Scott M. Curran
Lawyer, Leading Nonprofit Consultant, Founder of Beyond Advisors
Scott M. Curran has helped the world’s highest profile change agents—from former Presidents and A-list celebrities to small nonprofits turned household names, and startup charities on the street corner in his hometown—design, build, grow, and pivot some of the most exciting, impactful, high profile, and scrutinized nonprofits and social impact initiatives of the 21st century. Through a combination of experience spanning corporate law, global philanthropy, and cross-sector social impact at scale, Scott has seen it all.
More importantly, he’s identified the common challenges and opportunities beneath these efforts, simplified the framework for understanding the most impactful work that results, created an approach and toolkit for taking action, and is on a mission to give it all away.
Scott began his career as a corporate lawyer at a mid-sized law firm, an intensive training period that provided the foundation for all that came after. Following an unexpected detour to obtain a Masters of Public Service degree as a member of the inaugural class of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in 2005, Scott began his career in philanthropy. Soon after, as a 31-year-old, fifth-year corporate lawyer, he found himself with a summer internship at the Clinton Foundation. From there, he eventually became General Counsel and built the legal department of the Clinton Foundation during its most exciting and inspiring decade of growth, working with program teams, funders, and partners in over 40 countries around the world and over 35 states in the US.
Long before the results of the 2016 election would be known, Scott set his sights on his next venture, Beyond Advisers, a social impact consulting firm combining the best services of in-house counsel, outside law firms, and top-tier consultants. Scott and his growing team at Beyond would expand their services to help the world’s leading nonprofits, social enterprises, and cross-sector partnerships design, build, and grow their organizations, operations, and programs to achieve their originally envisioned work at scale.
Scott also advises law schools in developing social impact courses and clinical practices, and he consults with law firms to develop Social Impact & Innovation efforts. He teaches a groundbreaking law school class, “Lawyers as Social Innovators,” which Crain’s Chicago Business called “one of the coolest classes for law students.”
His first book, Do (More) Good (Better), will be published by Simon Acumen.