Speakers

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.Previously: Financial advisor and planned giving specialist with MassMutual Insurance Co. where he created charitable giving platforms utilizing insurance and financial instruments for non- profit organizations in San Diego and across the country while also facilitating bank note trades to fund large infrastructure projects around the world.Education: The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Majors in Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering and minoring in Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

Adam Wise is the Founder & CEO of GeerGarage, the outdoor gear-sharing marketplace making our natural environment accessible to all - one rental at a time. Launched in Seattle in 2020, GeerGarage’s community-driven technology matches local people with the specific equipment they need to get outside when adventure calls. Prior to GeerGarage, Adam has 9 years of experience working as an engineer and product manager at Microsoft.  

Alessandra leads Microsoft’s zero waste and circular economy agenda. Leading the corporate strategy to progress towards Microsoft’s electronics, packaging, operation, and construction & deconstruction waste prevention commitments, she collaborates with cross-company stakeholders, customers, partners, and organizations to make meaningful impact on accelerating a circular economy for Microsoft and the globe.

Alessia Falsarone is a practitioner faculty at the University of Chicago leading the Circular Economy and Sustainable Business Management program. She previously spent fifteen years as Managing Director, head of sustainable investing, portfolio strategy and risk for a global asset manager based in New York, and also held investment leadership roles with AIG and Citigroup. Alessia serves as independent director in public and private corporate boards in Europe and the UK, and is part of high-level advisory groups promoting environmental and climate finance including the International Sustainability Standards Board. In recognition of her innovative vision for business and society, she received the Honoree Award from the Women’s Venture Fund and the NACD 100 for boardroom governance. She has contributed to initiatives on the topic at the Society of Corporate Compliance, the Swiss Sustainable Finance Initiative, the United Nations, the World Bank, and USAID, including delivering roadmaps on climate risk management and green finance development on behalf of the UK PACT Green Recovery Fund and Carbon Trust. An award-winning author, she is a graduate of Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Univ. Bocconi.

Alice Hartley is Director of Circularity at Under Armour. In this role she leads UA’s overall Circularity strategy, including design and product considerations as well as solutions for circular systems.

Previously she worked for 10 years at Gap Inc., where she led Product Sustainability and circularity initiatives. As part of Gap’s Sustainable Innovation team she designed and launched supply chain programs including Washwell, a water savings program for denim laundries, and Gap’s Mill Sustainability Program, both of which scaled globally to include dozens of facilities. She also led Gap’s work in cotton sustainability, and collaborated closely with brand and product teams to launch Gap For Good, Gap brand’s sustainability platform, as well as its Generation Good product collection.

Earlier in her career, Alice worked in green buildings and at nonprofit research institutions, including Rocky Mountain Institute and the Sustainability Institute, founded by Donella Meadows. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from MIT Sloan.

Alicea is an Environmental Chemist and Toxicologist for MBDC. She is a material health assessor for the Craddle to Craddle Certification. She has also worked as regulatory toxicologist and product steward.

Alissa Baier-Lentz is the Co-Founder and COO of Kintra Fibers, an H&M-backed materials science company that has developed a proprietary bio-based and biodegradable polyester. By utilizing bio-based inputs and designing a biodegradable material from the outset, while using standard polyester production equipment for manufacturing, Kintra Fibers is seamlessly transforming the apparel industry to work in harmony with the planet. Kintra has garnered interest from over 500 apparel brands and manufacturers, and has launched pilots to prototype their materials with global brands including Inditex, H&M, Bestseller, Pangaia, and Reformation. As a circular fashion advocate, Alissa has spoken at forums such as United Nations, SXSW, COP26, Milan Fashion Week, and EARTHDAY. Her work has been recognized by groups such as Forbes 30 Under 30, the United Nations Conscious Fashion Campaign, and the Think Beyond Plastics Textile Innovation Award.

Allison Lin is the Global VP of Packaging Sustainability at Mars, Inc., where she leads the cross-segment strategy to improve the sustainability impact of Mars’ packaging. She was previously the SVP of Sustainability and Market Development at Westfall Technik, and has spent the majority of her career driving Packaging Sustainability at Brand Owners such as P&G, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola, launching multiple projects to move packaging to reusable or recyclable formats, or utilizing higher levels of recycled and renewable content. She has a BS in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke.

Aly Khalifa is the Chief Technical Officer of McDonough Innovation and the COO of MBDC. These entities are built upon the pioneering thought-leadership of William McDonough, Time Magazine's "Hero for the Planet." The team at McDonough Innovation work with leading technologies and progressive brands to realize the latest advances in eco-effective solutions. Their work spans across creative scales: from corporate sustainability strategies to circular carbon metrics to innovative material development. Aly's team at MBDC works with clients to define products across supply chains and down to the molecule to assess their suitability to be Cradle to Cradle Certified®. This certification is recognized by Amazon as a top qualification for it's Climate Pledge Friendly program. Their clients include Ralph Lauren, Walmart, Unilever, SABIC, L'Oreal, Herman Miller and IFF. Prior to joining the McDonough companies, Aly led his own innovation consultancy for 27 years, working with top consumer brands to invent unique products and direct their manufacturing globally. His design collaborations have garnered more than 40 patents, been exhibited at the Louvre, and nominated for a Grammy. He is an Eisenhower Fellow and served as an Expert in Residence in Australia to mentor Impact Entrepreneurs. He has co-founded several positive impact companies including Oceanworks, a leading ocean plastic materials marketplace.

Aly is an Investor on the Closed Loop Ventures Group team –– the seed and pre-seed investment division of Closed Loop Partners focused on catalyzing innovations in the circular economy. She leads sourcing, diligence, transactions and portfolio management. Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Aly was an Engagement Manager in McKinsey & Company’s Sustainability and Energy practices. She has deep expertise in cross-value chain innovations and cutting–edge technologies supporting circular business models in advanced manufacturing, textiles, building products and consumer goods. Aly has supported companies ranging from early- and growth-stage startups to Fortune 50 enterprises with a focus on operations, investment and top-of-house strategy. Aly earned her Master’s from the London School of Economics and Political Science and her BA from Davidson College. Originally from the Midwest, Aly currently resides in New York City where her love for fresh pressed beet juice may have tipped the scales to an obsession.

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.

Ambika Singh is the founder and CEO of Armoire, a clothing rental membership for ambitious women. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School, she held roles at Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group, and startups TravelPost and Rover before embarking on entrepreneurship. Ambika serves on the board of United Way King County, and has volunteered as Seattle Chapter Leader for Pratham USA, the largest NGO working to eradicate illiteracy in India. She has been featured on the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list, and was a finalist for GeekWire's Entrepreneur of the Year. Ambika is a sought-after speaker, and has been invited to share her story at Amazon, Microsoft, American Express, Harvard Business School, MIT, and the UW Foster School of Business.

Amelia Landers is a VP of Business Strategy at Starbucks. She leads a team responsible for sustainable packaging, store equipment and productivity. In this role, she sets strategies to re-imagine Starbucks iconic cup and packaging, to achieve a bold aspiration to reduce waste by 50%. In addition, she leads the retail store equipment and production strategy to support product innovation and enable effortless and efficient barista craft. 

Prior to this role, Amelia led the Starbucks beverage business, responsible for product innovation, go to market strategy and P&L. Prior to Starbucks, Amelia worked at Procter & Gamble in Brand Management, on the Gillette Blades and Razors business. 

Amelia’s go to beverage every morning is a tall Americano, in a personal cup of course. 

Amy Senter is Global Vice President, Sustainability at Martin Brower. Before her time at WBCSD, Senter was the Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Kellogg Company. The company sells 1,000 products marketed in 180 countries, and is rated one of the most valuable food brands worldwide. After joining the company in 2012, she was promoted to various sustainability positions within the company, and in 2018, her duties expanded to lead Global Sustainability for Kellogg. In that role, Senter led global strategies to deliver the company’s responsible sourcing and natural resource conservation commitments across its supply chain, partnered with Kellogg’s R&D division to develop the company’s Wellbeing food design approach, and delivered new commercial opportunities. Senter also represented Kellogg in many multi-stakeholder initiatives and industry groups.Prior to joining the Kellogg Company, Senter worked for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., where she led National Environmental Policy Act compliance for the Farm Service Agency. In that role, she oversaw the environmental law compliance across the USD $8 billion agency, and partnered with key programs and agencies on environmental protections and benefits.Senter earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy, both from the University of Michigan.

Andrew Lee has worked for Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) for over 11 years and is currently the SPU General Manager / Chief Executive Officer (GM/CEO). Andrew has spent his entire 23-year career working on water, wastewater, and stormwater issues, with 17 of those years in local government for Seattle, San Francisco, and Bellevue. Andrew is regionally and nationally recognized for his expertise in water/wastewater regulations, smart water technology, and asset management. He is committed to delivering high quality utility services, maintaining affordable rates, and partnering with and serving the community with a focus on environmental justice. He is also passionate about developing high performance organizations through an emphasis on shared leadership, employee engagement, continuous improvement and diversity/equity/inclusion. Andrew has a bachelor’s and master’s degree, both from Stanford University.

Andy Ruben is the founder and executive chairman of Trove, the market leader in branded resale and trade-in for world-class brands and retailers such as Canada Goose, lululemon, Patagonia, REI, Levi’s, and more. Ruben has spent more than two decades pioneering change across retail, consumer products, and sustainability. Prior to starting Trove, he led a number of transformational efforts at Walmart, including serving as the first-ever chief sustainability officer and overseeing global corporate and ecommerce strategy.

Anita is a Vice President for the Sustainability, Energy, and Climate Change group at WSP USA, bringing over 15 years of experience in sustainable business strategies to accelerate the achievement of net zero goals. As the domain lead for Circularity services at WSP USA, Anita leads a team supporting Fortune 500 clients, non-government organizations, and the public sector in embedding a just and equitable transition to a circular economy. At WSP, Anita partners with clients on waste mitigation, packaging redesign, and logistics improvements to advance material efficiency and carbon avoidance. She also lends her expertise to non-government organizations transitioning to durable and reusable packaging in the consumer goods industry. This work extends to standards development for packaging reuse, which builds on her decade plus at Waste Management Inc, where she led innovative business development solutions for solid waste, recycling, reverse logistics, and bio-based materials. Prior to Waste Management, Anita developed LEED-certified retail complexes, consulted on green building solutions, and created energy management strategies for commercial properties.Anita is currently a co-author and technical committee member for the UL 3600 Circular Economy Standard and has also served on the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council: Sustainability and Efficiency Task Force. She is a LEED AP, TRUE Zero Waste Advisor, LEAN Six Sigma professional, and has a B.A in International Business from DePaul University.

Asha is the Managing Director of Tin Shed Ventures, Patagonia's venture capital fund and corporate development group, through which she invests in regenerative agriculture, apparel innovation, and biodiversity, and runs Worn Wear, Patagonia's recommerce business.

Ashley has 17 years of experience bringing sustainable packaging solutions to market with some of the world’s most prominent brands.  Prior to joining Dow in 2019, she gained diverse experiences from a variety of roles spanning both technical and commercial functions, from start-up to multi-national, in sustainable packaging and consumer goods product development.  She led the development and launch of new packaging and technologies across 5 continents for companies including PepsiCo, Amcor, HAVI Global Solutions, and 915 Labs.  Ashley received a DuPont Packaging Award, R&D 100 Award, Chairman’s Award, and a patent for her work on sustainable packaging at PepsiCo, and a Pinnacle Award for Marketing Excellence at Dow.

 Currently, Ashley is the Sr. Marketing Manager for Value Chain Engagement for Circular Packaging at Dow. Her role focuses on increasing collaboration across the value chain to accelerate adoption of sustainable packaging solutions and to create circular ecosystems for plastic packaging.  She also has responsibility for shaping the commercial strategy and introduction of Dow’s circular products made from advanced recycling processes.  Ashley served on the Executive Committee of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition from 2019-2022.

Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and is a certified yoga and meditation instructor.

Ashley Hall is the Lead for Sustainable Packaging at Walmart. 

Benja Juster is an experiential leader who designs unforgettable experiences to spark a social dialogue and deepen human connection. As the Director of Experiential for VERGE, they create inspiring, empowering, and cohesive experiences that build community to accelerate solutions for the climate crisis.

Benja’s previous work includes leading experiential at Google, Apple, and Red Bull. They serve as a Creative Advisor for Take 3 Presents and previously served as a Technical Advisor for the Land Art Generator Initiative at Fly Ranch and Creative Consultant for the San Francisco Institute of Possibility. 

Brad Sparks is Executive Director of A4S (Accounting for Sustainability), part of The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation. He leads the US Chapter of the A4S CFO Leadership Network, supporting Fortune 500 CFOs and their finance teams in embedding sustainability into strategy and business decision-making. He also leads A4S activities across the US, including working with asset managers, asset owners and the wider finance community. Brad previously served as an Executive Director with KPMG focused on ESG issues. Brad is a lecturer at UCLA Anderson and an Executive-in-Residence at Cornell University’s Center for Global Sustainable Enterprise.

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.

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.

Bryan Yuji Walker leads the organizational design portfolio at IDEO. He actively pursues new ways that designers can catalyze and support massive change of complex, human systems, and has worked with organizations in a diversity of industries (consumer electronics, health care, fashion, sports apparel, retail and hospitality, food and beverage and financial services). He is passionate about collaborating with organizations to design innovation strategies that build upon existing assets to meet future needs and goals—and ultimately support enterprise-wide transformation. He has a bias towards action, believing the best way to help an organization become more innovative is by working together to bring more innovative "products" to market.

Bryan’s work has been widely recognized. His innovative design research on a baby stroller was awarded the product design of the year by the Human Factors Ergonomic Society and was later featured in the Smithsonian. His work has also been written about in BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, USA Today and Fast Company.

In addition to his work at IDEO, Bryan is a core design team member for the Aspen Institute First Movers Fellowship Program. He also lectures at Cornell University, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and the California Center of Arts on the topics of design thinking, organizational design, consumer experience design and service design.

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.

Bryce Hesterman: Bryce Hesterman is a Senior Consultant with over 15 years of experience in recycling operations, research and market development. Prior to joining RRS, he co-founded and operated a regional commercial recycling company where he had primary direction over the New York metro region business operations. Bryce has been a core member of RRS’ circular systems and infrastructure team, playing a key role in projects that involve developing infrastructure and markets for increasing material reuse, recovery and developing circular economies.

Bryony leads ICMM’s work on circular economy, working with many of the largest mining and metals companies in the world and a range of external stakeholders to drive action within the industry and across metal value chains. This work focusses on both identifying ways to make the mining process more circular, as well as ensuring that metals stay in use for as long as possible and never become waste. She also works on standards and reporting, including working with investors and downstream buyers of metals on the information they need to have confidence in their supply chains. She currently sits on the expert working group developing the new GRI Sector Standard for Mining. Bryony holds a BA in Geography from the University of Oxford and is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.

Caitlyn Holt is Director of Product Development and Innovation for Cone Denim in Greensboro, N.C. She leads Cone’s global product development team to research and develop denim innovations from the fiber to the roll of fabric. A proud third-generation Cone employee, Caitlyn has led Product Development, Merchandising, and Customer Service during her 10 years with the company. In 2022, Fashion Impact Fund, Lenzing and Worn Again Technologies asked Caitlyn to join a roundtable event at UN Headquarters to recognize World Circular Textiles Day. The mission is to make the textiles industry fully circular by 2050. Caitlyn earned a Master of Textiles and a Bachelor of Science in Fashion and Textile Management from North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles. She currently serves on the Dean’s Young Alumni Leadership Council and remains very involved in her alma mater.

Carol is the Senior Manager of Global Sustainability at The North Face, where her work spans all aspects of The North Face’s environmental footprint, from retail waste to regeneratively-grown raw materials. She oversees the brand’s sustainability initiatives and helps teams across the brand action on TNF’s sustainability strategy and goals. She is a textiles enthusiast and loves handcrafts. She co-founded Aggie Reuse Store, a creative reuse store at UC Davis. She has a BA and an MFA in Design from UC Davis and an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School.

Carol is the Senior Manager of Global Sustainability at The North Face, where her work spans all aspects of The North Face’s environmental footprint, from retail waste to regeneratively-grown raw materials. She oversees the brand’s sustainability initiatives and helps teams across the brand action on TNF’s sustainability strategy and goals. She is a textiles enthusiast and loves handcrafts. She co-founded Aggie Reuse Store, a creative reuse store at UC Davis. She has a BA and an MFA in Design from UC Davis and an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School.

Casey Paus is the director of brand marketing for Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions. His team is responsible for all commercialized products from commercial launch to obsolescence. Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions is a business unit within the greater Stryker corporation that specializes in medical device reprocessing. They partner with hospitals to reduce supply costs and further the circular economy by extending the useful life of single-use medical devices (SUDs). Casey has 15 years of industry experience and has spent the last 7 years striving to make healthcare more sustainable through his work at Stryker.

Cassandra is an Associate Director with Anthesis Consulting Group and has 14 years of experience assisting companies along their sustainability journeys. Cassandra partners with clients to help them identify circularity opportunities, develop strategies, and implement programs. Cassandra has particular expertise in circular revenue models and sustainable products & packaging. Prior to Anthesis, Cassandra oversaw waste reduction and recycling programs for Best Buy, including the consumer-facing electronics take-back program. She also was a strategy and operations consultant for Deloitte Consulting. Cassandra holds an MBA from the University of Colorado and a BS in natural resources management from the University of Minnesota.

Chantal believes that leveraging the right technology at the right time has the power to solve problems in magical ways. Her career continually brings her to the intersection of technology, design, and social impact. Her decade in tech included being Lead Engineer at Red Clay Design, and most recently, she served as a Digital Strategist at the leading consulting firm, SYPartners, where she partnered with clients at a number of Fortune 100 companies, guiding them through their digital strategy. Today, as CTO and Co-Founder of LimeLoop, she oversees the digital and hardware component's development of LimeLoop's smart shippers, working to replace the 165B single-use cardboard and plastic packaging.

Cheryl has been leading sustainable packaging for Walmart Private Brands for 3+ years. She brings 20 years of experience from Unilever with a focus on material and product innovation. She partners with suppliers to identify viable options to drive Walmart’s Regenerative commitments.

Chris Wirth is vice president of corporate affairs for AMP Robotics. Wirth oversees corporate communications, government and regulatory affairs, and industry partnerships. Wirth brings more than 25 years of business-to-business (B2B) experience at companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in the technology, sustainability, and government sectors. Prior to AMP, he held roles in marketing at Flex Ltd (NASDAQ: FLEX) incubating an internal renewable energy start-up and was vice president of marketing for Spruce Finance (formerly Clean Power Finance), a solar energy financier. Before his time at Spruce, Wirth held B2B marketing and channel development roles at two renewable energy start-ups where he led go-to-market functions for market expansion of solar energy technology and project development in government and commercial sectors. He also managed international and government channel development for a subsidiary of defense giant BAE Systems plc (LSE: BA) and led channel strategy and market analytics for Interline Brands (acquired by Home Depot), a national distributor of building and construction supplies. Wirth served as an analyst for VML (now VMLY&R, a WPP plc company), a global marketing and communications agency, working with clients ranging from Bayer to Intuit. Wirth started his career in the semiconductor and aerospace sector. Wirth holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from San Jose State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Florida.

Ciara Imani May, Founder, and CEO of Rebundle, is creating space for Black women in clean beauty with the first U.S -made plant-based hair extensions brand. Ciara's combined passion for sustainability and understanding of health disparities in personal care products inspired the vision for Rebundle's first product, braidbetter.

Colleen Echohawk is a born organizer, change-maker, and leader. Her experiences as anIndigenous woman, small business owner, community organizer, and executive leader informher efforts in building a community of justice and reconciliation.An enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and a member of the UpperAthabascan people of Mentasta Lake, Colleen is proud to have called Seattle home for over twodecades. She is a champion for change, igniting successful coalitions to bring about positiveshifts in Seattle’s housing, homelessness, racial justice, sustainability, and public safety issues.Colleen is committed to service. As the Executive Director at the Chief Seattle Club, Colleen ledthe effort to create nearly $100 million in new affordable housing in Seattle and oversaw thebest rapid rehousing success program in the county. At the Seattle Community PoliceCommission, Colleen worked to address the systemic racism in our criminal justice system.Colleen is the co-founder of the Equatible Recovery and Reconciliation Alliance and the founderof the National Coalition to End Urban Indigenous Homelessness.In her latest role as the CEO of Native lifestyle brand Eighth Generation, Colleen is using herconnections and business acumen to take the small business global. Through an artist-centricapproach and positive outlook, the brand is poised under Colleen’s leadership to shareauthentic, Native-designed art and home goods with an international audience eager forethically made products.In her spare time, Colleen loves to watch Netflix originals, belt Beyonce with friends at karaoke,take her dog Rizzo for long walks, and bake for her friends and family.Awards and Public Service:She is recognized as one of Seattle’s most influential people by Seattle Magazine and SeattleMet Magazine (2018-2021). Colleen is proud to have received the King County Martin LutherKing Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service (2020), the Adeline Ga

Cynthia is a circular-programs expert with 15 years of experience. She previously managed EILEEN FISHER Renew for many years before working at tech-resale startup Recurate. She now works independently, helping brands, industry groups and investment funds to understand and navigate the circular landscape, including building and scaling resale and reuse programs. She (like most of us) is passionate about the high quality, durable goods that already exist and how we can prolong their useful lives.

As Sustainability Lead, Product and Circularity at Ralph Lauren, Danielle directs the implementation of the company’s circularity strategy, including circular product development, creating circular experiences, and assessing innovations for circularity potential. Danielle has worked with other major corporations where she managed the transition to more sustainable materials and processes. Danielle has also worked inside municipal and federal government agencies for over a decade with roles in sustainable materials management, waste diversion, and land remediation for local governments including Sustainable DC, and the US EPA.

Danielle holds a Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School with a focus in Environmental Law, a BA in Economics from Pace University and is a certified TRUETM Zero Waste Advisor.

Danielle Jezienicki is the Vice President of Sustainability for Grove Collaborative, the leading digital-first brand & ecommerce platform for natural home and personal care products, and the world's first plastic-neutral retailer. A certified B Corp, Grove serves hundreds of thousands of households in the U.S. every month. At Grove, Danielle manages Grove's sustainability program, advocacy and corporate giving. 

Prior to Danielle’s current role at Grove, Danielle was the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSI) where she supervised ESG reporting and sustainability initiatives for the Company and its West Coast brands including Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, Williams-Sonoma, Rejuvenation and Mark & Graham. Long inspired by the possibilities of sustainability-first consciousness provide, she was an Impact Analyst for four years at Sonen Capital, an investment firm that prioritizes socio-environmental outcomes in conjunction with financial returns. She holds an MBA in Sustainable Management at Presidio Graduate School and BA from Brown University.

Danii is a creative, believer, and Sustainability professional with a track record of leadership and entrepreneurship. A graduate of Howard University's School of Engineering, Danii started her sustainability career working at corporations such as Watts Water Technology and Campbell's Soup Company. At Watts Water, Danii facilitated program and project management of new and existing sustainability initiatives for 16 manufacturing plants across North America. While at Campbell's Soup Company, Danii managed multimillion-dollar sustainability projects as a manufacturing engineer and launched a sustainability engagement team to promote best sustainability practices to hourly employees and plant leadership. Danii is also a co-founder of Carnicycle, a social enterprise that provides waste management solutions, environmental training, and sustainability best practices to Caribbean industry stakeholders. Danii has been recognized for her work and achievements, including being nominated for the Island Innovation Award, being a UNDP Green Fund Finalist, and receiving the Best Sustainability Business Pitch from MicroPitch.In addition to her professional work, Danii is a Sustainable Fashion Ambassador for Re/Make and a freelance consultant helping small businesses and startups improve their green operations. She holds certifications in Lean Six Sigma and UNDP Sustainable Project Management and is committed to promoting sustainability and environmental awareness in underserved communities through her faith.

Dave Bennink is the founder of the Reuse Innovation Centers, Director of the Building Deconstruction Institute, and owner of Re-Use Consulting. He has existed within the circular economy for over 30 years, and has trained and worked with sustainable groups in 44 states/4 provinces/13 countries, helping start 80 new circular businesses. He has diverted over 100,000,000 pounds from landfills, keeping that material in circulation and avoiding the need to harvest over 10,000 acres of standing forest among other benefits. He focuses on growing the circular economy, embodied carbon/energy, helping lower-income homeowners, ’green-collar’ job creation, historic preservation, and advancing the various material reuse industries throughout North America. He is an expert in building deconstruction, and helps with these efforts throughout North America, including the leading effort in Portland, OR. Long term planning is underway for 6 Reuse Innovation Centers, where these ‘business cooperatives’ salvage, store, market, and sell reclaimed materials, repair items, recycle, and re-manufacture products and even salvage and sell mature landscaping from job sites. His equity efforts with clients revolve around being thankful that women, people of color, and women of color are willing to help him help the community and the planet. His perspective is that they are helping him as much as he is helping them, and that is just a glimpse of what a sustainable future looks like.  Finally, Dave Bennink started the ‘Building Deconstruction Institute’ to focus on building the circular economy throughout the world, and to train up the industry to be successful by making a positive impact on communities and the environment.

Dynamic Program Manager with 10+ years' achievement in the environmental management/sustainability space. Bilingual (English and Spanish) leader adept at building innovative partnerships and rolling-out programs that increase public awareness and engagement. Holds Master of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.

Dennis is the Vice President of Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) for Saint-Gobain in North America, the parent company of CertainTeed and also the Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Circular Economy Solutions, a new venture focused on circularity in the built environment. Dennis joined CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain in 2007 and has since worked in a variety of operational EHS, product stewardship and sustainability roles.  Dennis’ teams manage Saint-Gobain North America’s ESG programs as well as process & product sustainability efforts including waste, water, energy, greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy and product life cycle assessments.Dennis holds a BS in Applied Environmental Health & Safety Sciences (Safety Sciences) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Environmental Protection & Safety Management from St. Joseph’s University, an MBA from LaSalle University, and a certificate in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University.  Prior to his time at CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain, Dennis held a variety of operations, quality, and regulatory positions in the pharmaceutical, and paper and plastics industries. Dennis is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC), Circular Philadelphia and ecomedes.

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.

Devin manages sustainability projects at International Paper, the world's leading manufacturer of pulp, paper, and fiber-based packaging products. Devin works across IP’s business groups and functional areas to create, lead and execute strategies that support International Paper's vision of being among the most successful, sustainable, and responsible companies in the world. Devin has an MBA from Pennsylvania State University, Smeal College of Business, where she concentrated in Sustainability & Strategic Leadership, and earned a Graduate Certificate in Sustainability Management & Policy.

Dylan has spent nearly two decades building better environmental and social impacts in the nonprofit and public sectors and the Fortune 500. Prior to GreenBiz, she was a lead strategist on the social innovation team at Verizon, where she introduced climate justice as a core element of the company’s climate approach and worked to address the rural digital divide. Formerly, at power company NRG, she developed climate and water strategy, and helped conceive and launch a consultancy to help commercial customers navigate climate action, resilience, clean energy, and energy efficiency. 

She now applies her experience in the field to lead and build upon GreenBiz’s offerings for sustainability professionals, working to support, drive, and lift up sustainability practice in business. A former music journalist, she lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Dylan de Thomas is Vice President of Industry Collaboration for The Recycling Partnership, working with the team there to increase both the quantity and quality of the curbside collected recyclables across the U.S. Previous to joining the Partnership, he worked for Resource Recycling for a decade, directing and producing content for three publications and three conferences covering various aspects of the recycling industry. Now, when he isn’t indulging his hobby of recycling container photography he can be found with his family and an assortment of domestic animals at their home in Portland, Oregon.

Ed has 38 years in flexible packaging. With a degree in chemistry, his career began in R&D with the development of new packaging materials to provide the needed shelf life for perishable food products while also meeting the needs of retailers and consumers. Many of these early packaging material developments were driven by customer’s who had goals to move away from materials that had a poor reputation for sustainability. The second half of Ed’s career has been in the healthcare packaging industry (pharma, medical device, and consumer health) where he has been more focused on commercial aspects of the business with various leadership assignments in marketing, product management, pricing, strategy development, M&A, and business development. Throughout his career, he has always had a passion towards finding new solutions that have substantially better sustainability versus incumbent options.

Elizabeth is a Founder of OurCarbon, a startup developing applications and markets for the sequestered biogenic carbon fixed from underutilized organic waste streams that have undergone an advanced pyrolysis process. Elizabeth and the OurCarbon team are focused on pairing unique waste streams and processing conditions with specific roles in supply chains that result in a reduction of the fossil-derived and virgin material inputs in the final product. OurCarbon is currently being utilized in the apparel, printing, footwear, furniture and building material industries.

Elizabeth Chin Start is the founder of Start Consulting Group LLC, a Milwaukie-based business. Her career has spanned local government, private industry, nonprofit, and consulting, with a focus on the circular economy and materials management. Start Consulting Group works to weave equity and justice into the circular economy. Elizabeth is also a reuse artist and advocate.

As the Executive Director of Perpetual, Ellie is focused on facilitating the transition to the reuse economy, starting with foodware in smaller US cities. Ellie has been working on solutions to the plastic waste problem since she was the lead author for Sea of Opportunity in 2017. Since then her work has included 'The Dirty Truth about Disposable Foodware,' commissioned by The Overbrook Foundation, and the development of the Living Landscape of Reusable Solutions (www.reuselandscape.org), also commissioned with Overbrook in partnership with The Plastics Solutions Fund. Other work includes Reducing Plastic Pollution: Campaigns That Work (www.campaignsthatwork.org), advising Morgan Stanley on their Plastic Waste Resolution, and working with the Reusable Packaging Association. Ellie began her work as a strategy consultant with The Boston Consulting Group in 2005 and spent six years with Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting working with companies such as Walmart, Nestle Purina, Energizer, and Microsoft. Ellie has a dual degree in Economics and Public Policy from Brown University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

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.

Emily McGarvey is the Director of Sustainability at Room & Board. She is responsible for implementing social and environmentally-sound strategies that further advance Room & Board's mission of delivering built-to-last furniture through sustainable practices that prioritize American craftsmanship. Emily brings 20 years of experience spearheading social and environmental strategies with a focus on product, supply chain, operations, and branding. As Target's Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, she played an integral role in developing the corporation's sustainability program, rolling out enterprise-wide initiatives including the company's chemical management and transparency policy and their Car Seat Trade-In program. In 2018, she founded Star Impact Consulting, where she provided purpose-driven strategy and branding for both for-profit and nonprofit business sectors such as Apparel Impact Institute.Before leading social and environmental initiatives, Emily held various roles in buying, sourcing, and product development where she drove positive financial results through global product management, category management, financial analysis, vendor negotiation, market & trend analysis, and cross functional teams.Emily received her Bachelor of Arts from Concordia College where she studied business and English writing.

Dr Emma Stone is Director of Evidence and Engagement at Good Things Foundation - the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity. Good Things runs the National Digital Inclusion Network, National Databank, and an exciting, emerging circular electronics initiative: the National Device Bank. Emma also leads on the Data Poverty Lab, Minimum Digital Living Standards, and Health and Wellbeing Alliance for Good Things Foundation. Website: www.goodthingsfoundation.org

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.

As Circular Economy Manager at Iron Mountain, Erin is redefining “waste” from one system as “input” to other systems and processes in support of a circular economy. She works to discover and innovate new circular pathways for materials and encourages circular products and business models at Iron Mountain. Erin is a 20+ year sustainability professional with an MBA in sustainable business practices who has worked at a small non-profit in addition to multiple Fortune 1000 companies. Her focus is to provide value as a cross-functional bridge in the design of circular economy systems and her professional passion is influencing organizations to overcome roadblocks to collaborate toward a circular economy.

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.

Eva Gladek is the founder and CEO of Metabolic, a consulting, research, and venture building firm focused on tackling global sustainability challenges and advancing a circular economy. Eva founded Metabolic in 2012 with the mission of transitioning the global economy to a fundamentally sustainable and circular state. Metabolic provides strategies and tools, crunches data, creates new technologies, builds pilots and scales up innovations. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Metabolic has an international and interdisciplinary team working with governments, businesses, and non-profits around the world.Eva holds a Master’s in Industrial Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor’s in Molecular Biology from Amherst College. In her years of consulting work and concept development, she has advised hundreds of organizations, ranging from progressive cities to global NGOs, and industry leaders in nearly every economic sector. She is an expert in technical environmental management techniques and has developed a number of frameworks for systems thinking, the circular economy and sustainable design. She is consistently listed among the top influencers in sustainability in the Netherlands, a country recognized as leading the transition to the circular economy.

As Senior Solutions Engineer at Toxnot, a 3E company, Evelyn applies technology to simplify the complex world of supply chain compliance, sustainability and human labor for manufacturers and customers. She has collaborated with a variety of compliance, sustainability, and circularity initiatives, including serving on the committees for the Health Product Declaration, Product Circularity Data Sheet, and USGBC. Prior to Toxnot, she worked in product stewardship for the furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, as well as helping commercialize a screening technique for PFAS chemicals.

Gabriella Smith is the founder of Upcycle Project, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the waste generated by the fashion industry. Through her innovative workshops, mentorship programs, and inspiring TEDx Talks, Gabriella has emerged as a leading voice in promoting circular solutions. Her passion for sustainable fashion and responsible production has led her to create disruptive events and products that challenge traditional approaches.As a conscious observer, Gabriella is committed to advancing textile waste management, sustainable sourcing, and ethical production as the future of fashion.

Dr. Cooper is a Scholar at Google for Entrepreneurs and an Adjust Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Department of Physiology. Before Rheaply, Dr. Cooper was a Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young, LLP in the Life Science Advisory practice where he worked in performance improvement and supply chain for biopharmaceutical clients.

Dr. Gayatri Keskar is a trusted advisor to some of the world's most recognized brands, arming them with bestsustainable practices from concept to production. She has a deep understanding of the landscape of materialinnovation, expertise in product development, and a passion for identifying holistic approaches for harmonizingmaterials, processes, and technologies to address pressing industry challenges and meet the market's shiftingdemands.Throughout her career, Dr. Keskar has led cross-functional teams and fostered collaborations with keystakeholders across academic, corporate, and government organizations to advance the consumer goods industry with purpose-driven innovation.She is a Fast Company Executive board member and the Vice President of Research at Material ConneXion,where she offers strategic resource management and cross-industry insights to start-ups and Fortune 100/500companies, like NBCUniversal, Nike, Microsoft, Ford, Hunter Douglas, and Estée Lauder, enabling thedevelopment of positive impact products and experiences.

Gene Eidelman is a cofounder of Azure Printed Homes. Azure is fundamentally changing the construction industry by 3D printing homes with recycled polymers 70% faster and 30% less expensive than current construction methods with positive environmental impact. Gene immigrated to Los Angeles from Ukraine. He was recognized for resettling 6,000 refugees from the former Soviet Union, and appeared on Oprah Winfrey Show. He also served on boards of numerous non-profit educational organizations in the US, India, and the UK. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and is working on a Ph.D. in sustainable construction.

Gerrine Pan is the VP of Partnerships at Ridwell. She is a serial entrepreneur-turned-climate enthusiast. At Ridwell she focuses on creating new end market solutions for hard-to-recycle household items such as multi-layer plastic film. Gerrine has an MBA from Harvard Business School and resides in the Bay Area. 

Gill leads Aura's consulting offer, with over 25 years’ experience in the packaging industry, strategically developing packaging strategies, roadmaps, and packaging solutions to meet the needs of clients, consumers and the plant. She has worked with many global retailers and household brands on projects spanning sustainability and innovation to supply chain optimisation. With a real passion for sustainability, her quest is to educate, influence and drive a circular economy wherever possible while complementing creativity, technical functionality, and commercial realities.

Harry Tannenbaum is the President and co-founder of Mill. Mill has built an entirely new system to prevent waste, starting with food. The company has created a practical and impactful way to take steps at home that are good for your kitchen and our planet.Prior to Mill, Harry led the centralized analytics group and ecommerce business at Nest, the first machine learning thermostat and the leading brand for the connected home. During his time at Nest, Harry helped to scale the business to more than $1B in annual revenue, leading to its acquisition by Google, where he was a director in Google’s hardware organization focused on ecommerce and subscription offerings. Before Nest, Harry briefly worked at an investment bank, before deciding he wanted to work in climate. He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from UCLA.

Heather is a public health toxicology and product safety specialist. Her work is primarily focused on reducing the burden of disease in populations through thoughtful formulation and standard setting. She is Safer Chemistry Lead at ChemFORWARD, a science-based, non-profit value chain collaboration aimed at advancing safer chemistry. Previously, she led Toxicology and Product Safety at The Honest Company, a beauty/personal care, diaper, wellness, and home care CPG company based in Los Angeles.

Heather Clancy, vice president and editorial director at GreenBiz, specializes in chronicling the role of technology in enabling corporate climate action and transitioning to a clean, inclusive and regenerative economy. An award-winning journalist, she started her journalism career on the business desk of United Press International, and her articles have appeared in Entrepreneur, Fortune, The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times.

Clancy was the launch editor for the Fortune Data Sheet, the magazine's newsletter dedicated to the business of technology. She co-authored the Amazon best-seller for entrepreneurs, "Niche Down, How to Become Legendary By Being Different." She is proud to serve on the boards of the WSLA Alumnae Group, a mentorship organization dedicated to nurturing feminine leadership in the corporate sustainability movement, and EcoAthletes, a collective of collegiate, professional and amateur athletes dedicate to using their voices to surface solutions to climate change.

Helen Kao is a group manager in Sustainable Packaging at Starbucks, focusing on Reusables. In this role, she develops strategy, tools and best practices to establish and grow Reusables across global markets, in support of Starbucks environmental goals of cutting climate, water and waste footprints in half by 2030. Helen holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

As strategic initiatives manager in Eastman’s Global Sustainability Organization, Holli Alexander helps translate the complexity of sustainability into tangible and actionable efforts.

For the last 10 years, she has focused on plastics, recycling and sustainability. In 2012, Holli launched and led the Full-Wrap Label Consortium, a group founded by Eastman to address the challenges recycling PET bottles that use shrink labels.  She represents Eastman in a variety of external organizations including the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s CE100.  She serves on the Sustainability Advisory Board for PLASTICS and is leading an emerging work group there exploring chemical recycling technologies.

Holli was born and raised in Indiana and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University. 

Irene leads the Circular Transition Indicators work at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Developed for business, by business, the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) are paving the way for effective management and scale-up of circularity by business organizations of all sectors and sizes, globally. A Columbia University graduate, she's a circular economy enthusiast with experience in a variety of sustainability topics.

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. 

Jason Pelz is Vice President of Sustainability for Tetra Pak in the United States, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean. Jason and his team work with a range of stakeholders across various geographies to advance Tetra Pak’s global sustainability ambitions, including growing recycling and collection of post-consumer cartons, and reducing climate impact across the value chain. Jason also serves as Vice President of Recycling Projects for Carton Council of North America, where he works with food and beverage brand owners, local municipalities and communities, and other third parties such as recyclers and paper mills to increase the availability of carton recycling in the U.S. and Canada.

Jason Brown is the leader of the Design for Service & Repair (DSR) team for Microsoft Devices, with over 19 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. He has a proven track record of incorporating repairability and serviceability into product design, and is dedicated to designing products with longevity, circularity, modularity, and ease of repair and service in mind. As a panelist at the Circularity conference, Jason will share his insights on the importance of circularity in product design, and how the DSR team is prioritizing this approach for Microsoft Surface devices. He is excited to contribute to the conversation and exchange ideas with other experts in the field.

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.

Jeffrey Hogue is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Levi Strauss & Co. – the iconic brand with a 167-year history. In his role, he leads the sustainability and circular economy efforts for the organization to create positive impact across the environmental and social aspects of their global operations. Prior to joining LS&Co., Jeffrey has held several CSO and lead roles in a variety of industries including, Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Retail Food and Fashion. Preceding his leadership role at LS&Co. he designed and led C&A’s global sustainability strategies and established notable leadership in the co-development of Fashion for Good, leading C&A to the world’s largest user of certified organic cotton, guiding the organization to create the world’s most sustainable denim and circular knit products certified to Cradle to Cradle™ GOLD, developing the company’s sustainability brand value proposition #WearTheChange and in-store takeback program #WeTakeitBack, and leading the organization to leadership positions in transparency and prevention of forced labor and slavery. Before his role at C&A, Jeffrey led CSR and Sustainability team at McDonalds Corporation. In this role, he successfully led the development of McDonald's first global sustainability strategy and climate change positions. Prior to this, Jeffrey served for 17 years at Danisco A/S & Genencor International their VP and Chief Sustainability Officer and led the integration of Danisco’s Sustainability and Regulatory programs into the DuPont organization. He has held numerous non-profit board positions including the C&A Foundation, the Innovation Committee of Fashion for Good, Textile Exchange, Organic Cotton Accelerator, Sun Valley Institute, , Presidio Graduate School, and The Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute.

Jennifer is the Associate Director for Pyxera Global’s Strategic Initiatives where she works with corporate clients and local communities to design and implement sustainable business model solutions.Prior to her work at Pyxera Global, Jennifer led a non-profit community collaborative focused on accelerating regional circular solutions in North Carolina called Circular Triangle. She is also trained in Lean Six Sigma organizational change management methodologies, advanced evaluation techniques, knowledge management, and community organizing. Jennifer is passionate about outdoor recreation and access to green space and spends a lot of time hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking.Jennifer received her master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill with a focus on behavior change.

Jesse Simons is Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at SOLARCYCLE, a tech-driven solar circular economy platform. Prior to founding SOLARCYCLE, Jesse served on the Executive Team of the Sierra Club as Chief of Staff and National Program Director where he led climate and clean energy strategy. He brings in-depth knowledge on climate and the circular economy and has extensive experience scaling and managing large teams in both entrepreneurial and established environments.

Joan Gibbons is an Associate Sustainability Manager for Lendlease Construction based in San Francisco, where she is currently helping Lendlease meet its ambitious goal of achieving absolute zero carbon across every scope by 2040, while creating $250M of social value by 2025.At Lendlease, Joan is collaborating across the company's national portfolio to optimize material circularity across construction project sites, and is driving implementation of a variety of other sustainability initiatives to reduce the company's environmental footprint. Joan holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a LEED AP BD+C accredited professional. She is committed to ongoing learning and collaboration to achieve ambitious sustainability goals, and is passionate about creating social and environmental value through her work.

Joe Macleod is the founder of the worlds first customer ending business. A veteran of the product development industry with decades of experience across service, digital and product sectors. Author of the Ends book that iFixIt called the best book about consumer e-waste.

Head of Endineering at AndEnd. TEDx Speaker. Wired says “An energetic Englishman, Macleod advises companies on how to game out their endgames. Every product faces a cycle of endings, from breakage to customer burnout to falling behind consumption trends. It's important to plan for each of them. Not all companies do."

Joel Makower is a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. As a writer and strategist on corporate sustainability practices and clean technology, he has helped a wide range of companies align environmental goals with business strategy. Joel is a bestselling author or co-author of several books on business and sustainability, including his latest, The New Grand Strategy: Restoring America's Prosperity, Security, and Sustainability in the 21st Century (St. Martin's Press).

He is a frequent commentator in print, broadcast and online media, and a sought-after speaker to companies and business groups around the world. In 2012, Joel was awarded the Hutchens Medal by the American Society for Quality, which cited “his ability to tell compelling stories that both inform and inspire business leaders toward profitable action.” From 1991 to 2005, Joel was editor of The Green Business Letter, an award-winning monthly newsletter on corporate environmental strategy. He is a graduate in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley and is an advisor to both for-profit and non-profit organizations. The Associated Press has called Joel "the guru of green business practices."

John Paap is an experienced fresh produce industry leader who brings a wealth of experience in the areas of sustainability, innovation, branding, marketing and supply chain. Amongst his various roles, he currently serves as the Sustainability and Brand Marketing Manager of Jac. Vandenberg, Inc. and participates in several global sustainability forums. Since stepping into this role, John has been instrumental in the development, introduction and success of various sustainability initiatives that has earned the company various awards. In addition to his passion for sustainability, John is a self-described history enthusiast who enjoys researching and speaking about the origins and evolution of fresh produce throughout human history.

John Holm is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at PYXERA Global where he spearheads the organization’s new ventures in circular economy, last mile energy access, and corporate advisory services. He has spent the majority of his career pioneering new markets for global brands, leading the market entry of the Subway chain in Hungary and Libri in Romania, while also advising Starbucks and IKEA on their respective market entries in Central & Eastern Europe and the Balkans (Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia). Additionally, John also serves on the Hoops4Hope board and is a senior adjunct lecturer for Maastricht School of Management in The Netherlands on Shared Value and Circular Economy. While facilitating cross-sector partnerships is his primary job function by day, John also enjoys spending time exploring new terrain and kayaking with his wife and dog.

John Hewitt is the Vice President of packaging and sustainability, at the Consumer Brands Association. He leads the packaging and sustainability efforts on behalf of the consumer packaged goods industry, bringing extensive knowledge of the recycling system and years of state and federal policy experience.

Hewitt joined the Consumer Brands Association from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), where he served as both special counsel to the secretary and as the agency’s general counsel. At the department, Hewitt was responsible for complex litigation and regulatory matters, as well as representing the department on interagency initiatives, such as the governor’s drought task force and international climate change program.

As the Vice President of packaging and sustainability, John also works directly alongside Consumer Brands’ Smart Label program in improving the transparency and effectiveness of product labels to promote consumer access to clear recycling instructions.

John Shegerian – the serial entrepreneur responsible for co-founding Homeboy Industries, FinancialAid.com, Engage and many other impactful organizations -- currently serves as co-founder, Chairman and CEO of ERI, the largest cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction and electronic waste recycling company in the United States.

John Davies heads up GreenBiz Group's research efforts and leads the GreenBiz Executive Network, a member-based, peer-to-peer learning forum for sustainability professionals. The network is made up of senior executives from $1B+ corporations working together to share best practices and lessons learned for implementing sustainable development programs. Davies is an experienced entrepreneur and innovator who has applied his business and management skills to launching start-ups as well as improving the operations of existing businesses. He is a frequent keynote speaker at international events, is well-known for his supply chain and sustainability expertise and is the author of numerous articles in business, industry, and educational publications. Davies received his BA from SUNY at Fredonia and his MA from the University of Delaware.

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.

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.”

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Joycelyn speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. The time she spent assisting local Chinese-speaking restaurants navigate thecity-mandated waste management programs influenced the genesis of the Restaurant 2 Garden project. Joycelyn has a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Washington. She's dedicated to environmentally-just and place-based solutions to keep food scraps out of the landfill.

Kara S. Fulcher is Director of Sustainability for Michelin North America, a role that spans industrial operations, commercial and external engagement, and strategy development.  She has been part of the Michelin team since 2015, working in both regional and worldwide functions.  Kara holds a PhD from Princeton University in diplomatic history and an MBA from Clemson University.

Karine has worked over 15 years in science-based sustainability. Before joining the LCA Service Line at Anthesis, she spent 8 years as an in-house corporate social responsibility consultant in the retail industry where she has worked to drive the long-term development of CSR strategies for two large Canadian fashion companies. She has extensive knowledge of the apparel and footwear industry’s hot spots across all impacts, including circularity, climate change, responsible sourcing, traceability and green chemistry.

Karine is a Chemical Engineer and started off her career as a Life Cycle Assessment expert with the International Reference Center for Life Cycle of Products and then worked for a consulting firm with a mandate to deliver robust sustainability metrics and roadmaps to a wide array of clients and sectors.

Karine has been involved in developing product footprint tools with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, is a member of the Material Innovation Initiative advisory council and is the author and co-author of numerous peer-reviewed LCA studies.

The expertise that Karine has developed in her professional career is unique. It joins technical and analytical capabilities with a strategic vision of corporate social responsibility from a client’s perspective.

Karla Magruder is the Founder and President of Accelerating Circularity. She has 35 years of global experience from fiber to finished garments. In her current role at Accelerating Circularity, she leads the organization’s work in enabling the industry’s transition to textile-to-textile circular systems. Prior to her current role, she founded Fabrikology International, a textile consulting company where she worked on material developments and guided both nonprofits and for-profit organizations towards more sustainable textile strategies. Textile Exchange, USAID, Lenzing, and Carhartt were previous clients. Karla is currently a Textile Exchange Governance Board member, Gr3n Advisory Board member

Kate Davenport is the co-president of Eureka Recycling, a zero-waste social enterprise that demonstrates zero waste as a strategy to address climate change, local economic development, and social and environmental justice. With key recycling contracts servicing the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Eureka has invested over $20 million in their MRF and recycling collections over the last 15 years. Previous to the role of co-president, Davenport was the director of business development at Eureka and led on merging Eureka’s mission and values with business development, materials marketing, and operational systems change and efficiencies. Previous to Eureka, Kate co-developed operations for Envirelation, the first commercial organics collection service in Washington, D.C. She worked with Flexcar and the Zipcar, the first car sharing companies in the US. Kate was a Program Director at EcoVentures International with a focus on environmental microenterprise development in East Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and the US. Kate has a B.A. from Tufts University.

Kate is the Organics and Landscape Resource Conservation Program Lead for Seattle Public Utilities. The goals of this program area include compost participation, both with responsibly putting organics into the green bin or a backyard system, and then using that finished compost product on the backend to ensure a truly circular system. She has deep experience in soil science, organic residual management, and technical communications. She has served as a consultant helping utilities and industry groups with science communications and strategic planning, a biosolids project manager for King County, a research assistant at the University of Washington, and a chemist at Soil Control Lab in Watsonville, CA.

Kate Daly is Managing Director at impact investment firm Closed Loop Partners and leads their Center for the Circular Economy, an innovation center for research, analysis and collaboration. Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Kate served in New York City government for more than a decade, most recently as Senior Vice President at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, where she oversaw business development programs to foster the growth of entrepreneurship across sectors including smart cities, healthcare, cleantech, fashion, tech, media, and advanced manufacturing. Kate previously served as the Executive Director of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. Kate earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Katherine leads The Recycling Partnership’s dynamic data and innovative digital solutions work. She previously oversaw the Partnership’s material advancement work, including the Polypropylene, PET, and Film & Flexibles Coalitions, and managed stakeholder engagement for the policy initiatives. Before joining the Partnership, Katherine led recycling technology marketing for Rubicon Global, circular economy communications for Novelis, and sustainable product marketing for The Home Depot. She holds an MBA in Sustainable Business Strategy from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.