Abby Fifer Mandell

Abby Fifer Mandell is a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at the Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles, where she specializes in user-centered research and impact innovation. As a professor, academic mentor, and producer of the USC Social Venture Coaching Competition (SVCC), Abby has coached nearly 300 new ventures. She was the Executive Director of the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab at USC, where she worked from 2008-2022, and co-teaches the Min Family Challenge with the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship group at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Abby co-produced the Aging is Now | Aging is the Future Entrepreneurship Symposium, an annual gathering of practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders regarding business opportunities for the emerging market of older adults. In 2018, Abby won the Academy of Management Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award and in 2023 she received the USC Mentoring Award for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Students. Outside of the classroom, she performs ethnographic research for corporate and social impact clients and guides organizations on fundamentals of user-centered design and strategic planning. She is a frequent lecturer, workshop facilitator, and keynote speaker and has authored many works on user-centered design and strategy, including Human-Centered Design for Social Innovation Toolkit, 1st-13th ed. (2016-2023) and Design Strategy for Social Innovation Toolkit for Educators (2016). Abby is a Wexner Heritage Fellow and serves on the advisory boards of United Parents and Students and Seismic Capital.