SPEAKERS

 

Jenny Ahlen, Manager, Supply Chain, Corporate Partnerships Program, Environmental Defense  Fund
Jenny Ahlen helps manage Environmental Defense Fund's on-site partnership with Walmart in Bentonville, AR, advancing sustainable business practices throughout its operations and supply chain. Jenny's primary area of responsibility is mitigating greenhouse gas impacts from Walmart's supply chain and operations, including Walmart's fertilizer optimization initiative. Prior to joining EDF in 2011, Jenny worked for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission in two different roles, first as the Renewable Energy Programs Manager for the Arkansas Energy Office, and then for the Strategic Planning Division, with a focus on energy policy and legislation. Before Jenny moved back to Arkansas from Boston, she worked for Abt Associates Inc. as an analyst, estimating the costs and benefits of environmental regulations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Jenny has a MA in Energy and Environmental Analysis and a BA in Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University's Center for Energy and Environmental Studies.

Eric Alexander, Skier, Climber, and Mountaineer
View Eric's Video (pw: Everest)
Eric Alexander is achieving his goals while playing an instrumental role in helping others to achieve their own. On May 25th, 2001 Eric defied the odds and scaled Mt. Everest guiding his blind-friend Erik Welhenmayer to its lofty 29,035' summit. In 2002, the pair traveled to Russia and climbed Mt. Elbrus at 18,500 ft, and again found success on Mt. Kosciusko, Australia - two more of the seven summits (the highest points on each of the seven continents) notably the pair skied from the top of each of these latter two - making this the first-ever blind ski descents. Eric shares this inspirational story with audiences all over the country and when he is not traveling he teaches disabled skiers in Vail, Colorado and directs Adventures Beyond Limits, an organization that educates and encourages youth with disabilities in the outdoors. 

Charlie Arnot, CEO, Center for Food Integrity
Charlie Arnot is recognized as a thought leader in food and agriculture.  Charlie has more than 25 years of experience working in communications, public relations and issues management within the food system.  He is the founder and president of CMA, an employee-owned consulting firm with offices in Missouri and Iowa. He also serves as CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, a national non-profit organization dedicated to building consumer trust and confidence in today's food system. Charlie spent ten years as a corporate officer for a leading food company; he worked for a public relations agency, was an award-winning radio journalist and worked in video and film.  Charlie grew up in southeast Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Journalism degree. 

Jonathan Atwood, Vice President, Sustainable Living and Corporate Communications, Unilever
Jonathan is Unilever's Vice President of Sustainable Living and Corporate Communications, North America. He joined the company in May 2012 and is responsible for Communications, Unilever Brand, and the shape and implementation of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan in North America. In 2007, Jonathan founded Common Way Communications, a public affairs and communications consultancy based in Vermont. There he worked as a consultant to the Global Issues Group, a coalition of global chocolate and cocoa processing companies and trade associations working on responsible labor practices in the cocoa sectors of West Africa. Prior to forming his consulting business, Jonathan was the Senior Director of Global Issues Management for Kraft Foods based in Illinois. He joined Kraft in 2002 and served as the Director of Corporate and Government Affairs for Kraft Foods Asia Pacific based in Australia and Singapore. Before taking on the global issues management assignment, he was the Senior Director of Commodity Sustainability programs for Kraft and was responsible for the strategic design and implementation of programs to promote the long-term sustainability of Kraft's sources of key commodities. Jonathan is a graduate of Bowdoin College. He lives with his wife and son in Connecticut.

Mitch Baranowski, Founding Partner, Chief Creative Officer, BBMG
A seasoned writer, producer and creative strategist, Mitch Baranowski co-founded BBMG in 2003 with longtime friend Raphael Bemporad to help clients reach and engage the conscious consumer. As Chief Creative Officer, he has overall responsibility for the brand innovation firm’s creative direction.  An expert in leveraging branding and sustainability to help clients save money and drive revenue, Mitch has developed creative solutions for Fortune 500 companies (eBay, Sprint, Target), pioneering sustainable brands (Seventh Generation, Clif Bar, Earthbound Farm) and mission-driven start-ups (Getaround, Madécasse Chocolate, Nuru Energy).  Prior to BBMG, Mitch served as managing director of public affairs for Burson-Marsteller, where his clients included Orbitz and American Airlines, and as vice president of corporate affairs for Edelman Public Relations. Earlier, he served as a director of corporate communications at AMR Corp./American Airlines, managing internal communications, marketing PR and crisis communications.

Jeanne Colleluori, Communications and Media Specialist, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Jeanne Colleluori joined Wegmans Food Markets in 1998 as a Communications & Media Specialist for the Department of Consumer Affairs.  Her responsibilities include research on and communication of ever-changing consumer concerns such as food safety and product recalls, genetically engineered foods, sustainable seafood, and animal welfare.  Prior to joining Wegmans, Jeanne worked in the food brokerage industry for Daymon Worldwide focusing on private label design for Wegmans. She also has held various advertising and marketing positions at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising and Digital Equipment Corporation. Jeanne is a graduate of the College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, is a past member of the FMI Sustainability Executive Committee and FMI Consumer Affairs Steering Committee, and a current member of FMI’s Seafood Sourcing Committee.

Bill DiMento, Director, Corporate Sustainability, High Liner Foods
Bill DiMento oversees all of High Liner Foods’ corporate-level sustainability initiatives, ensuring that the company is reducing its overall environmental footprint and complying with the strictest standards of seafood procurement. Under Bill’s leadership, the company continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainable practices by increasing the amount of products that are certified sustainable and reducing packaging and food waste, as well as lowering energy and water usage across the company. Bill DiMento has held key positions at High Liner Foods, Inc. since 1987, including Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, Director of International Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs, and most recently, Senior Director of Manufacturing and Regulatory Affairs.  DiMento is a professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists, Chair of the Executive Committee for the GSSI Steering Board, GSSI Ambassador to the Aquaculture Expert Working Group, Past U.S. Representative to CODEX, and has been named chairman of the NFI Technical Committee.  DiMento is a past member of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Fish Inspectors and the Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference.  Bill holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Food Science with Engineering coursework from the University of Massachusetts.

Dennis Dimick, Executive Editor, Environment, National Geographic Magazine
Dennis Dimick serves as executive environment editor at National Geographic magazine. He has guided creation of several major projects including an April 2010 issue on global freshwater, a 2011 series called “7 Billion” on global population, and the 2014 Future of Food series on global food security. In Sept. 2004 he originated and orchestrated creation of a 74-page three-story project on climate change called “Global Warning: Bulletins from a Warmer World.”  Dimick co-organized the Aspen Environment Forum from 2008-2012, and regularly presents slide show lectures on global environmental issues. He holds degrees in agriculture and agricultural journalism from Oregon State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For 17 years he has been a faculty member of the Missouri Photo Workshop, and in 2013 received the Sprague Memorial Award from the National Press Photographers Association for outstanding service to photojournalism. He is a native of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where he grew up on a sheep and hay farm.

Christian Fischer, Executive Vice President, Packaging, Georgia Pacific
Christian heads Georgia-Pacific’s Packaging and Cellulose segment, one of three major business groups in the company.  He has responsibility for businesses including containerboard and kraft paper, corrugated packaging, bleached board and cellulose (pulp).  He started his career with the company as a market pulp sales manager in Europe.  He relocated to Atlanta in 1992, where he moved through the ranks in market pulp sales before moving to containerboard sales.  His responsibilities continued to expand, incorporating accountability for other business and operations in the segment.  Christian has been in the executive vice president role since 2007.  His active engagement in the industry includes a recent appointment to the USDA’s Paper Check-off Board, serving as a board member and past chairman of the Fibre Box Association and a board member of the International Corrugated Case Association.  Christian also is a member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce board of directors and past chair of their Global Commerce Council.  He has served as a member of the Georgia Governor’s Water Contingency Planning task force in addition to personal support of several charitable organizations in the Atlanta area.

Sonya Fiorini, Senior Director, Loblaw Companies Limited
Sonya joined George Weston Limited, parent company of Loblaw Companies Limited in 1998 working in Environmental Affairs where she was responsible for managing the companies Environmental Management System and performing risk audits across the country. In 2008, Sonya joined Corporate Social Responsibility at Loblaw Companies as Sr. Director. In this role, Sonya is responsible for championing CSR across the business, implementing sustainable initiatives and developing the annual CSR report. Sonya has worked for the non-profit sector as Director of a charitable organization focused on water conservation and education. Upon completion of her degree, Sonya worked at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as a Watershed Field Technician. Sonya has a Specialized Honours degree in Environmental Studies.

John Fisk, Director, Wallace Center at Winrock International
With extensive experience in sustainable food and agricultural systems development, John currently serves as the Director of the Wallace Center at Winrock International, based in Arlington, Virginia. Under his leadership the Wallace Center has emerged as an innovative and national force in food systems, utilizing an enterprise focused strategy for linking a larger number of people and communities healthy, green, fair and affordable food.  Prior to joining the Wallace Center, John was an independent consultant to several Michigan-based organizations including the Michigan Food and Farming Systems and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He is a founding board member of the Food Routes Network which developed the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign that is now active in over 50 regions of the country, serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, and is on the advisory board for the University of VT Food Hub Management Program. 

Christopher P. Flynn, President, Massachusetts Food Association
Christopher P. Flynn, President of the Massachusetts Food Association since 1989. He had served as Vice President of MFA from 1986-1989. MFA serves the supermarket and grocery industry in Massachusetts as the main spokesperson on legislative and regulatory issues. Chris serves on numerous state advisory Boards and Committees and has served as Chairman of the Greater Boston Food Bank's Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board of the Food Industry Association Executives, President of the Boston College Alumni Association and special advisor to the Network of Executive Women (New England Chapter). The Massachusetts Food Association has been a leader in environmental initiatives including the follow efforts: 1) Supermarket Organics Recycling Initiative -MFA worked with the MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the Association would encourage full service grocery stores to develop sustainable programs for recycling and reusing organic materials; 2) Targeted Reduction in Distribution of bags in Massachusetts - in this public/private partnership, MFA worked with members and DEP to promote the use of reusable bags over paper or plastic bags. Under the MOU signed in March of 2009, MFA participating members would reduce their disposable bag usage by 33% by 2013, and ; and in 2009 MFA formed the MFA Sustainability Committee to work as an industry to establish best practices in promoting sustainable and environmental efforts. In 2010 the Committee issued the Associations "Green Guidelines" for members of the Association and supermarket industry to increase their sustainability and lower their environmental impact on the in which they serve.

Noah Goodman, Co-Owner and President, Northstar Recycling
Noah Goodman is president and co-owner of Northstar Recycling, a company founded on his belief that sending reusable resources to a landfill is not only bad for the environment, it is bad for business. Noah grew up in the recycling industry, developing his expertise with all types of waste materials and processes at his family's recycling operations in Springfield Massachusetts. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Mathematics, Noah spent a very successful few years at one the largest recycled paper manufactures in the world helping them improve their recycling processes. Noah then went on to co-found Northstar Recycling with his brother Seth Goodman, where they utilize their extensive recycling experience and knowledge to help businesses across North America recycle more and landfill less as a national provider of customized recycling solutions.

Karen Hanner, Director Manufacturing Partnerships, Feeding America
Karen Hanner is the Managing Director of Manufacturer Partnerships for Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization. She leads the manufacturer product sourcing team and drives cross-functional collaboration to broaden and deepen Feeding America’s partnerships with over 200 major food and grocery manufacturers.  Hanner also represents Feeding America as a member of the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, collaborating with industry leaders within GMA, FMI and NRA to reduce food waste while helping address food insecurity across the US.

Jonathan Haperin, Founder, Designing Sustainability
Jonathan Halperin designs, manages and helps execute sustainability projects for global corporations and multilateral organizations; nonprofits, schools and foundations; and the media. Clients served include Unilever, World Animal Protection, Chevron, DuPont, Greyston Bakery, The World Bank, The Institute for Responsible Nutrition, Nestle, and Exxon-Mobil. He brings more than 25 years of communications, strategy and research experience to his latest venture, Designing Sustainability, a consultancy he founded to change the business and policy conversations around the core challenges of our time. His prior experience includes founding Priorities, Inc. and FYI Resources for a Changing World as well as management positions at Resources for the Future and SustainAbility, Ltd. He serves as a trusted source for journalists, regular public speaker, meeting facilitator, brainstorm leader, panel moderator and producer. He is a graduate of Duke University, has lived in London, Moscow and New York City and now lives with his two young children near Washington, DC.

Shayna Harris, MBA, Cocoa Sustainability Manager, Mars Incorporated
Shayna is the global sustainability manager for Mars, where, as a member of the Cocoa Sustainability team, she drives operational excellence of the cocoa program with a focus on impact and innovation in West Africa and Indonesia. In addition, she manages the program's global monitoring and evaluation program in Cote d'Ivoire, a multi-year public-private partnership to revitalize the cocoa sector. With a decade of experience in rural agricultural development, she's developed social impact programs across agricultural value chains in Latin America and East Africa. Prior to joining Mars, she was campaigns and program manager for Oxfam America's agriculture and trade program. Most recently, she completed her MBA at the Sloan School of Business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she focused on sustainability in agricultural value chains. Shayna's also consulted on sustainable sourcing programs for Stonyfield Farm, Unilever, and Divine Chocolate. Shayna holds a BA from Boston University and an MBA from MIT. She is a Fulbright scholar of economic development in Brazil, and she is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Michael W. Hewett, Director, Environmental and Sustainability Programs, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Michael Hewett has over twenty years of experience in environmental management, including regulatory compliance and sustainability programs. Beginning his career with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Michael spent eight years developing rules and setting regulatory policy while partnering with the Federal EPA and various State and Local governments. The balance of Michael's career has been spent helping corporations build strong environmental compliance programs and sustainable business strategies. Currently, Michael manages the Sustainability and Environmental Compliance programs for Publix Super Markets, Inc. Michael has a masters degree in Environmental Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer. He is currently a member of the Food Marketing Institute's Sustainability Executive Committee, the Retail Industry Leaders Association's Sustainability Initiative, the Florida Retail Federation's Sustainability Council, and he is Chairman of the Board of Sustainable Florida.

Bruce Karas, Vice President, Environment and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Refreshments
Mr. Karas is the Vice President of Environment & Sustainability for Coca-Cola Refreshments.  In this role, he leads the environmental sustainability strategy development and implementation for Coca-Cola in North America.  He has more than 20 years of experience as an environmental, health and safety professional and has practiced in a wide range of industrial operations in the U.S., Canada and China.  He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist in Comprehensive Practice, a Certified Safety Professional and is a Registered Occupational Hygienist in Canada.

 

Amy Kirtland, Vice President, Sales, Corporate Strategy and Business Development, Nature's Best

Amy Kirtland is Vice President of Sales for Nature's Best, responsible for all sales and business development activity. Joining the Nature's Best team in June of 2013, Amy has spent her 21 year career exclusively in the natural and organic industry. With her strong background of sales, business development, and brand marketing coupled with her experience in distribution, procurement and logistics her love of the independent retailer and natural products industry runs parallel to her personal passion for sustainability. "Nature's Best, The Natural Products Distributor®, is the largest privately owned wholesaler-distributor of health and natural food products in the Natural Products Industry. They deliver a full-line of Certified Organic, Natural and Specialty products to retail stores throughout the South, Central and Western U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Asia from its LEED Gold Certified Distribution Facilities". Sustainability is a core value for all team members and a pillar of the company's operational standards. Amy Kirtland has a bachelor's degree in English and Speech Communication from the University of San Diego. She is the Chair of the Board for Food Lifeline, Washington State's Feeding America Food Bank Distribution Center, and is an active member of the FMI Sustainability Executive Committee. Amy also serves on the national Food Waste Reduction Alliance with the GMA, NRA and FMI, a three year food industry initiative to reduce the amount of food waste generated, increase donations to those in need and recycle unavoidable food waste, diverting it from landfills.

Chris Lischewski, President and CEO, Bumble Bee Foods, LLC
Mr. Lischewski is currently the President and CEO of Bumble Bee Foods, the largest, branded seafood company in North America. He has held this position since 1999. Prior to Bumble Bee Mr. Lischewski worked in management consulting and he has held executive positions with H. J. Heinz / StarKist and ConAgra Foods. In his current position, he has been instrumental in creating one of the largest seafood companies in North America and one of the premier seafood companies in the world. Mr. Lischewski has a BS in Finance and Accounting and an MBA in International Finance from the University of Southern California. He resides in San Diego, California with his wife and son.

Eric E. Lofquist, President & CEO, Magnus International Group
For nearly three decades, Eric has been an accomplished entrepreneur with significant experience in natural products manufacturing, renewable energies and traditional fuels. He co-founded Magnus International Group with Scott Forster in 2007, an award-winning company that develops and distributes exclusive, natural animal feed ingredients, natural industrial and consumer waxes, and specialty oleochemicals on a 25-acre production facility in Painesville Township, Ohio.  The company creates these and other proprietary, U.S.-made products under its Hardy Animal Nutrition and Hardy Industrial Technologies brands by refining reusable food industry raw materials such as vegetable oils, cooking greases and animal fats. Eric’s company has developed pioneering systems for recovering raw materials that are often landfill-bound. Magnus partners with such high-profile businesses as Cargill, Land O’Lakes, Purina and Duraflame.  Prior to Magnus, Eric held various leadership and consulting roles in strategic planning, business development, product development and marketing for organizations including the Phillips Services Corporation, Ashland Chemical, Ensco, American NuKem and REI. He also owned Industrial By-Products Trading for eight years, a firm that made and blended high-carbon products for industrial applications.  Eric graduated from Clarion State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in business.

George Parmenter, Manager, Sustainability, Delhaize America
George Parmenter is Manager of Sustainability for Delhaize America. George is currently devoting a significant portion of his time working on waste reduction and recycling projects while implementing a sustainable seafood sourcing policy for Delhaize America's banners including Food Lion, Bottom Dollar Foods and Hannaford Supermarkets in the US. He has also held positions in Construction Management and Purchasing at Hannaford. George holds a BA Degree in Business from UNE. He lives in Steep Falls Maine. George is a relative newcomer to the supermarket industry. His background is in manufacturing supply chain and operations management. George is very excited about the broad range of topics that the sustainability practice encompasses in the food industry and is a committed life-long learner.

Pete Pearson, Founder/President, Solstice Enterprises, Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Pete Pearson, MBA Pete is a sustainability/CSR professional, with history serving as the Director of Sustainability for SUPERVALU where he successfully led sustainability initiatives across 11 grocery formats in 37 states. In addition, Pete has 10+ years of experience as an operations analyst and project manager with companies including Hewlett-Packard and Accenture. He received a BS in Information Systems from the University of Idaho and obtained his MBA in Sustainable Business Management from Green Mountain College in Vermont. Pete helps businesses and communities develop & execute sustainability/CSR programs and has worked extensively on creating an online logistics tool which restaurants and grocery stores can more effectively source food from local farmers. Pete is the president of the Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture (ICSA), is the co-founder and principle consultant for Solstice Enterprises LLC and is also a co-owner and producer for Transcend Productions.

Steve Polski, Senior Manager, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Cargill
Mr. Polski is the Senior Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability for Cargill Inc. In that role, he is responsible for Cargill’s development, marketing and deployment of a Responsible Supply Chains Strategy, which focuses on managing environmental and social risks, by creating value in global and diverse operations and supply chains, including energy and agriculture. Prior to joining Cargill, Mr. Polski spent nine years with the Andersen Corporation leading its transportation and fleet functions. Mr. Polski also worked for several years in a variety of leadership positions in the transportation and third-party logistics segments. Mr. Polski sits on the boards of Living Well Disability Services, Inc. – Eagan, MN and World CNG – Kent, WA.

Donald Reed, Managing Director, PwC Sustainable Business Solutions
Don Reed is a Managing Director in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Sustainable Business Solutions practice where his work focuses on both finance and operating companies.  He helps operating companies develop and implement sustainability strategies that create measurable business value by growing revenue, enhancing brands, improving operating efficiency and managing risks.  He also helps global financial institutions integrate climate change considerations into risk management, credit analysis, new product development, and asset management.  He is the author of Green Shareholder Value, Hype or Hit? and Stalking the Elusive Financial Case for Corporate Sustainability, published by World Resources Institute. He is also the co-author of Competitive Plus, a review of economically targeted investments, published by the New York State Industrial Cooperation Council, and Single Bottom Line Sustainability published by Ecos Corporation.

Carl Salamone, Vice President, Seafood Sustainability, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Carl Salamone began his Wegmans career in 1966 cleaning floors and stocking cases in the meat department. Within four years he moved through the ranks as journeyman meat cutter, first cutter, and Meat Department Manager.  In June of 1973, Carl was asked to lead the company in opening its first seafood department. After expanding the program in multiple stores, Carl was tapped in 1976 to lead a team to open Wegmans first seafood warehouse; he became the seafood buyer for the chain.  In June of 1978, Carl was named Wegmans first Seafood Director. He travels the world searching for and identifying suppliers that share Wegmans standard of high quality. In 2013, Carl was named Vice President, Seafood Sustainability. This newly-created position was a result of the company’s dedication to selling the most sustainable fish from trusted sources.

Nathan Shepley-Streed, Sustainability Manager, Corporate Brands, The Kroger Co.
Nate Shepley Streed is the Sustainability Manager for Kroger's Corporate Brands & Manufacturing. He is responsible for the development and execution of a comprehensive sustainability program that improves the environmental and social impacts of Kroger’s Corporate Branded products. In this cross-functional role, Nate works with Category, Brand, and Sourcing Managers to integrate sustainability initiatives and corporate policies into brand guardrails and global sourcing bids. One area of focus for Nate has been developing sustainable sourcing guides for high-impact commodities for Kroger’s Global Sourcing Team.  Nate graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Design/School of Architecture and a Minor in Sustainability Studies. He also holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Design degree from the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Nate wrote his formal thesis on corporate sustainability and, in particular, how big box and grocery retailers have implemented sustainable strategies within their retail locations to increase cost savings and reduce CO2 emissions.

Kavita Shukla, Founder, President and CEO, Fenugreen (Fresh Paper)
Kavita Shukla, Founder of Fenugreen invented and patented FreshPaper—a low-cost, compostable paper infused with edible organic spices that keeps produce fresh two to four times longer—while still in high school. Her inspiration: on a trip to India, she accidentally drank tap water and her grandmother gave her a spice tea to prevent illness. (The spices inhibited fungal and bacterial growth.) Today FreshPaper retails at Whole Foods, Wegmans, regional chains & independent grocers across the U.S. and ships to 35 countries.

Rod Snyder, President, Field to Market
Rod Snyder has served as President of Field to Market, The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture since March 2014.  Field to Market is a diverse alliance working to create opportunities across the agricultural supply chain for continuous improvements in productivity, environmental quality, and human well-being. Prior to this role, Snyder held positions as Public Policy Director for the National Corn Growers Association and Government Affairs Leader for CropLife America.  He is particularly recognized for his work at the intersection of agricultural and environmental issues.  He has previously served on the board of directors of the Conservation Technology and Information Center, on the steering committee of the Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council, on the executive committee of Field to Market, and as chair of the Pesticide Policy Coalition. In 2008, Snyder sat on the Agriculture and Rural Policy Advisory Committee for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. 

Curt Spalding, Administrator, EPA Region 1
H. Curtis "Curt" Spalding has extensive experience in the environmental protection field as an advocate, policy analyst and administrator. For almost 20 years, he served as Executive Director of Save the Bay in Rhode Island, a nationally recognized, 20,000-member environmental advocacy and education organization. There, he helped build an advocacy and education program that helped restore the Bay and educates 15,000 children year. He also oversaw the construction of the Save the Bay Center at Fields Point in Providence, Rhode Island. Winning the Phoenix Award for development of the Save The Bay Center is a highlight of Curt's leadership tenure. But according to Curt, getting a Green Infrastructure project permitted on a brownfield back in 2003, may well be his greatest achievement. Since joining the EPA leadership team in February 2010, Spalding has been leading a holistic approach to finding environmental solutions in New England. He's emphasized efforts in community engagement, sustainability, environmental justice and green economy. Spalding has focused our efforts in the region on three cross-cutting initiatives: climate change, stormwater and community prosperity.  Spalding has been heavily engaged in resilience planning efforts for Climate Change in New England. He has also been involved in a number of pilot projects working on sustainability in communities around the region. Urban revitalization is a priority for Spalding, and you can see it coming to fruition in places like Holyoke, MA and Bridgeport, CT. Spalding received his bachelor's degree from Hobart College and an M.P.A. from SUNY at Albany in Albany, NY.

W. Blake Sturcke, Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Development, Turning Earth
Blake is a founder and Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Development of Turning Earth, LLC.  Prior to Turning Earth, Blake worked for 15 years for leading global investment banks as a capital markets and corporate finance advisor to high-growth companies in the U.S., Asia and Latin America.  Mr. Sturcke began his career at Morgan Stanley where he held a succession of positions, including leadership roles in the firm’s Investment Banking Division in New York, Hong Kong and India.  Mr. Sturcke later held senior positions for Deutsche Bank where he led the Emerging Growth Equity Group and the Consumer Equity Capital Markets business.  Blake represents the organics recycling industry on the Steering Committee of Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee.  Mr. Sturcke received his MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in 1998, where he graduated as a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society.  Blake earned his BA in Economics from Bucknell University in 1993.  Mr. Sturcke is the Co-Chairman of the Bucknell Finance Network, an organization that he jointly founded in 2007. 

Richard Swannell, Director of Sustainable Food Systems, WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme)
Dr. Richard Swannell is Director of Sustainable Food Systems at UK-based WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme).  He has spent his career working on ways of reducing our impact on the environment. Richard is a microbiologist by training and has a Doctorate in Environmental Engineering.  His teams focus on delivering a more sustainable, resource efficient and more circular economy in food and drink.  This includes: improving the environmental performance of food and drink products through, for example, the Product Sustainability Forum; reducing waste across the supply chain and in the home through initiatives like the Courtauld Commitment, the Hospitality and Food Service Agreement and Love Food Hate Waste; and, closing the loop through increasing the recycling of food and drink waste through Anaerobic Digestion and composting, and by developing markets for recycled packaging, particularly plastics.  He also leads WRAP’s Research and Market Economics teams.  Richard has worked on environmental issues for more than 25 years, covering a broad range of topics.  For example, he has helped develop biotechnology to treat air pollution and worked on new approaches to cleaning soil and groundwater.  His previous roles include leading an international team developing novel ways of treating oil pollution, and heading product development for an environmental consultancy business.  Over the last 14 years he has helped build successful business partnerships to reduce waste.  Richard joined WRAP in 2004 where he led the Retail team that developed the Courtauld Commitment.  He became a Director in 2006.

Steve Swartz, Partner, McKinsey & Company
Steve Swartz is a Partner in McKinsey & Company's Los Angeles office. Steve leads McKinsey's efforts on sustainability in the retail and CPG industries, and leads the Sustainable Enterprise service line, which pulls together the firm's expertise across energy, water, clean technologies, operations and other disciplines to help clients develop and implement sustainability strategies that span the entire value chain. He works closely with retail and consumer products companies on core industry issues such as measuring the impact of sustainability programs, creating frameworks to improve product transparency and reporting impact, and developing solutions to drive tangible sustainability improvements in companies operations. Steve has a MBA from the Harvard School of Business, and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California. Steve previously owned an environmental consulting firm based in Southern California that provided compliance services to heavy industry.

Robert ter Kuile, Senior Director, Environmental Sustainability - Global Public Policy PepsiCo, Inc.
Robert ter Kuile is the Senior Director of Sustainability in the Global Public Policy group for PepsiCo where he actively develops, implements and operationalizes the global public policy on a broad range of sustainability initiatives and is responsible for developing, maintaining, and partnering with global stakeholders, shareholders and policy makers. Prior to joining the Public Policy and Government Affairs team, Robert served as the Director of Energy and Climate Change for three years in PepsiCo's Global Operations developing and implementing energy and carbon reduction strategies. Robert also served as a Corporate Environmental Manager at Frito-Lay North America (a Division of PepsiCo) for six years. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Robert served in various governmental roles for what is now the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, and has held several environmental and sustainability consulting roles. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies from Texas State University at San Marcos and is an active member of his Church in Farmers Branch, Texas, USA where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

Harrison Thomas, Client Relationship Manager, Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
Harrison Thomas is the Client Relationship Manager at the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, a non-profit designed to develop industry-specific standards for sustainability management and reporting. He facilitates engagement throughout the standards development process and also works to prepare corporations, investment entities, and client-service professionals to use SASB standards. Prior to joining SASB, Harrison worked as a consultant on projects related to environmental accounting, energy management, and water management. He received degrees in Environmental Management and Business from Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

Michael Tlusty, Director of Research, New England Aquarium
Dr. Michael Tlusty is the Director of Ocean Sustainability Science at the New England Aquarium, and a Research Faculty at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has been at the Aquarium since 1999, where he has been developing an aquaculture program that integrates the knowledge skills and abilities of the entire New England Aquarium community. His interest in sustainable aquaculture was formulated prior to his time at the aquarium, when he worked in Newfoundland, Canada to assess the environmental impact of salmon aquaculture, and ultimately to determine environmentally safe production levels. Michael has extended this work within the aquarium, where he helped to develop the Sustainable Seafood Initiative. This was the first NGO program to partner with a commercial major corporation to advise them on ways to improve the sustainability of their seafood purchases. Since that time, Michael has worked on both wild fishery and aquaculture issues, and has also looked at ways to integrate emerging fields to create new metrics to assess the journey toward sustainability. Much of Michael’s work in seafood is working with certification systems to improve them, and has recently published the first theoretical model for how certification can improve seafood production. He currently sits on the Global Aquaculture Alliance Standards Oversight Committee, the Technical Advisory Group for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and the Process and Benchmark Expert Working Group for the Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative. In addition to seafood, Michael also conducts the ornamental fish trade (which mirror many of the benefits and challenges of seafood), and conducts research on the multifactoral nature of bacterial diseases in crustaceans. Michael was born near Chicago, Illinois. He has a B.S. in Animal Science from University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Syracuse University.

Shelly Van Treeck, Global Chief Procurement Officer, Kellogg Company
Michele M. Van Treeck was named Vice-President and Global Chief Procurement Officer at Kellogg Company in July 2014. She held the role of Chief Procurement Officer, North America since March 2013. Michele is a member of Kellogg Company’s Global Supply Chain Leadership Team.  Shelly joined Kellogg Company in 2002 and has held a variety of progressive regional, international and global roles, serving as Kellogg Europe’s Procurement Director, based in Ireland, just prior to her return to the USA last summer.  During her time in Dublin, she significantly increased spend under management, increased savings four-fold, integrated the Pringles acquisition, grew talent, and implemented a new Indirect business partner engagement model as part of a restructured KEU Procurement Organization.  Prior to her 5 years in Europe, she spent 2 years as Director, International Procurement based in Battle Creek.  She has also held several Ingredient buying roles at Kellogg’s, joining the Company following the acquisition of the Keebler business.  in 2000, Shelly crossed into the FMCG food & beverage space as the VP-Procurement for Parmalat Farmland Dairies in New Jersey.  She began her career in the food industry in 1989, joining WR Grace-owned Ambrosia Chocolate which was subsequently acquired by agri-giant ADM. Ms. Van Treeck holds an MBA from Marquette University, with an emphasis in International Management.  She graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin.

John Wilson, Head of Corporate Governance, Engagement & Research, Cornerstone Capital Group
John K.S. Wilson is the Head of Corporate Governance, Engagement & Research at Cornerstone Capital Group.  John has over 16 years of experience in socially responsible investing and corporate governance.  He was Director of Corporate Governance for TIAA-CREF, the largest private pension system in the United States with assets under management of over $500 billion.  In this role, he oversaw the voting of proxies at CREF’s 8,000 portfolio companies and engaged in dialogue with corporate boards and management to promote sustainability and good corporate governance. He also writes and presents widely about the relevance of social responsibility to investment performance for academic, corporate and investor audiences.  Prior to joining TIAA-CREF in early 2008, John served as Director of Socially Responsible Investing for Christian Brothers Investment Services, an investment advisor to Catholic institutions.  In that role, he led the company’s shareholder advocacy, social screening, and proxy voting functions as well as participating in the company’s outreach to religious communities around the United States.  An Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia Business School, John is also a member of the Advisory Council to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board.  He is a past Vice-Chair of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and was a founding advisory committee member of the International SRI Working Group, a think tank serving social investing professionals.  John has also served on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Human Rights Working Group and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment Clearinghouse Steering Committee.  He has an MBA and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a BA in English from Georgetown University.

Andrew Winston, CEO, Winston Eco-Strategies, LLC
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Biography Andrew Winston is a globally recognized expert on how companies can navigate and profit from the world's biggest environmental and social challenges. He is the author of the book The Big Pivot and the HBR Magazine cover story, a Resilience in a Hotter World. Andrew's first book, Green to Gold, was the top-selling green business title of the last decade, selling over 100,000 copies. It was included in Inc. Magazine’s all-time list of 30 books that every manager should own. As founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, Andrew has advised some of the world's leading companies, including J&J, Kimberly-Clark, HP, and Unilever, and he serves as a Sustainability Advisor to PwC. Andrew is a highly respected and dynamic speaker, reaching audiences of thousands with an entertaining message of practical optimism. He received degrees in economics, business, and environmental management from Princeton, Columbia, and Yale.

Chris Wolfe, Environmental / Sustainability, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc.
Chris joined Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc. (BBU) via their acquisition of Sara Lee Fresh Bakery in 2011.  He is responsible for supporting BBUs Northeast manufacturing facilities for Environmental and Sustainability.  Collaborative efforts have resulted in Waste Diversion from Landfills, Renewable Energy, and other successful sustainability measures.  Chris is active with Sustainability efforts at BBUs parent company Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V, assisting with the GRI, CDP, and other initiatives.   Prior to his time at BBU and Sara Lee, Chris worked at ConAgra Foods and also Butter Krust Baking Company.  Chris holds a BS from Susquehanna University and an MBA from Bloomsburg University.  He is an American Institute of Baking (AIB) Certified Baker.  Chris participates with the EPA Energy Star Program, the American Bakers Association’s Environmental Committee, and has presented at the Food & Beverage Environmental Conference.  Chris resides in Central Pennsylvania with his wife and son.

Ashley Zanolli, West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum Co-lead, US EPA
Ashley Zanolli transitioned into environmental policy after designing a biodiesel facility in 2005.  She has worked at the US EPA Seattle office since 2006 on air toxics, biofuels, environmental justice, and climate programs.   She currently co-leads the West Coast Climate & Materials Management Forum, a regional partnership of western communities working together to drive climate action through materials management.  With the help of more than 25 EPA, state, and local government partners over the past three years, Ashley led the development of Food: Too Good to Waste, a community food waste prevention toolkit that has been linked to a 25% reduction in household wasted food among pilot participants.  Although this project focuses on residential food waste prevention, Ashley also implements EPA’s Sustainable Food Management Program with commercial businesses in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington and grocers throughout the US.  She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a graduate certificate in Decision Making for Climate Change from Northwestern University.