Christopher Brookfield designs networks that empower people. His focus has been on edge communities. He appreciates what works, including dynamics such as self organization, trust, locality, immersion, openness, emergence, replication and especially interdisciplinary creative collaboration. He’s a founder of Elevar Equity, which within its thesis of human-centered venture capital, has invested exclusively for edge communities world-wide. With Northwest Venture Associates and Eagle River, he was an early participant in the development of many network and Internet companies. He is a co-founder of Woolley Market, investor in Skagit Valley Malting and director of Cairnspring Mills, all companies building community with food in Skagit County. Chris has taught innovation at Western Washington University and lectured at many institutions including UC Berkeley, Northwestern University, University of Washington, the London School of Economics, Tufts University, the Indian School of Business and the US State Department. He is also the author of A Field Guide for Systemic Social Change, Inspired by Culture (2019, forthcoming). He lives with his family in Vancouver, BC where his wife Dr. Michelle Koppes is a tenured professor of climate science at UBC.