Eric Dawson

Eric Dawson is the CEO of Peace First, an organization he helped launch at 18 which now works in over 135 countries preparing young people (13-25) to lead positive social change through compassion and courage. Leveraging a digital platform and the world's first $10MM venture philanthropy fund focused exclusively on young people, Peace First has created the largest marketplace of youth-led, youth created social innovation projects.

Eric is a globally recognized expert on youth culture and movement-building but a terrible dancer, OK breadmaker, and decent knitter. He is an Ashoka, Echoing Green, and Pop!Tech Fellow. Besides the odd jobs of bartending, electron microscopy, TV commercials, and serving as the driver for the author of Curious George, Eric was trained as a trauma chaplain and is deeply interested in how social entrepreneurs build lives of wholeness. His book for young readers, Putting Peace First: Seven Commitments to Change the World was recently published by Viking.