Steve Bishop, Global Lead, Design for Sustainability, IDEO

Steve leads the sustainability domain at IDEO. In this role, he focuses on applying design thinking to the issues of sustainability for IDEO clients as well as IDEO itself. As a lead in both product and interaction design, Steve's experience ranges across several industries including automotive, consumer products, and medical devices. He's helped design high end office furniture, packaging, instrument panels for hybrid electric vehicles, and medical injection devices, for which he holds patents. Steve currently leads sustainability efforts at IDEO's headquarters in Palo Alto. Since earning a Masters in Product Design from Stanford University, Steve has returned to teach design engineering. In 2007, he launched a new course at Stanford on sustainable design and is developing a sustainable design program for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the "d.school"). He regularly speaks on sustainability at other universities and conferences. Steve holds a BA in Film and Media from the Univeristy of Texas, Austin and a Master's Degree in Product Design from Stanford.

 

Annie Longsworth, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Cohn and Wolfe, San Francisco

Annie has 15 years of communications experience including editorial positions with national business and technology publications, and marketing communications for dozens of start up and public companies. Annie is the senior counselor to Chevron Global Lubricants and American Express and is actively involved with the marketing programs of Tastybaby, Fabrik and Spot Runner. Additionally, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the office.

In March 2007 Annie launched a global sustainability practice entirely devoted to communication strategies around the topics of sustainability, alternative energy and environmental strategy. As a Green Wolfe Annie was an integral part of American Express Partners in Preservation program, which was designed to build awareness for the need to protect our history.

Prior to C&W, Annie was Vice President of Corporate Development and Accounts Services at Wilson McHenry Company. In this position Annie was responsible for the strategy and execution of global PR programs for clients including Pioneer Electronics, Micron Electronics, Acer America and CBSSportsline.com. She began her career as an editor, working for Inc. Magazine and a variety of Ziff Davis publications.

 

Jacquelyn Ottman, President, J. Ottman Consulting

Since founding J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. nearly 20 years ago, Jacquelyn and her colleagues have helped more than 60 Fortune 500 businesses, the Energy Star label and other organizations learn how to seize opportunities by pro-actively addressing consumers environmental concerns. Bringing unique insights initially honed during 12 years on top-flight consumer packaged goods businesses at major ad agencies, Ottman has helped clients develop concepts for exciting new products with less environmental impact and strategies for reaching green consumers while minimizing the risk of backlash. Her book, Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation, is called the "definitive work on the subject" by the American Marketing Association. Jacquelyn is a sought-after speaker at conferences and corporate forums run by IBM, 3M, Philips Electronics, and GE,and one of the true pioneers of green marketing. She also serves as program chair of Sustainable Brands '07.

The principal organizer and driving spirit behind the Design:Green eco-design educational initiative, she sits on the Advisory Board of the Centre for Sustainable Design (U.K.), the Center for Small Business and the Environment, and the NYC chapter of O2, of which she is a past co-chairman. For seven years, she chaired the jury of the American Marketing Association's Special Edison Awards for Environmental Achievement.

 

Robin Raj, Founder/Executive Creative Director, Citizen Group

Robin Raj has had an award-winning career in both traditional and digital media with dozens of major awards, including Cannes Lions, Clios, Emmies, and Webbies. His commitment to citizen marketing is evident in his career-long work for Amnesty International, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), National Coalition for the Homeless, Rock the Vote, and Sierra Club. Before co-founding Collaborate in 1999, Raj was executive creative director of DAWG (Digital Artists & Writers Group) with clients such as Discovery Channel, Microsoft, Virgin Records, and PBS. Earlier he worked for Foote Cone and Belding and Hal Riney & Partners, San Francisco, creating campaigns for AT&T, Coca-Cola, Levi's, Coors, and Gallo. While at Chiat/Day in the 1980's, he created the NYNEX Yellow Pages "Human Cartoons" campaign, voted one of the 25 Greatest Ad Campaigns by AdWeek magazine. In 1990, Raj was named to AdWeek's Creative All-Stars list.

 

Brian Reich, Principal, EchoDitto

Brian is a new media-junkie. He reads 15 newspapers a day, subscribes to 21+ magazines, and is constantly scanning for new opportunities on websites and across as many other interactive platforms as his eyes will allow.

Brian is a Principal at EchoDitto, which specializes in building vibrant communities online and empowering people through the creative use of emerging technologies. Previously, he was the Director of New Media at Cone Inc, a brand strategy and communications agency in Boston, and a Senior Strategic Consultant for Mindshare Interactive Campaigns, an interactive agency which helped many of the leading corporations, associations, non-profit organizations and governmental entities leverage the communication opportunities created by technology.

From 2000- 2004 Brian ran his own consulting business , Mouse Communications , which helped political and non-profit organizations use new technology to improve communications, drive action, and support fundraising. Brian launched Mouse Communications after serving two years as Vice President Gore's Briefing Director in the White House, handling both official activities and activities during his 2000 presidential campaign. Brian has spent much of his life working in and around politics, including helping to direct dozens of campaigns across the country. During the 1996 cycle, Brian was the youngest campaign manager in the nation, leading a U.S. Congress challenger-race in Connecticut.

Brian is a regular writer and speaker on the issues involving the impact of the internet and technology on politics, society, and the media. He is the editor of Thinking About Media, a blog examining media consumption habits around the world (among other things). He has previously written regularly for National Journals The Hotline and was a contributing editor to Personal Democracy Forum both on the topic of the impact the internet and technology have on politics. His book, Media Rules!, was published by Wiley & Sons in December 2007.

Brian is on the Board of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and the Humanities and serves on Committees with the Ad Club of Boston and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston helping direct public relations and marketing programming. Brian attended the University of Michigan and is a graduate of Columbia University. He and his wife, Karen Dahl, and their son, Henry, live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

Jeff Slye, CEO (Chief Evolution Officer), Business Evolution Consulting

Jeff Slye is considered a specialist in shaping and guiding organizations in establishing and implementing environmental programs. His firm, Business Evolution Consulting, has created and led environmental programs for organizations including Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, the National Restaurant Association, and Destination Hotels and Resorts. Mr. Slye brings a Ëœbusiness friendly philosophy and approach on all projects. He recognizes that being good to the environment must also fit with the organizations financial, brand, quality, and operational requirements to address and meet customer expectations.

Business Evolution Consulting works on a broad range of projects, plus supports and oversees many of the tasks necessary to ensure successful and well executed environmental programs. Areas of focus include:

Environmental Strategy, Environmental Assessment and Audit, Environmental Program Implementation, Executive Performance Dashboard, Carbon/Energy/Waste Audits, Environmental Program Training and Education, and Environmental Awards and Media Relations

Mr. Slye's background prior to founding Business Evolution Consulting was in business development and international affairs. He was cum-laude graduate from UCLA with an emphasis on international relations. After co-founding TCS, a high-tech communications firm, in the early 90s, Mr. Slye lived in London heading up the company's European business development efforts. Mr. Slye is a member of the Editorial Board for Sustainability of HotelExecutive.com and a member of Net Impact of Northern California. Outside of work he enjoys working on his Spanish speaking skills, skiing deep and steep powder, being in the great outdoors, and making funny faces at his one-year old son.

Terry Swack, Founder/CEO, Sustainable Minds

Terry is a 25-year veteran of the design and technology industries, a leading experience design strategist and serial environmental entrepreneur. Her current venture, Sustainable Minds, is a Web 2.0, subscription-based design decision support tool to help faciliate the process of making more sustainable products. In 2005, Terry founded GreenBuildingBlocks.com and The Beam (now BlueEgg.com), a venture-backed Web 2.0 media company and marketplace for consumers, manufacturers, and service providers to power the demand for clean and green products and services.

In 2002, she became a founding team member of StillSecure, a network security software company. As VP Customer Experience, in a unique partnership with the VP Engineering, they managed the product teams to bring three successful products to market in less than two years. Terry's first company, TSDesign, was founded in 1985 as a graphic design firm and became an Internet strategy and product design firm in 1994. The development of the User Experience AuditSM in 1996, was the first offering of its kind and positioned the company as the industry leader in design analysis and user experience strategy. TSDesign was acquired in 1999 by Razorfish, a global digital services provider.

Terry is a popular speaker to business, technology and design audiences on designing effective digital business systems and the brand experience; and now on sustainabililty, business and culture.

 

Pam Van Orden, Founder and President, Enlightened Brand

Throughout her 30-year career Pam has straddled two worlds, with one foot in the world of business and the other in the world of consciousness. These dual passions have led her to focus her work on the roles of awareness and integrity in building brands that succeed in the workplace and the marketplace.

Pams experience building brands extends across a broad base of clients and client types from small businesses and nonprofits to the Global 1000 and government agencies. Enlightened Brand clients include such leading organizations as Fritz Institute, Juniper Networks, NASA, Sun Microsystems, and Swisscom. Prior to founding Enlightened Brand, Pam served as corporate identity manager for Intel Corporation and global brand strategy manager for Symantec. She began her career as an award-winning designer and creative director for companies such as Applied Biosystems, Atari, Matrix Pharmaceutical, Mitsubishi Electronics, and Shaman Pharmaceuticals.

She is a sought-after speaker, facilitator, trend scout, and executive advisor for businesses that want to become market leaders for our connected world, and serves as program committee co-chair for Sustainable Brands '07.

 

Maria Tikoff Vargas, Director of Strategic Partnerships, U.S. EPA Climate Protection Partnerships Division

 

Maria Tikoff Vargas is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Climate Protection Partnerships Division in the Office of Air and Radiation within the EPA. This division is responsible for Energy Star , a voluntary, non-regulatory partnership that assures high quality, profitable investments in energy-efficient and environmentally superior technologies , as well as a host of other voluntary programs including Climate Leaders and the Green Power Partnership. Maria manages the Energy Star brand and oversees all communications and marketing activities for the division.

Maria has worked for the U.S. EPA since 1986. Prior to her current position, Vargas was the Co-Director of the Energy Star Buildings and Green Lights Partnership. Before that her work at EPA included serving as marketing director for the Energy Star program and policy work on the issues of ozone depletion, global climate change, and related environmental and energy issues.

Larry Vertal, Senior Strategist, AMD

Larry Vertal is a senior strategist for AMD. In this role he is responsible for both the strategy and execution of selected corporate and commercial initiatives. Larry has over two decades of operational management, strategic relations, corporate governance and marketing experience with technology companies. His range of success spans from startups to Fortune 100 corporations.

Prior to joining AMD, Larry held a variety of positions with AT&T and NCR including director of strategic relations and director of product marketing. He previously was vice president of marketing for Conita Technologies. While at AST Research he was responsible for the multiprocessor systems business and served as worldwide representative of the executive office. Larry was also a founder of Condor Data.

Larry holds a bachelors degree in Bacteriology with a minor in Philosophy from California State University, Los Angeles followed by graduate research in Chemistry focused on paramagnetic resonance.

Larry has been recognized as one of the top 15 Innovators & Influencers Who Will Make A Difference In 2008

 

 

Andrew Winston, co-author, Green to Gold, Founder, Winston Eco-Strategies

Andrew is a nationally recognized expert on green business, and has written for or appeared in Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Forbes, ABC News, National Public Radio, and CNBC's Power Lunch. Among other hands-on projects, Andrew has developed strategy for the environmental, quality and social stewardship functions at one of the worlds largest consumer brands and helped a large office products retailer understand its customers environmental needs. He serves on the Sustainability Advisory Council for a $7 billion division of Koch Industries.