Board of Directors

The People Behind Earth Day

 

GERALD TORRES,  Chair, Earth Day Network, Bryant Smith Chair, University of Texas - Austin

Professor Torres is currently the president of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). A leading figure in critical race theory, Prof. Torres is also an expert in agricultural and environmental law. He taught at The University of Minnesota Law School, where he also served as associate dean. Prof. Torres has served as deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as counsel to then U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

Prof. Torres is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute. Prof. Torres was honored with the 2004 Legal Service Award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) for his work to advance the legal rights of Latinos. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard and Stanford law schools.

LYNN L. BERGESON,  Secretary, Earth Day Network

Lynn L. Bergeson is Managing Director of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C), a Washington, D.C. law firm concentrating on conventional and engineered nanoscale chemical, pesticide, and other specialty chemical product regulation and approval matters, domestic and foreign chemical classification, chemical product litigation, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated product approval, and associated business issues. Ms. Bergeson is also President of The Acta Group, L.L.C. and The Acta Group EU, Ltd, B&C’s consulting affiliates, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Manchester, U.K., respectively.

Ms. Bergeson counsels clients on health, safety, science policy, and related legal and regulatory aspects of traditional domestic chemical regulatory programs under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as well as on issues pertinent to nanotechnology and other emerging transformative technologies. Ms. Bergeson serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group (PCAST nTAG), and served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Steering Committee for the Pollution Prevention through Nanotechnology Conference. Ms. Bergeson served in 2004 and 2005 on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Nanotechnology Standards Panel (NSP) Steering Committee and is now a member of the ISO Technical Committee 229 on Nanotechnologies. Ms. Bergeson also serves on the Board of Directors of Earth Day Network and the Converging Technologies Bar Association (CTBA), and is Chair of the CTBA Environmental, Health, and Safety Committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and is a member of its Executive Committee. She was Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) (2005-2006), is current Chair of the SEER Pesticides, Chemical Regulation, and Right-to-Know Committee, and serves in other ABA leadership positions. Ms. Bergeson is also a member of the ALI-ABA Environmental Law Advisory Panel.

Ms. Bergeson serves on the Press Advisory Board of ELI’s Environmental Law Reporter, 2007--; Editorial Board of ELI’s The Environmental Forum, 2004--; Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 2002--; EPA Administrative Law Reporter, 1996--; Environmental Quality Management, 2002--; Chemical Processing Magazine, 2002--; and Pollution Engineering, 1990--, among other publications. Ms. Bergeson is a member of The District of Columbia Bar; Bar Association of the District of Columbia; ABA (Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources); Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia; and the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment. Ms. Bergeson is listed in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (2006 and 2007), and The Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2005 and 2006).

Ms. Bergeson is a graduate of Michigan State University (B.A., magna cum laude), and the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, where she was a member of the Law Review. She is admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia and several federal circuit courts.

DENIS HAYES

Denis Hayes left his graduate studies at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government to coordinate the first Earth Day in 1970 - an event often credited with launching the modern American environmental movement. Twenty years later he headed the first International Earth Day, with 200 million participants in 141 countries. Hayes returned in 2000 to serve as chair of the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, and remained as head of Earth Day Network, the group coordinating Earth Day activities worldwide.

Today, Hayes is President & CEO of the Bullitt Foundation, a $100 million environmental foundation located in Seattle. An environmental lawyer by training, Hayes has published more than 100 articles, books, and papers on energy and the environment.

During the Carter Administration, he headed the federal Solar Energy Research Institute (now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). From 1983 to 1988, Hayes was an adjunct professor of engineering at Stanford University. He has served as Director of the Illinois State Energy Office, Senior Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute, and Visiting Scholar at the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1993, he received the Charles Greeley Abbot Award of the American Solar Energy Society, and in 2000 he was elected as a Fellow of the Society. In 1979, Hayes received the national Jefferson Medal for Greatest Public Service by an Individual under 35. Hayes was awarded the John Muir Award in 1985 by the Sierra Club and has received the highest honors awarded by the National Wildlife Federation, the Humane Society, and the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility.

Time magazine selected Hayes as one of its "Heroes of the Planet," Look magazine named him one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th Century, and the National Audubon Society included him in its list of the 100 Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century.

Hayes is or has been a trustee or director of Stanford University, Greenpeace USA, the World Resources Institute, the American Solar Energy Society, the Federation of American Scientists, the Energy Foundation, the League of Conservation Voters, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Programming Council for Public Television, CERES, and Children Now.

KEN BERLIN, Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP - Environmental Matters

Ken Berlin heads the firm's East Coast and international environmental practice. Mr. Berlin has been involved in a wide range of environmental issues since 1979, when he was section chief in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. Berlin has an extensive background in environmental litigation, including representing parties in environmental cleanup issues, in criminal and civil penalty cases, in appeals of administrative decisions, and in arguing cases in federal appeals court. Mr. Berlin has acted as national environmental counsel in the bankruptcies of Owens Corning, IT Group, Inc., US Airways Group, Inc. and Kmart Corporation, and represented National Steel Corporation and Sterling Chemicals, Inc. in resolving environmental issues in their bankruptcies.

PETER BROSS, MD

Peter Bross is a graduate of the University of Virginia College and School of Medicine, and is currently a clinical team leader for cancer therapeutics in the Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapy, United States Food and Drug Administration. He has been active in conservation for many years. While in California, he taught snow camping and river kayaking for the Sierra Club and was an active volunteer for Friends of the River, and the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust, contributing to successful efforts to add to the California Wild & Scenic River system. As a volunteer for San Francisco-based Environmental Traveling Companions, he took handicapped and disadvantaged kids on sea kayaking and river trips. Dr Bross served as a volunteer physician for the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in San Francisco and for the Himalaya Rescue Association in Nepal.

Since returning to Washington DC Dr. Bross has become active in a number of conservation organizations, including Environmental Law Institute, Potomac Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, American Whitewater, American Rivers, Monocacy Canoe Club, Canoe Cruisers Association, Bethesda Center for Excellence (a whitewater racing club), Anacostia Watershed Society, Friends of the Cheat and Friends of the Gauley River. Dr Bross is on the Board of Potomac Riverkeeper, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Potomac River and its tributaries, from its headwaters in West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, through citizen action, education, advocacy and enforcement.

MICHAEL CROOKE

Michel Crooke is an independent consultant counseling various high-growth businesses on strategic issues. Prior to his current position, Crooke was CEO of Revolution Living, a group of companies working to change the way consumers and brands interact. Revolution Living was founded on the principle that business success is predicated on a commitment to corporate citizenship, environmental stewardship, product/service quality, and financial strength.

From 1999 to 2005, Crooke served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Patagonia, Inc., and Patagonia’s parent company, Lost Arrow Corporation. He succeeded Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder, in taking the Lost Arrow post. Patagonia, a designer and distributor of technical outdoor clothing, is widely known for its commitment to product quality and environmental responsibility.

Michael currently serves as a director of the following non-profit boards: Earth Day Network, founded by Denis Hayes, the co-originator of Earth Day; Cate School, located in Carpinteria, California; and 1% for the Planet, founded by Mr. Chouinard. He has also held director positions on the boards of the following organizations: Santa Barbara Channel Keepers, founded by Robert Kennedy; Patagonia, Inc.; and the Conservation Alliance, the outdoor industry’s environmental grant-giving organization, including one year as Board President.

Crooke completed a Ph.D. in management from the Claremont Graduate University in May of 2008. His dissertation examined the role of values in high performance organizations. Crooke holds a B.S. in Forestry and an MBA from Humboldt State University. In the late 1970’s, Crooke served as a Navy SEAL with Underwater Team 12 (UDT12) for four years, after successfully graduating from BUDS training (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL).

Michael has been married for 20 years to Amy Dozier and has two children, Kino (16) and Kyle (11). His home is in Ojai, California.

AVIS GOLD RICHARDS, CEO Birds Nest Productions

Avis Gold Richards is the CEO and president of Birds Nest Productions, a visual media production company dedicated to supporting philanthropic efforts. Ms. Richards is an award-winning producer and creative director. Birds Nest provides multimedia services for fund raising and works to increase awareness and understanding of non-profit organizations; Ms. Richards has overseen the production of 50 videos promoting various charities since founding her company. In addition, Ms.Richards is a senior advisor with the Hopewell Group – a philanthropic advisement firm. Ms. Richards is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she earned her B.S. degree. She pursued her post-graduate studies at George Washington University and Bank Street College of Education.

Ms. Richards is on the Board of Directors for HELP USA. Ms. Richards also sits on the Board of Trustees for the R Baby Foundation. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation; a Game Ball recipient for the Boomer Esiaison Foundation; a Peleton Project member for the Lance Armstrong Foundation; an Excalibur Award member for the American Cancer Society, for which she was also the Gala Event chair; and a founding member of Gilda’s Club, for which she developed and chaired the Young Committee Member’s Gala. She is a member of the King of David and Lion of Judah for UJA Federation of New York and is an active alumnus of the University of Maryland. Ms. Richards founded and chaired the Westchester Medical Center Children’s Hospital’s annual 100K bike ride. She also served on the Auschwitz Jewish Center’s Educational and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs Committees; and had been active for 13 years in fund-raising at the Whitby School in Greenwich, Connecticut. Ms. Richards has won more than a dozen Stevie, Telly and Davey awards for producing non-profit films and videos.

JENTAI YANG, President US-China Association for Environmental Education

Jentai Yang is President of the US-China Association for Environmental Education (UCAFEE), which is a 501(c)(3) organization that partner with the Global Village of Beijing (GVB). As a freelance environmental activist, he works closely with Chinese officials, environmental NGOs, academic and institutions in China. With his close association with GVB, he brought together the Chinese and American environmental professionals in promoting public awareness through training and media outreach. He introduced the American experience to China for resource conservation and environmental protection and vice versa. He serves as advisory board member to many Chinese and American organizations and technical advisor to many local Chinese environmental bureaus.

Dr. Yang retired from the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 after 28 years of Federal service. He has a diversified working experience in industry, university, local and Federal government. Prior to his retirement, he was senior Program Director for US/China (including Taiwan) bilateral environmental cooperation. In that capacity, he was widely recognized as an expert on China's environmental issues and a close friend who bridged US and China together for a better environment. Prior to his joining EPA, he served as Chief of Operations in charge of State of Maryland environmental enforcement and technical assistance programs.

Dr. Yang was born in China and received most of his early education in Taiwan. He earned a BS degree in Civil Engineering and a M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas in 1969. He is a registered professional engineer, an accredited Environmental Chemist and a recipient of US patent. Dr. Yang resides in Columbia, Maryland with his wife and they have two grownup children living in Philadelphia and Washington DC.

TIA NELSON

Tia Nelson was named Executive Secretary of the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands in October 2004. She oversees the management of approximately 78,000 acres of Trust Lands located in northern Wisconsin, the State Trust Fund Loan Program, four Trust Funds valued at over $735 million, and the Original Land Records Program, which includes land survey records dating back to the 1830’s.

Ms. Nelson was previously with The Nature Conservancy for seventeen years. Beginning in 1994 she led The Nature Conservancy’s climate change program where she played a key leadership role in climate change policy and in developing forest protection and restoration as a climate change mitigation strategy.

She received The Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Change Leadership Award in 2000.

Ms. Nelson was appointed by Governor Doyle in April 2007 to co-chair the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming.

LANCELOT BRAUNSTEIN

Lance Braunstein manages banking technology for Goldman Sachs. His responsibilities include development and support for the Investment Banking Division, the Merchant Banking Division and Capital Markets. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Lance was Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where he was responsible for infrastructure and development organizations in Wealth Management. Lance started his career as an scientist working for Hughes at NASA and NOAA.

Lance received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, an MS in Physics from Colorado State University, and a BA in Mathematics from the University of Rochester. He has been an adviser to several technology companies including Cisco, Collation, Actona, and Intruvert. In 2005, Lance was named one of the top technology leaders by Computerworld Magazine. Lance has been a mentor at Morgan Stanley and Stanford University and is a member of the Goldman Sachs Career Development Committee.

JONAH GOODHART

Jonah Goodhart has spent the last 10 years starting, running, and investing in Internet companies. Jonah is a co-founder of WGI Group, Point Ventures Group, Smarter Ad Group, and Colonize.com. He was the first investor and Board member of Right Media, the first and largest exchange marketplace for buyers and sellers of digital advertising. Jonah currently runs WGI Group, a seed stage fund which has invested in over ten early stage technology companies. Jonah also advises not-for-profit organizations on how best to leverage the power of the Internet to accomplish their goals. Jonah supports such groups such as the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights as well as the Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI).

LinkedIn Profile:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonahgoodhart

NORA POUILLON

Nora Pouillon is a social entrepreneur and champion of organic cuisine. Born and raised in Austria, she spent several years on a self-sufficient farm, which influenced her understanding of the role of food and its impact on personal and environmental health and wellbeing.

An internationally renowned chef, Nora owns Restaurant Nora and Asia Nora, both in the heart of Washington, DC. Restaurant Nora, opened in 1979, went on to become, twenty years later, the nation's first certified organic restaurant. Only two other restaurants have since achieved this goal. Nora was instrumental in creating the organic certification standards for restaurants which guarantee that at least 95% of all food served originates from certified organic sources.

Nora is committed to the education of both her colleagues and the general public. Over ten years ago, she became a founding member of the Chefs Collaborative, to educate culinary professionals. More recently, she helped support TOG, an organic farmers co-op by introducing the farmers to other local chefs, thereby ensuring the livelihood of small farms. Nora also initiated the Fresh Farm Markets, several producer-only farmers' markets in the Washington, DC area. As a Board member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, she established an organic internship with her restaurants receiving five interns each year. Nora authored her book "Cooking with Nora" to encourage the general public to cook and eat healthily.

Nora sits on the advisory boards of the Washington DC Environmental Film Festival, Foodfit.com, The Center for Mind Body Medicine's "Food as Medicine" program, Rachel's Network, Body & Soul Magazine and the Amazon Conservation Team.

Widely recognized for her pioneering work, Nora has received awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Organic Trade Association, New Hope Natural Media, the American Horticultural Society and the Campaign for Better Health.

Together with her children and partner, Nora lives the same healthy sustainable lifestyle to which she is committed in her work. She is committed to exercise, dance, outdoor activities, yoga, alternative approaches to medicine, cooking and sharing organic meals with family and friends. Nora is tireless in her continuing search for sustainable solutions for our lifestyles and environment.

Diversity Advisory Committee

Rhea Suh, Program Officer, Environment, Hewlett Foundation

Michel Gelobter, Executive Director, Redefining Progress

Vernice Miller-Travis, Environmental Justice Advocate & former Ford Foundation Program Officer

Gerald Torres, Vice Provost, University of Texas - Austin

 

Organizations listed for identification purposes only.