The Story Behind the Profile of Melissa Carrier

The process behind writing the profile of Melissa Carrier was long, difficult at times, but ultimately rewarding. I interviewed, outlined, changed my ideas, and edited to come up with my final story.

Wall Street Journal Formula

When organizing my profile, I chose to follow the Wall Street Journal format, which begins with a soft lead, focusing on a person or event, and then the story provides backup for the lead and supporting points. The body of the story is arranged in a way that one point leads to another. 

I began with a scene of Carrier teaching to her Social Innovation Fellows class. Ifollowed with a nut graph that explains her transformation: she realized that she could combine her professional career with her social change aspirations, and with her transition to academica, she also realized she could inspire others to do the same. The rest of the story was arranged topically:

• Her youth, when she believed social change and a career had to be separate

• Journey through corporate America

• Realization that she can merge the passions of business, technology, and social change

• Turning point: when she began a family and realized she could do more impactful things with her life

• Inspiring students to follow her footsteps

 The Wall Street Journal formula allowed my profile to flow and sound less like a biography, and more like a story.

I also used several techniques from Chapter 17 of the Rich textbook, such as using graphics to break up my story, using the GOAL method to focus my story, and providing a turning point to my story.

For law and ethical considerations, I made sure to get consent from my interview subjects to record and take pictures. I also ensured they understood what "on the record" meant, so I used all of the content they told me. 

 Tips from Alan Richman

"You've got to nail them with a question they like," says Alan Richman about celebrities.

Although Carrier is not a celebrity, she is a busy woman. I wanted to make sure my first question was something she wanted to talk about. My first question with Carrier was a simple one: "How did you become interested in social entrepreneurship?" She talked for 15 minutes straight about her journey, and it was evident how passionate she was about changing the world.

"Everybody's got one good story to tell. If you talk to the long enough, you'll find it," Alan Richman says.

I continued asking follow-up questions and remaining conversational. By the end of my interviews, I had received several outstanding quotes and good content for my profile from all three interviewees.

Goal Method

I used the GOAL method to develop the focus, theme, and turning point of my story.

• Goals: Carrier wants to give back to the world by combining business principles with social value.
• Obstacles:
• There were few resources about social innovation at the time.
• It was unprecedented for professionals to combine their career with social change.
• When Carrier worked at AT&T, the company’s foundation was poorly researched and did not provide the avenues for her to effectively create social change.
• Carrier had a family to support and put as first priority, which caused a career switch.
• Achievements:
• Carrier created the Society of Women Engineers at Ohio State University.
• Carrier established a stable career in IT consulting.
• Carrier earned her MBA at Wharton to supplement her undergraduate engineering degree.
• Carrier developed various programs at the University of Maryland that encouraged social innovation.
• She helped the Capital Access Network angel investor program grow into a leading regional investor group.
• She created the Social Venture Consulting Program.
• She designed and launched the Center for Social Value Creation.
• Carrier combined her technology and business skills to make an impact on the world.
• Logistics:
• Carrier worked on the AT&T Foundation proposal to link phone services with the American Cancer Society for three months. She had to research whether AT&T could incentivize people to buy more phone service if AT&T donated to the American Cancer Society. Ultimately, she realized that the proposal would not work because the American Cancer Society had nothing to do with purchasing a phone sercie.
• Carrier began the design for the Center for Social Value Creation (CSVC) in 2008 by benchmarking against other universities. She looked at what they were called, who ran them, and their mission, and realized that everything was too narrowly focused. From this research, she decided that she wanted the CSVC to apply to a variety of different sectors. She built the team and received funding, which allowed her to launch the CSVC.

 The GOAL Method allowed me to maintain focus in my story and emphasize Carrier's transformation.

Arranging Interviews

I contacted Carrier by email, and we agreed to meet on Monday, November 12th. I brought my laptop to record our interview, and to uphold ethical principles, I asked for her consent to record. After the interview, I asked if we could conduct a follow-up interview, so we agreed to meet that Friday on November 16th.

I went to the Smith School Dean G. "Anand" Anandalingam's office hours on Thursday November 15th to conduct the interview. I also brought my laptop, and asked for his consent to record. He agreed to answer follow-up questions through email and gave me his business card.

I contacted Abby Murray by email, and we agreed on a mutual meeting time on Monday November 19th. I did not bring my laptop, and instead I took notes on paper.

Interview Techniques

I used many of the interview techniques from the interview exercise at NewsU.org. First, I conducted preliminary research to ensure that I asked informed questions. For Carrier, I read her biography on the Smith School website. I showed up on time to the scheduled interviews, and I made sure my interviewees were comfortable with recording our conversation. Because the recorder on my laptop, I had to periodically move the cursor around to make sure my laptop did not hibernate after being inactive for too long. To ensure the interviewee that I was still listening, I never broke eye contact and casually touched the mousepad. I nodded my head and asked follow-up questions to show that I was engaged, and at the end of the interview, I always thanked them for their time.

I also took pictures of Carrier and Murray. First, I explained to them the purpose of the photograph and then I had them sign the consent form before I took the pictures. To the left is Carrier and Murray together.

Ideas Generated During the Process

When I originally outlined my profile, I didn't realize that Melissa had taken on a two-part transformation. However, as I looked more closely at my notes and content, I realized that I could illustrate a gradual transformation (from volunteerism to entrepreneurship) and then a sudden turning point (from corporate America into academia).

I also realized a good alternative story form to use would be a timeline. During Carrier's transformation, she goes through a lot of stages, and I thought that a timeline would help illustrate her story.

Finally, I created a website to supplement my profile at SocialEntrepreneurProfile.weebly.com. Although the focus of the website is on Melissa, I thought it would be good to provide extra resources for aspiring social entrepreneurs, which is why I included the tips from Melissa, the Center for Social Value Creation, upcoming events, and related resources.