Margo Drakos

Margo Drakos is a social entrepreneur, impact investor, and former professional cellist committed to advancing economic empowerment through the humanities and technology. She is Managing Director and Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, where she leads internal AI strategy and supports high-impact organizations as a board member. Her investment portfolio includes Rocket Learning, Karya, Adalat AI, News Literacy Project, Rural Behavioral Health Institute, and Education Corps, with a focus on AI-enabled solutions that expand agency and opportunity.

Previously, Margo spent a decade as a tech entrepreneur working across the public and private sectors, including as Chief Technology Officer and Partner at McChrystal Group. She co-founded InstantEncore, a global leader in digital technology for the performing arts, pioneering early mobile apps featuring ticketing and live-streamed performances from major venues worldwide.

In national service, Margo founded and now serves as Board Chair of ArtistYear, an AmeriCorps program placing Resident Teaching Artists in schools across ten states, reaching 50,000 low-income students annually. Margo began her career as a professional musician at a young age and performed globally as a soloist and orchestral cellist, holding principal roles with several major U.S. symphonies and graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music. She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and has published in leading academic and policy journals. Margo also serves as a Trustee of the Marlboro Music Festival and School and the National Humanities Center.