Inclusion by Design
Strategic Design & Development
Helping people and organizations lead better through genuine relating and thoughtful creation. Culture forms from the start; the missing people and perspectives, the unspoken stakeholders, unconscious biases, and unnecessary segmentations can end a team before a project or initiative launches. The awareness, mindset, and skills necessary for this critical work can be accessed and must be adopted urgently. Technology will not solve our problems for us. Indeed without conscious effort, technology will cause significant damage to humanity. Engaging folks in strategic creative processes to design for inclusion in all aspects of organizations, experiences, and products, transform culture from the inside out. Authentic collaborations and artful coordination are possible from this emergent space, both necessary, at scale, for the grand challenges we presently face as a global community.
Amber Brandner
(quick bio she's a creator, mentor, facilitator, producer, program developer, tech founder, artist, doer, being.)
Amber Brandner guides founders and investors on the path of Embodied Leadership. An advocate and co-creator of the new economy, she creates space for inclusive culture to develop and collaborative innovations to emerge. Currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at UCSD and previously NEAR Foundation. Founder of the first Blockchain Incubator at UC San Diego, absoluteSUM is the origin place of "Inclusion by Design". Leadership experience with TEDx, National Science Foundation, World Economic Forum Global Shapers, and Singularity University reinforces the understanding that global action requires a cohesive narrative and hyper-local integration. As a consultant and mentor, she has helped countless founders find and tell their stories, connect to their "why", build community and take the next step on the path of creation.
ABSOLUTESUM
An initiative bringing communities together in a collaborative process exploring blockchain technology guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The San Diego Live Well Challenge included an evening expo, forum, collaborative hackathon, and incubator program in partnership with the University of California San Diego.
AbsoluteSUM has led hackathons at Chicago Blockchain Week, partnered with CIS to bring more students to blockchain, and supported nonprofits such as Pencils of Promise in designing a collaborative and educational exploration of blockchain technology.
Amber Brandner led preproduction partnerships, sponsorship, programming, marketing, and branding. Amber also produced and facilitated absoluteSUM programming.
PRESS
Leader Spotlight Podcast Interview
Amber Brandner joins host Annette White-Klososky to discuss the importance of building inclusive communities, the power of our living our truth, as well as her own personal journey to becoming a leader in the spotlight.
SD Voyager Interview
Life has been a golden thread of monumental moments, often only seen for their significance in a retrospective fashion when connected with the larger narrative, which indeed is ever changing. I find myself propelled in this life by curiosity, wondering what our story will be and what influences our collective belief in what is possible....
21 Cryptos
a three page feature in the August 2018 issue of 21 cryptos decentreladies interview with iris discussing inclusion in blockchain and the effort of absoluteSUM.
Purdue Alumnus
Winter 2017 issue
Interviewed by purdue university alumni publication. a feature discussing the life and work of amber Brandner.
PROGRAMMING + PRODUCTIONS
LED BY CURIOSITY
GLOBAL SHAPERS
PRODUCER. CURATOR. PARTNERSHIPS.
Women's Entrepreneurship Day (WED) is a day on which the work of Women entrepreneurs is observed and discussed held at University of San Diego, this is a United Nations Initiative. See other Global Shapers event and initiatives here.
NEARSOFT SUMMIT
IDEATION LAB + FACILITATION
"Working with Amber helped us build a framework to understand the value of community in building products through crowdsourcing. We discovered there is much to learn about communicating your stories and that you have to understand the value of what you are about to create. She is always looking for the best approach to reach the organizations' goals while sparking serendipity with our peers to achieve the goal in mind. Amber is forward thinking, with an out of the box mentality and full of energy."
Claudio Cassio
Nearsoft Head of Internal Innovation
TEDxAFC
CO-DIRECTOR
TEDxAmericasFinestCity 2012 Volunteer Coordinator for the La Jolla Playhouse main event.
Creative Director for the 2013 TEDx Salon events CoDirector of TEDxAFC main event 2013.
ABSOLUTESUM
PRODUCER + FACILITATOR
We explore the AbsoluteSUM, by engaging communities in creative problem solving while embracing emerging technologies such as blockchain. Absolute solutions are conceptualized during all-in challenges where ideas are developed. Incubators are established with University partners and digitally connected around the globe with the ongoing support of a global community, mentorship, resources, and access to relationships with accelerators.
re'flect KPBS series
DIGITAL PRESENCE + BRAND DEVELOPMENT
re'flect, successful aging defined, is a mini- docuseries that highlights six vibrant older adults living life by their terms originally broadcast on KPBS San Diego in January 2017. Director Heidi Rataj
SAN DIEGO STARTUP WEEK
PRODUCER
An initiative bringing the Startup community of
San Diego together for informative, inspiring, and engaging events.
INNOVATORS COLLECTIVE
PRINCIPLE + FACILITATOR
Experiential learning labs foster collaboration and create space for innovation. Bringing the dynamism of the new economy to companies large and small through interactive hackathon-style workshops, growth hacking experiments, and digital media storytelling.
Crowdfund UP
COPRODUCER + FACILITATOR
A collaborative crowdfunding initiative bringing resources, social media and mentorship to a cohort of entrepreneurs preparing to Crowdfund there ideas. Teams went on to collectively raise over
$1 Million in Cohort 1. Over saw production of 6 crowdfunding campaign videos and creative assets.
West X PopUP
PRODUCTION TEAM
Technology and Art collide in a hidden space brought to life through the lifeforce of the night. Creation with the talented folks of Canvas Chicago.
YTSERA
DIRECTOR PROGRAMMING
Ytsera optimizes the creative state through nourishment, mindfulness, and clean living. We access creative flow through immersive experiences and support the formation of creations in the world through physical spaces, production, and facilitation.
UNDERPIN APP
Cofounder at Underpin, a tool to explore the world through the lens of communities you love and connections you trust.
We are Social Creatures
