Douglas Carlston

In 1980, Douglas Carlston founded Broderbund Software, Inc., which quickly became the nation's leading developer of educational software. A pioneer in employing game technology, Carlston started the company as a sideline while practicing law. The company achieved major success with its geography learning game Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego and captivated adults as well as children with its graphically rich adventure game Myst and the historical fantasy Prince of Persia. Douglas Carlston addressed the Academy of Achievement at the 1996 Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, where he recounted the winding path that led him to the software industry, including his experience teaching in Africa. In this podcast, recorded at the Summit, he urges the Academy's student delegates to follow their curiosity and pursue whatever fascinates them most. Carlston subsequently merged Broderbund with The Learning Company; the combined enterprise is now owned by Mattel. Douglas Carlston has participated in numerous nonprofits and educational institutions, as a board member of MoveOn, the Ploughshares Fund and the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins, among others, and is a former Chairman of Public Radio International. He founded a new software company, Tawala Systems, in 2005. He currently serves as CEO of Tawala and Chairman of the Carlston Family Foundation.