My Story

I am the future.

I am a first generation college graduate, a daughter and grand-daughter of immigrants. I am an advocate. I am a changemaker.

I am a strategist & community leader.

Prior to entering academia I worked in public policy at the state and federal levels, winning national awards as an advocate and a strategic communications leader in both the private sector and government.

I am a strategist. I held management or strategy roles in the hospitality, technology, and consumer goods industries, while working with global marketing firms, state and federal legislative and executive branch agencies, and global multilateral development organizations

I am a community leader. Startups, board memberships, organizational leadership.

I am a founder.

I co-founded a social enterprise consulting firm to support nascent mission-driven firms with tools and strategies for early-stage growth. My clients ranged from serial founders in local foods/packaged goods to not-for-profit solar advocates to small sustainable fashion firms focused on building community rather than scale. I am intimately familiar with the challenges startups and scale-ups face, the difficult choices founders grapple with, the joy of creating something of value, and the not-so-occasional anxiously sleepless night.

I am a knowledge builder & educator.

In these varied roles, I have been directly involved in issues related to corporate-level and business-level strategy, stakeholder relations, emerging markets, sustainability, micro-enterprise operations, and social innovation. Through these professional experiences I became interested in social movements, values, power, change, conflict, and processes of institutionalization and paradigm change. I bring multi-faceted management perspectives and professional networks into the classroom, where students benefit from my deep engagement and ability to connect current research and theory with real-world application. Equally important, my professional experience drives my interest in research that supports the field of management in addressing "grand challenges" while generating both theoretical and practical impact.

Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions:  Don't hack my website, because I don't know enough code to hack yours in revenge.  Be nice, or at least respectful, to everyone who crosses your path. Stop looking at computer screens all the time and try to take a walk in the sun at least a few times a week.  Really - why are you here reading my terms & conditions when you could be doing something far more joyful and useful with your life?

This website is for the personal and professional use of Celeste Diaz Ferraro. I don't collect any personal information about YOU on this site, however, I do use Google Analytics to track the location and time that visitors arrive at my site, because I'm just darned curious who is interested in my work and who might be checking up on me. To the best of my knowledge, no other information beyond that is tracked, but I am not a Google genius so if they are collecting other information, I really wouldn't know. Google says they try not to be evil, but heck, they're a huge commercial entity making billions of dollars a year, so they are probably doing something I wouldn't approve of anyway.  But how are we going to live without them at this point?   I don't archive or store any information that might be collected via Google. Blame them if you are creeped out by surveillance. If you would like MY personal information, please feel free to contact me via any of the mechanisms in the contact section, and I would be happy to share it with you.  You can also download a copy of my CV and get it there as well.  Have a great day!