GoGreen Seattle Conference

Colleen Echohawk | Executive Director, Chief Seattle Club  
Colleen Echohawk is an enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and a member of the Upper Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake. As the founder of the Coalition to End Urban Indigenous Homelessness, Echohawk is committed to homeless advocacy and changing the trajectory of Native American and Alaska Native people living away from reservations in urban places and experiencing homelessness. Echohawk is interested in creating systems and structures that help facilitate wellness, and encourage kindness and courage. Recognizing a lack of equity in housing design and development, and the profound impact that this can have on the well-being of people of color, Echohawk has turned her focus to equitable low-income housing development and indigenous-led design. ▾

Christy Briggs | Logistics and Sustainability Manager, Lumen Field
Christy Briggs, Logistics and Sustainability Manager for Lumen Field/Seattle Seahawks. Christy has been at the stadium for 7 years and has worked with the sustainability team for the last 5 years. Under her leadership, they have averaged 94% diversion and been awarded the EPA's Business Partner of the Year in 2019. She is the stadium and team's liaison with the Green Sports Alliance and the Seattle 2030 District. She manages the logistics and transitions throughout the stadium's many events. Christy is an avid football and track fan.

Rachael Coccia | Plastic Pollution Manager, Surfrider Foundation
As the Plastic Pollution Manager at Surfrider, Rachael directs the nationwide Ocean Friendly Restaurants and Beach Cleanup programs from the HQ office in San Clemente, CA. She also leads the Rise Above Plastics program which includes conducting public outreach and education efforts around the impacts of plastic in the ocean with the goal of helping others make the transition from a single-use, disposable lifestyle to one that is reusable and zero waste. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in the Northeast, Rachael strives to find solutions to plastic pollution that have a positive and lasting impact from coast to coast. Rachael comes from an interdisciplinary background with a focus on communications. She was the Host and Associate Producer of the nationally syndicated children's show, Aqua Kids, for two seasons while earning a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations at Fredonia State University. ▾

Yolanda Cole, FAIA | Senior Principal and Owner, Hickok Cole Architects
As a Senior Principal and owner of Hickok Cole, a forward-focused design practice located in Washington, DC, Yolanda Cole has over three decades of experience in base building and interior design in a variety of project types. From large-scale, mixed-use developments to small commercial interiors, her design work has taken her around the globe. Having resided in the US capital for over 25 years, Yolanda has been recognized for her leadership in the region's business community and for her work on many projects in the commercial, corporate, government, and institutional markets. Yolanda is the past Chair of ULI Washington and currently serves as Chair of the Governance Committee in addition to being a member of the ULIW Housing Initiative Council, NAIOP DC|MD, CREW, DCBIA, and AIA. ▾

Becca Fong | Senior Planning & Development Specialist, Seattle Public Utilities
As the residential recycling and compost outreach manager at Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Becca works on programs and activities supporting Seattle residents to recycle and compost better, and reduce their waste. She works on efforts to simplify waste sorting, making it easier and more equitable for Seattleites to make lasting changes that decrease their impact on the environment and help keep Seattle a leader in waste diversion and reduction. Her 20 years working on environmental conservation and community engagement guide her efforts at SPU, keeping people at the center of efforts to preserve the planet.

Roger Frechette PE, LEED AP | Managing Principal, Interface Engineering
With over 30 years of experience, Roger is well known in the world of architecture, engineering and sustainable infrastructure as a leader in high-performance design. Roger specializes in energy efficiency and conservation, using advanced modeling, simulation and energy analysis to provide clients with the most comprehensive, cost effective, resilient and sustainable solutions. He has extensive experience in designing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems for significant building and critical public infrastructure. As Managing Principal in the Washington, DC office of Interface Engineering, he is responsible for the design of the MEP systems and overall engineering management on a variety of projects within the continental U.S. and around the world. Roger is a Senior Fellow with the Design Futures Council, a global network of design community professionals, and a frequent lecturer and author on high-performance design and green engineering. In 2004, the United States Congress recognized him for his work in sustainability.

Julia Goldstein | Owner, JLFG Communications
Julia L F Goldstein runs JLFG Communications, a proud member of the American Sustainable Business Council. Her company helps purpose-driven businesses communicate their world-changing ideas through clear and concise written content including white papers, articles, and blogs, and offers training on how to streamline content creation. Julia is the award-winning author of Material Value: More Sustainable, Less Wasteful Manufacturing of Everything from Cell Phones to Cleaning Products and Rethink the Bins: Your Guide to Smart Recycling and Less Household Waste. She holds a PhD in materials science from UC Berkeley.

Mami Hara | General Manager/CEO, Seattle Public Utilities
Mami Hara is the General Manager and CEO of Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). She is Board Chair of the US Water Alliance, a board member of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, a founding member of the Water Agencies Leadership Alliance, and the founder of the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange. Through her work in Seattle, at Philadelphia Water and as principal of a leading planning and design firm, she has developed just, climate resilient, and community centered land and water management investment approaches and practices.

Moji Igun | Founder, Blue Daisi Consulting
Moji Igun is the founder of Blue Daisi Consulting which offers zero waste + sustainability consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. She supports her clients in reducing waste by helping them find creative ways to keep trash out of the landfill. Moji is certified as a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor and enjoys drawing connections between zero waste and the broader spectrum of sustainability. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Zero Waste Washington.

Andres Jimenez | Executive Director, Green 2.0
Most recently Andres Jimenez served as the Senior Director of Government Affairs, at Citizens Climate Lobby, where he worked with both the House and Senate to help expand the voice of CCL and advocate for relevant legislation. Previously Andres served as the Associate Director of Government Relations at Ocean Conservancy with a focus on creating bipartisan solutions for critical issues like ocean acidification and sustainable fisheries in the United States. Andres has a strong history of public service, having worked for New York City's mayor's office, the House Judiciary's Immigration Subcommittee, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez and Congressman Howard Berman. His work also includes being an active member of the GreenLatinos as well as serving on the board for Ecotropics and being a member of the Green Leadership Trust. Andres was appointed as Planning Commissioner for Fairfax, Virginia in 2020.

Harry Johnson II | Government Affairs and Policy Manager, Dream Corps Green For All
Harry Johnson, II, is a national government affairs leader, serial entrepreneur, and community builder. He is a North Carolina native where he studied political science at Winston-Salem State University. Harry leads Green for All's federal government affairs work to promote wealth and health through equitable investment and innovation in clean transportation, clean energy, and jobs policies. Harry has formerly held a number of senior political roles with multiple gubernatorial campaigns, Hillary Clinton for President, Forward Together PAC, United States Congress, United States Senate, and Pittsburgh City Council. Harry's previous work in the Southwest Pennsylvania region has been recognized by WPXI-TV, The New Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Business Times, and Pittsburgh Magazine. Harry is based in Washington, D.C., and loves reading, writing, and collecting Black art.

Rob Johnson | Vice President, Sustainability and Transportation, Climate Pledge Arena
After a career as a transit advocate, Rob was elected to be the first council member from Seattle's Council District #4 a position he held from 2015 to 2019. For the past 2 years he's worked with the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena as the VP of Sustainability and Transportation. His work has been focused on ensuring the arena's fans have a variety of easy and convenient transportation choices to get to arena events and to implement the sustainability goals required to be the first net zero carbon certified arena in the world.

Pat Kaufman | Senior Planning & Development Specialist, Seattle Public Utilities  
Pat Kaufman is the program manager for commercial outreach and education at Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). He is the solid waste lead for SPU's Green Business Program and the EnviroStars business recognition program. Through his work in Seattle developing recycling and composting programs for Seattle Center, University of Washington, and now with SPU collectively for over 30 years, he continues to support projects to reduce waste, conserve resources, and support all members of the community to recycle and compost more. He holds a B.A. in Community & Environmental Planning from the University of Washington and lives with his wife and son in Ballard.

Olga Kachook | Senior Manager, GreenBlue
Olga Kachook is a Senior Manager at GreenBlue, where she leads the various projects in bioplastics, compostable packaging, food waste, and reusable packaging. Her background includes expertise in compostable materials and packaging, zero waste facility certification, life cycle analysis, and sustainable materials management. Prior to joining GreenBlue, she led corporate sustainability and waste initiatives at World Centric, Etsy, Cascade Designs, and Cascadia Consulting. Olga has a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University's School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Washington. She is certified as a LEED Green Associate and a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor.

Brent Kawamura | Sustainability Manager, PCC Community Markets
Brent Kawamura is the Sustainability Manager at PCC Community Markets, the largest consumer-owned food cooperative in the U.S. Brent develops and manages a variety of multi-year projects aimed at achieving the cooperative's ambitious 5-year sustainability goals in packaging, store operations, refrigeration, electric vehicle (EV) charging, renewable energy, and carbon emissions. One of PCC's most ambitious initiatives right now is to eliminate all petroleum-based plastics from PCC delis by 2022.

Janice Lachance | Executive Vice President, Strategic Leadership and Global Outreach, AGU
An accomplished executive and leader, Janice Lachance is the Executive Vice President for Strategic Leadership and Global Outreach at the American Geophysical Union (AGU), a scientific society supporting more than 130,000 Earth and space scientists and enthusiasts working in 140 countries. Her work at AGU includes the renovation of the organization's 62,000-square foot headquarters into a net-zero energy consumption building - the first renovation of its kind in Washington, D.C. Beyond this innovative project, Janice's duties include: the leadership of AGU's global partnerships and initiatives; positioning and message development across the range of climate, environmental, and science policy issues, discoveries, and solutions; communications and media relations; volunteer development and governance; member engagement; support of STEM careers at all stages; and human resources and organizational development. ▾

Liz Lovelett | Senator, State of Washington
Sen. Liz Lovelett represents the 40th Legislative District in northern Puget Sound, including San Juan County and portions of Whatcom and Skagit Counties. She was appointed to the Senate in 2019. As a fifth generation Anacortes resident, Liz is rooted and invested in the 40th District. She has served as a community leader, championing affordable housing, water management, school construction, oil train safety, and improving lives for people in her community. She has served Anacortes as a city council member, and regionally as a board member for several organizations. Liz has a desire to foster working relationships between state government and the communities she serves. With a goal to promote environmental stewardship, balance community growth and economic vitality, and find solutions that put people first; she's helping make Washington a sustainable place to live and work. Liz is the Vice Chair of the Environment, Energy & Technology Committee and serves on the Local Government and Transportation committees. Liz is a mother, sister, and daughter of Anacortes residents. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree at Western Washington University's Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, studying politics, environmental science and public health. She has been a small business owner and operator, and is a proud homeowner.

Chaun MacQueen | Senior Director, Clean Energy, Bonneville Environmental Foundation
Chaun MacQueen oversees CE - Clean Energy. Bright Futures., a clean energy and career-connected education program at the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF). She offers innovation and creative thinking in expanding the impact of CE's work throughout the U.S. Chaun has over 25 years of experience designing and managing environmental education and social impact programs in the U.S. and abroad for diverse audiences. Prior to working for BEF, Chaun worked as a Senior Analyst at The Cadmus Group, Inc. where she implemented and evaluated energy education programs and conducted process evaluations of utility energy efficiency programs in various states in the U.S. Chaun served as Program Director for Community Energy Project in Portland for nine years, where she managed energy education, water conservation and environmental health education, direct service, and professional training programs. ▾

Kelsey Moldenke, AICP, LEED AP BD+C | Senior Planner, Quinault Indian Nation
Kelsey Moldenke, AICP, LEED AP BD+C, has worked for a Tribal government and civil engineering, landscape architecture and architecture firms in the USA and India. Mr. Moldenke, as Senior Planner for the Quinault Indian Nation, handles long-term planning for the Tribe, such as leading the Taholah Village Relocation effort. The Relocation Master Plan was awarded the 2017 Best Plan for Small Cities and Counties by the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Washington Governor's 2018 Smart Communities Award (Judges Merit). In his Senior Planner capacity, he interacts frequently with community members regarding their desires for development on the reservation, as well as mapping, current planning, and grant-writing. He holds a BS in Planning and Development from the University of Southern California and a Master in City Planning from M.I.T.

Stephanie Prufer | Oceans Campaigner, Center for Biological Diversity
Stephanie Prufer is an Oceans Campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity. She is part of the team organizing the Plastic Free President platform (plasticfreepresident.org), which outlines the actions President Biden can take with executive authority to curb the plastic pollution crisis. Her campaigning focuses on the impacts of the entire lifecycle of plastics, from production to post-consumer use. She holds degrees in environmental policy and biology from Duke University.

Molly Ray | Puget Sound Director, Salmon-Safe
Molly joined Salmon-Safe in 2020 after directing sustainability programs and initiatives for national and international corporations including Office Depot and Pan Pacific Hotels. She brings her global experience to the Puget Sound region to build and support the Salmon-Safe community and partners in their efforts to protect and improve water quality with a focus on large-scale development. She earned an undergraduate degree in communications/media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a post-graduate degree in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute. Molly is based in Seattle.

Dana Clare Redden | Founder, Solar Stewards
Celebrating a decade in the solar industry, Dana Clare Redden is a passionate solar professional dedicated to the development of distributed generation solar globally. In 2012, Dana founded Solar Concierge in 2012, a consultancy dedicated to helping communities and businesses go solar. In 2016, she founded Solar Stewards, to connect corporate social responsibility initiatives with marginalized communities. Dana holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Drexel University as well as an Executive MBA from IE Business School and Brown University.

Rajinder Sahota | Division Chief, Climate and Energy Programs, California Air Resources Board
Rajinder Sahota is the division chief for climate and energy programs at the California Air Resources Board. The core portfolio of responsibilities includes management of the Cap-and-Trade Program, development and implementation of the State's AB32 Scoping Plan, and Energy Policy. Due to the global nature of climate change and interest in CA's programs, the role requires coordination and collaboration with subnational and national governments pursuing climate change mitigation action. Other climate programs within the division include the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, methane reduction strategies, and fuels initiatives. The division is supported by 140 engineers, economists, and scientists.

Sarah Severn | Principal, Severn Consulting and Strategic Advisor, Washington Business Alliance
Sarah Severn is principal of Severn Consulting, focused on transformative leadership for sustainability and climate change. Sarah began her career with over a decade in advertising and market research before taking those skills to Nike Europe. Relocating to Nike's global headquarters in the mid 90's she led the adoption of sustainability into Nike's operations, product design process and manufacturing supply chain. Sarah spent over two decades in senior sustainability roles leading stakeholder engagement, futures and scenario planning, and championing systems thinking and collaborative change. She initiated Nike's climate change work in the mid 90's and catalyzed the formation of BICEP, (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy) in 2008. Since retiring from Nike in 2014, Sarah has worked at the intersection of business and policy, developing and advising the Washington Business for Climate Action network, and the Low Carbon Prosperity Institute. She also serves on several non-profit boards.

Leslie Short | Founder, President & CEO, The Cavu Group
Leslie Short brings four decades of experience when she created The Cavu Group to advise companies and organizations how to expand beyond their current culture through the Diversity & Inclusion lens. Her talents and skills are uniquely designed to seek growth through open conversations, conflict coaching, trainings and workshops. She firmly believes that issues don't go away because programs are in place but by continually evolving and having a channel to listen and understand the people who are our greatest assets.

Stacy Smedley | Executive Director at Building Transparency, Director of Sustainability, Skanska  
As Director of Sustainability at Skanska, Stacy Smedley has led sustainable initiatives, and is considered a subject matter expert in LEED, Living Building Challenge and carbon emissions associated with buildings and construction. In her role at the newly established nonprofit, Building Transparency, Stacy leads the continued management and development of the free, open-access Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool and works to educate and engage the building industry on actionably reducing embodied carbon emissions of building materials. Stacy has served in various advisory and leadership roles, including: Co-Chair of the Washington Businesses for Climate Action; Advisory Board Member for the University of Washington Carbon leadership Forum; Construction Taskforce Chair for the Embodied Carbon Network; Advisory Group Member for AIA Materials Working Group; and Emerging Professional Regional Chair for USGBC. She is a 2020 Grist 50 Fixer, a 2019 ENR Top 25 Newsmaker, and a Living Building Challenge Hero.

Rachael Terada | Director of Technical Projects, Center for Resource Solutions
Rachael Terada is the Director of Technical Projects for the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), a nonprofit organization that promotes policy and market solutions to advance sustainable energy. Rachael manages technical projects and initiatives for CRS and brings over a decade of experience working in renewable energy markets. She leads the Green-e® Renewable Fuels certification program for biomethane. Rachael also leads technical paper development, international expert assistance to government agencies on renewable energy policy design, support for renewable energy certificate (REC) tracking system initiatives, as well as blockchain initiatives for renewable energy markets. Rachael oversees the annual Renewable Energy Markets conference and manages technical projects for the Green-e® certification programs. She received her M.S. and B.S. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Heather Trim | Executive Director, Zero Waste Washington
Heather has more than 25 years of experience in environmental work ranging from zero waste to toxic chemicals and habitat issues. At Zero Waste Washington, her focus has been on reducing upstream sources of waste and addressing downstream impacts, getting toxic chemicals out of products, eliminating plastic pollution, and building on the organization's signature producer responsibility policy initiatives. Previously, at Futurewise, she worked to prevent runoff from entering our waterways and improve shoreline management practices and policies. Heather was at People for Puget Sound for over ten years where she focused on protections for the marine environment. Earlier, she was staff scientist for the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council and worked for the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board on water quality standards, regulatory permits, pollution assessments, greening the LA rivers and habitat renewal.

Tom Wolf | Director, Communications & Advocacy, bp America
In his current role as senior government affairs manager for bp America, Tom focuses on issues and opportunities for the international energy company on the US West Coast - working from the company's Cherry Point refinery outside of Blaine, Washington. Tom is in his seventh year at bp, his third year in the Pacific Northwest. For the past 30+ years, Tom has enjoyed the opportunity to take complex issues, translate them into clear messages and take them to the court of public opinion. Prior to his time at BP, Tom was Executive Director of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce's Energy Council in Chicago - where he led the Council's charge to develop environmentally responsible, fact-based and cost-effective energy policies. Before his Chamber activities, Tom spent two decades in the public affairs agency arena working for nonprofit, government, political, and corporate clients. During that time Tom had the honor of doing advance work for governors, congressmen, senators, a president (Clinton), a vice-president (Gore) and a presidential candidate (Obama). He has worked with clients in Aruba, Great Britain, Kuwait, Antigua, Panama, Brazil and (mainly) the United States. Tom lives in Bellingham, Washington and is a longtime baseball fan (Go Cubs!). He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations (a long time ago!).

Laura Zapata | Co-Founder, Clearloop Corporation
Laura Zapata is a co-founder of Clearloop Corporation, a Nashville-based startup that helps companies offset their carbon footprint and expand access to clean energy in the United States by building solar projects that clean up the grid. Laura made a career in crisis communications and reputation management-mostly as a happy accident-having worked in Congress, political campaigns, and Uber. She's now applying that reputational lens to helping companies of all sizes take tangible climate action and ensure that the environmental, health, and economic benefits of new solar projects reach American communities otherwise getting left-behind. Laura immigrated from Colombia with her family and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Laura graduated from Dartmouth College.