DENIS MIZNE
Denis Mizne is the CEO of the Lemann Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to ensuring that every Brazilian student has a world class education. Born and raised in São Paulo, Mizne founded the Sou da Paz (I am for Peace) campaign in 1997 to raise awareness about the alarming levels of gun violence particularly among youth. Through his work at Sou da Paz, Mizne contributed to the draft and approval of the “Disarmament Statute,” a globally recognized legislative act regulating guns. Sou da Paz has also led several violence prevention projects that were important to São Paulo’s eighty percent homicide reduction over the last decade as well as crime prevention initiatives at the national level. In 2009, Mizne left his position as executive director of Sou da Paz to join and lead the Lemann Foundation. As CEO, he oversees a series of initiatives dedicated to improving education policy, training teachers, and supporting innovation in education. Mizne is an Ashoka Social Entrepreneur, a Yale World Fellow, and sits on the board of several nonprofits focused on education and violence prevention. He earned his degree in law from the University of São Paulo Law School and continued his education as a visiting scholar at Columbia University and at Harvard Business School OPM program.
