SEED SPOT has a new national director of product and impact

SEED SPOT, D.C.’s newest social impact–focused accelerator program, announced on Thursday that it has hired a new director of product and impact, Duane Rollins, to lead big-picture strategy in the coming months and years.

The role is intended to be focused on “helping SEED SPOT broaden its reach to serve entrepreneurs in more communities, develop new products to address market needs, and track the right metrics to better understand and communicate the change SEED SPOT and its entrepreneurs are making in the world,” according to a press release.

SEED SPOT, which started in Arizona, recently hit five years in operation and celebrated the launch of its first new location in D.C. “We are ready to scale our impact,” cofounder and CEO Courtney Klein said in a statement. “We know there are more students and entrepreneurs in communities all over the world that can benefit from our model and Duane is on the team now to help take our work to the next level.”

Duane Rollins. (Photo via LinkedIn)

Rollins comes to SEED SPOT from 18F, the government’s digital “startup,” where he was an innovation specialist. He also cofounded STEMLY, a nonprofit that advocates for STEM education.

Though SEED SPOT is headquartered in Phoenix, Rollins will work in D.C. He’ll be part of a growing District-based team for the company — local founder Kate Glantz also recently joined as a director of entrepreneur initiatives.

Want to see what SEED SPOT is up to? The accelerator will officially kick off its first D.C. cohort with a pitch event and welcome party on April 19.