary Studies, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

In these and earlier roles, I learned first hand the value of natural curiosity in a professional context, and the importance of active civic participation, whether it’s in an enterprise setting or to ensure a functioning democracy. This may explain the constance of public service throughout my wide-ranging professional life. This sense of civic responsibility is also rooted in a steadfast commitment to mentorship, the development of others, and improving outcomes (societal, economic, educational, environmental, ...) for all. Along with a love of learning, these are some of the traits that fuel my work, and motivate the exacting care with which I embrace each new professional challenge.

"During the years we worked together, Benjamin displayed intelligence, creativeness, professionalism, and unbounded curiosity."

— Pierre Force, Professor & Dean of Humanities (fmr), Columbia University

Check out the portfolio for more about me and my current endeavors.