A curiosity-driven perspective on what it means to build and nurture thriving networks – challenging assumptions about WHO belongs by experimenting with the HOW.

Prior to joining the UpStart team, Meg led innovation and R&D efforts for a variety of community-building and network-based organizations in the US and abroad. She has focused her career on identifying and understanding the unmet needs within diverse communities and experimenting with new programmatic solutions to meet those needs – always centering belonging. She marries her educational background in Dramaturgy with human-centered design principles to lead and innovate with curiosity, connection, and care. Meg holds an M.A. in International Dramaturgy from the University of Amsterdam and a B.A. in Theater Design from the University of California Santa Cruz. She lives with her husband in Oceanside, California where she embraces the cliché by enjoying many sunsets and long walks on the beach.

I come from a family of 4 sisters and a single mother, so I find a lot of meaning in sisterhood . I feel most like myself when I’m in my community of womxn – whether we are challenging ourselves on a weeklong backpacking adventure, or nurturing ourselves with good food on a sunny patio. I find that I can access deeper reserves of strength and compassion for myself when I am proactive about sharing that strength and compassion with my sisters.