Bigger Than Us

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/

Virginia Emery is founder and CEO of Beta Hatch, a pioneering insect farming company that is industrializing insects for agriculture. Beta Hatch is fueled by a passion to see insects reach their true potential in our food systems. The company has grown to be internationally recognized for its scientific approach to scaling insect production, and operates North America’s largest mealworm farm for animal feed production in Washington. Virginia is the country’s most innovative insect entrepreneur, recently recognized as a Visionary Grist 50 Fixer. Virginia has a PhD in entomology from the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded over 20 grants and honors, and has published on subjects ranging from chemical communication to genetics to insect behavior. Her life’s mission is to breed a bug that tastes like bacon. http://betahatch.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Nik's passion for hiking and open water swimming led him into the waste industry, after he kept encountering trash in otherwise beautiful natural areas. Driven to take on the growing problem of waste, Nik realized a crucial piece was missing from zero waste initiatives: data. Specifically, data on the quantity, quality and type of waste being disposed of. In 2016, he founded Zabble Inc. to create a SaaS platform with mobile and cloud technology, to help large educational institutions and corporate organizations track their zero waste programs and gain real-time insights into their waste stream. Prior to this, Nik worked at seminal startups in the San Francisco Bay Area bringing new ideas to life in the areas of noise cancellation, clinical data analysis, patient medication adherence and indoor air quality. In addition to his role as CEO of Zabble, Nik also serves as a board member for Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA), and actively participates in zero waste advocacy. https://zabbleinc.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Vandana is the Managing Director of Investment Strategy for Unreasonable Group, and is focused on driving investment to growth-stage entrepreneurs across the globe. In 2020, she will spearhead the formation of Unreasonable Group’s first Global Growth Fund. Her career has spanned three continents and includes substantive investment management, private equity, M&A and cross-border experience. Vandana has experience working in East Africa, London, New York and Seattle. She spent many years advising institutional investors (including governmental and corporate plans) on all aspects of their investments in domestic and international alternative investment funds, as well as structuring and negotiating some of the largest private equity funds, including impact-based investment funds. Vandana has extensive global experience and is often called on to counsel teams on investment strategy and creating complex and unique fund structures (including global impact funds). She was named as a Rising Star on Washington's 2015 Super Lawyer list. Vandana has a passion for social value and impact investing, as well as various philanthropic causes. Vandana is an active member of the Boys & Girls Club of King County and has served as a Trustee of the Nature Conservancy's Washington Chapter and on the board of the YWCA.  Vandana was born in Kenya and has had the opportunity to live and work in Africa, Europe and the United States. https://unreasonablegroup.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/