Dr. Michelle Shumate is a professor at Northwestern's School of Communication, where she "investigates the dynamics of interorganizational networks designed to impact large social issues." She is co-author of the new book, Networks for Social Impact.

Dr. Shumate and her co-author Dr. Cooper depict when and how to use networks for social impact to improve issues related to educational outcomes, mental health and wellness, gender-based violence, climate change, senior and veteran care, and more, by providing a new framework for organizations to more seamlessly work together. She talks to host Steve Boland about the axioms used in framing the book, the case studies which illustrate these issues, understanding the necessity of some partners needing to pause in the work, and much more.