Past winners of the Visionary of the Year
EVAN MARWELL, 2015
He founded: EducationSuperHighway His big vision: To bring high-speed Internet to every classroom in America so that all students can have opportunity in the digital age. “Rather than build a model that would equip a school, one at a time, with resources for high-speed Internet, Marwell embarked on a laser-sharp federal-policy agenda that would modernize access to high-speed broadband for all, no matter their ZIP code.” — Laurene Powell Jobs of the nominating committee.
CHASE ADAM, 2016
He founded: Watsi
His big vision: To directly fund life-saving surgeries in low-income areas around the world with a high level of transparency and accountability for donors. “He’s the Mark Zuckerberg of nonprofit leaders . ... We need to honor these social entrepreneurs the way we honor company builders.” — Ron Conway of the nominating committee.
PRISCILLA CHAN, 2017
She co-founded: The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Her big vision: To employ cutting-edge technology to bring social change in science and education, including a $3 billion commitment to cure, treat or prevent disease. “The way I understand it, this is a challenge for all of us as humans . ... Bringing a huge amount of resources personally to the project, that’s just step one. Step two: How do you inspire the world to solve these problems with them?” — Brian Pinkerton, former chief technology officer with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Coming in January: The Chronicle will present a series of profiles on the six finalists for the 2018 Visionary of the Year award, to be announced in March.