Jessica Hansen, the global engagement manger at Kiva, has dedicated her life to helping others. Hansen worked with refugees for over 10 years through organizations like UNHCR, the International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps, helping to empower woman and girls and provide access to safety and education for refugees.
Prior to joining Kiva, she worked in Kenya with Nuru International to help raise literacy levels in rural primary schools.
Kiva is an international nonprofit with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Kiva operates in 84 countries and lenders have lent $1 billion to date using Kiva.
Jessica will take the stage Inman Connect San Francisco on Thursday, August 10, to share with the audience the ways in which they can use technology to create positive change in the world.
We caught up with Jessica and received some inspiring advice for success and learned about what we should expect from her session.
Give us a sneak peek and tell us one of the key takeaways audience members will learn during your session.
I used to think the only people in the world who really had the power to change things on a massive scale were those in politics or finance. Technology has really democratized things over the past few decades, and now we all have the power to create the change we want to see in the world.
I’m excited to share some examples of people who have really successfully done that, ways people can take action right now, and how anyone can step up and create meaningful change themselves.
What do you see as some of the most important trends or changes that those in the real estate industry should be watching out for?
My thoughts here are not real estate specific, but I think we all look for ways to give back and have a positive impact on the world. We are currently figuring out ways to do that that have better, smarter, wider, and longer-lasting impacts than ever before.
There has been an incredible growth in technology’s ability to connect us and to help us impact each other’s lives no matter who or where we are. Kiva.org is a great example of that, but there are many more, and I’m excited to share more about that!
What’s your best tip for success?
My best tip for success is to give yourself permission to be proactive! Amazing things happen when we allow ourselves to be inspired to dig in and learn more about the things we are passionate about and actually step up and make a change!