ABOUT

Debra Giunta is a purpose-driven Founder, CEO and Advisor whose life’s work is centered around Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). 

As a TEDx speaker, recipient of the 2016 Goodcity Women’s Innovation Fund Award, Founding Board Member of the Illinois Dance Education Organization, and active mentor for growing organizations, Debra is driven by a lifetime of learning and development for herself and others. 

Informed by her creative and visionary approach to social entrepreneurship, Debra is on a mission to create spaces and experiences where individuals feel supported and empowered in order for them to reach their greatest potential. 

In 2008, Debra founded Design Dance, a dance education company inspired by the positive impact dance had on her own social and emotional development during her time as a competitive performer and teacher. As Director, she continues to develop partnerships with Chicago schools, community centers and institutions, growing the number of youth experiencing healing and empowerment through dance to over 6,000 per year. Design Dance has been featured on NBC's Making a Difference series. 

Continuing to infuse social and emotional learning into personal and professional development, Debra expanded her focus to include teenagers and young adults. In 2016, she founded Prismatic, a 501(c)(3) non-profit bringing holistic career readiness learning to Chicago students in 6th-12th grades. As Executive Director, Debra partners with local and national businesses as well as international partners to provide teens, young adults, and professionals around the world with mentorship and classroom lessons that help them identify their strengths and mission, while illustrating a roadmap to creative entrepreneurship.

Debra credits healthy, supportive environments to her own personal and professional development. She is committed to creating the spaces and experiences that empower each of us to lean into our vulnerabilities in order to unlock our authentic selves and positively contribute to our community and world.

In support of continuing to expand her impact to all ages, in 2019, Debra founded The Brainchild Collective, a platform to expand the reach of  social emotional learning organizations in her home city of Chicago.