Keynote Livestream

Alyssa Macy (Wasco, Navajo, Hopi) is the CEO of Washington Conservation Action, a statewide environmental policy and advocacy organization with deep roots in the state. She is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon and was raised on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Prior to WCA, she served her Nation as the Chief Operations Officer where she was responsible for $33 million in tribal programming and services. Her previous experiences include working in transportation, campaign management, communications and international advocacy within United Nations bodies. She is a published writer and co-authored the first ever national report on Native American voting in 2005. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time outdoors. She is a graduate of Arizona State University where she received her B.S. in Justice Studies.

Jon earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of St. Thomas and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of California – San Diego. After graduate school, Jon joined Steelcase Inc. as their environmental chemist and eventually moved into a role as a leader in sustainable design and development. He joined Andersen Windows & Doors where he served as corporate sustainability manager and was responsible for product lifecycle assessments, material ingredient transparency, and preparing Andersen for a future in the circular economy. Jon is now the VP of Circularity and Senior Analyst at GreenBiz Group, a media and events company that works to accelerate the just transition to a clean economy.

Elected in 2012, Jay Inslee is the longest serving governor in the United States. Washington has seen historic economic growth over that time and has been consistently ranked as one of the best states to live, work and do business. He has helped put Washington state at the forefront of fighting climate change; put massive new investments into education, behavioral health and housing; and helped families by funding the Working Families Tax Credit and implementing the nation’s best paid family leave program.

Bryan Lewis leads the Emerging Leaders program at GreenBiz.org, which elevates, cultivates and supports the next generation of Black, Indigenous and other leaders of color (BIPOC) in the climate community. His work connects underrepresented young professionals to global leaders in the sustainability industry and builds lasting connections that bridge the gap towards a diverse and well-resourced green workforce.
Prior to joining GreenBiz, Bryan served as Executive Director of EcoWorks Detroit where he led climate and energy education, building decarbonization, and local community organizing initiatives. He has a background in youth mentorship and career development and currently leads a network of emerging clean energy leaders in Michigan. Bryan received a Masters in Energy Science, Technology, and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Growing up on a small family farm surrounded by forests, streams and swamps, Brad’s connection to nature started early. Playing outside, building forts and damming the creek, and raising livestock like chickens, pigs, and cows, influenced his love of nature. Brad’s childhood dream of being a zookeeper was fostered by books, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and trips to his local zoo, the John Ball Park Zoo. A family trip while in middle school brought his first encounter with the ocean. Brad had read about tide pools and all sorts of ocean creatures, so investigating the rocky Oregon coast was magical. A wildlife biology degree afforded early work with the Colorado Division of Wildlife studying grassland birds. His first zoo job was at the Royal Zoo of Morocco while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer. That experience sparked a career-long value of culturally-relevant conservation messages. Six years at Zoo Atlanta as a keeper and animal trainer preceded a 20 year period at Denver Zoo. As the Senior Director of Guest Experience he was proud to host Washed Ashore in 2016. In 2018 he completed a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and went on to be part of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Division of Experiences & Partnerships. He represents Washed Ashore's team of staff and volunteers and focuses on reducing the impact of ocean plastic pollution through art.

Erin works to drive positive change across industries by leading WWF’s packaging and material science program. Key to conservation is the overall protection of the planet’s natural resources, and packaging plays a vital role in that.

Through her efforts, she works with business and industry to help them make informed, sustainable material choices for their products and packaging. Her work focuses on the major commodities that go into packaging, which come in many different forms and materials, and how to integrate sustainability into the decisions and trade-offs that must be evaluated across a product’s lifecycle.

Erin works with companies to strategically address their packaging work streams by focusing on developing transparency in the supply chain for the major packaging materials and pursuing strategies that reduce the environmental impact of these materials through responsible sourcing.

Prior to joining WWF, Erin worked at Hewlett Packard for 10 years as a packaging engineer responsible for the design and implementation of laser jet printer and media packaging. Her expertise is in material science, design innovation, procurement, manufacturing, and logistical and point of purchase aspects of packaging.

Rob is a member of the Executive Leadership team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, where he oversees the Foundation's work on plastics and finance. Before arriving at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Rob worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. A software engineer by training, Rob also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

Mr. Kamenash Co-Founded Camston Wrather LLC in 2014 and currently serves as the Chief Innovation Officer; overseeing all aspects of process design, engineering, implementation, and optimization of plant operations for Camston Wrather's Carlsbad, CA Resource Recovery Facility as well as the development of the next generation of process facilities.

Education: The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Majors in Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering and minoring in Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

Destana is an Associate at Regeneration.VC where he has worked since the firm's inception, performing key functions across investment analysis, marketing strategy, operations, and platform development. As an Analyst, Destana helped diligence and underwrite the fund’s initial investments spanning carbon capture, deep tech, AI/ML-driven recommerce and apparel. Previously, Destana analyzed impact investment opportunities at Avivar Capital, an institutional capital and foundation-focused RIA.

In 2021, Destana graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Economics and relevant coursework in entrepreneurship, environmental economics, finance, and sustainable development. With the Harvard College Impact Investing Group, he researched existing venture philanthropic models, studied DEI strategies in private capital markets, and developed the building blocks for a student-managed impact investment fund vehicle. Destana currently resides in San Diego, CA.

Sofia Rivas Herrera self identifies as Supply Chain Ambassador, sharing her passion for the field in her daily life. She has been recognized as upcoming thought leader in the field and invited to participate in several podcasts, international conferences, digital magazines, webinars and guest lectures to discuss topics such as digital transformation, network design, data analysis, automation and future skill sets for supply chain professionals. Winner of the Coup de Coeur Award at the Global Women Supply Chain Leaders 2021 by B2G Consulting. Sofia is a Mexican Industrial Engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey University and alumni from MIT Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (GCLOG). Additionally, she has enriched her education with international academic experiences at Singapore Management University and Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Currently working as Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization Manager at HP within their Global Supply Chain and Logistics team. Mainly focused on leading projects for overall cost optimization and process improvement for warehouse operations, demand planning, last mile delivery and reversed logistics. Sofia has also led M&A company integrations from a logistics operations workstream. Sofia has previous experience working in Latin American markets in ecommerce sales and operations planning at Mercado Libre, and in data analytics and operations within the airport industry at Pacific Airport Group.

As a Partner and Managing Director of IDEO's Play Lab, Michelle Lee leads an integrated research, design, and development team that brings engaging, interactive, and playful experiences to market. Building upon IDEO’s 30+ years in toy invention and Michelle’s own background in toy design, the lab leverages the principles of play to connect with people on a deeper emotional level that captivates, delights, and empowers. Michelle is an expert at addressing difficult challenges and creating meaningful change across industries by applying a lens of play. She has helped clients enhance workplace culture, championed responsible digital design, inspired underrepresented students to pursue careers in STEM, and supported organizations as they adopted practices in line with a circular economy. Michelle has shared her passion for play at SXSW, The Delight Conference, The Culture Summit, and through numerous podcasts and articles.

Jon earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of St. Thomas and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of California – San Diego. After graduate school, Jon joined Steelcase Inc. as their environmental chemist and eventually moved into a role as a leader in sustainable design and development. He joined Andersen Windows & Doors where he served as corporate sustainability manager and was responsible for product lifecycle assessments, material ingredient transparency, and preparing Andersen for a future in the circular economy. Jon is now the VP of Circularity and Senior Analyst at GreenBiz Group, a media and events company that works to accelerate the just transition to a clean economy.

Nethra Rajendran is the Sustainability Analyst at Greenbiz. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems with a double minor in Geography and Sustainability from the University of Georgia. She instructed a course at Brown University’s Environmental Leadership Lab in Alaska on sustainability and indigenous perspectives. She is passionate about environmental education, grassroots initiatives, intersectional solutions, and cooking plant-based meals. 

Kenny is a designer and an advocate for the circular economy. In his work he leverages play as an approach to engage people, reframe challenges, and make a positive impact. As Senior Manager of Service Design for North America, at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, he supports leading organizations in their effort to operationalize circular economy principles and strategies. Prior to joining the Foundation, Kenny worked across industries as an innovation consultant and industrial designer to develop new products and services.

Nethra Rajendran is the Sustainability Analyst at Greenbiz. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems with a double minor in Geography and Sustainability from the University of Georgia. She instructed a course at Brown University’s Environmental Leadership Lab in Alaska on sustainability and indigenous perspectives. She is passionate about environmental education, grassroots initiatives, intersectional solutions, and cooking plant-based meals. 

Kenny is a designer and an advocate for the circular economy. In his work he leverages play as an approach to engage people, reframe challenges, and make a positive impact. As Senior Manager of Service Design for North America, at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, he supports leading organizations in their effort to operationalize circular economy principles and strategies. Prior to joining the Foundation, Kenny worked across industries as an innovation consultant and industrial designer to develop new products and services.

Eric Faurot leads GreenBiz Group, the leading B2B media company amplifying sustainable innovation. In this role he is responsible for the overall strategy and growth of the company. Previously he managed and produced some of the most influential technology events, including COMDEX, INTEROP, Black Hat and Web 2.0. Most recently he grew the technology division of UBM from $38 million to $63 million in three years.

Bruce Harrell was born and raised in Seattle, worked as an attorney before serving on City Council, and is currently mayor – Seattle's first Asian American, first biracial, and second Black mayor. He grew up in Seattle’s redlined Central District, his African American father worked for the city’s electric utility and his Japanese American mother worked for the city’s library. Bruce graduated Garfield High School and then attended the University of Washington on a football scholarship, where he won a Rose Bowl and received a Bachelor of Arts in political science. He went on to earn a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law and worked as an attorney on technology issues and later public interest law.  

Bruce was first elected to the Seattle City Council in 2007, re-elected twice, and twice elected City Council President by his peers. On Council, he was a leader racial equity, public safety reform, and economic and educational opportunity. In 2021, Bruce was elected mayor of Seattle on a commitment to address the homelessness crisis with urgency and compassion, to ensure public safety for all communities, and to restore trust, hope, and unity in local government and civic life. Bruce and his wife Joanne are proud to be the parents of three children and the grandparents to two grandchildren.

Dr. Priscilla Johnson is a Mom, water resources engineer, and educator. With an enduring passion for the environment and 25 years in the chemical, water/wastewater, energy and tech industries, she believes that our planet can thrive without depleting natural resources. In 2022, she joined Upstream as Chief Strategy Officer where she inspires leaders to ideate, accelerate, and scale circular strategies that create thriving communities and build the reuse service infrastructure of tomorrow. She now serves as Interim CEO.Prior to arriving at Upstream, Dr. Johnson led one of the most aggressive water reduction strategies for Microsoft Cloud as Director of Water Strategy and co-crafting Microsoft’s net positive water strategy. Dr. Johnson holds degrees from New York University (B.S.) in Communications, Purdue University (M.S. and Ph.D.) in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Water Resources), a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional in Operations and Maintenance and a certified Datacenter Energy Practitioner (DCEP) and Heating, Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) expert.

Jo’s love for Louisiana was instilled by her grandparents, who passed down ten generations of Louisiana folktales and history highlighting her Afro-Creole heritage.Sparked by this connection, Jo utilizes her degrees in Communications to protect Louisiana’s people and its environment fiercely. Jo founded The Descendants Project, where she now channels her affection and knowledge into challenging exploitative systems. She currently works to gain recognition of the burial grounds of the enslaved as sacred sites and aims to protect communities from degradation caused by heavy industry and petrochemicals.As a Louisiana Cancer Alley resident, Jo champions environmental justice causes and is developing strategies to transform land into green spaces where communities like hers can thrive. Jo’s advocacy led her to speak before the United Nations. She now participates in the Plastics Treaty negotiations.Jo works with several industries, including entertainment and tourism, to develop alternative job options outside of petrochemical.

Dr. Joy Banner is Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Descendants Project, a nonprofit foundation committed to the liberation of the Black descendant community through the dismantling of inequitable and discriminatory economic, environmental, and social systems inherent in the violent legacies of slavery. As part of this work, Dr. Banner is on the front lines of the struggle against environmental racism in the form of petrochemical plants and heavy industry along Louisiana’s River Road, otherwise known as “Cancer Alley.”

Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman founded and built the Refugee Artisan Initiative (RAI) in 2017 on the fabric of social and environmental justice. The nonprofit's mission is to partner with refugee and immigrant women for a prosperous transition to America through skill training and microbusiness. To date, RAI has created jobs for over thirty refugee and immigrant women by upcycling over 120,000 items and has kept 40,000 pounds of materials out of the landfill. Ming-Ming has won multiple awards and recognitions for her tireless effort on a circular and equitable economy.

Ashley Hall is the Lead for Sustainable Packaging at Walmart. 

With more than a decade of experience with plastics, recycling, and materials management, Emily brings her skills of stakeholder engagement, industry expertise, and passion for reducing climate change to the U.S. Plastics Pact. The U.S. Plastics Pact is an ambitious initiative led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to unify diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to rethink the way we design, use, and reuse plastics, to create a path toward a circular economy for plastic in the United States. Through previous work with the research and consulting company MORE Recycling and the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council, Emily built incredible knowledge and value chain connections that support her work today as Executive Director of the U.S. Plastics Pact.

With more than a decade of experience with plastics, recycling, and materials management, Emily brings her skills of stakeholder engagement, industry expertise, and passion for reducing climate change to the U.S. Plastics Pact. The U.S. Plastics Pact is an ambitious initiative led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to unify diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to rethink the way we design, use, and reuse plastics, to create a path toward a circular economy for plastic in the United States. Through previous work with the research and consulting company MORE Recycling and the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council, Emily built incredible knowledge and value chain connections that support her work today as Executive Director of the U.S. Plastics Pact.

Ashley Hall is the Lead for Sustainable Packaging at Walmart. 

Bridget Croke is a Managing Director and founding team member at Closed Loop Partners, an investment and innovation firm working to accelerate a more circular economy. Bridget has spent the last 20 years building movements to help drive a more sustainable economy – from the local food movement to the circular economy. This work has included a national campaign to improve quality of life with less consumption; building and executing campaign tools to move consumers to Buy Fresh, Buy Local; a start up turned growth company incentivizing consumers to recycle right and Purpose, a consultancy and incubator leveraging the tools of movement building to solve global challenges.

Jake Mitchell manages the Accelerate program at GreenBiz, which includes searching and selecting startups to participate in VERGE programming. He also collaborates on event design, strategy, and content to grow GreenBiz’s innovation ecosystem.

Prior to GreenBiz, Jake worked across various industries including film & podcast production, sales & marketing for early stage startups, and non profits in renewable energy and economic development.

Currently, Jake is pursuing his MBA in Sustainability at Bard College. Outside of work, you can find him in the woods playing disc golf, upside down in a handstand, or following the whims of his golden retriever. 

Jon earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of St. Thomas and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of California – San Diego. After graduate school, Jon joined Steelcase Inc. as their environmental chemist and eventually moved into a role as a leader in sustainable design and development. He joined Andersen Windows & Doors where he served as corporate sustainability manager and was responsible for product lifecycle assessments, material ingredient transparency, and preparing Andersen for a future in the circular economy. Jon is now the VP of Circularity and Senior Analyst at GreenBiz Group, a media and events company that works to accelerate the just transition to a clean economy.

Nethra Rajendran is the Sustainability Analyst at Greenbiz. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems with a double minor in Geography and Sustainability from the University of Georgia. She instructed a course at Brown University’s Environmental Leadership Lab in Alaska on sustainability and indigenous perspectives. She is passionate about environmental education, grassroots initiatives, intersectional solutions, and cooking plant-based meals. 

Kenny is a designer and an advocate for the circular economy. In his work he leverages play as an approach to engage people, reframe challenges, and make a positive impact. As Senior Manager of Service Design for North America, at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, he supports leading organizations in their effort to operationalize circular economy principles and strategies. Prior to joining the Foundation, Kenny worked across industries as an innovation consultant and industrial designer to develop new products and services.