Sandy Lacey
Executive Director of Innovation | Educator | I like building things that make the world a better place.
- Role
- Investor at Tbd Angels
- Location
- Boston, MA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Sandy Lacey
C-suite executive leading innovation at Perkins, an international nonprofit reaching 1M+ children with disabilities annually. My mandate spans scaling our innovation ecosystem (Howe Innovation Center), driving AI-powered transformation of braille literacy products, and scaling high-impact adaptive learning tools—from cutting-edge tech to cardboard solutions that change lives. My leadership philosophy balances operational excellence with authentic people leadership—creating environments where teams thrive, work is engaging, and individuals have the autonomy to excel.As Founding Executive Director of Howe Innovation Center, I\'m spearheading a $3M fundraising initiative while architecting an ecosystem connecting disability communities with entrepreneurs to revolutionize inclusive product development.My leadership philosophy balances operational excellence with authentic people leadership—creating environments where teams thrive and individuals excel. Drawing from hiring practices learned from Kayak founder Paul English, I\'ve developed 100+ professionals while teaching 200+ innovators at MIT Sloan and Tufts. I navigate complex stakeholder landscapes, securing multimillion-dollar partnerships from Fortune 500 executives to philanthropic leaders.**Key Achievements:**• Three startups: Emerging Energy Research (acquired by IHS), CB Insights, Drafted (acquired by Instawork)• Excel under budget constraints, delivering financial sustainability through strategic partnerships• Served Governor Deval Patrick\'s administration, architecting Massachusetts\' ClimateTech ecosystem, supporting Greentown Labs and MassChallenge from the beginning• Executive strategic vision: I can translate complex market intelligence and research into actionable growth strategies that position organizations as thought leaders in emerging sectors• Academic leadership at MIT Sloan\'s Martin Trust Center and six years at Tufts UniversityI\'m passionate about building things that matter with extensive innovation experience across corporate, government, and academic settings, excelling in startup environments. I consistently achieve ambitious goals amid budget constraints through strategic resource allocation and creative partnerships, translating complex market intelligence into growth strategies that position organizations as thought leaders in emerging sectors.*Master\'s, Fletcher School at Tufts | B.A. cum laude, Georgetown*
Experience
Investor
Sep 2020 — Present · Boston, MA, US
Deal lead, MomBox seed raise (2020)Deal lead, Upshot.io Series A (2021)Investor, FIRST BOULEVARD
Education
The Fletcher School at Tufts University
Master’s Degree, International Business
2007 — 2009
Georgetown University
BA, cum laude, American Studies, Spanish
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