Sharp Begins Penn Social Innovation Design Program

Dwell with Dignity Executive Director Ashley Sharp has entered a unique executive education program at the intersection of design and social innovation.

This September, Sharp and a cohort of executives began coursework at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design.  The Weitzman School has joined forces with the university’s Center for Social Impact Strategy to create a one-of-a-kind program for executives in Social Innovation Design.  

Courses include Design Thinking for Social Innovation and Engagement for Impact.

While the program is aimed at professionals from multiple disciplines, it appears bespoke for a leader like Ashley, whose collaborative work with a variety of community stakeholders drives social impact at Dwell with Dignity and other organizations where she serves.

“When I was shown the Penn Weitzman program, I knew I had to jump in as quickly as possible,” Ashley said. “What’s inspiring to me about our work at Dwell with Dignity is that our board members and our teammates push each other to have bigger and bigger ideas year after year. When we see the scope of the problems people face in society, whether that’s trauma, homelessness, or access to opportunity, it challenges us to become a bigger version of ourselves and meet that scope with proportional solutions.”

For more on the Social Innovation Design Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design, visit https://www.design.upenn.edu/xsd.