Future of Sustainable Capitalism

---

I date my interest in sustainable cities to my time as dean of the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB) and the exciting initiatives that came out of my work. Back in 2010, I was excited about the new GWSB position and challenge, but I also wondered what I would contribute to the world – beyond leading a school – on an intellectual level. At the time, I thought perhaps I could help bring what I know about local economic development in China to economic development and job creation in a city like Washington, D.C. This led to several conversations with Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins, and later conversations with the Mayor Vincent Gray.

​

One day, Victor and I discussed his frustration in finding an organization that would help the City Government in developing a strategic economic plan. He had solicited RFPs from storied consulting organizations in the U.S., but the costs were too high for the DC Government. I listened. I also thought about my own passion for studying local economic development. And I thought about all of the students I had in my school who were passionate about developing their careers but also needed skills on economic development analysis and economic impact modeling. On the spot, I made a pitch to the Deputy Mayor. And, in 2011, we ended up taking on the project of developing the Five-Year Economic Strategy of the District of Columbia. We followed this up with a strategic plan for the development of the Creative Economy Strategy of the District of Columbia. When we presented the Economic Strategy it was bold. We projected $1 billion in new revenues and 100,000 in new jobs. With the implementation of this plan, we met and exceeded these bold predictions. But the key point is that we understood local economic development theory and the complex science of economic impact modeling. 

​

Since that time, Victor and I have had ongoing conversations about the critical role of economic development and innovation in creating and cultivating sustainable cities and urban workforces. These conversations will continue but in this public forum as we discuss how best to support sustainable cities, these critical engines of economic development. 

Our Future of Sustainable Capitalism network includes:

Doug   has spent his career researching, writing, teaching and advising  companies about two topics: organizational development, where he has  focused on issues of leadership, organizational culture and corporate  social responsibility; and the Chinese economic reforms, where he has  focused on the intersection of economic and political forces that lead  to successful economic development models. From 2014-19, Guthrie was a  Senior Director at Apple, based in Shanghai China, where he led Apple  University efforts on leadership and organizational development in  China. Prior to joining Apple, from 2010-14, Guthrie was Dean of the  George Washington School of Business, Vice President for University  China Operations, and Professor of International Business. 

Prior  to his time at GW, from 1997-2010, Guthrie held faculty positions at  NYU’s Stern School of Business, where he was Professor of Management and  Director of custom Executive Education, and NYU’s Faculty of Arts and  Sciences, where he was Professor of Sociology and the Founding Director  of the University’s Office of Global Education. He has held visiting  Professorships at several business schools, including Kellogg, Harvard,  INSEAD, Stanford, Columbia and Emory. He served as Director of the  Business Institutions Initiative at the Social Science Research Council  (1999-2003) and was Academic Director of the Berlin School of Creative  Leadership (2008-11). His research has been recognized by numerous  grants and awards.

Guthrie  received an AB in East Asian Languages (Chinese literature) from the  University of Chicago and MA & PhD degrees in organizational  sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. Fluent in  Mandarin Chinese, Guthrie studied in Taipei, Taiwan, during his  undergraduate years and conducted PhD research in Shanghai, China. He  has authored and edited numerous books, academic articles, popular  articles, and reports on Chinese economic reform, leadership and  corporate social responsibility, and economic development in American  cities.

David  Slocum, Ph.D., is Academic Director and Program Adviser at RARE by  Google, where he provides thought leadership and academic support to  diverse talent in the creative, design, media, and technology  industries. His priorities are to enable and give voice to young and  mid-career diverse creative talent through inspiration, skill  development, and related learning; to establish and sustain networks of  encouragement and material assistance; and, to educate industry, and  notably senior leaders and other organizational decision-makers, about  the business case for diversity, inclusion, and belonging. David is also  a Visiting Professor and Member of the Academic Advisory Board at the  Berlin School of Creative Leadership (Steinbeis University, Germany),  where he previously served as Faculty Director. David has nearly twenty  years of global experience designing and facilitating training programs,  and is a certified executive coach, with a focus on leadership,  learning and development, diversity and inclusion, and business  creativity.