Nancy McGaw is Senior Advisor of the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program (Aspen BSP). She leads corporate programs designed to cultivate leaders and achieve Aspen BSP’’s mission of aligning business with the long-term health of society.

In 2009 she founded, and continues to direct, the First Movers Fellowship Program, an innovation lab for exceptional business professionals (social intrapreneurs) who have demonstrated an ability and passion for imagining new products, services, and management practices that achieve profitable business growth and lasting, positive social impacts.

She also oversees the Aspen Leaders Forum, a network to empower sustainability executives and their companies to seize the “license to lead” on complex societal issues of global importance. For over a decade Nancy managed Beyond Grey Pinstripes, Aspen BSP’’s database and ranking of global MBA programs that assessed how well business schools prepare graduates for social and environmental stewardship.

Ms. McGaw joined the Aspen Institute in 2000 from a career in corporate banking. Previously, she was Managing Director at the Bank of America. She was also Director of Corporate Partnerships at The Synergos Institute. She has worked overseas in Japan and England. She has a B.A. from Michigan State University and an M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Authored by Nancy:

Blog Posts Publications

Unlocking the Potential of Corporate Social Intrapreneurship

This report explores ways to encourage business school faculty to do more research and teaching on corporate social intrapreneurship  It reflects insights from leading scholars with expertise in this domain who convened at the invitation of the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program and the Fetzer Institute in April 2019.

April 8, 2020

Blog Posts

Gifts for the Planet on Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2020

Blog Posts

Five Lessons for Corporate Social Intrapreneurs

Clean tech power washes for aircraft engines. In-home toilet service in Ghana.  A new code of conduct for 100,000 suppliers.  A circular economy strategy for a home goods company.

October 1, 2019

Blog Posts

How to Take Advantage of a Chance Encounter

Preparation and a little courage can allow you to seize opportunities that others might miss.

January 17, 2018

Blog Posts

A New Take on Corporate Leadership

Meet three leaders working for positive change within big companies.

October 17, 2017