On August 17, nationally renowned author, activist and entrepreneur Dan Pallotta will serve as the keynote speaker for United Way of Summit County’s 2016 Knight Breakfast.
For more than thirty years, Pallotta has advocated for causes from fighting poverty and hunger to curing AIDS. Since writing his acclaimed book “Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential,” Pallotta has traveled the world, giving speeches about the nonprofit industry. His 2013 TED Talk, “The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong,” has been viewed more than 3.9 million times, making it one of the 100 most viewed Ted Talks of all time.
Pallotta is also the founder and president of the Charity Defense Council, a national leadership movement dedicated to transforming how the donating public thinks about changing the world.
The participation in this year’s Knight Breakfast of a prominent figure like Pallotta – who is at the forefront of a national conversation on nonprofit policy – is of special significance to United Way of Summit County. In recent months, the organization has undertaken extensive efforts to refocus and strengthen its impact across the local community. Doing so has required the kind of innovative thinking championed by Pallotta.
“It is an amazing privilege to have Dan share his insight with us,” said Jim Mullen, president and chief executive officer of United Way. “What he has to say speaks directly to what we are trying to build – a thriving nonprofit organization that addresses the needs of Summit County effectively and efficiently.”
The Knight Breakfast will be held at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August 17, at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visit uwsummit.org/knightbreakfast.