Benita Hussain is the Chief External Affairs Officer at American Forests, and she was most recently Director of the 10 Minute Walk, a national campaign led by the Trust for Public Land aimed at expanding parks and green spaces across 300 U.S. cities, and which was named as a 2020 Fast Company World Changing Idea under her leadership. Previously, Benita was an environmental policy advisor to Mayor Mike Bloomberg, for whom she helped shape his global agenda on urban climate action, and to late-Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, for whom she created the award-winning climate campaign Greenovate Boston. A former lawyer at Morrison & Foerster, she holds degrees from Cornell University and Fordham University School of Law. She and her writing have been featured in The New York Times, The Hill, CityLab, Fast Company, and many others..

Gil is Founder and Chair of 8 80 Cities, a successful Canadian-based international non-profit organization, grounded on a simple but powerful concept which still guides much of his work: What if everything we did in our cities had to be great for an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old? He is also an Ambassador for World Urban Parks, and has worked in more than 350 different cities around the world. His priority now is on the post-pandemic city, equitable and sustainable, where all people can live healthier and happier regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, ability, or socio-economic background.

Jalonne is the CEO and Founder of Empowering a Green Environment and Economy, a strategic consultancy committed to delivering people-centered solutions to transform communities. A visionary, interdisciplinary leader and problem-solver, her personal and professional experience spans across multiple sectors, disciplines, and geographies. She decided to pursue an independent consultancy after a 5-year career working as a senior program officer at a private, national foundation because of her desire to ‘roll her sleeves up’, remove institutional excuses to begin to solve across multiple sectors to address multiple areas of need. She was the inaugural post-doctoral Kendall Fellow in Climate change and Public Health with the Union of Concerned Scientists, and is currently consulting on a joint research project on climate change and extreme heat with the Univ of Michigan and Brown University.

Sadhu is a thought leader on cities: how they work, how they can be improved, and how they are handling climate change. He was the City Manager of Vancouver, BC from March 2016 until January 2021 where he was responsible for managing the operations of the City, including oversight of a budget of over $1.6B and over 7,000 staff. As City Manager he spearheaded initiatives to address the growing housing and climate change crisis in Vancouver. He was the Chief Environmental Officer of Chicago and Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley where he led the development of the first climate action plan in a major North American city. Johnston previously served as the Executive Director of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition. He is co-author of “The Guide to Greening Cities” published by Island Press in 2013 and is a co-founder of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN).

With over 25 years of experience in strategic planning and community engagement, Kim Moore Bailey provides the leadership and vision that drives Youth Outside’s work; shifting resources to, building power with, and centering the voices and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to advance racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental movement.

As CEO, Kim guides the overall strategic direction, supports the grantmaking portfolio, training and capacity-building programs and advocacy work.

Kim is a frequent speaker and thought leader on topics related to racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental fields and has supported many organizations in centering these values in their programming and policies.

Before joining Youth Outside, Kim was the Manager for Denver Parks and Recreation.

Kim serves on the Board of Directors for several organizations including the Environmental Grantmakers Association, the Children & Nature Network, and The National Recreation Foundation.

Baja is USDN’s Program Director for Climate Resilience and is responsible for helping cities identify strategic ways to advance implementation of racial equity-centered climate resilience work. Baja focuses her time on training local governments and partners in working at the nexus of equity, resilience and mitigation and building their capacity to take proactive action. She holds a Masters of Urban Planning and a Masters of Science from the University of Michigan. In 2016, she was recognized by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change for her work on climate and equity.

Dr. Aditi Bhaskar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University. She specializes in changes to hydrologic systems from urban development, with a focus on interactions between groundwater, streams, stormwater, and landscape irrigation. Dr. Bhaskar received a Sc.B. in Geology-Physics/Math from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She was a graduate trainee of the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) in “Water in the Urban Environment” at UMBC. Dr. Bhaskar was an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow, which took her to the Eastern Geographic Science Center at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia, before joining CSU.

As the National Aquarium’s director of equity and community engagement, Curtis and his team develop long-lasting relationships with local residents and stakeholders and collaborate with them to develop environmental programs and projects that meet the needs of the community. He also ensures that the Aquarium intentionally integrates and applies principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within its conservation mission. Curtis began his career in environmental education and community engagement as a naturalist at the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. He is a member of several diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice-focused committees and workgroups, including the Association of Zoo and Aquariums, the Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program, and the Choose Clean Water Coalition. He also serves on the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education Advisory Council, and was recognized with their Robert Finton Outdoor Educator of the Year Award in 2018. Curtis has a degree in environmental science and policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Science in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware.

Anne Castle is a senior fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment at the University of Colorado Law School, focusing on western water issues including Colorado River operational policy and the integration of water and land use planning.  She is a founding member of the Water Policy Group, comprised of select water sector experts who have been decision makers and trusted advisers within governments and international bodies handling complex water policy and strategy.  From 2009 to 2014, she was Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior where she oversaw water and science policy for the Department and had responsibility for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey.  She is currently co-leading an initiative on universal access to clean and safe water on Indian reservations.

Molly manages the Telluray Foundation’s portfolio of grantees within the Connecting People and Nature program. She has a deep commitment to positively impacting the world and brings experience in community organizing and impact investing. Prior to joining the Telluray Foundation, Ms. Chafetz managed marketing and communications for fossil fuel free mutual funds. Previously, she spent more than a decade in non-partisan public interest and environmental organizing, fundraising and strategy. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Political Theory and lives in Denver with her husband and two children.

For the last twenty years, Ronda has led efforts on water infrastructure and equity, renewable energy, climate resilience, and waste management in municipal, higher education, and non-profit sectors. She has dedicated her thought leadership to advancing racial equity, diversity, justice, and inclusion principles in various professional and community-centered capacities. As a skilled facilitator, Ronda derives great joy convening leaders who are committed to the possibilities of equitable communities. Today, Ronda is The Trust for Public Land’s first Equity Director, where she  leads and advises every aspect of the organization’s Equity strategy. She currently sits on the Boards of Directors for the River Network, Groundwork Richmond, and the Center for Diversity and the Environment. She also holds a position on the National Wildlife Federation’s Women in Conservation Leadership Advisory Council, and is a member of the Green Leadership Trust.

Sarah Charlop-Powers is the co-founder and executive director of the Natural Areas Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to managing New York City’s 20,000 acres of forests and wetlands. The Natural Areas Conservancy works in more than 50 parks across the five boroughs and takes a science-based approach to conserving the city’s nature, improving coastal resilience, and ensuring healthy forests. The Natural Areas Conservancy has created plans to guide the management of NYC’s forests, wetlands and trail system. Prior to founding the Natural Areas Conservancy, Sarah launched the park management program for Scenic Hudson. She also worked at Jonathan Rose Companies, NYSERDA, and the National Association of Transportation Officials.

Anjali is an organizational growth strategist, with a focus on building the program, operational and financial infrastructure of growing companies and non-profits. She is currently working closely with the Perception Institute, and is a Senior Consultant with Catalyst Collaboratives. Prior to that, Anjali was Director of Operations at Groundwork USA, a national environmental network of 20 chapters, helping structure and manage its growth over 8 years. She has deep urban environmental and public policy experience, having worked as an Economist and an Energy Analyst in Washington DC on national policy, and as an advocate for sustainable development and social justice with local, national and international NGOs. Anjali is also active in her community and served as Vice President and board member of RiverArts from 2013 to 2019, helping it grow from a volunteer to staff-run organization, was recently appointed to the Westchester County Asian American Advisory Board, and is a Commissioner on the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson’s Parks and Recreation Commission, where she is focusing on building a Village-wide natural resource conservation infrastructure and restoring a local gem, Hillside Woods – a rapidly deteriorating 100-acre urban forest.

Amy has focused her education and career on understanding and protecting the environment since she discovered environmental science at the age of ten. After earning a B.S. in environmental conservation from the University of New Hampshire, Amy’s early career explored energy conservation and alternative energy. While earning a Masters of Urban Planning at the University of Washington, Amy shifted her focus to water resources and watershed heath. For the past 26 years, Amy has designed, managed, and implemented programs for the City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services, that restore and protect the environment and human health. Most recently, Amy accepted the challenge of leading the bureau’s response to houselessness, and she is leading a team which will develop strategies that restore the environment and support the unsheltered community. Additionally, Amy serves on the board of the Green Roof information Think-tank, a non-profit that provides education about sustainable stormwater management.

Cinceré serves as the Parks Resiliency Principal Planner for Denver Parks and Recreation and manages the Regional Trails and Resiliency Program. Prior, she held the position as the Senior Natural Resources Planner with Department of Parks and Recreation for over six years. With a strong background in land use and natural resource planning, Cinceré works with multi-disciplinary teams to develop strategic solutions to complex park and stormwater projects. Her experience as a planner and project manager provides input on community and stakeholder outreach, design, restoration, natural resource assessments and planning.

Iñaki is an architect, landscape urbanist, and entrepreneur based in Mexico City. His eponymous firm specializes in the application of techniques commonly associated to science, ecology and technology as an opportunity for innovation in buildings, landscape and infrastructure design. Iñaki is an academic and hast taught in UPenn, Harvard, UNAM, Ibero, and Aedes Campus in Berlin. His worked has been published in America, Africa, Asia and Europe. Today he is the General Director of the Parque Ecológico Lago de Texcoco, an ambitious government ecological reclamation proposal for 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres) in the periphery of Mexico City.

Ryan is Co-Director of the Center for Protected Area Management (CPAM) in CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources. Prior, he ran Emerald Planet Tours, a conservation fundraising ecotourism operator, and he designed and launched a new master’s program in conservation leadership at CSU. Ryan’s primary areas of interest include public use and ecotourism, interpretation and environmental communication, protected area management, capacity development, and conservation leadership. He has worked in over a dozen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and has participated in the training of 1500+ park and protected professionals from over 60 countries. Recent projects have included strengthening protected area management and community outreach in the Brazilian Amazon, gender equity and inclusion training for protected area managers, and leadership and natural resources career training for Cesar Chavez’s Farmer Workers Institute for Education and Leadership Development. He has two energetic, amazing kids, both named after islands in the Galapagos Islands National Park, and is married to his high-school sweetheart, who does ground-breaking climate change and urban sustainability work in Fort Collins.

Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Michael earned a B.A. in Political Science and History from Miami University, graduating with University Honors. After spending nine years working at a global financial services firm in Chicago, Michael left in 2015 to pursue an M.A. in Sustainable Urban Development at DePaul University. After graduating from the program with Distinction, Michael returned to Cleveland to promote urban development strategies that strive for more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable cities. Michael has utilized the EcoDistricts protocol on various projects, including the City of Lakewood’s Resiliency Task Force, the MetroHealth Community District, and the Slavic Village EcoDistrict. He is currently a Project Manager at Emerald Built Environments, a sustainability consulting firm headquartered in Cleveland. There he consults with building owners, architects, and other key stakeholders to plan and execute sustainable certification projects.

Sasha works with partners in the Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) initiative to accelerate community-led development that prioritizes racial equity, builds a culture of health, and responds to our climate crisis. She focuses on housing, parks and open space equity, a restorative economy and equitable transit-oriented development. Sasha is passionate about community buildings and land that is stewarded by Indigenous, Black, and Brown people, spending time in her yard, and enjoying beach days with her family. Sasha holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Florida. She is based in Lauderhill, Florida.

Rick Garcia was appointed Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs by Governor Jared Polis and confirmed by the Colorado Senate in January 2019. Rick comes to DOLA with over 25 years of community and economic development, housing and private sector experiences. His public sector background spans federal, state, and local governments. Rick previously served as the president’s appointed Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he was the administration’s liaison to six western states’ governors, county commissioners, and mayors. He was also a senior adviser to HUD Secretary on sustainable housing and economic development policies and best practices. Rick also served two terms as a City and County of Denver Council member and chaired the Public Safety, Health and Environment and Transportation and Public Works council policy, and he was an elected Regional Transportation District board director and helped to launch the metropolitan region’s Fastracks transit program. He earned his Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Harvard’s Kennedy School in international trade and strategic public management.

Liba Pejchar is an Associate Professor and Conservation Scientist in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University. Before joining CSU, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, and earned a BA from Middlebury College and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services in the places where people live and work. Among other projects, she and her terrific students study the loss and recovery of birds on invasion-prone pacific islands, bison reintroduction in western North America, and innovative ways to sustain nature and human well-being in agroecosystems and areas undergoing residential and energy development.

Allegra “Happy” Haynes has served since 2015 as the Executive Director of Denver Parks and Recreation and was also appointed in 2017 and 2019 to serve as the Deputy Mayor. Happy was twice elected and served from 2011 to 2019 as an at-large member of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, following six years as the District’s Chief Community Engagement Officer. During a 40-year career in state and local government, Happy served thirteen years on the Denver City Council and was president from 1998 to 2000. She serves on several non-profit boards, including the Colorado Trust for Public Land, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the Denver Botanic Gardens, and she is a member of the Denver Chapter of Links INC. She was a founding board member of Mile High Youth Corps, Colorado Black Women for Political Action, and the Foundation for Education Excellence. Happy is a Denver native, attended Denver East High School, and received a BA in Political Science from Barnard College at Columbia University and an MPA from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Jocelyn is primarily focused on CSU’s emerging Spur campus, part of the north Denver redevelopment of the National Western Center. She is overseeing the design, construction, and program development of the new campus, which focuses on inspiring life-long learners around topics of food, water, health and sustainability. Previously, Jocelyn worked in sustainable and inclusive urban planning, as the Associate Director of PlaceMatters, and with the Orton Family Foundation and Sightline Institute. She has a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton and a Master’s in Environmental Management from Yale’s Environment School.

Sam serves as the Program Director of the John Straayer Center for Public Service Leadership at Colorado State University. Founded in 2017, the Straayer Center has a mission to equip student leaders with the education, skills, and experience to be successful public servants, while connecting with communities across the State of Colorado. Prior to working at CSU, Sam worked with the City of Fort Collins as a program coordinator and analyst in sustainability and economic health. He currently is a State of Colorado Governors Fellow, and has extensive experience working in the community, serving on the leadership teams for Fort Collins Startup Week, the Northern Colorado Local Food Cluster, the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District, the City of Fort Collins Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, and the American Society for Public Administration. Prior to moving to Colorado, Sam worked as a Director for a Massachusetts based non-profit, interned in a U.S. Congressional Office, and received his MPA from the University of Kansas. His research interests include climate policy, collaborative governance, community resiliency, and more, and he is pursuing a Ph.D. at CSU in Environmental Policy/Politics. In his free time, Sam enjoys playing baseball, cooking, live music, and spending time in the mountains.

Benita Hussain was the recent director of the 10 Minute Walk, a national campaign led by the Trust for Public Land aimed at expanding parks and green spaces across 300 U.S. cities, and which was named as a 2020 Fast Company World Changing Idea under her leadership. Previously, Benita was an environmental policy advisor to Mayor Mike Bloomberg, for whom she helped shape his global agenda on urban climate action, and to late-Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, for whom she created the award-winning climate campaign Greenovate Boston. A former lawyer at Morrison & Foerster, she holds degrees from Cornell University and Fordham University School of Law. She and her writing have been featured in The New York Times, The Hill, CityLab, Fast Company, and many others.

David, NPCA’s Vice President of Regional Programs, uses his passion and knowledge of our natural, cultural and historical resources to inspire others to learn about and protect our national parks. David has worked for the National Parks Conservation Association for 13 years. He started from the bottom now we’re here. In his current role, David works on policy, legislation, media, building community, fundraising, DEI, and connecting voices to the administration and congress.  David is a published author and photographer with a sincere love for conservation photography and storytelling. David formerly worked in the fields of wildlife biology and environmental science. He sits on the boards of Center for Diversity and the Environment and Training Resources for the Environmental Community.

Stephanie Maez is a dynamic and thoughtful leader in the nonprofit, political and public policy space. Maez, a Senior Fellow for the Topos Partnership, previously worked as Executive Director for ProgressNow New Mexico, CEO for the Center for Civic Policy, and served in former New Mexico Governor Richardson’s administration.  As a New Mexico state legislator, Maez sponsored and supported a slate of innovative social justice policy proposals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science from the University of New Mexico.

Maez recently joined the Outdoor Foundation as Managing Director where she is focused on grantmaking grounded in creating equitable access to the outdoors and centered on inspiring the outdoor habit in kids and families from historically underrepresented communities. Through this work, the Foundation seeks to help improve outcomes on issues such as health and wellness, public safety, juvenile incarceration, environmental stewardship, etc.

Laura is the director of the Water Program at the Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation, one of the most important philanthropic programs focusing on water in Mexico. She first specialized in primate behavior and graduated as a Doctor in Biological Sciences from the University of Kyoto, Japan. She devoted eight years to research on the cognitive abilities of primates and conflicts between non-human primates and human populations. She participated in a project to create a Transboundary Protected Area in Guinea and Mali (West Africa), worked as a research professor in Seoul, South Korea, before joining the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas in Mexico in 2013, first collaborating in the International Cooperation Division, later serving as Coordinator for Wetlands, and finally was appointed General Director of Institutional Development and Promotion. Laura perceives water as a connector, more than a sector.

For over 30 years, Teresa has worked professionally to increase awareness, engagement, access, and stewardship of our entire National Trails System. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Teresa holds a B.S. and M.S from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in the College of Natural Resources. Teresa is a lifelong outdoor recreationist and from 1987-2007 she worked for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, from 2007 to 2012 she worked for the Continental Divide Trail Alliance and since 2012 she has been the Executive Director (and co-founder) of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. She serves on the Trail Leadership Council of the Partnership for the National Trails System and has served as the Chair of the Federal Advisory Committee to aid the USFS in the development of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. Teresa is actively involved in the creation of equitable spaces for all people in the outdoors and currently serves as the acting chair of the Board for the Next100 Coalition. In 2019,Teresa was honored by the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources as the recipient of the Gerald Cross Alumni Leadership Award. When not working on behalf of one of our National Trails, Teresa may be found exploring trails in and around Santa Fe, NM by bike, horse, and foot.

Melissa is an associate professor in the department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University. She studies urban ecology and sustainability, and her research encompasses a diverse set of themes, including social drivers of urban ecosystem structure and function; linkages among landscape patterns and human health; and landscape preferences, human behaviors, and biodiversity. Melissa also serves as a science advisor on the City and County of Denver’s Sustainability Advisory Council and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Wits City Institute, at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Thaddeus is the managing director of Columbia University’s Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes. As an urban designer, he seeks to integrate resilience and climate change adaptation into the long-term development patterns of cities through the design of projects, policies, and programs. Before starting CRCL, he worked for fourteen years in New York CIty government in Emergency Management, City Planning, and post-disaster Recovery. He teaches design studio and urban planning seminars at Columbia’s Graduate School for Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. He has a Masters in Architecture from University of Pennsylvania and was a 2015 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University.

Jim works to create parks and protect land for people across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Prior to joining TPL, Jim spent 17 years at The Nature Conservancy and 10 years working in Washington, D.C. as a communications director and legislative assistant for a senior member of Congress and as a press secretary for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Jim is an avid trail runner and competed in the Leadville 100 in 2012. He lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife and two teenagers.

Patrick most recently served as Global CEO of the Urban Land Institute, a non-profit organization considered a leader in developing and advocating best practices in sustainable, equitable urban development. For much of his career, Patrick helped public agencies, non-profits, and private clients craft and execute compelling, economically sound real estate and urban-development strategies. Often, this work focused on creating public-private partnerships, working with business and government to structure relationships that fairly allocate the costs and benefits of development projects. Prior to heading ULI, Patrick was a leading economic-planning consultant, heading Economics Research Associates, now part of AECOM. His work for major real estate investors and developers has involved all major categories of urban land use, with an emphasis on mixed-use development and the revitalization of downtowns and urban waterfronts. He is the author or co-author of eight books and numerous articles and has taught at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and Johns Hopkins University.

Martha is an impact investor and managing partner in Green Spark Ventures, which invests in the areas of conservation, clean energy and regenerative agriculture. She lives in Denver, Colorado where she serves on the boards of Colorado Open Lands and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Martha earned a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth. In her free time she enjoys hiking Colorado’s trails.

Vivek Shandas is a professor of climate adaptation and the director of the Sustaining Urban Places Research (SUPR) Lab at Portland State University. Professor Shandas studies the effects of urban development patterns and processes on ecosystems and social justice. By examining the assumptions about our built environment he aims to center historically marginalized communities in developing adaptation strategies from climate-induced stressors such as urban heat, air quality, and pluvial flooding.

Ana brings the experience of working with complex projects in education, health, and community building in a variety of cultures and contexts. Ana’s life and work has been driven by the histories of her parents. She is the daughter of Cuban and Spanish parents who fled Cuba after the revolution and firmly believes that education is critical to reaching one’s full potential. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and government arenas and the unifying factor over her career has been to bring the voice of those who are marginalized in society to the conversations where decisions are being made. Ana is currently a senior program officer at the Gates Family Foundation on the education team. Her primary focus is on engaging with communities in Colorado’s rural and urban areas to increase equity and achievement for low-income students.

Divya is the Manager of Climate Resiliency and Sustainability at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, a non-profit placemaking intermediary that works with the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and community. In her role, she manages programs and projects at the intersection of sustainable land management and equitable resource distribution – reforestation, collaborations around local air quality, water equity – and convenes an interdisciplinary Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts working group. She is a trained architect with a permaculture background. She passionate about community driven problem solving through an asset-based approach.

Dr. Stein is a biologist with expertise in biodiversity conservation and climate change. He has been a leader in the emerging field of climate adaptation and led development of the widely used “climate-smart conservation” approach to adaptation planning. Dr. Stein has advised numerous U.S. federal agencies on biodiversity and climate change issues, including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Department of Defense, and serves as the adaptation lead for the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Climate Change Specialist Group. Among his publications is the award-winning book Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States (Oxford University Press). Dr. Stein received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his Ph.D. from Washington University, St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Becky Takeda-Tinker is the newly appointed Chief Educational Innovation Officer for the Colorado State University System. In her role she champions the identification and fulfillment of diverse opportunities for high quality, affordable education and training in industry, governments, and other organizations domestically and internationally. She has been named as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by the Colorado’s Women’s Chamber of Commerce, one of the Five Higher Ed Leaders to Watch by Education Dive, a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts, and a PowerBook Thought Leader by the Denver Business Journal. She holds a Ph.D. in Organization and Management with a specialization in Leadership; a Masters of Business Administration in Finance; a post-graduate certificate in marketing management; and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Kate is the Director of Programs at the Honnold Foundation, where she develops and manages grant making programs to support organizations around the world who are using solar energy to improve people’s lives and reduce environmental impact. Kate’s work has always focused on the nexus of community development, public health and land conservation. Her work spans from strengthening Tribal Court Systems on Native American reservations to managing sustainable agriculture programs in Ecuador and developing clean drinking water systems in Nepal. Kate is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and received her master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan. In her spare time, Kate can be found running the streets of Salt Lake City with her dog or on an outdoor adventure with her fiancé.

Sarita Turner is a determined, accomplished, self-directed, executive leader with national experience advancing inclusive economic and community development, in urban communities throughout the United States. Due to her experiences leading community-based organizations and working and living in urban community settings, Sarita brings sensitivity and intricate knowledge about the challenges, needs, and opportunities of communities to her work. Sarita’s expertise has derived from the myriad roles and organization types she has served in, including international and national intermediary institutions, state government, and community-based organizations. Some of Sarita’s key accomplishments include: bringing a business district pilot and a farmers and events market to a challenged urban business corridor; supporting the development of the nation’s first community-based climate resilience hub and subsequently leading the rollout of a national program to bring climate resilience strategies and resources to urban neighborhoods; serving in a leadership role in the development, pilot, and implementation of the federal Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule (AFFH) and its companion data and mapping tool; and serving as a national trainer on the responsibility of HUD program participants under the implementation of the AFFH.

Steve Whitney is Senior Program Officer with the Seattle-based Bullitt Foundation. He is engaged on issues of regional planning and landscape resilience, specifically the protection of natural infrastructure and associated ecosystem services in the metropolitan regions of the Pacific Northwest. Previously he was on the staff of The Wilderness Society, first as director of its National Parks Program in Washington D.C., and later as Northwest Regional Director and Deputy Vice President. His early career included work as a land-use planning consultant, and as a congressional aide to then Representative Leon Panetta of California. He has served as board member and chair of the Biodiversity Funders Group and the Washington Environmental Council, and served on the City of Alexandria, Virginia’s Environmental Policy Commission. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Utah State University, and a Master of Arts in Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Kelly is a Principal and COO of OZ Architecture, a Colorado-based firm founded on the belief that collaboration across disciplines sparks creativity. As one of the country’s most diverse design firms, OZ believes that by challenging one another we can harness our broad perspectives to yield innovative and sustainable design solutions. While the majority of Kelly’s work has been concentrated in Colorado, OZ’s far-reaching practice has allowed her to work on projects in Rwanda and Antarctica focused on developing communities unique to those locations. Kelly also serves on the boards of Sakura Square LLC and the Sakura Foundation, whose mission is to celebrate Japanese American heritage, culture, and community.