BUSINESS MAVERICK #65 Kirsten Dickerson - Founder and CEO Raven and Lily

Kirsten Dickerson is Founder and CEO of Raven and Lily.com a socially conscious lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering women through design. They currently work to empower at-risk women in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Cambodia, and the US, creating exclusive, fair trade collections include up-cycled, handmade apparel and accessories that utilize materials such as melted bullet casings and textile remnants. In addition to providing employment for over a thousand women through fair trade standards, the company strives to empower consumers to make a difference in the world through their purchasing power. Prior to this Kirsten spent 15 years doing both styling work in the film industry and working alongside global non-profits. Kirsten has traveled extensively to over 30 countries, starting with her studies in Africa and then living in Estonia shortly after the Soviet Union dissolved. The day after graduating from Baylor University, she headed to India to volunteer with Mother Teresa and Compassion International. Creating this brand has allowed her to unify her passions and capitalize her experience in both the humanitarian and fashion worlds. Motivated by a belief that each person is valuable and uniquely created, Kirsten is dedicated to empowering women to discover their full potential. She is passionate about promoting social business models as a means of providing a dignified way to alleviate poverty, especially among at-risk women.