Media Kit

Alex Budak is an educator, entrepreneur, and author who helps people cultivate courage, spark change, and make an impact wherever they go.

An award-winning faculty member at UC Berkeley, he holds a triple appointment at the Haas School of Business, School of Public Health, and College of Natural Resources. His impact-focused courses teach students to think, act, and lead differently—and have even inspired student tattoos.

His book, Becoming a Changemaker, is being translated into 26 languages. CNBC named it a top 5 non-fiction book about work.

Alex began his hands-on, community-driven change work as co-founder of StartSomeGood. The platform has raised millions of dollars to help launch and scale new change efforts in over 50 countries.

A UCLA and Georgetown graduate, he has spoken on leadership, change, and meaning around the world, from Ukraine to Cambodia. He regularly leads workshops and keynotes for organizations like Accenture, Salesforce, The World Bank and UNHCR.

A few more things: Alex loves traveling (39 countries and counting), attempting new workouts, and spending time with his favorite changemakers—his wife Rebecca and their two young kids. He also once learned the hard way to never go budget skydiving.

More at alexbudak.com

Alex Budak is a UC Berkeley faculty member, co-founder of StartSomeGood, and the author of Becoming a Changemaker. An award-winning educator, he puts his heart and soul into helping people spark change, find fulfillment, and make an impact wherever they go.

EDUCATOR:

At UC Berkeley, Budak has faculty appointments at Berkeley Haas, Berkeley Public Health, and Berkeley Executive Education and teaches his changemaker courses – which have even inspired student tattoos. He serves as Faculty Director for the Berkeley Changemaker Executive Education Program, and also directs Berkeley Haas Global Access Program.

AUTHOR & SPEAKER:

His book, Becoming a Changemaker, brings a relatable and accessible lens to creating change. It’s hailed by CNBC as a “top 5 non-fiction book everyone should be reading about work," and is being translated in over 20 languages. He’s spoken around the world from Cambodia to the Arctic Circle and at leading organizations like Accenture, Salesforce, and UNHCR.

FOUNDER:

A social entrepreneur at heart, Budak’s change journey began when he co-founded StartSomeGood. The platform has helped people in over 50 countries raise millions of dollars to launch and scale new change initiatives – from climate to education to mental health.

A graduate of UCLA and Georgetown University, his work and writing has been featured in the Washington Post, The Guardian, USA Today and INC.

HUMAN:

When not changemaking, Budak loves food adventures, challenging workouts, and exploring the world (39 countries and counting). His worst ever life decision was going budget skydiving using a coupon; his best decision is spending time every day with his two favorite changemakers: his wife, Rebecca and their toddler son.

“The tools you need to step up, play bigger and increase your impact.” - New York Times Bestselling Author Liz Wiseman

Hailed by CNBC as a “top 5 non-fiction book everyone should be reading about work,” Becoming a Changemaker is a call to action, showing how leading change from where you are can transform your career, community and even the world. Alex Budak, a celebrated UC Berkeley faculty member, distills the essence of successful changemakers in this accessible guide, unveiling the essential mindsets and leadership skills needed to spark change and create impact across roles, sectors, and hierarchies. Through a powerful blend of data-driven insights and diverse, relatable case studies, Budak builds a compelling case, one that frames being a changemaker as an inclusive, aspirational identity for everyone.

Inspired by the lessons and philosophies from Budak’s wildly popular course of the same name, which he created at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Becoming a Changemaker will show you how to:

-Develop your own unique voice as a changemaker, to lead effectively, empathetically, and authentically in any setting.

-Transform setbacks into stepping stones and uncover the art and science of turning failures into powerful catalysts for growth and innovation

-Influence without authority to inspire and mobilize others towards your vision – even when you're not in charge.

-Create a sustainable action plan to turn your aspirations for change into reality with the Changemaker Canvas tool and its tangible, manageable steps.

-Pursue Your Purpose and learn to harness your individual strengths and passions to drive meaningful change from wherever you are, in a way that’s true to who you are.

To begin leading change, you don’t need a fancy title, or a perfectly polished idea. But you do need to start. This book is your first step.

Berkeley Haas Faculty Bio

Executive Education Bio

Berkeley Public Health Bio

Alex Budak is an award-winning faculty member at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, and the author of Becoming a Changemaker, which is being translated into 23 languages. He began his career co-founding StartSomeGood, a platform that has raised millions to launch new change initiatives in over 50 countries. He now brings these experiences to life as an educator and speaker on leadership, change and social impact. A graduate of UCLA and Georgetown, Alex champions learning through failure. His own worst mistake? Going budget skydiving.