A Business Entrepreneur for Big Impact Not a Big Paycheck: Scott Beale

As I was exploring the online world and twitterverse for articles relevant to my paper on grassroots organizing and microblogging, I stumbled across a very interesting article from the Washington Post. The title leaped out at me almost immediately, "Value Added: The Nonprofit Entrepreneur"; what a contradiction I thought, aren't entrepreneurs meant to be greedy, money-hungry businessmen? As I continued reading, I realized I had thought too soon. The article revealed Scott Beale to be the complete opposite of my assumption: a visionary hungry for change (not money).

A Georgetown graduate and former U.S. Senate Department employee, Beale selflessly, and cleverly, uses his prestigious academic diplomas and impressive career trajectory to make our world a better place. In 2006 Beale began the nonprofit organization Atlas Service Corps. Often referred to as the Peace Corps in reverse, Atlas Corps recognizes the value of the lessons learnt by working with others. The mission of the organization, to create a global dialogue and partnership for development, is symbolic of the founder's dual role as a dedicated social activist and innovative entrepreneur.

Similar to PulseWire, Atlas Corps is an organization that transcends borders and embraces globalization. By establishing leaders from other countries as partners in the quest for solutions to global issues, rather than mere recipients of charitable aid, Atlas Corps makes use of the world’s wealth of knowledge and culture. The sharing of skills, the interchanging of practices, and the retelling of stories are all indispensable tools in Atlas Corps' path to sustainable development. Undoubtedly, Atlas Corps is an organization unique in its incorporation of and appreciation for cultural and intellectual diversity.

I leave you now with a quote from Scott Beale, C.E.O & founder of Atlas Corps, "When a woman is bought and sold in India as property, our collective humanity is undermined. When children die from poverty when there are so many resources in the world, we must question our collective inaction."

For more information about Atlas Corps please visit: www.atlascorps.org
Or if you are interested in reading the Washington Post article, follow this link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2009/03/value_added_17.html