Dr. Claire A. Nelson

Dr. Claire A. Nelson is a futurist, sustainability engineer, social entrepreneur, and storyteller whose work focuses on strategic foresight, international development, and equity. Nelson holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in industrial engineering from SUNY at Buffalo and Purdue University, respectively, and a doctorate in engineering management from George Washington University. She is recognized as the first Jamaican woman to earn a doctorate in an engineering discipline. Prior to founding The Futures Forum, Nelson held various positions at the Inter-American Development Bank, where her career included strategic portfolio development, program management, institutional assessments, and technical feasibility studies in sectors such as public sector modernization, private sector development, community development, and trade development.

Nelson is chief ideation leader of The Futures Forum, a research and education practice that applies strategic foresight and sustainability engineering to organizational and community challenges. She is the author of the book "SMART Futures for a Flourishing World: A Paradigm for Advancing Global Sustainability." Nelson serves as a board member of the World Futures Studies Federation and is a keynote speaker on topics including "From Future Shock to Future Sense," the future of wellbeing, Industry 4.0, and the future of the American Dream. Her work includes developing technical assistance and innovation portfolios in renewable energy, stock exchange development, health care, intellectual property, and privatization across the Caribbean and Latin America.

Nelson is the founding convenor of the Space Futures Forum and curates Space Ungana, an international conference advancing space research and education in Africa. She is founder, chair, and chief visionary officer of the Omni Africa Space Exploration Analog Simulation, which aims to design, build, and operate a research station simulating human settlements in space as part of a global network of analog research stations. Nelson also co-founded the Caribbean Space Society to promote advocacy and education on space for the Sustainable Development Goals and access to space for small island developing states. She has served on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Futures Studies and World Futures Review Journal, and is an active member of the Association of Professional Futurists and the World Futures Studies Federation, where she is editor-at-large of its flagship publication Human Futures Magazine.

Nelson is founding president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies and founding chair of the campaign for June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month. She is executive producer of the National Caribbean American Heritage Awards. Nelson has been recognized as a White House Champion of Change. Her speaking engagements include the White House, World Bank, World Steel, US Air Force, UNESCO, BET Leading Women Defined, the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, the Saudi Space Agency, and the Salzburg Seminar.

An award-winning writer and storyteller, Nelson developed the genre of prospective memoir and performed her one-woman show "Moon Runnings: The Life & Times of the First Jamaican on the Moon" at the ASU Emerge Festival of the Future, the Museum of Science Fiction, and the Salzburg Seminar. She has been named among the Top 100 Women Futurists in the Twitterverse and received an Outstanding Alumni Award from Purdue University, School of Industrial Engineering. Nelson has served as adjunct faculty at Morgan State University and as a guest lecturer at Purdue University, George Mason University, George Washington University, and the University of Colorado. Through her multidisciplinary career in engineering, foresight, advocacy, and the arts, Nelson contributes to shaping conversations about humanity’s shared future.