Todd Waldo on Human-Centered Solutions and Technology to Help Entrepreneurs Scale
Throughout the pandemic and subsequent years, we saw a shift in the way businesses approached diversity and equity but it is clear that if we want to continue improving our ecosystems, we still have a long way to go before we can close that divide. This week, episode 8 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about human-centered solutions and technology to help entrepreneurs scale.
In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Todd Waldo are sharing why entrepreneurship may not be the answer to all of our problems and the responsibility existing businesses have to use their platform to move past performative practices and prioritize meaningful actions towards equity and inclusivity. There is power in using human-centered solutions and technology when scaling a business.
Todd B. Waldo
Todd B. Waldo’s twenty-four years of engineering experience has helped executives and their teams develop enterprise-wide strategies and systems. Across healthcare, nonprofit and higher education sectors in multiple markets, his work has impacted the organization and the community around it.
As Founder and Principal Consultant for Hugh Helen LLC, he leads a team of passionate problem solvers developing solutions for client success and social good. As a strategic partner, Hugh Helen comes alongside executives and their teams for the deep, transformational work that moves organizations toward their vision and outcomes, building consensus. The result is a strategic system grounded in empathy and affirmed with data. Practice areas include economic development, executive leadership, operations and technology.
All of this carries over in his service and advocacy in the Richmond community with his work for various organizations. With a passion for social justice, Todd serves on the Board of Directors for Better Housing Coalition, The Richmond Forum, Robinson Theater Community Arts Center and Board Chair for Afrikana Institute. He also serves on the VCU School of Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.
Key Takeaways
- How Todd’s engineering background impacted his ability to improve operations and efficiency within the organizations he works with in his current role.
- The four main areas Hugh Helen focuses on when working with their clients.
- The cultural shifts and attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion that have come out of the pandemic and where we go from here.
- Using technology to intentionally close the diversity gap while being cautious not to create new barriers along the way.
- Finding a balance of tools and effective strategy in your business.
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Learn more about RISE Collaborative at https://sovarise.com/
CONNECT WITH TODD WALDO:
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone by James Baldwin
The Jackson Ward Collective Foundation
NC State University: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
[Article] The Closing of Prince Edward County’s SchoolsDiscover Durham: Black Stories of Durham’s Past & Present
Smithsonian: Remembering Tulsa
Venture Richmond: Jackson Ward
The JXN Project, also known as JXN, is a reparative preservation non-profit organization that is dedicated to driving restorative truth telling and redemptive storytelling by capturing the pivotal role of Richmond, Virginia, in particular Jackson Ward: https://thejxnproject.org/