Kjerstin Erickson Mentor 2010

Describe yourself briefly.

Kjerstin Erickson is the founder and Executive Director of FORGE, an international NGO that uses a unique social entrepreneurship model to facilitate peace building and development in war-torn African countries. Kjerstin started FORGE in 2003, while a junior at Stanford University. Now she continues to manage FORGE’s operations, growth and development. She has developed partnerships with UN agencies and has worked with multiple African governments to bring FORGE’s work to 70,000 refugees per year. An avid blogger and pioneer of ‘radical transparency,’ Kjerstin’s social media efforts have been profiled in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and the San Francisco Chronicle, and in 2009 FORGE was honored with the Jenzabar Foundation’s “Social Media Leadership Award.” Kjerstin has also been named a Public Service Fellow at Stanford, a “Top 10 College Woman” by Glamour Magazine, and a “Person You Should Know” by CNN.