Eddie Gonzalez-Novoa

This year marks Eddie’s 20th year as a social entrepreneur. In 1997, he was an early recipient of the highly competitive Echoing Green Fellowship which he used to launch Jumpstart New York, an early language and literacy program serving thousands of low-income children and families.

He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, pursued simultaneous Masters degrees in Divinity and Education from Harvard University, and was named one of the National Urban Fellows’ America’s Leaders of Change for his impact on public health, education and leadership in New York City and the region. Drawing from his career in community development, leadership formation, operations, strategy and social ecosystems, he also served as adjunct graduate faculty in Community Leadership at the esteemed Bank Street College of Education.

In January 2013, Eddie left a successful and impactful job as Executive Director to move to Houston, TX and launch The Survivor Games, a nonprofit that supports and connects teen cancer survivors through video games. That geographic and career move allowed him to synthesize his community-building history with his health innovation experience as Executive Director of Energizing Health where his operational and strategic leadership has helped connect early stage companies with payers and providers through the Impact Pediatric Innovation Initative (SXSW), Innovation Summit on Aging (Louisville), Energizing Health Innovation Initiative (Houston), and AARP (Silicon Valley), as well as mentoring local educational tech and gaming companies.

A dynamic speaker and gifted facilitator, Eddie has spoken on topics including gaming, cancer, leadership and youth development and has presented at the SXSW Gaming Expo SXSW MedTech Expo, University of Illinois, Southwest Oncology Group and the Gates Foundation.