The New Front Lines: Jake Harriman at TEDxBYU

Jake Harriman served as a Special Operations Platoon Commander in the Marine Corps where he led four operational deployments and was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in combat. From his experiences, Jake came to believe that the "War on Terror" won't be won on the battlefield alone: the contributing causes of terrorism -- disenfranchisement, lack of education, and extreme poverty -- must also be eradicated. Jake left his military career and enrolled at the Stanford Graduate School of Business to build an organization focused on tackling extreme poverty. He graduated with an MBA in June 2008 and led a team to launch Nuru International in Kenya in the same year.
Jake walks you through his journey from fighting terrorism on the battlefields of Iraq to fighting the desperation of extreme poverty in impoverished villages of Kenya and Ethiopia. He describes key discoveries he has made about the power of equipping leaders in making truly sustainable gains in the war against extreme poverty. Jake describes the urgency of the crisis of extreme poverty in a compelling argument that sheds light on the greater global implications of ending the crisis - including greater global security and stability and untapping 1/6th of the world's economic potential found at the bottom of the pyramid.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event:
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)