Skip to main content
EDIT

Abby Fifer Mandell

  • Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship

Abby Fifer Mandell is an award-winning educator, user researcher, master facilitator and design strategist. As senior lecturer in entrepreneurship and founding executive director of the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab, Abby has guided hundreds of individuals and organizations to apply user-centered design to challenges faced by individuals and families worldwide. Community foci include older adults, farmworkers in California’s Central Valley, and adults diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Abby won the Academy of Management Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award in 2018. Prior to USC, Abby lectured at American Jewish University and designed educational facilities with Brailsford & Dunlavey. She is a Wexner Heritage Fellow, serves on the advisory board of United Parents and Students, and in 2023 received the USC Mentoring Award for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Students.

Abby Fifer Mandell
Press Inquiries: COMMUNICATIONS@MARSHALL.USC.EDU

Areas of Expertise

Aging
Business of Sustainability
Design Thinking
Human-Centered Design
Innovation
Social Entrepreneurship

Departments

Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

Centers + Institutes

Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

INSIGHT + ANALYSIS

The latest interviews, quotes, citations, and research in the media.

NEWS + EVENTS

COURSES

Spring 2025
  • BAEP-471
    Social Innovation Design Lab
    Introduction to design thinking as applied to innovation and entrepreneurship. Hands-on projects to create solutions to specific societal problems faced by underprivileged communities. Open only to Sophomore, Junior, and Senior students.
  • BAEP-558
    The Entrepreneurial Advisor: Problem Solving for Early-Stage Companies
    Experiential course designed to develop skills in framing and solving complex problems in young companies. Apply skills to real ventures participating in course projects.
Spring 2024
  • BAEP-471
    Social Innovation Design Lab
    Introduction to design thinking as applied to innovation and entrepreneurship. Hands-on projects to create solutions to specific societal problems faced by underprivileged communities. Open only to Sophomore, Junior, and Senior students.
Fall 2023
  • BAEP-558
    The Entrepreneurial Advisor: Problem Solving for Early-Stage Companies
    Experiential course designed to develop skills in framing and solving complex problems in young companies. Apply skills to real ventures participating in course projects.
  • BAEP-571
    Social Innovation Design
    Use innovative problem-solving approaches to design radically affordable solutions to challenges faced by under-resourced communities. Engage in early-stage market and rapid prototyping.
  • BAEP-558
    The Entrepreneurial Advisor: Problem Solving for Early-Stage Companies
    Experiential course designed to develop skills in framing and solving complex problems in young companies. Apply skills to real ventures participating in course projects.
  • BAEP-571
    Social Innovation Design
    Use innovative problem-solving approaches to design radically affordable solutions to challenges faced by under-resourced communities. Engage in early-stage market and rapid prototyping.