Save the Date: October 20, 2026

Keynote Speaker

Jane Wei-Skillern, Ph.D.

Jane Wei-Skillern, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized pioneer in network leadership and nonprofit collaboration, with over two decades of research, teaching, and fieldwork experience. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Center for Social Sector Leadership at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, she has served on the faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School (HBS), and London Business School. She has studied and published extensively on nonprofit networks for more than two decades. She has also taught courses on social entrepreneurship, nonprofit strategy, and network leadership to MBAs and executives, and is the author and coauthor of dozens of publications, including journal articles and HBS and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business case studies.

Her widely cited research explores how social impact leaders—funders, executives, staff, and board members—can achieve greater mission impact by fostering trust-based networks and building on existing community assets rather than focusing primarily on organizational growth. Her 2013 article outlining the “Four Principles of Network Leadership” is the most downloaded article in The Foundation Review’s 15-year history, with over 31,000 downloads. She has also published several popular Stanford Social Innovation Review articles and white papers in partnership with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) and Board Source.

Jane now works directly with nonprofits, boards, funders, and collaboratives to apply these principles and strengthen trust-based community partnerships. She regularly delivers keynotes, webinars, and workshops to support leaders building high-impact networks.