Who we are

Dr. Doric Earle

Founder & Principal Consultant

Photo: SMU Impact Lab, Meadows School of the Arts

After 30 years managing large technology consultancies, Dr. Earle reinvented himself around a single question: how do you use economic development, communication, and community engagement to unlock potential in underserved communities? He is a Professor of Practice at SMU's Meadows School of the Arts (Corporate Communication & Public Affairs), Director of Nonprofit & Arts Leadership Advisory, Co-Director of the SMU Impact Lab, and Director of the SMU-in-London program. He co-founded Restorative Farms — an award-winning, USDA-certified urban farm training and employing South Dallas residents — where he serves as CFO, and Dallas Unity Fund LLC, a community-based real estate platform. He also hosts the podcast Reinvent Yourself For Good. In 2023 he received the UN Day Global Leadership Award. He serves on the boards of Frazier Revitalization, Bridge Lacrosse, Green Careers Dallas, and Miles of Freedom.

• B.S. Management, Syracuse University
• M.B.A. Strategic Marketing, University of Connecticut
• Ph.D. Public Affairs, University of Texas at Dallas

Dr. Owen Lynch

Co-Founder & Executive Director, Restorative Farms

Photo: Kim Leeson, via SMU Meadows School of the Arts

Dr. Lynch is an Associate Professor of Corporate Communication & Public Affairs at SMU's Meadows School of the Arts and a Senior Research Fellow at the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity. He co-founded Restorative Farms in 2017, building on a decade of research into food deserts and urban Agri-Systems, and now serves as its Executive Director. He previously directed Get Healthy Dallas, a nonprofit addressing food deserts and economic development in South Dallas. His research examines how systems, organizations, and communities are shaped through everyday discourse, using asset-based community development methods.

• Associate Professor, SMU Meadows School of the Arts
• Senior Research Fellow, Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

Leo Watts

Entrepreneurial Director

Leo is an international development and business development professional based in Seville, Spain, where he's completing a Master's in Human Rights, Interculturality and Development. He founded Cooperatr, connecting European SMEs with international development funding, and previously worked in private sector engagement at Winrock International, building partnerships with organizations like Better Cotton, Bayer, and AB InBev across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He also founded and sold two earlier companies, in educational consulting and real estate.

• B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Texas at Dallas
• Master's in Human Rights, Interculturality and Development, Universidad Internacional de Andalucía (in progress)

Aidan Earle

Design and Marketing Director

Aidan brings years of experience in fine arts and digital rendering to commercial production, specializing in animation, illustration, and 3D modeling for marketing and creative design. He's also hands-on in local sustainable agriculture, permaculture, and urban gardening — a natural fit for Forward Planning's community and agricultural work.