Mara Zepeda
Keynote Speaker: Serial Social Entrepreneur & Co-Founder of Zebras Unite
-
Travels From:
-
Speaking Fee:
-
Categories:
Mara Zepeda Biography
Mara Zepeda is a systempreneur and serial social entrepreneur. She is a co-founder of Cola Love, a catalytic community and economic development design studio in Columbia, South Carolina. She’s also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Faber Center for Entrepreneurship within the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. In 2022, Zepeda was named an Omidyar Network Luminary.
Most recently, Zepeda co-founded and was the Founding Managing Director of Zebras Unite, an international and intersectional hybrid cooperative and non-profit creating a more ethical, inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable approach to building businesses. With her leadership and in cooperation with ZU’s 300+ members, Founding Members, boards, extraordinary worker owners and leadership, she helped grow the organization to a combined $3M in revenue and grant funding. She is now a Strategic Advisor.
Prior, Zepeda was the founder of Switchboard, a venture-backed software company that merged in 2019 with its sister company, Hearken. It was through her experience as an entrepreneur of a different stripe that led her to co-found Zebras Unite, along with Jennfier Brandel, Dr. Astrid Scholz, and Aniyia Williams. Their manifesto, “Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break,” launched this timely, necessary, culture-shifting movement that has garnered broad recognition, from The New York Times to Nikkei. It now boasts an online community of 10K+ strong, hundreds of member-owners, and over 25 chapters around the world.
During her six years in Portland, Oregon, Zepeda was a co-founder and the founding board chair of Business for a Better Portland, a 350+ member next-generation business organization that forges public-private collaborations to advance systemic change, shared prosperity, and social justice and equity. She also co-founded and was the founding board chair of Xcelerate, a transformative community providing business support, education, peer mentorship, and funding to 200+ Oregon women entrepreneurs.
Zepeda is a renowned calligrapher with her studio Neither Snow, and was one of the early innovators in contemporary calligraphy. She was also an award-winning economic reporter for NPR, Marketplace, Planet Money, The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer and ran a weekly column for The Philadelphia Weekly for three years.
Zepeda has spent her career at the intersection of community building, economic development, and systems change. Drawing on her experience as an artist, entrepreneur, and child of bohemian and spiritually curious artists, she regularly speaks about and leads workshops on education, trust, time management, social networks, the future of international business, and more esoteric topics like the sacred gift and lifelong journey of working in partnership and collaboration.
Zepeda holds a BA in Russian from Reed College and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University, where she graduated with honors. She grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, raised by a Honduran artist father and a cellist mother. Now based in Columbia, South Carolina, she and her husband, Dr. Andrew Berns, are part of a growing movement in the South dedicated to building beloved community.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Mara Zepeda and other top speakers and celebrities.
Mara Zepeda Speaking Topics
How do I book Mara Zepeda to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Mara Zepeda 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 Mara Zepeda, 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 Mara Zepeda or any other speaker of your choice.
How much does it cost to book Mara Zepeda for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Mara Zepeda, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Mara Zepeda are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Mara Zepeda, 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 Mara Zepeda speak about?
Mara Zepeda is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Business, Leadership, Business Leadership, Economy, Female Leadership, Strategic Leadership and Business Consulting.
Where does Mara Zepeda travel from?
Mara Zepeda generally travels from South Carolina, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
Who is the agent for Mara Zepeda?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Mara Zepeda 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 Mara Zepeda 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 Mara Zepeda 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.
Mara Zepeda is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship and Business. The estimated speaking fee range to book Mara Zepeda for live events is $10,000 - $20,000, and for virtual events Below $10,000. Mara Zepeda generally travels from South Carolina, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Joan Barnes, Leah Solivan and Cheryl Cran. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Mara Zepeda for an upcoming event.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Mara Zepeda Speaking Topics
-
Zebras vs Unicorns
-
Become a doula for the new economy
-
Call and Response: How listening leads to social change
-
Entrepreneurship & the Creative Process
-
From Moscow to Jung: An entrepreneur’s journey
VIDEO
Mara Zepeda Videos
FAQS
-
How do I book Mara Zepeda to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Mara Zepeda 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 Mara Zepeda, 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 Mara Zepeda or any other speaker of your choice. -
How much does it cost to book Mara Zepeda for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Mara Zepeda, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Mara Zepeda are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Mara Zepeda, 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 Mara Zepeda speak about?
Mara Zepeda is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Business, Leadership, Business Leadership, Economy, Female Leadership, Strategic Leadership and Business Consulting. -
Where does Mara Zepeda travel from?
Mara Zepeda generally travels from South Carolina, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. -
Who is the agent for Mara Zepeda?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Mara Zepeda 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 Mara Zepeda 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 Mara Zepeda 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.
BOOK MARA ZEPEDA
We are happy to assist you with your interest in booking a speaker or celebrity for your event, your organization, and the type of talent you would like to secure, and an agent will be in touch shortly.
Fill out the form below to or call us at 1-800-698-2536 if need immediate assistance.
We respond to most inquiries within 4 hours. Under special circumstances, it may take up to 24 hours.
We are happy to help! Call us to speak with a booking agent about your event or specific speaker request.
Gauge Interest and check availability for appearances, speaking engagements, or corporate events.
Provide you with speaking fee to book Mara Zepeda or other celebrity appearance fees
Give you personal recommendations for the best keynote speakers or celebrities
Assist you with any questions you have throughout the talent booking process
This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
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.
