Introduction
Dr. Claire Nelson is Chief Ideation Leader of The Futures Forum, a research and education practice specializing in bringing the power of strategic foresight, and the discipline of sustainability engineering to challenges facing organizations and communities. Nelson, named on Forbes as one of the top 50 female futurists in the world, is author of the game-changing book “SMART Futures for a Flourishing World: A Paradigm for Advancing Global Sustainability”.
Expert
Dr. Claire Nelson is Chief Ideation Leader of The Futures Forum, a research and education practice specializing in bringing the power of strategic foresight, and the discipline of sustainability engineering to challenges facing organizations and communities. Nelson, named on Forbes as one of the top 50 female futurists in the world, is author of the game-changing book “SMART Futures for a Flourishing World: A Paradigm for Advancing Global Sustainability”.
Her public interest research includes the development of Training in Foresight for sustainability literacy for Engineers. To this end, she is an Advisor to Engineering for One Planet. As an international development expert, she pioneered the development with equity practice at the Inter-American Development Bank; as well as in 2005, she initiated the Bank's first foray into strategic foresight through a series of Programs on Latin America 2020 and beyond. She was honored with the IDB's prestigious Ortiz Mena Award for her leadership.
A sought-after consultant and speaker, Nelson’s engagements have included: BET/CENTRIC; World Bank; and the US Air Force. Dr. Nelson is a Member of the Board of the World Futures Studies Federation as well as Editor-At-Large of its flagship publication Human Futures Magazine.
Dr. Nelson, is a strong advocate for the SDGs and includes the prospect of SDG 18 on SPACE for ALL among her advocacy interests. She is Founding Convenor of The SPACE FUTURES FORUM a practice established to ensure inclusion of voices from the global South in the conversation on SPACE. An award-winning writer and storyteller, she has performed her one woman show ‘Moon Runnings: The Life & Times of the First Jamaican on the Moon’ at the ASU Emerge Festival of the Future, UNESCO, and the Museum of Science Fiction.
The only Black female in her graduating class, she holds a Doctorate in Engineering Management from the George Washington University (1990). Dr. Nelson was named a White House Champion of Change in 2012.
Fields of expertise: Science policy, technology and innovation policy, Sustainable Development Goals