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Trust AAE Speakers Bureau for Booking Top Professional Speakers. Find a Keynote Speaker Today.
Bill Drayton

Bill Drayton

Keynote Speaker: Social Entrepreneur, Founder & C.E.O of Ashoka. Leading an Everyone a Changemaker world movement.

Bill Drayton Biography

Bill Drayton has been a social entrepreneur since he was a New York City elementary school student.

He was born to a mother who emigrated from Australia as a young cellist and an American father who, also unafraid to step into the unknown, became an explorer at an equally young age.

Public service and strong values run through the stories of both parents' families -- including several of the earliest anti-slavery abolitionist and women's leaders in the U.S.

These family influences, the rich diversity and openness of life in Manhattan-as well as America's deep cultural concern with equity, which flourished during the Civil Rights years-all interacted with one another and with Bill's temperament to plant Ashoka's earliest roots.

In elementary school, Bill loved geography and history and was equally unmotivated in Latin and math. His real passion in those years went to sailing, and starting and running a series of newspapers in his school and beyond. In high school he created and built the Asia Society into the largest student organization.

By high school he was also a NAACP member and actively engaged in and deeply moved by civil rights work. At Harvard he founded the Ashoka Table; and, at Yale Law School, he launched Yale Legislative Services which, by the time he graduated, engaged one third of the student body in helping key legislators throughout the northeast design and draft legislation.

Bill's deepening commitments to Asia, especially South Asia, and to civil rights were closely linked. Martin Luther King, Jr. followed Mahatma Gandhi's way, and anyone concerned with inequity within the U.S. could only be more disturbed by the greater inequalities between the world's North and South.

Once focused on such a chasm, any entrepreneur would have to ask: "What can I do?" At Harvard and Oxford, Bill did ask. Fully appreciating how central to significant change ("development") entrepreneurs are, his answer was the Ashoka idea.

Bill is also a manager and management consultant - choices that also grow from his fascination with how human institutions work. Although he loves and thinks first in historical terms, he is trained in economics, law, and management, the three key-interventionist disciplines. He was a McKinsey and Company consultant for almost ten years, gaining wide experience serving both public and private clients.

For four years, he was Assistant Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he had lead responsibility for policy, budget, management, audit, and representing the environment in Administration-wide policy development, notably including budget, energy, and economic policy. He successfully "intrapreneured" a series of major innovations and reforms in the field, ranging from the introduction of emissions trading to the use of economics-defined incentives to remove the advantage of delaying compliance.

Later he founded and led Save EPA (an association of professional environmental managers that helped the Congress, press, administration, citizen groups, and public understand and the block much of the radically destructive policies proposed by the Administrator Ann Gorsuch and others). Bill also founded and led Environmental Safety (which helps develop and spread better ways of implementing environmental laws).

He also served briefly in the White House, and taught both law and management at Stanford Law School and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

He is currently significantly involved as board chair of Get America Working! and Youth Venture, both major strategic innovations for the public good.

Bill has received many awards for his achievements. He was elected one of the early MacArthur Fellows for his work, including the founding of Ashoka. Yale School of Management gave him its annual Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.

The American Society of Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration jointly awarded him their National Public Service Award, and the Common Cause gave him its Public Service Achievement Award. He has also been named a Preiskel-Silverman Fellow for Yale Law School and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Most recently in 2005, he was selected one of America's Best Leaders by US News & World Report and Harvard's Center for Public Leadership. In the same month he was the recipient of the Yale Law School's highest alumni honor, The Yale Law School Award of Merit- for having made a substantial contribution to Public Service.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Bill Drayton and other top speakers and celebrities.

Bill Drayton Videos

Redefining leadership: Bill Drayton on Vimeo
Social Entrepreneur Series: Bill Drayton - FORA.tv
A fireside chat with Bill Drayton on Vimeo

How do I book Bill Drayton to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Bill Drayton for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Bill Drayton, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Bill Drayton or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Bill Drayton for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Bill Drayton, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a live event is $20,000 - $30,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Bill Drayton, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Bill Drayton speak about?

Bill Drayton is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Business, Environmental Policy, Environment, Entrepreneurship, Social Media, Business Leadership, Marketing, Futurism, Economy, Finance, Business Growth, Government, Executive Leadership, Networking, Ethics & Integrity, Social Justice, Social Sciences, Technology, Change Management, Personal Growth, Human Resources, Innovation, Leadership, Culture and Strategic Leadership.

Where does Bill Drayton travel from?

Bill Drayton generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Bill Drayton?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Bill Drayton for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Bill Drayton for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Bill Drayton or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Bill Drayton is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Business, Environmental Policy and Environment. The estimated speaking fee range to book Bill Drayton for live events is $20,000 - $30,000. Please contact us for virtual event fees. Bill Drayton generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Richard Florida, Peter Hinssen and Amin Toufani. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Bill Drayton for an upcoming event.

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/09/2024.

Bill Drayton Videos

Redefining leadership: Bill Drayton on Vimeo
Social Entrepreneur Series: Bill Drayton - FORA.tv
A fireside chat with Bill Drayton on Vimeo
Innovators in Action: Bill Drayton on Effecting Social Change on Vimeo
Bill Drayton - Ashoka - Social Entrepreneurship - YouTube
  • How do I book Bill Drayton to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Bill Drayton for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Bill Drayton, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Bill Drayton or any other speaker of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Bill Drayton for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Bill Drayton, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a live event is $20,000 - $30,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Bill Drayton, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Bill Drayton speak about?

  • Where does Bill Drayton travel from?

    Bill Drayton generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
  • Who is the agent for Bill Drayton?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Bill Drayton for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Bill Drayton for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Bill Drayton or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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BILL DRAYTON

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All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.