Bill Drayton
William Drayton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 New York City, United States |
| Alma mater | Harvard University, Balliol College (Oxford), Yale Law School |
| Occupation(s) | Social entrepreneur, management consultant, academic |
| Known for | Founder and chairperson of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public; popularizing the term "social entrepreneur" |
William Drayton (born 1943) is an American social entrepreneur who was honored by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 25 leaders in the United States in 2005. He is credited with popularizing the phrase "social entrepreneur," a term that originally appeared in print in 1972.
Drayton is the founder and current chairperson of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to discovering and supporting social entrepreneurs worldwide. Additionally, he leads two other nonprofit initiatives: Youth Venture and Get America Working!
He characterizes social entrepreneurs as pioneers tackling major social issues. According to Drayton, "Social entrepreneurs do not settle for merely providing a fish or teaching fishing skills; they strive to transform the entire fishing industry."
In 2019, Drayton was inducted as a Member of the American Philosophical Society.
Early years
Born in 1943 in New York City, Drayton’s mother was an immigrant from Australia, while his father was an American explorer. His family lineage includes early American advocates for abolition and women's rights. During his time at Phillips Academy, he established the Asia Society, which became the school's most prominent student organization. Drayton graduated from Harvard in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts, where he also initiated the Ashoka Table, hosting confidential dinners with influential figures. He earned a Master of Arts from Balliol College, Oxford in 1967 and completed a Juris Doctor at Yale Law School in 1970, founding Yale Legislative Services that engaged about one-third of the law student body.
Career
Drayton spent nearly ten years working as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. During President Jimmy Carter's term (1977–1981), he served as Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, where he introduced significant reforms such as emissions trading. After his tenure, he established Save EPA, an advocacy organization. Drayton has also held visiting professorships at both Harvard University and Stanford University.
Awards
Throughout his career, Drayton has been honored with multiple awards acknowledging his influence in social entrepreneurship. He was among the initial recipients of the MacArthur Fellows program for founding Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. The National Public Service Award was jointly bestowed upon him by the American Society of Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration. He holds a Preiskel–Silverman Fellowship from Yale Law School and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2009, Yale University awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. David Gergen has referred to him as the "godfather of social entrepreneurship," and in 2008, Utne Reader magazine recognized him as one of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing the World."
Drayton received Spain's esteemed Prince of Asturias Awards for international cooperation in 2011, celebrated as a "driving force behind social entrepreneurs." Shortly thereafter, he earned both the John W. Gardner Leadership Award and the Social Entrepreneur Award from the World Entrepreneurship Forum.
In 2012, Middlebury College’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship honored him with their inaugural Vision Award, highlighting his substantial impact on the discipline.