About the Community Innovation Challenge

The Community Innovation Challenge is seeking innovative ideas that leverage Cisco’s portfolio of products and services to drive both positive impact and the bottom line. This challenge invites students to explore the power of possibility by leveraging Cisco's expertise in products and services to design a social impact program that addresses community needs and showcases how it can drive business outcomes for the company.

2025 Challenge Prompt:

Thinking about Cisco’s product and services expertise, design a social impact program that solves a community need (or needs) and demonstrate how these initiatives can drive business outcomes for the company.  

Everyone who downloads the challenge brief will be invited to participate in the program’s Launch Call featuring Cisco’s Community Enablement Team. Through this call, participants will learn more about Cisco’s community work, their motivations for running this challenge, and any questions about the program.

Up to five teams will be selected as finalists in the Community Innovation Challenge. Finalist teams will be paired with a subject matter expert mentor to refine and prepare their presentation ahead of the finals. Finalist teams will present their solution to a panel of expert judges at the virtual Final Showcase event. If geographically feasible, finalist teams will be invited to pitch their final presentation at a local corporate Cisco office. The first-place team will receive the $10,000 USD grand prize, with second and third-place teams taking home $5,000 USD and $2,500 USD, respectively. 

Finalist Benefits

Advance Your Career

Gain real-world experience designing social impact initiatives that drive bottom-line business value to include on your resume or discuss in interviews.

Expand your Network

Present your innovative social impact program to senior-level executives from Cisco working in corporate responsibility.

Win Prizes

First Place: $10,000

Second Place: $5,000

Third Place: $2,500

How it Works

Step 1: Get Started

Download the Community Innovation Challenge Brief, form your team, and start ideating your social impact program!

Step 2: Grow your Network

Everyone who downloads the Challenge Brief will be invited to the program Launch Call featuring members from Cisco’s Community Enablement Team to talk more about their work and answer any questions you may have. Watch the Launch Call Recording here.

Step 3: Submit your solution, become a finalist, and WIN!

Submit an application addressing the challenge statement. Work with a team of 2-5 members to submit your solution to the prompt question. Submissions are due no later than 11:59 pm PT on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Finalist teams will be paired with an expert mentor to refine their final pitch presentation before presenting virtually to a panel of experts to win $10,000!

Eligibility Criteria

Undergraduate students and graduate students from around the world are all welcome to apply.

Teams must have two to five members. Teams of one are not allowed.

Program Timeline

Phase 1 - All

June 2025: Challenge opens

August 2025: Applications Open

September 18, 2025: Launch Call with Cisco’s Community Enablement Team (View the Call Recording Here)

September 28, 2025 at midnight PT: Early submission deadline (Those who submit a solution before this deadline will receive specialized feedback that they can incorporate into their next submission and increase their chances of winning the $10,000 grand prize.)

October 26, 2025 at midnight PT: Final submission deadline

Phase 2 - Finalist Teams

Early November 2025: Finalist teams are selected

November 2025: Mentorship period for Top 5 teams

Monday, December 8, 2025: Final Showcase with a panel of expert judges

Time Commitment

If selected, finalist teams will be expected to commit to participating in the virtual final showcase in December 2025. The event will last approximately two hours, and all team members are expected to attend. The final showcase will require approximately six to eight hours of preparation.

Meet the Final Judges

The Community Innovation Challenge is honored to have the following leaders serve as our esteemed final judging panel.

Christian Bigsby, Sr. Vice President, Workplace Resources

Christian leads Cisco’s Global Real Estate and Facilities organization, known as Workplace Resources, where he is creating the company’s Hybrid Portfolio Transformation. Prior to Cisco, Christian spent 25 years with GSK and its legacy companies. At GSK, he ran the Worldwide Real Estate and Facilities organization from 2011 through 2017.

In his three decades in the real estate industry, Christian has worked as an interior designer, a facility manager, and a real estate director. Over the past 15 years, he has helped transform the way people interact within the work environment and how they think of “the office” and “the lab.” Looking to the future, Christian and his team are constantly innovating to define the next generation of workplaces to drive the company’s real estate and services into a true competitive advantage in the retention and pursuit of talent. Christian holds a Bachelor of Science in Design from Cornell University.

Gretchen Sleeper, Director, AI Capabilities Team, Global Sales AI Center of Excellence

Gretchen Sleeper is a transformative technology executive with over two decades of experience driving enterprise-scale innovation at the intersection of AI, sales, and digital transformation. As Director of Cisco’s AI Capabilities Team, she leads efforts within the newly established Global Sales AI Center of Excellence, guiding the strategy, governance, deployment and adoption of AI capabilities that empower more than 20,000 sellers worldwide. In her role, Gretchen oversees Cisco’s global AI roadmap for sales, establishing robust governance frameworks, business requirements, and use case prioritization to ensure alignment across geographies, architectures, and sales functions. She partners with the Automation Office, IT, Customer Success, Marketing, People & Communities, and Legal to translate complex business challenges into scalable AI solutions that enhance customer engagement, productivity, and revenue performance.

A recognized champion of Responsible AI, Gretchen has been instrumental in building the foundation for secure, ethical, and compliant AI delivery across the sales lifecycle. Her leadership bridges data, design, and delivery, driving measurable business impact while fostering a culture of innovation and accountability across Cisco’s global sales ecosystem.

Gretchen holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and advanced certifications from Wells Fargo, Stanford, Forrester, IBM, Prosci and Cisco in Financial Analysis, Program Management, AI Governance, Change Management, and Generative AI. At the intersection of AI innovation, sales strategy, and business transformation, Gretchen brings a human-centered, data-driven approach to delivering impact at scale.

Scott McGregor, Director, Community Enablement

Scott McGregor is a seasoned leader in social impact and inclusion, with over 25 years of experience in the tech industry. As Cisco’s Director of Community Enablement within the Social Impact and Inclusion Office, Scott leads with purpose—having managed a $300 million portfolio dedicated to leveraging Cisco’s technology and solutions to transform and modernize the digital infrastructure and academic experiences of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). His work is grounded in a deep commitment to investing, innovating and empowering underserved communities through anti-poverty and skills-based strategies and tactics.

A 16-year Cisco veteran, Scott began his career at the company in Sales and Sales Operations before transitioning in 2020 to Cisco’s People and Communities organization. He has also served as a global leader for Cisco’s Employee Resource Groups (ERG), Connected Black Professionals. His community-centric approach has been instrumental in aligning Cisco’s business and purpose-driven goals with real-world impact.

Before joining Cisco, Scott held leadership roles in business development across the technology and staffing sectors, including positions at MicroAge, The Yoh Companies, and Courtyard by Marriott. Guided by his favorite motto—Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat (“Fortune favors the bold”)—Scott brings bold and courageous thought leadership, strategic insight, and unwavering passion to his work at the intersection of technology, education, and community transformation.

Shaina Tamburr, Vice President, Market Access Revenue Acceleration

Shaina Tamburr is a distinguished executive whose passion and expertise drive transformation across Cisco. She leads the Market Access Revenue Acceleration Office, orchestrating innovative go-to-market and route-to-market strategies to accelerate recurring as-a-Service (aaS) revenue growth. Shaina is recognized for delivering rapid time-to-value for Cisco’s partners and customers, particularly for compliant product offerings, by guiding cross-functional strategy from incubation through acceleration to successful market scale. Known for her ability to translate complex strategy into clear, actionable programs, Shaina excels at building and leading large-scale, cross-functional initiatives. She is respected for establishing and standardizing best practices that deliver data-driven insights and measurable outcomes, consistently accelerating business priorities across the organization.

Since joining Cisco in 2006, Shaina has demonstrated a proven track record of operational excellence. She previously led the Execution Management Office for Cisco’s Transformation Center, where she optimized the company’s portfolio, enhanced the go-to-market engine, and drove enterprise-wide alignment to accelerate strategic execution. As leader of the CX Centers Excellence & Standardization team, Shaina established foundational frameworks that streamlined processes and delivered an extraordinary customer experience. She also led Operations for Cisco Managed Services, overseeing business strategy, planning, go-to-market operations, process optimization, and business case development. Additionally, Shaina has held pivotal roles in North American sales and worldwide services organizations, building and managing portfolio management, program management, and business transformation offices. In addition to her operational leadership, Shaina serves as executive sponsor for two critical Cisco customers. In this capacity, she creates trusted relationships between Cisco and these key customers, and partners closely to help drive a strategic vision tailored to their evolving business needs. Shaina is committed to developing talent and building inclusive, high-performing teams that champion innovation and deliver impactful results. She actively mentors emerging leaders through Cisco’s JUMP Women’s Leadership Program and Connected Black Professionals. She also serves as Executive Sponsor for the Emerging Talent and Women of Cisco – Carolinas Inclusive Communities, supporting employee growth and advancement.

Shaina holds a BA in Clinical Psychology and Child Development from Tufts University and an MBA from Santa Clara University. She enhanced her executive leadership skills through the Executive Leadership Program at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and holds a certification in Portfolio Management from Stanford University. Shaina lives in North Carolina with her family and is an avid CrossFit athlete, coach, and competitor.