CV

(PDF available here)

Education

PhD, Public Policy, University of Texas at Austin, 2022
Dissertation: No One Can Whistle a Symphony: Essays on Congressional Campaign Teams and Talent

MBA, Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, New College, 2013

BA with Honors, International Political Economy and Religious Studies, Vanderbilt University, 2006

Academic Work

Visiting Lecturer, SMU, 2022-Present
Teaching Introduction to American Government and Campaigns & Elections
Cofounder of the SMU Research Cluster on Employee Ownership and Workplace Democracy

Kelso Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, 2022-2023

Research Assistant, University of Texas, 2019-2022
“Energy, Entrepreneurship and Economic Resilience in Texas” with Varun Rai
Research project funded by the Ic2 Institute

Teaching Assistant, University of Texas, 2018-2019
Statistical Learning with Varun Rai, Spring 2019
Qualitative Research Methods with Peter Ward, Fall 2018

Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Texas, 2015-2016
Lectured on Social Entrepreneurship for the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service

Entrepreneurship Fellow, University of Oxford Saïd Business School, 2013-2014
Jointly responsible for redesigning and leading the core entrepreneurship course for 250 full-time MBA students

Academic Awards and Honors

UT-Austin
Donald D. Harrington Graduate Fellow
Office of Graduate Studies Professional Development Award winner
Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference (BECC) Precourt FellowLead author on application for Faculty Grant Award from UT-Austin’s Ic2 Institute
Dirksen Congressional Center awardee

Oxford
Skoll Scholar with the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
Fellow at RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)

Vanderbilt
Ingram Scholarship for commitment to academics and public service
Joanne Fleming-Hayes Scholarship for academic merit
Honors in the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science
Phi Beta Kappa; Dean’s List seven semesters
Traveling stipend from Vanderbilt’s Keegan Traveling Fellowship program

Academic Writing and Presentations

Hand, M. “You’re Hired! An examination of the impact of staffer experience and networks in US political campaigns.” Invited presentation at the Southern Political Science Association annual conference, Winter 2020

Hand, M. “Foxes in the Henhouse? The Effects of Hiring Campaign Staff into Legislative Offices.” Paper to be presented at the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) Research Conference, Fall 2019 

Hand, M. “Campaign Contribution Limits and Corruption: Evidence from the 50 states.” Paper presentation at Southern Political Science Association annual conference, Winter 2019

“How to practically and creatively surface ideas and resources from your social networks.” Guest lecture at Saïd Business School, Fall 2018

Hand, M. “A Pragmatic Typology of Impact Enterprise.” Paper presentation at USC-Marshall’s Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference, Fall 2018

Morrison, J. and Hand, M. “Moving from Policy Ideas to Policy Impacts: What Does the Innovation Corps Model Offer Public Policy Education?” Paper presentation at Public Administration Review’s symposium “Entrepreneurship in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors” at the National Academy of Sciences, Fall 2018

“Crime and Its Effects on Vulnerable Populations.” Panel Chair at Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) International Conference, Summer 2018

Boumgarden, P. and Hand, M. “Entrepreneurial Behavior in Political Campaigns: Strategically sequencing thinking and doing.” Effectuation Conference, Summer 2018

“Campaign Contribution Limits and Corruption: Evidence from the U.S. States.” LBJ School Innovation Bound research poster session, Spring 2018

Gao, X., Hand, M., Beck, A., and Rai, V. “Knowledge Networks in the U.S. Solar Industry.” Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) conference, Fall 2017

Hand, M., Beck, A., Gao, X., and Rai, V. “Learning in renewable energy ecosystems: A network study of knowledge flows in the Austin solar installation industry.” Behavioral Economics and Climate Change (BECC) conference, Fall 2017

“Knowledge networks in alternative energy ecosystems – Solar softs in the solar industry.” Poster (invited) at the Conference on Complex Systems, Fall 2017

“The Business of Politics: Bringing an MBA brain into a Public Policy PhD.” Presentation at the Don and Sybil Harrginton Foundation Amarillo Symposium, Spring 2017 

Zutz, C. and Hand, M. “The Crowd-Sourced Graph: Uncovering The Social Innovation Landscape in Austin, Texas,” XXXVI Sunbelt Conference of the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA), Spring 2016

“Triple Bottom Line Ventures: Lessons Learned from Entrepreneurs” Panel moderator at McCombs Business for Good Summit (convened by Net Impact McCombs and the Clean Tech Group), Spring 2016

“New Trends & Profit Models in Social Entrepreneurship,” Panel moderator at McCombs Business for Good Summit (convened by Net Impact McCombs and the Clean Tech Group), Spring 2015

“How entrepreneurs build networks” Presentation at Saïd Business School’s Entrepreneurship Centre, Spring 2015

“Leadership in social innovation” Guest lecture for Dr. David Springer at UT-Austin, Fall 2015

“An introduction to social venture capital” Guest lecture for UT-Austin lecturer Moira Porter, Fall 2015

“How to Incorporate Social and Environmental Responsibility in your Company.” Guest lecture for Dr. Diego Sanchez-Ancochea’s executive program at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, Spring 2014

“Impact Investing.” Guest lecturer for Dr. Pamela Hartigan’s graduate level course on social entrepreneurship, Spring 2013

“Social Entrepreneurship: An introduction for the curious (and the skeptical).” A presentation for the annual New College colloquium series, University of Oxford, Fall 2012

Selected Articles 

“Beyond the scuffle: Bipartisanship in the Texas Legislature” in the Texas Tribune’s TribTalk, Summer 2017, with Jonathan Lewis and Igor Holas

“The Research Gap in Social Entrepreneurship” in Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2016 with Jonathan Lewis

“A response to ‘The Payoff of Pay-for-Success’” in Stanford Social Innovation Review Online, Fall 2015, with Margo Johnson

“Visualizing the GIIN Impact Investing Network with Neo4j” on the neo4j blog, Fall 2015, with Clare Zutz

Conducted university-wide researches on entrepreneurship among Oxford alumni for Dean Peter Tufano, Fall 2013

Researched alternatives to tech transfer for university intellectual property for professor Marc Ventresca, Fall 2013

“Disruption decoded: Four Skills for Shifting Systems” on the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship blog. Spring 2013 

Non-Academic Work

Senior Partner, Liminal Advisors • 2018-Present
Liminal Advisors works with impact investment funds and companies to understand and organize the complex systems around them to drive positive change.

Cofounder, Assemble • 2016-2019
Assemble helps companies have better conversations, build better teams, and get more done.

Venture Partner, UnLtd USA (née Techstars Impact) • 2014-2016
Designed and executed entrepreneurial support, training, and network building for UnLtd USA’s Austin-based social enterprises

Entrepreneurship Fellow, Saïd Business School, Oxford University • 2013-2014
Made two investments on behalf of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and cofounded the SBS Seed Fund, a student-run investment fund within the business school

Vice Chair, City of Austin Commission on Immigrant Affairs • 2014-2015
Member of a volunteer commission advising the City Council on immigrant affairs

Investment Associate, First Light at Gray Ghost Ventures • 2014-2015
Launched the $1.5m India Accelerator, a joint venture with Shell Foundation, and managed First Light’s nine-company India portfolio and investment pipeline

Founding Country Director, Manna Project International • 2007-2009
Founded MPI’s second community development site in Quito, Ecuador, overseeing the work of 130 volunteers, managing a $200,000 budget, and starting over 20 community programs

Consultant, Grant Writer and Intern • 2006-2014
– Consulting clients include: Southwest Georgia Project, a local food distributor; Culture Connect, an immigrant-focused social enterprise in Atlanta; the City of Shreveport, Louisiana; CoHabitat Louisiana, a co-working space; and the North Louisiana Economic Partnership
– Internships include: Family Health International, an HIV/AIDS focused NGO; Holy Cross Hospice in Gaborone, Botswana; the office of Congressman Jim McCrery; and Conexión Americas, an immigrant advocacy NGO in Nashville
– Managed twenty families of abused and neglected children as a social worker with Community Support Programs in Shreveport, LA