Claire A. Nelson Ph.D. Biography

Dr. Claire Nelson is the Chief Ideation Leader at The Futures Forum, a research and education firm that specializes in applying the power of strategic foresight and the discipline of sustainable engineering to problems that companies and communities face. She was designated one of the top 50 female futurists in the world by Forbes. Her book "SMART Futures for a Flourishing World: A Paradigm for Advancing Global Sustainability" demonstrates her enthusiasm for facilitating transformative change as an ambassador for inclusive prosperity and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nelson has spoken at events such as the Association of Blacks in Energy, AAAS, ASME, BET/CENTRIC, World Bank, Women in Research Engineering Symposium, Black Engineer of the Year Conference, Salzburg Seminar, Pacific Skills Summit, World Steel, University of the West Indies, Organization of American States Permanent Council, UN Conference for People of African Descent in the Americas, and the United Nations Conference for People of African Descent in the Americas. Dr. Nelson also consults with institutions such as the Development Bank of Jamaica, Spectrum Management Authority, Caribbean Maritime University, Petroleum Management Authority, Guardian Insurance, and Morgan State University on forethought and longevity. She is a member of the World Futures Studies Federation's Board of Directors and the Editor-at-Large of the organization's flagship magazine, Human Futures Magazine. Dr. Nelson is a member of the Association of Professional Futurists and has served on the Editorial Advisory Boards of the Journal of Futures Studies and the World Futures Review-Journal. Her current public-interest work includes organizing a worldwide Space Futures Forum to promote conscious eco-literacy in the developing space industry, as well as the establishment of a SMART Islands Collaboratory to promote wellness and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. Nelson worked for the Inter-American Development Bank for thirty years, holding a variety of positions including portfolio identification and development, institutional assessments, and technical feasibility studies in a variety of sectors including public sector modernization, private sector development, and community development. She was honored with the DB's prestigious Ortiz Mena Award for Leadership in 2010 as a thought leader in promoting foresight in development. She pioneered the development with equity agenda in the Washington Consensus and was thus honored with the DB's prestigious Ortiz Mena Award for Leadership in 2010. Dr. Nelson is the Founder and President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, the leading Caribbean American Diaspora organization (since 1993), as well as the Convening Chair of the Campaign for June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month, which has been officially proclaimed by the President of the United States of America since 2006. She is the curator of the National Caribbean American Heritage Awards, the Invest Caribbean Business Conference, and the Caribbean American Legislative Forum on Capitol Hill and White House Briefings. Dr. Nelson has also volunteered for the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowship Review Committee, the Institute of Industrial Engineers' Sustainability Division, Fundacion UNIPOP, the Black Women's Roundtable, the African American Unity Caucus of the Constituency for Africa, and the Caribbean Research Center at Medgar Evers College, among others. Dr. Nelson, an award-winning writer, and the narrator has created a new genre of storytelling that she refers to as "prospective memoir," and has presented her one-woman show "Moon Runnings: The Life and Times of the First Jamaican on the Moon Circa 2038" at the Emerge Festival of the Future. Her work may also be seen in the book The Future of Business. She has a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Buffalo and a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, as well as a Doctorate in Engineering Management from George Washington University (1990). She is the first Jamaican woman to receive a Doctorate in an Engineering subject, and she was the only Black female in her graduating class. Dr. Nelson has received an Outstanding Alumni Award from Purdue University's School of Industrial Engineering, as well as a mention in the US Congressional Record. In 2012, Dr. Nelson was designated as a White House Champion of Change.

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