Social Entrepreneur and Senior Strategist in New York
As a social entrepreneur and senior strategist, Mr. Stangvik brings 30 years of experience leading private businesses, raising capital and securing funding for companies and nonprofits. Erik owned and operated The Body Shop franchises throughout the US and worked with Anita Roddick for 10 years developing sustainable economic projects around the world. He was co-founder and CEO of Zoup-ah!, a filmed entertainment and lifestyle brand company creating culinary adventures for children. In addition, he owned Furla stores up and down the west coast.
Mr. Stangvik was founding Executive Vice President of The Heroic Imagination Project with Dr. Philip Zimbardo and served as Senior Vice President for the No Bully organization seeing an opportunity to use his extensive experience to help scale an organization that has data-driven impact and addresses an issue he cares deeply about as a father. Erik directed development for the National Nordic Museum, driving a 65 million capital campaign.
Presently Mr. Stangvik is Senior Advisor to Light Technologies, Inc., The Muses Collective and to Suzy Amis Cameron. He has served on a variety of boards including Hands That Shape Humanity, The Body Shop, Stanford Shopping Center, Poncho and Until There’s A Cure Foundation. Erik currently serves on the Board of Directors for the private Rockefeller Family Foundation (PMR), the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Partnership and Upstate Films in the Hudson Valley. He is Executive Producer on the television series, Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the World. In addition, he is the co-founder of Coalition for Humankind.
Educated at UC Berkeley, and an avid world traveler, he and his life partner, Silda Wall Spitzer, champion causes for human rights, programs that ignite empathy and compassion in young people, climate change and platforms that pave the way for women to lead in the 21st century. His favorite word is Dad.