Profiles of Impact

Joan King Salwen, Tech background including Former Managing Director at Accenture, and family roots in farming. DCI Fellow (2016)

“DCI facilitated the start up of the company in very important ways, surrounding me with a cohort (2016!) brimming with thought partners we called “The Cow Cabinet” and affording me access to a MacArthur genius and agricultural ecologist at Stanford who mentored me during the earliest days of product safety and efficacy exploration.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Working with professors at Stanford’s School of Earth, Joan explored the intersection of livestock agriculture, seaweed cultivation and climate as it relates to methane emissions from cattle.

Today: Co-founder & CEO, Blue Ocean Barns, producer of a seaweed-based supplement that dramatically slows global climate change by reducing the methane emissions of cows up to 80%.

VIEW MORE: Tipping Point Series (PBS): Farmers Turn to Seaweed in Attempt to Reduce Methane Emissions from Livestock

Becca Van Dyck, Former COO, Meta Reality Labs; DCI Fellow 2022

“DCI allowed me to change my way of thinking about time and pace and what’s important…I have a new found or renewed interest and emphasis on some of the basic fundamentals of life.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: sports writing, sports business management and “Design Your Life” program.

Post-DCI: Implemented the “Design Your Life” program to turn her passion for soccer into a vocation.

Today: Becca was a key player helping bring Bay FC, a new Women’s Soccer League expansion team, to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Marcus von Kapff, Former Commercial Banking CFO, JPMorgan, DCI Fellow 2022

“My time at DCI allowed me to rigorously explore topics I always wondered about, ranging from climate science to my own spirituality.  I came away with lifelong friends and the conviction to pursue my passion for public service.” 

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Sustainability, Democratic Development, Law and Religion. Marcus served as a mentor for Stanford Climate Ventures.

Today: Marcus is the Chief Operating Officer for the City of Detroit, Michigan.

Ken King, Former Health Sciences Litigator, DCI Fellow 2021

“DCI gave me the opportunity to learn from so many gifted students and professors – both in class and as part of numerous Stanford communities. I endeavored to make a positive impact on those communities as well.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Participant /Mentor: Hillel, Stanford Women in Business (SWIB); Communications Class, Graduate School of Business; Guest Speaker, Stanford Law School Class: Advanced Civil Procedure; Sports reporter, The Stanford Daily; Member, Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB). 

Post-DCI: Research project on the cross examination at the Nuremberg Trials.

Today: Ken’s DCI experience taught him that there are no limits to personal growth. Inspired by this, he is continuing  his education as a masters student, with the goal of teaching high school history.

READ MORE:  Sports Writing for The Stanford Daily

Jacob M. Schlesinger, Former Reporter/Editor, The Wall Street Journal; DCI Fellow 2020

“I came to DCI because I felt I needed a career change after more than 30 years at the same company — but I had no idea how to make that change. DCI gave me the time, space, support, education, and community that allowed me to discover and explore new challenges and opportunities.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Courses focused on the threats and challenges to democracy, in the U.S. and around the world, and engaged with Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) and Haas Center for Public Service.

Maria Popo, CEO, Entrepreneur and Media Technologist; DCI Fellow 2018/19

“DCI completely changed the trajectory of my life. It opened my mind to possibilities I had never considered and gave me the confidence to step into an entirely new chapter of leadership. DCI didn’t just expand my knowledge—it reshaped my future.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: d.Leadership, Brain Plasticity, Voice & Engineering Public Speaking, Leadership Coaching, Computer Science (CS106), Memoir Writing & Investigative Journalism, Virtual Reality (VR) Journalism, and Rethinking Purpose.

Post-DCI: Fueled by her enthusiasm for learning, Maria went on to earn a Master’s Degree from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, 2023.

Today: Maria leads the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), where she drives innovation in broadband workforce development.

Craig McNamara, Founder, Center for Land-Based Learning, DCI Fellow 2018

“DCI is simply the best academic experience of my life. Having struggled with dyslexia since childhood, reading has been challenging for me. While at Stanford, I began reading for enjoyment and drafted a memoir that generated a documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, which aired across Vietnam on April 30, 2025.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year:“Democracy in Crisis” class and several creative writing courses.

Post-DCI: DCI provided the catalyst and assistance for Craig to write and publish his memoir, Because Our Fathers Lied: A Memoir of Truth and Family.

Today:  An American farmer and activist, Craig is president and owner of Sierra Orchards. He also founded and is president of the Center for Land-Based Learning. In addition,Craig has teamed up with Alice Waters, a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement, to address climate change and to improve the environment across the state of California and eventually the world.

READ MORE:  Farming a Life

Dianne Millner, Special Advisor to the Executive Director of Minority Television Project, Inc. Former Head of Real Estate and Economic Development for the Oakland (CA) City Attorney’s Office; DCI Fellow 2018

“It is easy to be overwhelmed by the current social issues facing our communities. “Most people think, ‘I can’t make a difference, so why do anything?’ The truth is everyone can do something – no matter how small. Collectively small efforts add up to significant change.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Graduate School of Business: Winning Writing; Negotiation in Sports; Entertainment and Media, Design School Pop-Out: Mapping Oakland; Creative Nonfiction and Acting for non-majors.

Post-DCI: Co-founding member, Stanford DCI Racial Justice & Equity Initiative

Today: As the chair of the Stanford DCI Racial Justice & Equity Initiative Communities Group, Dianne identifies the needs of local non-profits, then matches them with the talent and skills of DCI alumni.

READ MORE: Doing Small Things in Great Ways

Melinda Tweeddale Puljic, Founder and Owner, Melinda Tweeddale Interiors; DCI Fellow 2018

“One of the things I learned at DCI is how important it is to stretch yourself – to do things you are uncomfortable with and to try something new.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Agriculture and Sustainability courses.

Today: Melinda has achieved her lifetime goal of owning and operating a flower farm, Fleur Nantucket.

James D. White, Board Chair, The Honest Company; Independent Director, CAVA Group, Inc. and The Simply Good Foods Company and former Chair, President and CEO, Jamba Inc., DCI 2018

““My second act is focused on board service, writing and speaking  and was enhanced by my time in the DCI program.  My first book,  Anti-Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World, published by HBR Press, was one of the projects incubated while at Stanford. I made lifelong friendships that continue to enrich my life.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: His favorite classes were Memoir Writing and classes in the d.School (The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University).

Post-DCI: Launched Stanford DCI’s Racial Justice & Equity Initiative.

Today: With his millennial daughter, Krista, James just completed their second book together with HBR Press, Culture Design: How to Build a High-Performing, Resilient Organization with Purpose.  In addition, his family has launched Culture Design Lab, a consulting practice that works with CEOs and Boards on corporate culture and building high-performance teams.

VIEW: DCI Profile of Impact: James D. White 

Brandel France de Bravo, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, National Center for Health Research, DCI Fellow 2016

“All of this (what I gained during my DCI year) has given me tremendous joy and a renewed sense of purpose,  contributes to my health and well-being, and, I hope,  to the health and well-being of others.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Meditation classes, including “Compassion & Cultivation” training.

Today: Certified instructor of “Compassion Cultivation Training©.” Brandel has written several  books of poetry, including, Locomotive Cathedral (Spring 2025).

Anne Kenner, Former Attorney at Law; Civics Teacher, Gateway High School, DCI Fellow 2016

“Almost everything I’m working on today is DCI-related. The Leadership and Empathy Curriculum was inspired by and developed during my DCI year. I also spend a great deal of time writing creatively, which is a direct result of enrolling in the DCI Memoir Writing Class.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Memoir writing, Stanford Poverty Law Clinic,, Stanford Center on Adolescence, Stanford Center on Longevity.

Post-DCI: Anne has taken her sense of vocation into the world, to bring voice and perspective to the work of teen writers. A veteran of the courtroom and classroom, Anne developed unique high school curricula, Longevity, Empathy & Leadership, with Stanford influences and piloted them with urban teens.

Today: Anne continues to write and publish essays, fiction  and plays. Her first published piece grew out of her Life Journey presentation; “full circle, again, with DCI.” Her playscript, “The Real True Story of Anne Boleyn,” is in development for a 2027 production at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco.

READ MORE: Empathy in Action: Meaningful Engagement in the 21st Century

Steve Leveen, Co-founder and former CEO, The Levenger Company, DCI Fellow 2016

“Advancing the cause of bilingualism in America is a way to build a stronger, healthier nation that is both more compassionate and more globally competitive.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Steve engaged with dozens of professors across diverse disciplines – languages, sociology, linguistics, natural language processing, longevity, history, and education.

Post-DCI: Steve founded the America the Bilingual Project and created its offshoot, the Conversation Corps en America the Bilingual Project.

Today: In addition to producing the highly rated podcast, America the Bilingual, Steve enjoys supporting others with their linguistic projects, including English First, and Sabaash, an online language learning “gym” developed by a Stanford student. 

READ MORE:  Championing Bilingualism in America

Ronjon Nag, Inventor, investor and pioneer in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Longevity Science, DCI Fellow 2016

“DCI was an inflection point for me – allowing me to get credibility in biology and apply AI to medicine, as well as learning how to teach. I can’t think of a better route to transition from electrical engineering to being a Professor at Stanford Medicine.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Human Biology, Genomics, Medicine, Social and Ethical Issues in Neuroscience, Exercise Physiology, Volcanoes and Earthquakes and 40 other courses including Fear of Water. Collaborated with Stanford professors on projects related to predicting diseases and longevity science.

Kate Jerome, Author/Publishing Executive; DCI Fellow 2015

 “DCI reminded me that we all have the freedom to explore new ideas in new ways—you don’t have to stick to any one path just because it’s what you’ve always done. And once you internalize that notion, there is no limit to what you can do.”

Engagement & classes taken during Stanford DCI year: Participated in developing a white paper on intergenerational benefits with the Stanford Center on Longevity; Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality research.

Post DCI: President, Insight Editions Publishing