Suzanne Smith: Solving Problems on College Campuses

Solving problems on college campuses is everyone's job. Suzanne Smith is a nationally recognized community strategist, professor, TEDx speaker, and founder of Social Impact Architects. A Duke MBA, she has spent more than two decades helping leaders tackle complex issues in education, poverty, healthcare, and workforce development. She has also worked with government agencies—including the federal government—and is trilingual in government, policy, and business, giving her a rare perspective on how meaningful change happens. Suzanne is the author of Social TrendSpotter, ranked among the nation's top nonprofit blogs, where she has analyzed philanthropy and nonprofit trends weekly for over 13 years. Known for her straight talk and storytelling, she helps audiences see what's really happening behind the headlines, learn why society's toughest problems are so difficult to solve, and discover what solutions have been proven to really work. In her TEDx talk, "Everyone Can Be a Changemaker," she shows how ordinary people can take small steps that create extraordinary ripple effects. Whether breaking down giving trends, unpacking nonprofit scandals, or highlighting community solutions, Suzanne makes the case that everyone has a role to play in making change possible. In episode 606 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out what inspired Suzanne to start Social Impact Architects, how fraternity and sorority students can begin to see themselves as changemakers, how service work helps to rebuild purpose and connection, how students can design community service projects that actually make an impact, what could change if we used frameworks like Social Alchemy to solve complex problems at college, and what excites her most about the next generation of changemakers on college campuses. Enjoy!