Episode
Taking the Stairs & Liking It with Lauren Speeth of Elfenworks
- Published
- Mar 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1504
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Summary
Sometimes a brief meeting with one human can change your life. Lauren Speeth, President of Elphenworks Productions , met US President Jimmy Carter decades ago. Watch ! Lauren Speeth, PhD, combines a lifelong background in Silicon Valley technology with a commitment to educational, pro‑social storytelling. A classically trained violinist and longtime member emeritus of The Peninsula Symphony’s first violin section, she is also a voting member of The Recording Academy and has produced films and media projects that address poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis while aiming to foster hope. Her work in social impact has led to advisory roles with leading institutions: she serves as an External Advisor to Stanford’s Center on Poverty and Inequality, where she helped architect the Center’s first website and co-orchestrated its launch with a Concert for Hope, and she is a Lifetime Member of the Board of Councilors at The Carter Center. In higher education, she has held positions as a Regent Emeritus of Saint Mary’s College of California and has taught and lectured widely in management, statistics, computer science, and social entrepreneurship, including ongoing involvement with Bakke Graduate University. Speeth’s activism and philanthropy were shaped in part through a mentoring relationship with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whom she came to know through her deep engagement with The Carter Center. As a Life Member of its Board of Councilors, she sought guidance from Carter while framing the mission and operating principles of The Elfenworks Foundation; during these conversations, he encouraged her to “risk failure for worthy causes,” advice that helped her define the foundation’s core pillars of having a clear vision, working in partnership, avoiding duplication, s…