Serena Kirk is a newly appointed lecturer at the Stanford d.school and co-teaches Forbidden Design--Placemaking for the Formerly Impossible. She is an experienced leader and changemaker in social impact, public policy, and storytelling with big picture vision and ability to see the interconnectedness of all three. Drawing on two decades of crafting legislation around children’s issues, health, and social justice, Serena focuses on building bridges between pillars of power and disparate communities, cultivating opportunities and securing resources for vulnerable populations. Serena is an appointed State Commissioner and Chair of the California Commission on Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs, advising the Governor and Legislature. Serena recently developed Souldier in partnership with a Hollywood production studio as a means to shift focus from division to unity and to elevate social consciousness.