玛丽摩尔·白得森 ｜ マリモア・パターソン

Innovation Lecturer, UC Berkeley Design Researcher, Culture Loft Cofounder and
Head of Tech, Interlearn

Multicultural, Multilingual, Multidisciplinary Innovator

 

For me, leadership is an act of love, and innovation is telling a new story. Intercultural learning is at the heart of both. Both begin and end with empathy and seeing from multiple perspectives. I’ve lived extensively in China and Japan, as well as a few other countries. My father’s family was in China for three generations, and I’ve sought out that heritage throughout my life.

 

I’ve had years trying to be alternately Chinese and Japanese, as part of a Chinese family, and later as an employee in a Japanese company. I had a period of about six years when I spoke almost no English, and then had to relearn what it meant to be a Californian. These experiences have given me a high tolerance for ambiguity and an ability to reframe the same situation through many lenses—one of the key methodologies in innovation work.

 

Literature, theater, and music were my first passions before I got into tech, and they continue to influence my work. I read speculative fiction from many cultures, for instance, to explore the meaning of futurism across the world. My theater training has led to a practice in storytelling for leadership, tying personal experience to values that a leader or team wants to impart.

 

I’m currently co-founding a company to help international students access a range of universities in the US, using emerging technology to reach students in underserved regions and geographies worldwide. I’m warming up my intercultural muscles to build global communities and develop a platform that will enhance learning and expand intercultural understanding.