Our Vision and Mission
B Global by Design envisions a world where creative talent from underrepresented communities become key drivers of economic growth, social impact, and global cultural influence.
B Global by Design’s mission is to use design thinking to co-create tools, networks, opportunities, research, and lessons to position creatives and designers as the engine of economic, social, and cultural transformation. We identify needs and then work through our diverse global partners, who represent various industries, nonprofits, education, and public organizations encompassing creative economies, to provide mentoring, peer-to-peer consulting, training, workshops, best practices, and other capacity development programs. Participants are invited to join B Global by Design’s global network of creatives and designers for future collaboration. The network will share their stories, art, lessons, music, etc. in the B Global Café – a multimedia platform, marketed to a global audience – for creatives from under represented communities globally and locally.
B Global x Design can help you grow and create more cohesion in your community, supply chain, organization or academic institution.
B Global x Design is a social enterprise focused on collecting and promoting global best practices in creative economies, innovation, community development, and social sustainability/ B Corporation practices. Engage us to support you in:
Creating more profitable supply chains aligned with “S” or “B” corporation values in emerging economies.
Engaging polarized or diverse members of your community to create policy platforms, improve the delivery of community services, improve your economic growth, and create strategies to attract innovation and creative industries.
Developing trade shows focused on sustainable products, B Corporation services and products, and global creative arts, food, fashion, design, and innovation.
Coaching businesses in emerging or under-represented economies, in the US and globally, in creative industries, including advertising, digital, and AI.
Developing comprehensive strategies to build innovation hubs to foster growth in developing countries.
Using a multi-stakeholder approach to develop creative economy roadmaps/ strategy, while sustaining the multi-stakeholder fora (education, business, nonprofit/ civic, media, and government).
Leading workshops, conferences and knowledge hubs on community development and the creative economy.
About Us
Clients.
For our clients, we use integrative design / human-centered design to engage all stakeholders, to craft bespoke solutions, to support prototyping those solutions, and to create comprehensive strategies, with metrics, to continue the work. A typical client is: a small to medium-sized government entity; a nonprofit in the social impact sector; a B corporation; a corporate social sustainability officer; an impact investor; or an international development funding agency like the United Nations. Deliverables include: a creative economy strategy; engagement strategies for supply chains in emerging economies to improve profitability and “S” metrics; an impact investment strategy for a creative industry or for a region’s creative economy; and many more.
Sharing Platform
The “X” in B Global x Design means both “by” design and “multiplied by” design. When artists, makers, designers, innovators, thinkers, and other creatives come together to solve problems, appreciate each others’ work, or just connect, the results are often scalable beyond what we had previously imagined. We therefore designate this space as a platform (a multimedia B Global Café) to bring together research, news, best practices, lessons learned, and changemaker stories on creative economies and industries.
Network
B Global x Design seeks to become one of the largest global convenors of public, private, nonprofit, financial, and educational institutions and individual practitioners. Our network can provide peer-to-peer mentoring, trainings, and other services, on demand and through donor-funded projects, to tangibly support those in underrepresented markets, and to create business-to-business/ culture-to-culture linkages. Network members come from fields including human-centered design/innovation, branding, marketing, advertising, film, music, art galleries, universities, impact investing, small town to large city governments, and more.
Events
The B Global Café
Our platform (a multimedia B Global Café) will bring together research, news, best practices, lessons learned, and changemaker stories on creative economies and industries.
Our Members
Our Network
We are building a network of artists, designers, musicians, small artisan manufacturers, fashion designers, human-centered design specialists, animation, Ux/Ix, interior design, event planning, and more to showcase their work on our multi-media platform B Global Café (forthcoming in 2025). We will support exchanges, collaborations, trade linkages, workforce development, and more through our network.
With our Members and Network, we can host competitions for innovation, new branding, re-designs, and more. We’ll be hosting workshops, conferences, podcasts, and other interactive events to build a globally connected creative community.
Staff
Kristin Lobron
-
Kristin Lobron is the founder and executive director of B Global by Design, focused on building creative economies and local development through international market exposure. She founded B Global by Design driven by her passion for making international development programs more impactful by a) creating a broad base of members from around the global to encourage collaboration instead of contract-to-contract management; b) the realization of how critical branding, marketing, design, art and other creative fields are to catalyzing local economies; c) a strong belief in peer-to-peer mentoring/ volunteer exchanges to promote best practices and cross-cultural connections; and d) the desire to collate art from under-represented areas of the world to show an accurate, modern view of what resilience and thriving look like, told through artists and designers. She has 25+ years background in international development and private sector growth, she designed and led multi-million-dollar contracts projects as a USAID economic growth officer and served as chief of party for USAID/Afghanistan’s trade show activity. She holds a master’s degree from UCLA in African Studies and Urban Planning, and a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. As the Founder of B Global By Design, she is passionate about empowering creatives to transform local and global development.
Annie Gallant
-
Annie Gallant is a Project Management Professional specialized in supporting the business operations of startups and small businesses and projects, including the development and management of work plans, compliance paperwork, ISO certification, and audits. Annie served as the project specialist on the USAID/Afghanistan Trade Show Support activity. Annie has a master’s degree in business from Ithaca College and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from John Carroll University.
Advisors
-
Desi Dzhurkova is a senior executive manager with over 20 years of experience in development programs globally. She holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences. Desi has led startups, managed stakeholder relations, and overseen capacity building programs for civil society organizations. She has expertise in fundraising, program development, budgeting, financial and administrative management, human resources and event management. Over the past decade, Desi has supported women-owned businesses and nonprofits and operated a franchisee business in the USA. During her prior professional career, she has worked on various USAID-funded programs such as the Trade Show Support activity, the Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society, the Afghan Civic Engagement Program, the Bulgaria Community and Social Enterprises Program amongst others. She also worked for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency International Counter-Proliferation Program and Proliferation Security Initiative. Desi has served as an executive staff member at organizations such as ECPAT International, a global network dedicated to combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and the American University of Afghanistan, where she played a key role in establishing the institution from inception to fruition.
-
Rebekah Stutzman is the Associate Director of Institutional Philanthropy at Digital Green. Since joining Digital Green in 2017 as a team of one to lead development of all grant applications and donor communications, she has expanded her role to manage a small team that has doubled the non-profit’s number of donors and annual funding in five years. Prior to joining Digital Green, she worked with Kristin as a managing partner for Collaborative Development Network, a small business they co-founded to assist non-profits and small businesses to secure USAID funding for international development work across multiple sectors and geographies. Her international development career began at USAID supporting missions in Central America and the Caribbean with strategic planning, congressional reporting, and developing projects to address trafficking in persons. Her previous board experience includes steering committee chair and finance officer for Asylum Seekers Housing Network in Baltimore and treasurer for Baltimore Children’s Choir. Her interest in international development grew from early experiences with her family living in Ecuador and Costa Rica. Rebekah has a BA in journalism from Goshen College and Masters in Public Policy from University of Michigan. She lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she enjoys discovering new places to hike.
-
Loren Stoddard is a recognized leader in stakeholder engagement, economic development, and large-scale public-private partnerships. As Founder and CEO of Veridicor, he drives cutting-edge solutions in verifiable identity for financial institutions, governments, and global enterprises - enhancing security, compliance, and operational efficiency. With decades of experience managing multibillion-dollar portfolios in finance, trade, energy, and governance, Loren is a trusted advisor to CEOs, bankers, investors, and policymakers navigating complex global challenges . His expertise bridges regulatory compliance, financial security, and digital transformation to create scalable, investment-grade solutions for institutions requiring trusted identity verification and risk management frameworks.
-
Kimberley Ready is a seasoned compliance, finance and business development expert with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit and international development sectors. Currently a Senior Consultant at Harbor Ledge Consulting, she previously served as Director of Contracts and Grants Administration at DevTech Systems, Inc., and held key roles at JSI | John Snow, Inc. and SNV. Kimberley has managed significant programs, including a $4.1 million State Department initiative on Countering Violent Extremism, and overseen budgets totaling $20 million at The World Bank. Her expertise in financial management, program implementation, and strategic planning has earned her recognition from both The World Bank and IFC Advisory Services.
-
Liz Muir has over 20 years of experience at top consulting firms and Fortune 100 companies where she has brought a unique blend of business acumen and award-nominated creativity to global industries. With 14+ years focused on social impact, Liz has successfully strategized, developed, and launched programs delivering economic, social, and environmental impact worldwide. Her expertise spans managing multi-million dollar budgets, transforming consumer brands, and executing high-profile launches that have garnered global media attention and concluded in significant potential deals. As a digital brand and marketing strategist, she has created award-winning content and e-commerce platforms. Her entrepreneurial spirit is evident in founding an ethical consumer brand that integrated artisans and women-run factories in developing countries, earning nominations for prestigious design and fair trade awards. With a track record of structuring and executing ambiguous projects for diverse clients ranging from the US Government to startups, Liz consistently delivers results in challenging environments.
