GreenBiz 23 Program

Mary Jane Melendez is Vice President, Chief Sustainability & Global Impact OfficerTransformation & Enterprise Services | World HeadquartersGMI: 20 yearsMary Jane Melendez is Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer for General Mills. Mary Jane leads the company’s efforts to build resilience for people, our planet and our business. She stewards the company's global impact efforts, working closely with Supply Chain, Sourcing, Operating Units, Finance, ITQ and other key business leaders to develop, coordinate and execute programs to achieve companywide targets. Mary Jane is responsible for advancing collaboration and integration across the enterprise to drive change by promoting environmentally and socially responsible practices across our entire value chain, from farm to fork and beyond. Her role combines accountability for taking care of our planet and nourishing our communities to amplify the impact of General Mills as a global force for good. Mary Jane recently received the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership from the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota for her leadership in employing ethical approaches to solve business, community, and planetary challenges. Mary Jane earned both her MBA and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She currently serves on the boards of the Ecosystems Services Market Consortium and the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation.

Jess McGlyn is the Director of Corporate and Partner Engagement for the Science Based Targets Network, managing partnerships with over 200 organizations from around the world. She works with companies, consultants, and NGO partners to test and give feasibility feedback on SBTN methods, tools and guidance under development and helps them to understand how to prepare to set SBTs for nature. Jess has held previous roles at World Business Council for Sustainable Development, World Wildlife Fund, and International Paper. She’s also a certified Leadership and Team Coach, credentialed through ICF ACC, American University Executive Leadership Program, and GTCI.

Karlina Wu has 8+ years of combined experience in sustainability software and strategy consulting for public and private industries on energy, climate, and transportation. Karlina leverages a strong background in business operational improvement to understand, strategize, and solve complex problems with clients.At 3Degrees, Karlina helps clients measure their carbon emissions, set ambitious climate targets, and develop reduction strategies, including renewable energy procurement, carbon procurement, fleet decarbonization and supplier engagement programs.

Elizabeth Geller is a consulting professional, engineer, and project manager with over seven years of experience in the environmental compliance and sustainability fields. Ms. Geller has supported clients in a wide variety of industries including power generation, natural gas transmission, materials manufacturing, recycling services, aerospace, mining, data centers, and food manufacturing. Her experience includes carbon credit procurement strategy, corporate climate goal setting, renewable energy procurement strategy, emission quantification, air quality regulation, and corporate environmental management. Ms. Geller brings a unique perspective of understanding corporate environmental and sustainability goals alongside industrial facility needs.

Sally oversees Forum for the Future’s mission to accelerate transformation to a just and regenerative future. This involves working with global businesses such as HSBC and Walgreens Boots Alliance, as well as a wide range of other non-profit, membership and philanthropic organisations. This work takes the form of both one to one partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaborations, all designed to address complex challenges in systems as diverse as from food to apparel. Sally has recently contributed to Forum’s 'Business Transformation Compass' - a guide to just and regenerative business, as well as co-authored ‘Driving Co-Benefits for Climate and Health’, private sector guidance for developing integrated climate and health strategies. Sally is a regular speaker at international conferences and has had articles published in a wide variety of media outlets. She is an independent advisor on Advisory Boards for several global businesses including Kimberly Clark and Burberry and also Co-Chair of the Independent Advisory Group for Travalyst, the global travel and tourism collaboration led by the Duke of Sussex.

Bradford has worked in the renewable energy and energy infrastructure industries for over 15 years and is currently a Senior Director in NextEra’s Integrated Clean Energy Solutions group. He leads cross-functional teams in the development of tailored clean energy solutions that help reduce the carbon footprint of large government and corporate clients. He specializes in interpreting rapidly changing energy markets and simplifying complex transactions for C-level approval and shareholder/stakeholder engagement. 

Prior to joining NextEra, Bradford worked for NRG Energy and Carrier focused on counseling corporate executives and public officials on innovative funding strategies, public-private partnerships, project delivery methods and sustainable commitments. Bradford holds a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University and a Master of Science, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University.

Stefan Premer is a Principal Consultant and Sphera’s Global Climate Strategy Lead for Sphera’s ESG & Sustainability Consulting Organization. He develops ESG and corporate climate strategies, science-based climate and net zero targets and supply chain decarbonization initiatives. Stefan has expertise in Corporate Carbon Accounting, Scope III method development, decarbonization studies, climate change reporting, climate risk and scenario modelling, as well as providing insights on beyond value chain mitigation schemes. Stefan has managed various strategic large-scale projects across sectors.Stefan graduated with his dissertation on Business Model Innovation in Clean Technology Initiatives in Countries of the Global South and holds a M.Sc. in Business Administration: Strategy and Management in International Organizations from Linköping University in Sweden. Furthermore, he has project experience from several sustainability NGOs in India, Latin America and Africa.

Natalia Duchini has over two decades of chemical industry experience and leads Engineering Technologies as well as the Technology function for the Thermal & Specialized Solutions business for Chemours. Natalia joined DuPont right after college and worked in several businesses and functions including engineering, sourcing, supply chain, manufacturing, marketing, and technology--with safety, health, and the environment always first in her mind. She has worked in Latin America, Europe, and North America which makes her a strong advocate of diversity. After playing a pivotal role during the separation from DuPont, she moved to Chemours. While in Chemours, she has led Innovation and Technology groups with sustainability and product circularity at the center of all the initiatives that she has deployed. Natalia graduated with honors from Iberoamericana University in Mexico City with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering and earned her Master of Science in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, MA.

Raj Deshpande is the Director of Sustainability for Saint-Gobain North America, a position he has held since 2021. In this role, Raj drives the company’s sustainability strategy with a focus on light and sustainable products, decarbonization, renewable energy, and water and energy reduction. Raj holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology at the University of Mumbai, an MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine, and MBA from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico. Prior to his time at Saint-Gobain, Raj spent over 25 years with Armstrong World Industries in various positions, including R&D, Marketing, Business Development, Sustainability, and Stewardship & Compliance leadership.

As the Global Land & Agriculture Community Lead at Quantis, Tetyana leads a dedicated group of subject matter experts and consultants developing integrated solutions for agriculture, forestry, and land management. She specializes in environmental impact assessments to support clients in understanding and implementing multidimensional nature-driven solutions across sectors. She has extensive experience in measuring environmental impacts across agricultural supply chains via LCA and carbon footprints, with a focus on land use change and deforestation. She holds an MS in Agriculture, Food and Environment from Tufts University.

Will Thelander is a third-generation Arizona farmer. He works with Bridgestone tire company and The University of Arizona on developing a bio rubber plant called guayule.

Kirk Siegler is a national correspondent for NPR News. As a roving reporter, he covers the western U.S. with an emphasis on rural issues, water and the effects of climate change on smaller communities and former natural resource dependent towns. Recent assignments have taken him to the U.S. states of Nevadaand Arizona where indigenous groups are protesting mines proposed onancestral lands that are also seen as key to the Biden administration’s goals oftransforming the U.S. transportation grid to electricity. After the deadliest and most destructivewildfire in California history, Siegler spent months chronicling the diaspora of residents fromParadise, exploring the continuing questions over how – or whether – the town should rebuild inan era of worsening climate-driven wildfires.Siegler is also frequently deployed to national and international breaking news events, fromhurricanes in Louisiana to mass shootings in Florida to a devastating earthquake in Nepal. Siegler grew up in Missoula, Montana and apart from a brief stint as a waiter in Sydney, Australia, has spent most of his adult life living and working in the American West, including reporting stints in Aspen, Denver, Los Angeles and Boise.

Dr. Sophie Gilbert is the Senior Lead for Natural Capital Development at NCX. Sophie works to expand ecosystem service credits beyond carbon to include wildlife and biodiversity and other key benefits that nature provides, and to help build natural capital markets. For more than 15 years, Sophie has advanced the fields of ecology and conservation to support sustainable wildlife populations in the changing modern world. She’s worked across diverse systems from Alaska through Canada and into the heart of the American West, and collaborated with interdisciplinary scientists, natural resource agencies, NGOs, indigenous groups, stakeholders, and citizen scientists. Sophie previously worked as a tenured professor at the University of Idaho, as well as work at the University of Alaska and University of Alberta and in environmental consulting. She earned her B.Sc. from the University of California Los Angeles and her Ph.D. from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Julia has worked across the non-profit, public and private sectors to advance positive impact at the intersection of climate change, natural resource management, and finance including at The Nature Conservancy, the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, Blue Forest Conservation and New Forests. Her background is rooted in conservation, environmental science, and business. Julia earned her MBA-MS in Environment and Resources with a focus on land use from Stanford Graduate School of Business. At Stanford, she co-led GSB’s Sustainable Business Club, co-founded the GSB’s business, climate and innovation summit and partnered with The Natural Capital Project and the InterAmerican Development Bank to advance investment in nature-based solutions. She earned a BA in environmental studies with a focus on biodiversity conservation from Yale University.

Marisa is the Head of Corporate Sustainability in the Global Sustainability Office at Morgan Stanley. In her role she manages firm-wide sustainable operations strategy, supply chain ESG integration, and employee engagement around sustainability. Through these main areas, Marisa’s work seeks to drive impact, improve efficiency and promote meaningful dialogue with employees on ESG topics. Since joining Morgan Stanley, she has been working toward the Firm’s dual goals of 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutrality. Her past experience in the sustainability field includes roles that span environmental policy and sustainable operations at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the New York City Department of Education. Marisa holds a BS in Biology and Chemistry from Denison University and a MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University.

Nick Aster is Director of Marketing, North America, for South Pole, the world's leading climate solutions provider and carbon project developer. Prior to South Pole Nick was founder and publisher of Triple Pundit a leading publication on sustainable business, acquired by 3BL media in 2016. Nick is committed to advancing sustainability as a mainstream priority for all businesses and believes effective communication around climate change and related topics is the key to progress.

Laurel Davis is Fannie Mae’s Senior Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) & Mission reporting to the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, Ms. Davis will be responsible for setting Fannie Mae's ESG and Mission agenda in concert with critical enterprise stakeholders (regulators, Board, and Management Committee) and ensuring that the firm is operating in a way that is consistent with those standards and strategy.

Prior to her present appointment, Ms. Davis was the Vice President for Credit Risk Transfer. She was responsible for developing and executing strategies to transfer credit risk associated with Single-Family’s guaranty business to the Capital Markets and private investors. This included leading the enterprise’s flagship Connecticut Avenue Securities (CAS) program. Before that, Ms. Davis was Fannie Mae’s Vice President for the Single-Family Investor Channel where she was responsible for sourcing, pricing, and executing bulk single-family mortgage transactions with Fannie Mae customers.  Before joining Fannie Mae in 2001, Ms. Davis was Vice President of Finance at First Republic Bank in San Francisco where she was responsible for the bank’s capital markets activities and balance sheet management, including the bank’s private label securitization program. Previously, she served as Vice President of Secondary Marketing at Merrill Lynch Credit Corporation where she was responsible for directing all loan trading and securitization activities, planning loan sales strategy, developing products, and managing investor and industry relationships. 

Ms. Davis has a Bachelor of Arts in economics and history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master of business administration in finance from the University of Maryland.

Erika L. Chan joined U.S. Steel as the Corporation’s first General Manager of Sustainability.  In this role, she has enterprise-wide responsibility for all aspects of the Corporation’s sustainability efforts. Prior to joining U.S. Steel, Erika worked for Dell Technologies where she shaped the corporate sustainability strategy, advanced long-term goals, and identified opportunities to integrate sustainability practices into business units. Erika has also led the Asia Pacific marketing team at The Nature Conservancy, and she practiced international development consulting at Deloitte Emerging Markets Group.

Erika received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Resource Management and Business from The University of Texas at Austin.

She serves on the Advisory Council of The University of Texas at Austin Environmental Science Institute and is an Advisory Board member of The Nature Conservancy of Texas.

Rajat Panwar (phonetically R-uh-j-uh-t P-un-w-aa-r) is an Associate Professor of Responsible and Sustainable Business Practices at Oregon State University. His current research focuses on corporate engagement with biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration. He advises global companies and multilateral agencies on these and related topics.

Valentina Guido is a Senior Associate with RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute), where she focuses on industrial decarbonization and supply chain responsibility, at the junction of carbon markets, equity, and traceability. At RMI's Carbon Markets initiative, she leads research on the alignment between the voluntary carbon market and the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities. Before joining RMI in 2021, Valentina was a sustainability disclosures analyst for WBCSD's (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) Reporting Matters project. She worked at the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative within UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) as a research and communications assistant. She was also a researcher at ETH Energy Politics Group in Zürich, where she conducted foundational research on sustainable finance for the TransCap Initiative in collaboration with Climate-KIC, the EU’s main climate innovation initiative.

Shally leads Vivid Economics’ North America office and serves a wide range of corporate, financial, and public sector clients on net zero strategies, standards, risk and sectoral decarbonization pathways. Prior to joining Vivid, Shally was Acting CEO of Concordian LLC, a global advisory firm working to advise companies on climate risks and opportunities. Before Concordian, Shally founded and ran a pioneering mortgage fintech startup in the U.S.  Shally previously led the private sector climate finance team within the World Resources Institute (WRI), and created the first GHG protocol guide for financial institutions She started her career at Morgan Stanley, as a banker in their fixed income and microfinance institutions groups.

Gordon has extensive experience of data analytics and risk modeling, risk management and risk transformation gained across the private, public and financial services sectors. Gordon has a specific focus on supporting companies to implement Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)-related risks and to integrate ESG-focused ERM in business operations and decision-making.

Julian Moffatt is the Principal Solutions Strategist, ESG for VelocityEHS. Julian contributes his expertise in ESG product creation for VelocityEHS, and oversees the ESG team. Prior to working at VelocityEHS, he has had a multitude of EHS experience, ranging from Vice President of Client Solutions at e3 Solutions, EHS Solutions Manager at Blue292 Inc, and Environmental Health Safety Specialist at Caribou Systems Corporation. Julian studied Environmental Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario.

Dr. Spencer Meyer is the Head of Science at NCX and is responsible for ensuring NCX is deploying and advancing the most credible, innovative science on natural capital solutions. He is an innovator and leader with 20 years of experience working collaboratively with NGO, government, private sector, and academic partners to solve natural resource challenges. He is a co-founder of Sebago Clean Waters, an advisor to conservation NGOs and private foundations, and a frequent speaker on forest management, watershed protection, natural climate solutions, conservation finance, and partnership development. 

Trina Mallik (she/her) is Vice President of Global Programs and Acting Co-President at the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC). In her role, Trina accelerates the mission of ISC, which is to center voices of historically disinvested communities- those most impacted by climate change- in formulating climate change mitigation and resilience solutions. She oversees the Institute’s programs in Bangladesh, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the United States. Trina started her career as a mechanical engineer at Bechtel Power, where she designed coal-fired power plants. Since then she has dedicated her career to tackling climate change. After earning her MBA, Trina served as an equity analyst at Innovest Strategic Value Advisors (since bought by MSCI World), an equity research firm that rated companies on their environmental, social, and governance performance. She also worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a sustainability consultant for multinational corporations and at Allianz, a global financial services firm, in the sustainability team.Trina’s nonprofit experience includes The Climate Group as Global Head of Member Engagement strategizing with businesses and subnational governments to accelerate a low carbon economy and at The Nature Conservancy, NJ Chapter as the Director of Climate Mitigation. Working with other non-governmental organizations and meeting with government officials, Trina ensured the passage of New Jersey’s leading electric vehicle bill and amendments to the Global Warming Response Act and co-led the effort to pass the Energy Efficient Appliance Standards, which Governor Murphy signed into law in January 2022.Trina lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park; a Masters in Engineering Management from George Washington University; and a Masters in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Danielle leads the Microsoft datacenter environmental justice strategy towards a measurable, positive impact on the climate resilience and capacities of under-resourced communities. She has also launched the zero waste, supplier sustainability and embodied carbon reduction programs for Microsoft datacenters as part of the company’s carbon negative, zero waste, waster positive and ecosystems protection goals. Danielle has a background in strategy, process improvement and change management with Microsoft, AREVA North America and IBM. She serves on the board of 3rd Creek Foundation, an organization dedicated to poverty alleviation. Danielle lives in West Seattle with her husband, daughter, and dog. She is a food enthusiast who loves to travel and stay active in the Pacific Northwest splendor.

Helene oversees Neste North America’s supply chain sustainability in Europe and the Americas. Prior to joining Neste, Helene started her career at the French Ministry of Defense and later worked for the Qatar Foundation and Shell. Helene earned her Ph. D in Political Science from Sciences Po, Paris. 

With over 20 years of experience in energy and natural resources, working on energy policy, regulations and development, Dr. Laura S. Nelson, is a visionary leader and economist. She has testified before state legislatures and US Congress, served as energy advisor to Utah Governors Huntsman and Herbert, and advised public and private corporations, nonprofits and government agencies on energy initiatives, clean energy innovation, and solutions across energy resources.Dr. Laura Nelson serves as Vice President of Sustainability and Public Policy at Southwest Gas and as the Company’s Chief Sustainability representative and subject matter expert, responsible for advancing Environmental, Social and governance (ESG) practices and raising stakeholder awareness for the Company’s ESG efforts. Laura also leads the Company’s sustainable business practices, customer growth, energy innovation and public policy initiatives. Before joining Southwest Gas, she was VP of Consulting Services at Strategen and a Special Advisor to the Green Hydrogen Coalition. Laura has developed innovative energy plans, including driving deployment for Utah’s clean energy system—facilitating $200M+ in US DOE grants for clean energy development, forging the 1st-ever energy education program and growing clean energy development.At Southwest Gas she is focused on developing and executing initiatives to help minimize the Company’s environmental impact while helping Southwest Gas customers achieve their environmental goals through sustainable energy solutions.Laura holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Utah, where she also attended for her undergraduate studies, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

Blake McGowan is the Solutions Executive at VelocityEHS. Based in Ann Arbor, MI he joined VelocityEHS (Humantech) in 1999. Blake holds a Certificate in Leading Sustainable Corporations from the University of Oxford, a MSc Degree in Human Neuromechanics, and a BSc Degree in Biomechanics & Neurophysiology from the University of Waterloo in Canada. He has also achieved recognition as a Certified Professional Ergonomist.

Mike Hower is a sustainability and ESG communicator and connector committed to helping purpose-driven businesses and people unlock their full potential for positive impact. As founder and principal consultant at Hower Impact, he works with companies to translate sustainability strategy into stories that inform, engage and inspire investors, customers, employees, regulators, and other stakeholders in the service of social, environmental, and business goals.

Mike’s experience and expertise ranges from ESG strategy and reporting to sustainability communication strategy and engagement. Previously, he led client engagement at thinkPARALLAX, where he facilitated sustainability strategy and communication partnerships with companies such as Snap, Fossil Group, Neiman Marcus Group, Merck, Coupa Software and Sunnova, among others. Before that, he was a sustainability communication strategist at Edelman, where he worked with The North Face, HP, Kashi and others on sustainability communication strategy and engagement. 

Beginning his career as a journalist, Mike has written for GreenBiz, Sustainable Brands and Triple Pundit. He continues to contribute to GreenBiz today, where he writes about the latest trends in sustainable business and communication.

Mike also is passionate about solving what he calls “the impact careers and connection crisis” and through his Impact Hired initiative works to convene, educate, and energize sustainability professionals of all levels. 

He holds a Master's in Strategic Communication and Public Affairs from George Washington University and a Bachelor's in Political Science and History from the University of California, Davis.

Deepa Poduval is a Senior Vice President, leading the Global Advisory Practice within Black & Veatch. In
this role, she provides executive leadership for Black & Veatch’s Strategic and Digital Advisory Services
including support for a wide variety of clients related to transactions due diligence, regulations, business
strategy, energy market planning, asset & risk management, operational technologies and infrastructure
modernization needs. Clients span governments, and electric, water, oil & gas, commercial, industrial
and financial sectors across the Americas, Europe and Asia who seek strategic and technical expertise
related to their critical infrastructure as they pursue goals around Sustainability, Growth and Resilience. 
Deepa also leads Black & Veatch’s strategic solutions related to Decarbonization and serves on Black &
Veatch’s DE&I Council. Deepa brings substantial finance, utility, and energy industry knowledge and has
advised various clients on strategic responses to key issues impacting their business. These issues
recently include creating executable pathways to achieve net-zero objectives incorporating project
viability, risk and future growth.

Jonathan manages all water resilience service activities spanning conservation, optimization, reclamation, and reuse projects. He brings over 30 years of executive leadership pioneering innovative and actionable water solutions to enhance client’s long-term planning and risk management. He has extensive management and strategy consulting experience combined with project execution core competencies from planning through design, permitting, construction and ongoing operations. He is a board member of the Water Research Foundation. Prior to joining Coho, Jonathan was Founder and CEO of Sustainable Water, a water treatment technology firm and a developer of large-scale water reclamation and reuse systems. Jonathan also served as the President and CEO of Organica Water and spent twenty years supporting client water strategies at ChemTreat, a Danaher Company and Betz Laboratories.Jonathan is based in Richmond Virginia and enjoys spending time with his family biking, golfing, hiking, and supporting Army Football.

Todd Cline currently serves as Sr Director of Sustainability for Procter & Gamble’s North America Fabric Care organization. In this role, Todd is responsible for leading sustainability ambitions and programs to achieve them for industry leading brands such as Tide, Gain, Downy, Dreft, and Bounce. He plays a critical role in leading sustainability efforts, including focus on cold water cleaning, reducing overall emissions/Net Zero, and achieving packaging ambitions. Prior to joining the North America Fabric Care team, Todd spent more than 20 years in a variety of R&D leadership roles at P&G and has lead product innovation launches across the U.S. and Europe. He earned an MBA from Xavier University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Rich is a Managing Director in PwC's ESG practice, and has specialized in reporting for over a decade, including advising companies on strategic goals and initiatives, materiality assessments, reporting frameworks and metrics, and advising on implementation of systems and internal controls. He uses his past financial statement assurance experience across multiple industries and metrics to bring practical recommendations to his clients on data readiness, and leads several of our non-financial third party assurance engagements, including green and social bond and ESG-linked loan reporting. Rich has significant experience in a wide variety of topics covered by frameworks including SASB, TCFD, and TNFD, and is experienced with CDP reporting requirements. Rich works closely with our global sustainability network to bring the latest trends to his US clients. Rich received a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Valuation and Finance from City University London, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Jay Watson leads efforts to advance progress on General Mills global impact initiatives, notably the 2030 regenerative agriculture commitment and enterprise climate ambition. In his role, Jay collaborates with farmers, farm advisors, NGOs, suppliers and retailers to deploy programs seeking to improve ecological and economic outcomes of agricultural systems in targeted supply sheds.

Prior to joining the Global Impact Team in 2017, Jay spent 10 years in a variety of buying roles within the company’s global sourcing organization. Jay holds B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University and a MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.

Emily grew up in rural Northern California in a sustainable subsistence farming and ranching environment. She attended Connecticut College where she double majored in Environmental Studies and Anthropology. After college she attended Flinders University of South Australia where she obtained a Masters Degree in Environmental Management and a second Bachelors Degree in  Education. Emily has worked in a variety of jobs related to natural resources including nine years managing Tribal Environmental Programs in California and Nevada and assisting other Tribes in a variety of capacities related to Natural Resources, Hazard Mitigation, and Environmental Sustainability. Through Intertribal Agriculture Council Emily works to assist Tribes and Tribal Producers with regenerative practices, soil building, soil health knowledge, climate change challenges, drought, water quality, pest management, habitat protections, riparian buffers, pollinator protection, and other natural resources related inquiries.

David is a Product Manager at C3 AI, where he focuses on designing AI-enabled enterprise sustainability software. Prior to joining C3 AI, David was the Director of Research – Projects at the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (now part of IFRS) where he co-led the team that developed the SASB sustainability disclosure standards. David also led efforts at SASB to drive convergence among ESG reporting standards, working extensively with other standard-setters, regulators, investors, and companies. David has an MBA from UC Berkeley – Haas as well as undergraduate degrees in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Rob oversees the development and establishment of Aspiration’s global carbon portfolio as well as the Aspiration carbon credit quality standards. He’s been a leader in the climate change and carbon business for over 12 years, pioneering the very industry standards in carbon markets at the foundation of Aspiration’s business.

Dan “Sunny” Schlesinger, CPA, is the Director of Finance at The Sustainability Consortium where he leads the Circular Economy ROI Task Force aimed at unlocking the financial benefits of circularity projects. Schlesinger served as the Sr Finance Manager at the Health and Happiness Group, and before that as a financial analyst at the Competitor Group, Inc and audit and tax lead at Leaf & Cole, LLP. Schlesinger received his Master of Accountancy and Bachelor of Accounting from Case Western Reserve University. His expertise lies in problem solving, budgeting and forecasting, and communicating with executive teams. He is passionate about combating climate change and the outdoors. He recently spent 2 years in an RV traveling the country with his wife and Australian shepherd named Arya.

Scott Herndon serves as the President of Field to Market. Prior to joining Field to Market in 2022, he served as the Vice President and General Counsel of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, focusing on the regulatory issues that impact the industry including pesticides, biotechnology, sustainability and crop insurance.Scott has also served as Director of Global Government and Public Policy for S & P Global in Washington, D.C. and in various roles for Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the Florida Senate. He also worked in the orange juice production business started by his great grandfather, for Louis Dreyfus Commodities in Brazil, and for a citrus and cattle business in Florida.Scott holds a JD from the University of Miami, an MBA from the University of Florida, and a BA from Tulane University. He has studied in Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Scott currently lives in Washington, DC with his wife, daughter and Labrador Retriever. He is admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of the United States, the District of Columbia and the State of Florida.

As a strategic foresight specialist, Nicole is passionate about helping leaders be more adaptive and innovative in the face of disruptive change, especially climate and ecological change. Named one of the top 10 female futurists worldwide— not for her predictions but for “helping leaders get into action in the face of uncertainty”— Nicole has spent decades leading breakthrough strategy and stakeholder projects focused around our most critical long-term issues. Working across sectors, on everything from the future of famine, fashion, to fast-moving goods, she has worked with senior leaders in P&G, Dupont, Cargill, Masterfoods, Bunge, L’OREAL, the World Bank, UNESCO, research institutions like DARPA, to many governments and cities such as San Francisco, Detroit, to Dubai. As Partner at NOW Partners, Nicole works with Fortune 50 companies, governments and institutions transitioning to a post-carbon, regenerative economy. Nicole also serves on several nonprofit boards and has taught in INSEAD, Stanford Graduate School, and King’s College London. Originally from Vancouver BC, she has lived in Singapore, India, Paris and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and tween daughter.

Shana Rappaport has dedicated her career as a convener and community builder to advancing systemic solutions to the climate crisis. 

Over the last ten years, Shana has built and scaled VERGE — the leading climate tech event focused on accelerating a just transition to a clean economy. VERGE convenes the world’s largest companies, public sector leaders and technology innovators to advance solutions to the climate crisis and our most pressing global challenges. 

Outside of her work leading VERGE with GreenBiz Group, Shana is a sought after public speaker, moderator and facilitator around sustainability and systems change. She previously served as Board Director of Project Drawdown and the Buckminster Fuller Institute, and is a trained leader of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. Shana also Associate Edited a book published in 2019, “Evolving Leadership for Collective Wellbeing: Lessons for Implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”.

Shana previously served as Director of Education for Bioneers, and as a nationally recognized community leader during her time as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of Southern California.

Elba is a finance and strategy professional with 20+ years of experience at UPS. She’s held roles in Finance, Investor Relations, Marketing and Strategy. In 2021, she joined the Sustainability team as Director Stakeholder Engagement. In this role she devises and executes strategies to influence value creation for all UPS Stakeholders including employees, customers, communities, suppliers and investors through environmental care, social responsibility and governing ethically – ESG. Elba was the Chair of the UPS Hispanic Business Resource Group, Crecer. During her leadership, Crecer was recognized as the #1 Hispanic Employee Resource Group by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Latina Style Magazine. Elba is also the founder of a 501(c)(3) social impact organization seeking 50% women in senior leadership positions by influencing change in workplace cultures and talent management practices. Elba holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She was named one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia by the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of The Women’s Collective, an initiative to promote and enhance women leaders. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and enjoys growing hybrid tea roses.

As Director, Sustainability and ESG at United Airlines, Frannie is responsible for leading the development and implementation of sustainability initiatives as part of United's overall global environmental strategy. She leads a team of professionals and technical experts focusing on United’s ESG strategy, value chain, and strategic customer engagement with the objective of driving progress towards meeting United's climate ambitions. This portfolio supports United’s pledge to be 100% Green by 2050 and the communications and disclosures that tell United’s climate story with integrity, transparency and consistency. Frannie is a business leader focused on not only addressing and mitigating environmental risks and reducing long-term liability, but also advancing strategic initiatives with a focus on environmental sustainability and resiliency. Frannie has worked in a wide range of market sectors across the country, leading various cross-functional initiatives that yield environmental and operational benefits. Frannie has earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies with a concentration on environmental science from St. Norbert College. She currently resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband and two small children, who are her daily reminders that tomorrow’s promise is held in the work we do today, and that we must act now to provide younger generations with an opportunity to thrive.

Susan Uthayakumar leads the company's sustainability and energy solutions business. In this capacity, she is responsible for evaluating and scaling both existing and emerging energy solutions across the Prologis platform and for ensuring that Prologis continues to be the leader in sustainability in the logistic real estate industry. Prior to joining Prologis, Susan was president of Schneider Electric's Sustainability Business Division. During her 16-year tenure with the company, she was instrumental in transforming Schneider Electric to a digital power and automation technology company by driving sustainability, efficiency and resiliency. Before that, she was CEO of Schneider Canada. Uthayakumar recently was recognized as a 2021 Environment+Energy Leader 100 Honoree for successfully delivering climate mitigation action to enterprise customers. Previously, Susan led strategy and M&A projects globally with McCain Foods Limited, an international leader in the frozen food industry, and held various leadership positions with Deloitte, a global advisory firm. Susan has an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with a focus on international business practices. In addition, she holds a Master of Accounting (MAcc) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo. Susan has also completed the Women’s Senior Leadership Program and Executive Scholar Certification from the Kellogg School of Management and holds the Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations.

Renae Kezar is VP Global Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Johnson Controls. With over 20 years of business experience in sustainability, marketing, and operations, she has responsibility for ensuring that the company maintains its global position on key strategies and metrics related to sustainability and regulatory policy. Prior to Johnson Controls, Renae held many leadership roles at Avery Dennison, leading teams across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. Renae is a passionate leader of sustainability, focused on driving long-term sustainability through product innovation, engagement throughout the business and setting actionable plans to achieve both short- and long-term targets. Renae holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University. Renae also has earned a Six Sigma Blackbelt certification.

Josh's primary focus is deploying Pachama’s technology to grow landowner and local implementation partner projects to protect and restore forests. Prior to joining Pachama, Josh worked for 15 years at The Nature Conservancy building carbon programs and partnerships for landowners. In his last role, he created and led the Conservancy’s American Forest Carbon Initiative (AFCI) which included the Working Woodlands Program and the Family Forest Carbon Program in partnership with American Forest Foundation.

Michael has 25 years of experience in private equity, project development/finance and general management in the renewable energy and clean tech sectors. Previous to founding TCB, Michael was a Founding Managing Director of GGE Investments, a clean tech investment and development company directed at deploying capital into the renewable energy and transportation sectors. 

For ten years prior to that, Michael was a Founding Managing Partner of GeoGlobal Energy, LLC, a $300mm utility-scale renewable energy company that originated, developed, built and operated utility-scale geothermal energy projects worldwide. He has served as CEO for various portfolio companies and directed the investment activities for private equity funds focused on infrastructure opportunities in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Michael has served or is serving on the boards of various companies and NGOs, including the ByWater Institute, LLC, Wave Technologies, Alpha Energy, Voxiva and Forest Lake Properties. 

Michael has an M.A. in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. 

Sally Flis, CCA, Ph.D. Sally Flis is the Senior Manager, Sustainability Field with Nutrien Ag Solutions. In this role, Sally is responsible for the engagement of Nutrien Ag Solutions retail business with sustainability initiatives across the United States. Sally joined Nutrien Ag Solutions in January 2021 and has been working in that time with growers and crop consultants across the U.S. on the implementation of sustainability programs around carbon emissions, carbon sequestration, and improved crop production efficiency. Prior to working at Nutrien Ag Solutions, Sally was the Senior Director of Agronomy at The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) in Washington D.C. While at TFI, Sally worked on the expansion of 4R Nutrient Stewardship programs in the U.S., including language in the 2018 Farm Bill to include a new high priority research area on the source, rate, timing, and placement of fertilizer nutrients. Sally started her career in agriculture working with growers in Vermont and New York to implement CAFO nutrient management plans and is currently enjoying reconnecting with growers in her role at Nutrien Ag Solutions. Sally is passionate about agricultural sustainability and the economic sustainability of growers in the U.S.

Anastasia O’Rourke serves as a Managing Director at the Carbon Containment Lab. She has 20 years experience in the environmental sustainability field, as a consultant, entrepreneur, and researcher in Australia, Sweden, France and the US.  Anastasia has specific subject matter expertise in standards and certification systems, cleantech venture investing, and sustainable and green purchasing. Prior to joining the CC Lab, Anastasia was a Senior Technical Consultant with Industrial Economics, where she led a sustainability consulting practice working with federal and state governments, large companies, NGOs, and International organizations on program design, management and evaluation. She co-founded Big Room Inc, developers of the .ECO top level domain and the Ecolabel Index website. She was also a founding Board member of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC), a US based 501c3 non-profit. 

Anastasia holds a Ph.D. from Yale University with a dissertation focused on cleantech venture investing, a M.Sc. in industrial environmental management and policy from Lund University, Sweden, and a B.A. with first class honors from Sydney University, Australia, for which she was awarded the University Medal. 

Ariel leads Climate Strategy + Solutions at Patch, the platform powering climate action. Ariel brings vast carbon markets knowledge to the team, where she currently focuses on developing new commercial solutions to unlock investment in climate solutions and advising companies on carbon credit portfolio builds to maximize climate goals. Prior to Patch, Ariel worked at Carbon by Indigo Ag, helping to develop their soil carbon credit business strategy. Ariel also spent time in impact investing strategies at The Rise Fund and was a consultant with Bain & Company. She forgoes a permanent address in favor of traveling around the western US with her dog, Nelson, to experience the natural world and wild places we are all working to protect.

Dr. Van Butsic employs geospatial analysis and statistical modeling to improve nature-based carbon removal.He leverages his expertise in forest science to help clients understand the principles for high-quality carbon removal in the forestry sector. He works closely with Carbon Direct's tech team to integrate science with software.Before joining Carbon Direct, Dr. Butsic was an Associate Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialists at UC Berkeley where he combined novel econometric methods with geospatial analysis to understand the causes and consequences of land use policy. Dr. Butsic has developed methods to look at diverse drivers of land use change including carbon offsets, protected areas, wildfires, agricultural subsidies, war, and the regulation of illicit drugs.

Carlos Silva is a remote sensing scientist at Pachama. He helps guide the company’s efforts to integrate satellite observations into our evolving platform for high-integrity, transparent, and scalable forest carbon crediting. Carlos holds a PhD in remote sensing and global ecology, and previously worked on the NASA GEDI mission, a spaceborne instrument that measures 3D forest structure globally. He also holds a master’s degree in economics and public policy, and has developed forest carbon projects for both the voluntary and compliance markets.

Paul Butler is a 3rd generation farmer in Central, IL where he raises 1,000 acres of corn, beans, wheat, and honey bees on their family farm. The farm is a conservation minded primarily no-till and limited tillage with a focus on balancing soil preservation and high yield.

John Hoekstra leads global sustainability solutions at Prologis. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading the strategy and development of sustainability solutions for Prologis customers as well as collaborating on Prologis’ own sustainability goals and plans. His focus is on scaling up renewable energy, zero emissions mobility solutions, and other initiatives around sustainable logistics in support of Prologis' net zero commitment and customer needs to decarbonize.

Prior to joining Prologis, John was the Global Vice President of Sustainability at Schneider Electric. During his 16-year tenure with the company, he partnered internally and externally on a range of sustainability topics on behalf of Schneider Electric, leading the evolution, strategy and delivery of cleantech, sustainability, and NEO Network™ services. His work included climate strategy and planning, renewable energy advisory and deployment, ESG framework evaluation and management, opportunity creation in circularity, and supply chain management for sustainability for global Fortune 1000 companies.

Previously, John held various positions in environmental management with Dell Computer, E.I. DuPont de Nemours, and Brown-Forman. John has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Louisville and is a registered professional engineer.

Todd Brady is the Chief Sustainability Officer for Intel Corporation, and Vice President of Global Public Affairs. As Chief Sustainability Officer, he leads Intel’s global sustainability initiatives including climate, energy, water, green buildings and circular economy. Currently, Todd’s organization is focused on achieving Intel’s ambitious 2030 sustainability goals and commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in Intel’s global operations by 2040.

Todd’s Public Affairs teams oversee local government affairs, local media, community relations, corporate volunteerism, and sustainability at the company's major manufacturing and office locations around the globe. These locations include Arizona, California, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon in the United States, as well as China, Costa Rica, Germany, India, Israel, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, and Vietnam.

During his 25+ year career at Intel, Todd has represented the company in numerous public forums and led industry-wide initiatives in national and international committees. He has authored several papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings on a variety of sustainability topics. He was named by Scientific American as one of ten outstanding leaders involved in research, business or policy pursuits that have advanced science and technology and one of the world’s top 20 sustainability leaders by Sustainability Magazine.

Todd holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He lives in Gilbert Arizona with his family, and in his spare time can be found running or biking the streets and trails of the Grand Canyon state.

Carter has over 20 years of experience at the forefront of integrating nature into sustainable development and corporate sustainability across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Currently, Carter is an Executive Director at Pollination where she focuses on nature-based solutions and advises clients who have food and fiber supply chains. Prior to joining Pollination, Carter was a Senior Manager in EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice where she advised food/agriculture, real estate, infrastructure and tourism businesses in designing and implementing ESG goals and strategies, programs and impact measurement, with a focus on natural capital. Carter’s previous experiences include launching and leading the Ecosystem Services program and the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) for the Wildlife Conservation Society, where she worked with governments, multi-lateral institutions, NGOs and businesses to advance conservation and sustainable development globally. Carter completed a Post-doctoral fellowship at the Earth Institute of Columbia University and has a M.Sc. and D.Phil. from the School of Geography and the Environment of Oxford University. She has co-edited two books and written over 60 articles, reports and publications on biodiversity and ecosystem services, climate change, poverty reduction and economic development. Carter is currently an Adjunct Associated Professor in the School for Foreign Service at Georgetown University and serves on the SNAPP Science Advisory Council, the Technical Advisory Council for the UNDP Equator Initiative, Terra Alpha Investments Advisory Board, HQ Capital Ayuda Deep Impact Fund Expert Group, and co-led a USG working group on Natural Capital Accounting in the United States.

Dr. Helen Crowley Helen is a recognised nature and biodiversity expert, delivering pioneering and impact-led climate and nature focused solutions across public and private sectors. Formerly the Head of Sustainable Sourcing Innovation at the French company Kering for over a decade, Helen crafted new solutions for best practices in sustainability, supply chains an sourcing for luxury and lifestyle brands. Prior to this, Helen across Africa and Madagascar leading conservation programs for Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Early in her career, she worked as a senior consultant to companies on building out environmental health and safety programs to encompass broader sustainability issues. Over the last several years, Helen has also advised the Nature Action Agenda at the World Economic Forum and has been a member of the WEF’s Global Futures Council. Helen has a PhD in Zoology from the Australian National University and has contributed to various non-profit Boards and Advisory Groups including Textile Exchange, Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature US, UK’s Digital Catapult Supply Chain Hub and the Global Environment Facility.