GoGreen Seattle Conference

Dow Constantine was elected to his second term as King County Executive in 2013. In his first six years, he has reformed County government, formed a coalition to rebuild the South Park Bridge, and built partnerships with cities, businesses, and non-profits to move the region forward. A former member of the King County Council and the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives, Dow is a three-time University of Washington alumnus and an attorney licensed in Washington. Dow is the current chair of the Sound Transit Board of Directors and has been a board member since 2006. Executive Constantine believes that real prosperity must be shared by all, and has ensured that equity and social justice are considered in every action taken by King County.

Molly Moon Neitzel is the founder and CEO of Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream. With six shops in Seattle and up to 140 employees, Molly Moon's is known for making some of the Northwest's most delicious ice cream while also investing in employees and the community. Molly has been a leading progressive business advocate in Seattle and offers employees health and dental care with 100% of premiums paid by the company, 100% paid maternity and paternity leave and 70% paid family and medical leave. Molly Moon's uses 100% compostable packaging and sources ingredients locally, or from sustainable, organic sources. As her company grows and the local economy evolves, Molly is out to prove that a financially, environmentally, and socially responsible business can continue to succeed and be profitable.

Mayor of Seattle Edward B. Murray has spent his career championing social justice. Since taking office in 2014, Murray passed the highest minimum wage in the nation, strengthened Seattle's economy by investing in transportation infrastructure to help people get around and move goods, expanded recreation opportunity with the parks district, and proposed bold steps to address Seattle's housing affordability crisis. Murray served 18 years in the Washington State Legislature where he passed Washington State's historic marriage equality law, landmark civil rights legislation banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and one of the largest transportation packages in state history. Murray also sponsored landmark legislation matching Washington's car emission standards to the highest in the nation. Mayor Murray continues to implement progressive, innovative policies that make Seattle a safe, affordable, vibrant and interconnected city for all.

Gifford Pinchot has been an organic dairy farmer, a blacksmith, an author, an innovation consultant, software CEO, an angel investor and a school president. He has published three books. Intrapreneuring, which introduced a new way of fostering innovation by creating space for innovators to express their entrepreneurial spirit within existing organizations, was a bestseller in 15 languages. The Intelligent Organization, written with his wife, Libba, took self-organization a step further, to include the everyday work of ordinary employees. Pinchot & Company, which he runs with his wife Libba, has served half of the Fortune 100 and helped them to launch over 700 new products and businesses. In 2008, Executive Excellence named him number 32 on the top 100 leadership thinkers. He has a Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa from the University of Puget Sound. In 2009 he was awarded the Olympus Lifetime Education Award, and in 2010 he and his wife were named Purpose Prize fellows. Pinchot graduated from Harvard University in 1965 with an honors degree in Economics, and then completed his coursework for a Ph.D. in Neurophysiology at Johns Hopkins University.

As Chief Market Officer, Ash Awad oversees McKinstry's market development strategy and provides leadership for the sales and business development efforts of all lines of business - from design and construction to energy and facility services. He also lends his vision and leadership to a variety of related strategic initiatives. With more than 20 years of energy efficiency experience, Ash has been responsible for evolving McKinstry's energy efficiency, renewable energy, and facility services business lines. His extensive knowledge in the energy industry includes systems engineering, evaluation of sustainable ideas, development of alternative-financing solutions, and optimizing and securing utility incentives and grant programs. Ash has served the community in a variety of industry and philanthropic roles. Currently, he serves as the board president of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council, and serves on the boards for Climate Solutions and the Pacific Science Center. Ash has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. Ash is a registered professional engineer.

Martha Barkman is director of design and construction at Mack Urban, leading the day-to-day process from conceptual design and architecture to pre-development through construction management and retail targeting and leasing. Martha's 25-plus years of experience include completing 13 mixed-use developments totaling over 2,500,000 square feet. In addition, she has successfully led the development and leasing of 150,000 square feet of retail in conjunction with these projects. Martha holds two degrees from Seattle Pacific University in Management and Finance plus a Master's in Construction Management from the University of Washington.

Nik Blosser is Co-founder and President of Celilo Group Media, a media company with the mission of expanding markets for sustainable products. The company produces Chinook Book — print and mobile savings guides focused on green and local businesses in Portland, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Denver and Minneapolis. The company has distributed over 200 million coupons, works with over 1,500 businesses, and has 28 employees. In addition to his responsibilities leading Celilo Group Media, Nik serves as Chair of the Board of his family's business, Sokol Blosser Winery. Founded by his parents in Dundee, Oregon, Sokol Blosser Winery was an early pioneer in the Oregon wine industry. The winery has organic farming, production and retail operations in Yamhill County and its wines include Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Evolution. The company has distribution in 50 states and over a dozen foreign countries. ▼

Travis leads OneEnergy's strategic planning and corporate operations with a focus on project development, finance, and general business management. He brings extensive experience in alternative asset management, business development, communications and operations. Travis previously served as a Director and Head of Client Communications for BlackRock Alternative Advisors, one of the largest global alternative investment managers. He joined BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) in 2007, following its acquisition of Quellos Group's multi-billion dollar fund of hedge funds, private equity and real assets platform. During his time with Quellos and BlackRock, Travis specialized in quantitative analysis and capital markets research, developed systems and strategies to expand global institutional sales, marketing, reporting and compliance, co-founded an office in London, managed significant client relationships and produced numerous white papers and reports related to alternative investments, risk and portfolio management. He received his M.A. in Economics and Energy, Resources and Environment from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University.

Peter Chambers is the Manager in the Environmental Performance group for Product Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Peter is responsible for the enterprise design for environment strategy and the commercial product development of environmental materials, which includes both hazardous and sustainable materials. Prior to this assignment Peter was the manager for 787 Profitability where he identified, developed and implemented design improvement to reduce the unit cost and flow time for the 787 family of airplanes. From 2009-2011 Peter was the On-site engineering manager in Europe where he worked with 787 body structures in Italy. Since joining Boeing in 1990, he has held numerous other management and technical positions within operations, supplier management and the fabrication division. A graduate of Washington State University's Masters of Engineering Management program, Peter also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cogswell College as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Peter lives in Snohomish Washington with his wife, Melissa, and their four children.

Carol Cooper supervises King County Metro's Market Development group, whose mission is to foster environments that allow people to use their cars less. They do this by developing new products and programs to expand travel options, and increasing access to those options. Carol has been working in the transit arena for more than 20 years, building on a career in environmental planning. She is a walker, cyclist, bus rider, and Zipcar, Car2Go and Uber user. She embraces the adage that there is more than one way to get there, wherever you are going, and that every trip counts.

Ryan Croft is cofounder and COO of TransitScreen. He works with real estate owners, city officials and Fortune 500 corporations to help people save time and promote sustainable urban mobility options around the globe. Before TransitScreen, Ryan worked with urban mobility, international travel and enterprise software startups. Ryan holds a degree in International Business from James Madison University. When he is not on a plane, he splits time between TransitScreen's Washington DC and San Francisco office.

Brenna Davis is an environmental scientist and sustainability expert working in the nexus of health, environment and business for nearly 20 years. She is recognized as one of the nation's authorities on health care sustainability, and a thought leader on climate change business engagement. Brenna began her sustainability career in a Northwest oil refinery in 1995. She worked with oil, gas and utility companies on Environmental Management Systems for more than 15 years. In 2012, she began work as the inaugural Director of Sustainability at Virginia Mason. Under her leadership, Virginia Mason has improved its performance and grown into an industry leader on sustainability. Virginia Mason is now recognized as one of the Top 25 Sustainable Hospitals in the US by Practice Green Health, their highest honor. In 2015, Virginia Mason received three gold medals in the Global 2020 Health Care Climate Challenge at COP21, the highest achievement of any organization globally. ▼

Chris joined Washington State Governor Inslee's administration in 2014 as Senior Advisor for Energy and Carbon Markets. His portfolio includes clean energy, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and the use of market based mechanisms to reduce carbon pollution. Chris recently led the Governor's Carbon Emissions Reduction Taskforce, a 25 member stakeholder advisory group comprising Washington businesses, labor, public health and social service organizations convened to provide guidance on the use of market tools to meet state GHG emissions limits. He continues to develop carbon emission reduction policy working across multiple agencies and with external stakeholders. Prior to joining the Governor's office, Chris was the Director of Conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Washington, where he led a team of policy advisors, scientists and field staff working on water infrastructure and working farms and forests. ▼

As Sr. Director of Environmental Sustainability, TJ is the chief architect responsible for designing and managing Microsoft's new carbon neutral policy with internal carbon fee model that drives accountability while supporting efficiency, renewable energy, and carbon offset projects. Recently TJ was recognized by Congress for her U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Individual Leadership award in response to her efforts in establishing bold mitigation efforts to climate change at Microsoft. In addition, TJ was recently listed in the 'Top 35 Women Leaders in Sustainability' by Triple Pundit, was one of 8 winners of the Eco Forum Leadership Challenge, and was invited to speak as a panelist at the 2013 White House Women and Environment Summit in Washington DC. TJ has worked for Microsoft for over 15 years, and has over 25 years of experience designing innovative global business models for corporations such as Intel, Merrill Lynch, and Microsoft ▼

Perry England is the Vice President of Building Performance at MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions. He has been actively involved in making building systems work since 1985 as a building systems commissioning technician while in college at the University of Tennessee. His focus at MacDonald-Miller includes helping commercial building owners identify and implement energy efficiency investments which pay for themselves through guaranteed operational savings. These investments save energy and water, support sustainability objectives of the community, improve comfort in the built environment and create skilled, family-wage jobs. Perry's career has encompassed both industrial and commercial applications from a practicing engineer for the Department of Energy facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to managing the construction business in the Pacific Northwest for a leading building technology manufacturer. Perry is a passionate crusader and business leader for alternative delivery methods that motivate the public and private industry to deliver buildings with a lifecycle performance assurance guarantee. ▼

Stacy is a textile and apparel specialist with a BS in Textile Development and Marketing and an MBA in Sustainable Systems. Over the past 20 years she has developed a diverse background working with both start-ups and large multi-national corporations. Stacy specializes in materials reuse to reduce waste and the negative environmental impact of fabrics and garments. She has a strong background in meeting customer needs, deep knowledge of the industry's supply chain, and the creativity necessary to build trust and develop relationships in order to collectively solve tough issues.

Ben is currently the Executive Director of the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA). He manages day-to-day operations of the Pike Place Market including; maintenance, security, custodial, leasing, housing, daystall, farm programs, marketing and administrative programs. Ben has over 17 years of experience with nonprofit and private business, education and the arts. He is a skilled public speaker with extensive marketing, PR, high-profile public project management and short and long-term development experience. Prior to the Pike Place Market he served as Executive Director of the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation for 8 years providing day-to-day oversight of the Santa Monica Pier's operations, capital projects, marketing, events, maintenance, and diverse tenants. Ben is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Nicole Freedman recently started working as Chief of Active Transportation for the City of Seattle where she is overseeing the expansion of bike share, creation of Summer Parkways programs, a new TDM 2.0 program and more. Previously, she worked as Director of Bicycle Programs for the City of Boston which was part of Mayor Menino's vision for healthy, sustainable communities. During her tenure, she helped transform Boston from the worst cycling city in the country to a recognized leader. Nicole has a degree in Urban Planning from Stanford University. She competed professionally in bike racing from 1994-2005 winning two national championships and competing for the United States in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

KC shapes policy and communication strategies, with the goal of changing what's "possible" so we can do what's necessary. "Cynicism," he insists, "is capitulation." He has served as a special assistant to the Mayor of Seattle for clean energy and climate protection initiatives and as an Assistant Director in Washington's Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development, where he directed the state's Energy Policy Office. From 1989 to 1994, he was Executive Director of the Northwest Energy Coalition, a regional alliance working for a clean, affordable energy future. KC is a leader in the national climate movement, serving on the boards of 350.org (where he is Interim Board Chair) and the US Climate Action Network. He has also been active in the utility industry, helping Seattle City Light become the first major carbon-free electric utility in the late 1990s, and as a Governor's representative to the Executive Board of Energy Northwest, a regional public power consortium. ▼

Kathy Hattori is the founder and President of Botanical Colors and markets natural dyes to artisans and industrial clients seeking the beauty of the sustainable natural color palette. Ms. Hattori is a recognized authority on natural dyes and pigments and commercial applications using natural dyes and has worked in the field since 2003. She developed numerous commercial processes using natural dye extracts in the industrial textile environment. She consults and advises companies on their natural dye implementation strategies and has worked with the largest natural dye houses in the United States, including Swans Island, Bollman Hat Company and Ramblers Way Farm. Her international experience includes creating a natural dye program for IUV, the largest organically certified tannery in Europe and current work in Southeast Asia with a Bluesign certified dye house implementing large scale natural dye programs. ▼

Tommy Hayes is the Transportation Policy Manager at Lyft. He works with planning organizations, transit agencies, researchers and environmental groups to measure Lyft's impacts and advance ridesharing as a sustainable mode of transportation. By reducing empty seats in vehicles, complementing transit as a last-mile solution, and providing an appealing alternative to owning a car, Lyft presents significant opportunities to cut both traffic congestion and carbon pollution. Before Lyft, Tommy was an Advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco, where he worked on energy and transportation policy. He holds a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame and earned a joint MBA and Master of Environmental Management at Yale University.

As a candidate for a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Urban Planning at UW, Marlon is dedicated to shaping vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities for generations to come. With his undergraduate courses in Environmental Studies, he discovered a passion for community. Marlon held an internship at the King County Wastewater Treatment Division. There, he supported the implementation of the King County Equity & Social Justice ordinance, where he participated in various research projects on how the regional clean-water system can more equitably serve our communities. King County placed Marlon at the crossroads of purpose and potential - where he grew as a student, a professional, and a global citizen. He has previously interned at the Office of US Senator Cantwell, and today is an intern for Seattle Public Utilities. Outside of school and work, you'll find Marlon sipping on coffee, laying in parks, and shamelessly doing all the things that Seattleites do.

Soo-Rae Hong is one of the founders of SOURCE Denim. She has been on both the factory line and the corporate business side of the textiles manufacturing industry. Her work is motivated by what she learned managing international development projects in the Middle East and Africa. She holds a Masters in Sustainable Development from Sciences Po Paris and a BA in International Relations from Stanford University.

Duane Jonlin is coordinator and primary author of the 2012 Seattle Energy Code and serves on the Washington State Building Code Council, chairing its Energy Code TAG, where he led development of the 2012 State Energy Code. Each of these codes is required to meet an ambitious target of enhanced energy performance, tempered by practical considerations of cost and constructability. Duane was previously a principal at NBBJ, leading regulatory compliance, quality management and technical education initiatives. 30 years' experience in architecture, largely with health care, education, transportation and civic projects, and architecture degrees from the Universities of Washington and Michigan.

Kati Kallins is on Google's Real Estate and Workplace Services [e]Team, which is charged with delivering exceptional environments, experience and ecology on Google buildings. She has led sustainable design and construction projects with teams in North America, Europe, and Africa. Using her in-depth expertise on healthy building materials, indoor environmental quality metrics, and strategic communications, she works with project teams to deliver innovative office spaces that promote health and productivity. Kati also is the [e]Team communications & marketing lead, and supports strategic internal partnerships for Google.org. Prior to joining Google, Kati held positions at Mary Davidge Associates, was an ORISE Fellow at the Environmental Protection Agency, and consulted with the City of Melbourne Australia on sustainable water management policy. Kati is a LEED Accredited Professional and holds a BA in Environmental Studies & Politics from Whitman College.

Wendy Korthuis-Smith is the director of Results Washington, Governor Jay Inslee's data-driven performance management and continuous improvement initiative. Korthuis-Smith leads the state-wide transformation effort, which includes more than 50 state government agencies and partners. Prior to leading Results Washington, Korthuis-Smith was the Director of Accountability and Performance for Governor Christine Gregoire's award winning Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP) program. With extensive experience in change management, leadership development and performance improvement in the private and public arena, Korthuis-Smith has worked within multiple sectors such as health care, aerospace, government operations, and higher education. During 25+ year career, she has also held positions such as assistant professor at Chapman University's graduate school, management consultant for Sterling Associates and Virginia Mason Medical Center, and project management leadership for multiple state government projects, including development and implementation of Washington State's $5 billion-per-year Medicaid management information and payment system. Korthuis-Smith has a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in organizational development from Seattle University, as well as a M.S. and B.S from University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse.

Jill Mangaliman is the Executive Director of Got Green, a South Seattle-based environmental justice organization that promotes the movement toward an equitable, green economy as the best way to fight poverty and global warming at the same time. Jill is a Filipino-American queer community organizer and writer who grew up in Seattle and prefers gender neutral pronouns. Thanks to Federal Pell Grants, Jill graduated from the University of Washington as a student of Human Geography. For the past 6 years Jill has organized local and national campaigns involving health care equity, immigrant rights and protecting social services. Jill is a member of GABRIELA Seattle and the winner of the 2013 Social Change Reporting award for the Seattle Globalist. Jill also serves as a steering committee member for Front and Centered, a statewide hub of communities of color for climate justice, and co-chairs the City of Seattle's Environmental and Equity Initiative taskforce.

Jenny Martinez is the facilities manager at MG2, one of the largest architecture firms in the nation and top retail design firms in the world. Over the past three decades, Jenny has built a career helping create and maintain positive work environments that have not only improved operational efficiencies, but increased employee productivity in the process. In addition to her day-to-day role managing the operations of MG2's four offices located around the globe, Jenny has been responsible for the strategic planning of several office relocations, the largest of which came in spring 2015 when MG2's headquarters moved from Bellevue to Seattle. In conjunction with this corporate change in address and an overall brand refresh that accompanied, Jenny saw an opportunity to engage with staff and collaborate with local organizations to share the importance of sustainability in MG2's evolving corporate culture. Her dedication to empowering employees and motivating them to "reset" their habits in favor of green best practices has shown dramatic shifts in individuals' behavior and delivered both positive quantitative and qualitative results for the company.

Colleen serves as President of the Washington Business Alliance where she works with businesses, nonprofits, and policymakers advancing bipartisan problem-solving to unlock our state's potential. She's also a Commissioner at the Port of Port Angeles. She previously served as the Port's Director of Business Development. After challenging the status quo, she ran for office, and won to become the first female Commissioner in the Port's 91-year history. At the Port, Colleen has spearheaded the Composite Recycling Technology Center, which has received millions in private and public funding to create jobs in rural Washington. In June 2015, at the request of Senator Maria Cantwell, Colleen testified before the US Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources about the composite program and it's beneficial economic, educational, and environmental impacts. Prior to her work at the Port, Colleen led a successful commercial real estate practice. She is a decorated combat veteran who served 10 years in the US Army as a helicopter and fixed wing pilot and as a military intelligence officer. Colleen has a BS in Computer Science from the Florida Institute of Technology.

As the Transportation & Life Safety Program Administrator for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bree Moore specializes in leading the Gates Foundation in change management strategies for workplace safety and transportation. Bree has more than a decade experience in transportation management systems, global program execution in both transportation and facilities. Bree's expertise continues to help the foundation reduce its environmental impact locally and globally.

Erin is co-director of Seattle Good Business Network, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a vibrant and sustainable local economy by connecting and inspiring people to buy locally, produce locally, and invest locally with a belief that everyone should have a meaningful stake in the local economy. Passionate about sustainability and community service, her previous roles run the gamut from running a green events business to Peace Corp service, and from academia to US Senate staff. She holds a BA in Political Science from UC San Diego, an MSW from UC Berkeley, is ABD, PhD in Cultural Anthropology.

Dr. Amelia Nestler brings to Northwest Green Chemistry her background in biochemistry research, teaching and event management. Amelia serves NGC's mission to enhance human and environmental health via green chemistry and engineering by leading NGC's webinar series for green technology entrepreneurs, performing research on diverse green chemistry and engineering subjects, and contributing to project and program development and the operational management of the organization. Previously, Amelia supported GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals at Clean Production Action by presenting at workshops in the green building sector and developing materials for on-line training courses. Amelia earned her doctorate in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her B.A. in Biochemistry at Lewis & Clark College.

Sarah Ogier supervises the Office of Sustainability and Innovation at King County's Wastewater Treatment Division. The Office includes three utility-wide programs: Energy, Sustainability and Technology Assessment. King County protects water quality and prevents water pollution by providing wastewater treatment to 17 cities and 17 local sewer utilities. The county's Wastewater Treatment Division serves about 1.6 million people, including most urban areas of King County and parts of south Snohomish County and northeast Pierce County. Sarah holds an MUP in Water Resource Management form the University of Washington and has more the 25 years of environmental policy and natural resource management experience in Washington State.

Kim Otto is the co-founder of the organic skin care company Moon Valley Organics. Together with her partner, Aaron Otto, she runs a 10 acre herb farm and apiary, as well as overseeing the production facility where they produce their body care line. As a mother, wife, business owner, beekeeper & herbalist, Kim utilizes her knowledge in all these fields to educate consumers to support the organic movement and to help save pollinators. She is an advocate for sustainable practices in business & teaches future farmers about organic farming by hosting volunteers from the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.

As the leader of Unico Sustainability, a division of Unico Properties, Brett manages high performance green building projects for Unico's real estate portfolio as well as third-party clients. In this role, Brett has overseen high performance design and operations projects for over 13 million square feet of LEED-certified real estate. Notably, Brett managed the tallest LEED Platinum certification in the United States at Columbia Center and the Living Building Challenge performance requirements for the Bullitt Center - often considered the greenest commercial office building in the world. He is co-founder of the 2030 District Network and co-founder and chairman of the Seattle 2030 District working to implement the 2030 Challenge goals in cities across North America. In December 2015, Brett was a speaker at the COP21 climate negotiations in Paris, where he delivered a presentation on carbon neutrality in the built environment.

As Chief Executive Officer, Ryan brings a wealth of experience in scaling advanced transportation technologies. Before joining Proterra, Popple was instrumental in the successful capitalization of Tesla Motors and the commercialization of its first-in-kind Roadster. During his tenure as senior director of finance, the company scaled from pre-revenues to $100M+ in vehicle revenue, received an Advantaged Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan from the Department of Energy, completed multiple private equity financings, reached profitability and achieved an IPO filing. In this role, Popple worked closely with engineering, supply chain and manufacturing teams to increase the Roadster's performance and quality, while leading the development of Tesla's innovative consumer financing and leasing programs. Popple's experience spans beyond the production side of electric vehicles. As a partner of Kleiner Perkins' Green Growth Fund, he was focused on late-stage venture cleantech investments in mobility and transportation. Investments and board responsibilities included ChargePoint, Proterra, INRIX, Telogis, and Choose Energy. ▼

Mary Rose and her partner Karl Ostrom founded the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS) over eight years ago with a mission of helping businesses and professionals maximize their triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) while becoming catalysts for sustainable business practices. NBIS provides strategic and relevant programs that address the needs of professionals, including sustainability training, networking, coaching and organizational assessments. NBIS’ strategic approaches address the core practices of businesses and help companies break through the barriers of traditional business models. As a non-profit organization, NBIS bridges industries and sectors to engage business leaders in addressing crucial regional and global issues through innovative business practices.

Michelle Rupp, CPCU, AAI has owned NRG Insurance for over 20 years, a 2nd gen Seattle insurance brokerage. She's active in our local community, and does a lot of public speaking on sustainability and new ways to look at work. NRG is a certified B Corp, a multi-year Alfred P. Sloan award winner for workplace flexibility & a mayor's small-business award winner. She was named one of the top women in insurance nationally by Agent & Broker magazine and NRG was named Trusted Choice agency of the month for our non-traditional approach in an extremely traditional industry. We are continually challenged to create a good customer experience while managing all of the variables in this changing world. We love to learn and have fun in equal measure.

Stephanie Ryan has worked for B Lab since 2007, to develop the community of certified B Corporations in the Pacific NW. B Lab is a non-profit that serves entrepreneurs who believe business is a force for good. She has 25 years of experience in organizational consulting to Fortune 500 firms, government and educational institutions. She's a published author on learning communities, and co-directed a documentary on women's circles.

Mike Schaefer is the Owner and President of Soaring Heart, a 34 year old Fremont based manufacturer of all organic, hand-made mattresses and bedding. With a lifetime's commitment to hand-crafted products (as well as the more typical challenges like building his own house), Mike gets what it takes to build something with patience, the right raw materials and well, heart. He's also committed to continuing Soaring Heart's decades long support for community services ranging from public radio advertising to their quarterly Charity Pillow Builds on behalf of great organizations like Children's Hospital, the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center and homeless shelters, such as Seattle's Plymouth Housing Group. Long before "all-organic" became an industry buzz-word, Soaring Heart was committed to working with some of the most conscientious producers of cotton, wool and natural latex they could find. Their efforts help set the standard in their business and today it's an honor for them to represent the "best of the best" in their supply chain. ▼

Amarpreet has a Bachelor of Architecture with a focus in Sustainable Design and a Master of Science in Energy and Climate from Arizona State University. She has been championing sustainability and doing building performance modeling for over 10 years. Amarpreet is the Sustainability leader at DLR Group for the Pacific Northwest Region, and leads the integration of sustainability in projects company-wide. She plays an integral role within the architecture and engineering design teams to help establish high performance goals and metrics as well as optimized solutions. She specializes in preliminary architectural and mechanical concept discussions, energy modeling, daylighting analysis, thermal comfort analysis, Life Cycle Analysis and LEED compliance modeling. She is a certified energy manger and an ASHRAE certified high performance building design professional. ▼

Sarah is principal of Severn Consulting where her focus is on sustainable business transformation and conscious leadership. Following over two decades of global leadership roles at Nike in environmental sustainability, future sustainability trends and systems innovation, Sarah relocated from Portland to San Juan island in 2014. Sarah was responsible for many of the sustainability coalitions and partnerships that Nike was engaged with, and led Nike's climate change advocacy work, including the establishment of BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy). Sarah is currently strategic advisor and organizer for Washington Business for Climate Action and serves on the boards of the American Sustainable Business Council and Forum for the Future.

Stacy has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Washington, and 12 years in the architecture and construction professions. Her resume includes the first LEED for Homes Platinum certified project in Washington State as well as the first project in the world to be certified under Living Building Version 2.0 standards, the Bertschi School Living Science Building in Seattle. At Skanska, Stacy serves as Director of Sustainability, focusing on creating sustainable initiatives and opportunities office wide, as well as progressing sustainable construction methods. She is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the SEED Collaborative, a non-profit committed to creating environmentally restorative learning spaces that educate and inspire children to be the next generation of environmental stewards. ▼

Megan Smith is the Director of Climate and Energy Initiatives for King County, Washington. She is responsible for coordinating climate change and energy initiatives across King County's diverse lines of business, and forging partnerships with cities, businesses, and community-based organizations to accelerate progress in meeting the county's ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate change impacts. Prior to this position, she served as the King County Executive's Environmental Policy Advisory for 5 years on a wide range of issues, from stormwater management to climate change policy. She has over 20 years of experience building partnerships, supporting policy makers as they use science and performance date to inform decisions, and managing natural resource programs.

Brooke Steger is a General Manager at Uber, currently overseeing Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. After founding her own start-up while studying Physics at the University of Washington, she went on to work at a handful of local Seattle start-ups including Jott Networks and Off & Away. She spearheaded the launch of uberX across the Pacific Northwest while driving changes at state and local levels to recognize and regulate Transportation Network Companies. As a Seattle native, Brooke is deeply committed to making the Northwest a hub for innovation while promoting efficient, affordable transportation options and a high quality of life.

Since 1996, Richard H. Stevenson has been the President and Chief Operating Officer of Clise Properties, Inc., which was established in 1890. Since that time the company has been developing and managing commercial real estate, hotels and more recently, data center properties in predominately downtown Seattle. Mr. Stevenson has worked in the real estate and property management field for more than 30 years. Mr. Stevenson currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and is incoming Chairman for the Downtown Seattle Association. He serves as a board member of the Downtown Emergency Services Center, Pacific Real Estate Institute as well as the Seattle Police Foundation. He is past-president of the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA).

Matias Valenzuela, Ph.D., is the Director of the Office of Equity and Social Justice in King County, a countywide effort to address the root causes of inequities working with all county agencies and the community. Previously he worked for 14 years in Public Health Seattle & King County, collaborating with local organizations and residents to advance the public's health. His areas of expertise include policy and program planning, community engagement and development, evaluation, language access, grant writing, communication and media advocacy, and of course equity. Early in his career, he worked as a print and broadcast journalist in the United States and abroad. He has taught as a Fulbright professor in Nicaragua, and he is an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington's School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Susan Wickwire is the Executive Director of the Seattle 2030 District, a groundbreaking public- private partnership that aims to dramatically reduce environmental impacts of building construction and operations through education and collaboration in downtown Seattle. Previously, Susan spent over 20 years with the U.S. EPA and the State Department in Washington, DC where she directed national climate change programs, managed international climate change projects, and served on U.S. delegations to UN climate change meetings. A Seattle native, she received her BA in Political Science from Whitman College and her Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

Zach's diverse career experience includes retail, agriculture, by-products merchandising, consumer finance, futures trading, federal technology transfer and commercialization, economic development with operational and management experience throughout. Zach has bachelor's degrees in Business Administration and Agricultural Business from Eastern New Mexico University.

Greg Hanscom is the Editor-in-Chief of Crosscut, an award-winning journalist, and an authority on urban sustainability and the environment. Over the past two decades, Hanscom's writing has run the gamut from inner-city schools and urban redevelopment to tribal and public-lands policy. He is a former editor of the regional nonprofit magazine High Country News and the Baltimore-based Urbanite magazine.