Cynthia is an independent consultant, researcher and storyteller, focusing on collective agency and how organizations and communities work together to shape social systems. Her current affiliations include Senior Researcher and Adjunct Lecturer with the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School’s Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, and PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.

Cynthia's passion is uncovering stories that reveal the power of people in collectives. She recently co-authored a book, The Systems Work of Social Change, with Dr. Francois Bonnici. The book was published by Oxford University Press in September 2021 and was recently awarded the Alliance for Nonprofit Management’s Terry McAdam Book Award for “Changing the Way We Think” in 2022.

Cynthia’s work in social change began when, as a recovering management consultant, she joined the LGT Impact Fellowship, which brought her to South Africa for over a decade. Most recently, Cynthia led the Systems Storytelling Initiative at the Collective Change Lab, bringing together a diverse group of storytellers from across the globe to understand how to better communicate stories of systems change. Previously, she served as lead facilitator & curriculum designer for the DGMT Fellowship for Organisational Innovation, a program supporting emerging young civil society leaders in Cape Town, South Africa.

Cynthia has served in roles at several organizations, including program director for Generation Ubuntu, an afterschool program educating children in Cape Town; strategy consultant for mothers2mothers, an African social enterprise employing women to guide other women to good health; and co-founder & CEO of the Starfish Greathearts Foundation USA, a fundraising entity supporting children and families in South Africa.

Cynthia also enjoys investing in small businesses that act as communities for people to achieve their personal potential. She and her sister, Erica Whalen, are the co-owners of The Yoga Common, which owns and operates yoga studios in New York City and Austin, both of which are home to vibrant communities of teachers, students and staff.

Cynthia began her career working in the corporate sector as a management consultant. She holds a BA in English Literature from Georgetown University, an MBA from INSEAD, and is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Cape Town. She lives in Houston, Texas.