An expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, technology management and practices in emotional intelligence, Trip Hawkins played a key role in defining and building two major industries:  personal computers and video games.  He was an early Apple executive and founder/CEO of Electronic Arts. In addition to founding and leading four game companies, he spent three years working with world leading experts to design and publish an advanced SEL game that teaches children the principles and practices of emotional intelligence.  A graduate of Harvard and Stanford, Hawkins is active in many charities and for over three years was a Professor of Technology Management at UCSB, where he taught entrepreneurship and leadership.

Trip met Janice Toben of IFSEL over twenty years ago. The first of his children was being introduced to SEL by her at The Nueva School, which Daniel Goleman had featured in his breakthrough book, Emotional Intelligence. As a parent of four kids he enjoyed hearing and participating in her work, and that of her SEL colleagues, over the next 18 years. The social growth and maturity he saw in my children from their SEL work was a revelation.  Trip always wished that SEL curriculum had been available when he was a child, and he tuned in when these brilliant and dedicated teachers founded IFSEL to spread the word. In 2013, Trip began working with Janice and the IFSEL team to make a video game that taught and assessed over 50 of their SEL curriculum lesson plans. The world needs SEL and Trip remains very grateful for what IFSEL is doing to help all of us become more mindful and compassionate.