PROFILE

Aaron Hurst is an award-winning and pioneer social entrepreneur and CEO dedicated to leveraging the power of human connection to drive positive societal change. He launched the United States Chamber of Connection to tackle the critical decline in social connection and trust.

As the founder of the Taproot Foundation, which catalyzed the $15 billion pro bono service market in the U.S., Aaron has demonstrated how connection can enhance community resilience and collaboration. Through his venture, Board.Dev, he focuses on strengthening governance by connecting tech executives with nonprofit boards. Imperative, a venture-backed startup he founded, led to the development of employee purpose profiling technology, helping individuals find fulfillment in their work through meaningful connections at over 200 companies. While leading Imperative he partnered with leading universities and companies on the first national and global studies of purpose at work.

A best-selling author, Aaron’s book The Purpose Economy catalyzed the focus on purpose in business over the last ten years. He is the recipient of the Ashoka and Draper Richard Kaplan fellowships and recognized multiple times as a Nonprofit Times Top 50 Influencer. He has written for or been featured in media outlets including the New York Times, MIT Management Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Newsweek, Bloomberg, and Time Magazine. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he resides with his family in Seattle.