Distinguished Visitor Program
The Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor Program invites local entrepreneurs and changemakers to campus during winter and spring quarters to co-teach a class and meet with members of the Stanford community. The goals are to:
- facilitate student learning and exposure;
- provide professional advancement and networking opportunities for Distinguished Visitors;
- create space for reflection, planning, and personalized support;
- foster academic collaboration;
- allow the visitors to share their expertise with the wider community; and
- offer teaching opportunities.
For additional information about the program, please contact Katie Avila, director of community partnerships at the Haas Center for Public Service.
Better Solutions, Better Outcomes: Innovation in the Public Sector
Thursday, March 5, 2026
4:30-5:45 pm PST
Stanford Law School, Room 290
Reception to follow
2026 Distinguished Visitors
This year's Distinguished Visitors share a passion for innovation in the public sector. The group will teach a class during spring quarter, and participate in a public panel event on March 5, Better Solutions, Better Outcomes: Innovation in the Public Sector. Read more, and register for the event.
Thomas Lee is the CEO of First Place for Youth, a national organization supporting young people exiting foster care across California and six other states. He has turned decades of hands-on experience and research into policy changes that make child welfare more equitable and help young people secure stable housing, education and career pathways, and the confidence to pursue their goals.
Kris Perry is the executive director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, a nonprofit helping children thrive in a digital world. She also hosts the Institute’s Webby-nominated programs, Screen Deep and #Ask the Experts. Previously, Perry served as a senior advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and as deputy secretary of California Health and Human Services.
Libby Schaaf served as mayor of Oakland from 2015 to 2022, leading the city to record housing production, infrastructure improvements, and reductions in gun violence. She founded Oakland Promise and has continued advancing cradle-to-career support through a fellowship at Harvard University. She currently teaches public budgeting, public-private partnerships, and climate politics at UC Berkeley and Northeastern University, and serves as HUD’s appointee to the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Housing Finance Authority.
Regi Young is the executive director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank, a nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger through direct service and systems change. The Food Bank provides the equivalent of 50 million meals annually, invests in local farms, and was the first food bank in California to receive health insurance reimbursement for providing medically supportive groceries.
On March 5, the 2025 Distinguished Visitors—Alex Bernadotte, Jaime-Alexis Fowler, Josh Nesbit, and Amanda Renteria—participated in a panel discussion about their work using technology for social change.