Bigger Than Us

Juliana Garaizar is an experienced global executive and general manager with demonstrated success working with entrepreneurs in angel investment, venture capital and private equity across multiple industry sectors including medtech, cleantech, fintech, consumer and impact.  Most recently she served as the Director of the Texas Medical Center Venture Fund, and prior to that as the Managing Director of the Houston Angel Network. The Houston Angel Network is the most active angel network in the United States, and has invested in Greentown Labs companies AMS and Dynamo Micropower. Prior to this, Juliana managed the Antipolis Innovation Campus, a small business innovation and incubation center in the French Riviera. In this role she also served as the Managing Director of the Sophia Business Angels, investing in cleantech startups such as SunPartner, Solar Indice, Nheolis, Blue Group and Certinergy. A native of Spain, Juliana started her career in Singapore: first as an International Trade Consultant for the Trade Commission of Spain and then at Citigroup. Juliana earned her MBA at the London Business School and Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, with a concentration in entrepreneurship. She has also received recognition as a Kauffman Fellow, a highly selective two-year program for innovative venture capital leaders.  Juliana has served on many boards and advisory boards in the areas of innovation, investment and civic engagement. She is currently a board member of the Angel Capital Association and is an advisory board member of the Israeli fund Sanara Ventures, the Houston Diversity Fund and the University of Houston Cougar Venture Fund. She has also served as a member of the Mayor of Houston's task forces on Innovation and on Women and Diversity.  As a globetrotter who has visited 60 countries, Juliana is passionate about experiencing different cultures and speaks five different languages. During her travels, she has been able to experience the impact of climate change firsthand. After her last trip to Patagonia and living through Hurricane Harvey, she felt she needed to step up her commitment to fight it. During her last eight years living in Houston, she has been able to see a shift in the city’s understanding of the impacts of climate change and the need for an energy transition. That is why she believes it is the perfect moment for Greentown Labs’ expansion to Houston. https://greentownlabs.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Maurits van de Ven, Co-Founder of Plantible Foods. Maurits founded and exited two software-driven trading companies in The Netherlands and after acquiring his masters in finance at ESADE in Barcelona he worked as an investment banker focused on the US CPG industry at a NY based boutique bank. https://www.plantiblefoods.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Johannes D. Escudero is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Coalition For Renewable Natural Gas (RNG Coalition).  Mr. Escudero founded the RNG Coalition in July, 2011 to provide the renewable natural gas industry with a public policy platform and an advocacy voice.   Today, the RNG Coalition’s membership is international and includes leading companies and organizations from each sector of the RNG industry.   RNG Coalition members produce more than 90% of the renewable natural gas in North America.   Together, the RNG Coalition advocates for the development, deployment and utilization of renewable natural gas so that present and future generations have access to clean, domestic, renewable fuel and energy supply.  Through advocacy and education, the RNG Coalition has successfully expanded and created new RNG markets at the federal, state, provincial and local government levels in the United States and Canada.   Mr. Escudero has more than fifteen years of organizational leadership and business development experience, with a diverse background in non-profit management, higher education, politics, governmental, legislative and regulatory affairs.   He has a Master's Degree with honors in Leadership from Hope International University, where he is also an Adjunct Professor.  Prior to founding the RNG Coalition, Mr. Escudero served as Legislative Director in the California State Assembly, and served ranking members of the Budget, Transportation, Utilities and Commerce, Natural Resources and Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials committees.   Mr. Escudero is an ordained Pastor, and has served as President of Escudero & Associates Inc. since 2008 - a private firm that provides energy related services to clients, including members of the RNG Coalition.   Mr. Escudero has been married to his lovely wife Tawni for fifteen years. Together, they have three children, Rori Lane (10 years), Lincoln Brave (6 years) and Jack Love (7 months). http://www.rngcoalition.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Dianna Cohen is Co-Founder and CEO of Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) and a passionate advocate against plastic pollution. PPC is a growing global alliance of more than 1,000 organizations, businesses, and notable thought leaders working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, and the environment. A Los Angeles based visual artist, Dianna has shown her work internationally at galleries, foundations, and museums. She uses plastic in her artwork to make a visual and social impact. With plastic bags as her primary material for the past 27 years, Cohen is interested in exploring its materiality through modifications and the material’s relationship to culture, media, toxicity, and the world at large and shared this in her 2010 TED talk “Tough Truths About Plastic Pollution.” Dianna is a frequent speaker and guest and has spoken at the UN and international conferences and symposia, and has been interviewed by Al Jazeera, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA Today, Martha Stewart Living, and many others. She is the recipient of the Global Green Environment Award, the Snow Angel Award, and Environmentalist of the Year by SIMA, among others. Dianna studied Biology, Art, and Film at the University of California, Los Angeles and holds a BA in Fine Arts. https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Steve Oldham is the CEO of CE and brings more than 20 years of executive experience to CE’s team, stemming from previous roles in technology, robotics and aerospace sectors. Steve has held a variety of senior executive positions across Canada and the US, covering General Management, Business Development, and Strategy. Steve has also secured financing from Government and commercial sources for a variety of complex technologies, including several large satellite programs. https://carbonengineering.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQGGhtguHns https://nexuspmg.com/

Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA, is an investment analyst and writer focused on clean energy stocks. He is best known for his cautious and income-oriented approach to investing, and his warnings leading up to the bursting of the 2015 Yieldco bubble.  His writing has appeared in publications such as GreenTech Media, The Guardian, Renewable Energy World, Forbes.com, but his primary outlet has been AltEnergyStocks.com since 2007. Tom is a CFA charterholder and has a PhD in mathematics from Purdue University. He wrote his thesis on a branch of chaos theory. This study of chaos theory led to his conviction that knowing the limits of our ability to predict is much more important than predictions themselves, a lesson he applies to both climate science and the financial markets. He volunteers as the Chair of the New York Town of Marbletown's Environmental Conservation Commission (ECC), and is a long distance runner. The ECC's efforts have turned Marbletown into a locally recognized leader in the shift to renewable energy while producing a net benefit to the Town government's and residents' budgets. In 2019 he completed a 28.2 mile ultra-marathon up and down 4000 vertical feet of the hills of Tuscany to celebrate his 50th birthday. http://www.altenergystocks.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

As Chief Marketing Officer, Mike Kaplan is responsible for all aspects of ENGIE Impact’s marketing efforts, as the company works to accelerate sustainability transformation for corporations, cities and government around the world. Mike has nearly 20 years of experience in business-to-business marketing across the high tech and energy sectors, working with companies across many sectors and stages of growth. Previously, he led marketing for Retroficiency, which was acquired by ENGIE Impact in October 2015, where he helped create a market for energy data analytics and drive adoption for this new technology. As a strategy consultant for CSMG, Mike managed engagements for telecommunications, wireless and digital media markets clients, focused on go-to-market and product strategy, business case development, opportunity assessment and customer segmentation. Based in Boston, Mike holds an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies from the University of Rochester. https://www.engie.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Arno Boersma is the founding partner of Island Impact - a social enterprise that aims to bring positive impact to small island states through initiatives in sustainable development - and the former director of UNDP’s Center of Excellence for Small Island Developing States. He is an experienced knowledge strategist with a passion for turning knowledge into action, preferably knowledge related to island opportunities in energy, water, climate, tourism, waste, ocean, and biodiversity. As islands are at the front lines of climate change, their solutions can benefit the rest of the world. Arno has been an entrepreneur as well as worked for multinational firms, the World Bank and the UN. Most recently, from 2016-2019, he led the launch and growth of the UNDP's Center of Excellence for Small Island Developing States which aims to foster island-to-island collaboration and knowledge exchange. He recently moved from Aruba to Washington, DC where he subsequently launched the Network of Island Professionals. https://www.islandimpact.co/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Pharr Andrews currently serves as the Senior Climate Coordinator for the City of Dallas, where her primary function is to coordinate the development and implementation of the City’s first Comprehensive and Climate Action Plan (CECAP). Previous work experience includes Environmental Outreach Manager for the City of Richardson and Air Quality Manager for the City of Austin. She has over 20 years of experience working on a variety of environmental and sustainability issues with a demonstrated record of success in project management, climate planning, state and local policy/rulemaking projects, communication of complex information, and management of climate protection, air quality, pollution prevention, water conservation, and land development programs. Her experience paired with a strong commitment to preserving our natural environment has earned her a reputation as an eco-champion. While in Austin, she chaired the region’s Clean Air Coalition Advisory Committee, and helped develop and implement three regional air quality improvement plans. She was also a founding member of the City’s Climate Protection Team and played a vital role in the development of multiple climate plans. Prior to serving at the City of Austin she worked for the Texas commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on environmental policy issues. https://www.dallasclimateaction.com/cecap Dallas Climate Action Plan https://nexuspmg.com/

Julia is a visionary leader at the center of the transformation underway in the electric power sector to a clean and modern energy future.  For the past 20 years she has been advising and collaborating with utilities, solution providers and government agencies on business models, grid modernization, and clean energy policies, strategies and programs. Julia guides and oversees all of SEPA’s research, education, and collaboration activities for its 1,100 member companies, including over 725 electric utilities.  Julia has led the organization through significant expansion in recent years, including rebranding from the Solar Electric Power Association to the Smart Electric Power Alliance, and merging with both the Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid (ADS) and Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP).  Prior to joining SEPA, Julia worked for ICF International where she supported EPA’s implementation of the ENERGY STAR program.  Julia - a graduate of Cornell University - walks the talk, driving an EV and living in a PV powered energy efficient home in Northern Virginia. https://sepapower.org/ https://nexuspmg.com/