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Alumni Biographies

Class of 2008
Michael Baratoff
MBA/MS Program 2008
Michael Baratoff worked at Cambridge Associates, LLC from 2001 – 2005. He managed a team of specialists providing investment consulting services to institutional clients with multi-billion dollar private equity programs. Additionally, Michael spearheaded the firm’s research on clean energy venture capital, influencing over $250 million worth of investments. At Michigan, Michael has continued to focus on renewable energy. He seeks to understand the social, political and economic obstacles to promoting clean energy and sustainable community development. During the summer of 2006, Michael worked in Ghana as an energy development consultant to local entrepreneurs with E+Co, a non-profit investment company. Michael graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 and completed the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs in 2000. Currently, he is an editor for the Ross School of Business newspaper.
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Ian Black
MBA/MS Program 2008
Ian is focused on inclusive corporate strategies and sustainable development. He is excited about long-term financing strategies that include economic costs for scarce resources, and has a keen interest in the economic benefits of green building. Previously, Ian spent four years managing globally diversified assets for a top-tier private bank, and a year working with a leading microfinance firm, developing a capital market strategy to increase liquidity in underserved markets and working on tsunami relief in Indonesia. He holds a degree in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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Caroline Conway - Résumé
MBA/MS Program 2008
Caroline is focused on environmental issues in product development and manufacturing. She is particularly interested in developing innovative products that will create large-scale environmental improvements in industry. In addition to her Erb Institute work, she is completing a manufacturing concentration through the Tauber Manufacturing Institute and recently interned at Cummins ReCon and John Deere. Before her studies at Michigan, Caroline worked in green product design at McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, green buildings at the U.S. Green Building Council, and renewable energy at the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust. Caroline completed her undergraduate studies in industrial design at Carnegie Mellon University and brings a unique perspective on industrial products to her current studies.
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Michele Diener - Résumé
MBA/MS Program 2008
Having explored the various regions of the world, Michele understands the importance of development but has also seen the ecological impact of such development on a global scale. Consequently, Michele’s objective is to combine the often distinct, but mutually beneficial, worlds of environmental sustainability and business administration. Her undergraduate degree in Design and Environmental Analysis from Cornell University and her experience at Toyota Motor Sales laid the foundation for her career in sustainable enterprise. During Michele’s seven-year tenure in Toyota’s Corporate Real Estate Department, she had the opportunity to lead Process Green, an initiative she created to integrate environmentally-sensitive building design with Toyota’s 10 million square feet real estate portfolio in the US. Michele enjoys traveling and in the past year, she has been to Bolivia, Eastern Europe, and Calca, Peru where she volunteered for an ecotourism project with a nonprofit development organization.
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Michael Edison
MBA/MS Program 2008
Mike brings an interest in corporate environmental strategy to the Erb Institute. He is particularly interested in addressing the problem of identifying and integrating sustainable strategies into corporate business models. He is also interested in green building, cradle-to-cradle design and sustainable finance. Since graduating form the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Mike has worked as an environmental consultant in the air quality field. His work focused primarily on assisting industrial and manufacturing clients with managing regulatory compliance obligations resulting from the Clean Air Act.
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Kate Elliott
MBA/MS Program 2008
Kate focuses the majority of her work on regional and international environmental policy development with a special focus on ecosystem restoration. Before matriculating to the University of Michigan, Kate was a Program Manager for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s intergovernmental Everglades Restoration Plan in Miami, FL. While completing her BA in Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont she served as a program analyst for the National Commission on the Environment in Santiago, Chile. In addition, she also worked as an English language instructor for Chilean business professionals as well as completed a self-guided bike tour across the United States. Kate plans to facilitate collaborative, inter-agency and inter-industry efforts to develop appropriate and enforceable environmental policy on local, regional, national and international scales.
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Justin Felt
MBA/MS Program 2008
Justin is interested in the opportunities and challenges posed by climate change in the private sector. In particular, he sees significant financial risk as well as opportunity in the emerging carbon emissions trading market for a variety of industries. This past summer, Justin assisted Weyerhaeuser in sculpting a business plan for the potential sale of environmentally-derived financial securities, such as carbon credits and renewable energy certificates. His 2006 summer internship with Dow Hydrocarbons allowed him to identify carbon market opportunities for this wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical. Prior to matriculating at University of Michigan, he held the role of corporate finance team lead in support of the Chief Technology Officer of IBM Software Group. He also acted as treasurer for the Stamford, CT chapter of Rebuilding Together. Justin holds a BA in Foreign Affairs and Economics from University of Virginia.
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Matt Garratt
MBA/MS Program 2008
Matthew Garratt Matt aspires to address the threat of energy instability and global warming by leading in the development of renewable energy technologies and projects. This focus has shaped his course of study while at the University of Michigan. Last summer he combined these passions through an internship in Ghana, where he evaluated the financial, environmental and social performance of various clean energy enterprises for E+Co, a nonprofit public purpose investment company. Prior to enrolling in the University of Michigan Matt worked in the new product design and development group at the corporate research center for Alcoa where he lead efforts to design and commercialize advanced materials and design concepts for the aerospace and transportation sectors. He was also a member of Alcoa’s sustainability team, where he developed a business strategy for product development with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. While studying for his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Purdue University he was a quality engineer at Alcoa’s Lafayette, IN Extrusion facility.
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John Gearen
MBA/MS Program 2008 - Résumé
John is focusing his studies on entrepreneurship and finance within renewable energy and sustainable transportation. He is pursuing post-graduate work in venture capital / private equity or operationally at a cleantech startup. John has worked in venture capital and consulting roles in clean technology while at Michigan, including work at Acumen Fund, IDEAAS, and Energy Conversion Devices. Before coming to Michigan, John worked in renewable energy in South America and in hi-tech in the San Francisco Bay Area. John graduated from Brown University in 2000 with an Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
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Tony Gross
MBA/MS Program 2008
Tony is focused on the intersection of corporate strategy, marketing, and sustainable development. Before coming to Michigan, Tony worked in marketing, market research, and information technology. In 1999, he co-founded Broome Street Media, a dot-com company in the online film space. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Tony has family in Maryland, New York, and Bahia, Brazil. He studied sociology at Haverford College.
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Christina Gilyutin
MBA/MS Program 2008

Christina is focusing in organizational development and strategy with an emphasis on organizational/individual behavior change as it relates to environmental sustainability principles. She is also pursuing studies through the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship to learn more about creating meaningful work-places where employees can thrive.  Upon graduation, Christina hopes to pursue a career in either Corporate Social Responsibility or sustainability consulting and to that end, has spent her past 2 summers completing internships for Cisco Systems and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.  Prior to Erb, she lived in San Francisco and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She graduated from Stanford University in 2000 with a degree in International Relations and a minor in Russian.
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Laura Kaminski
MBA/MS Program 2008
Laura is interested in the development and use of multi-sector collaborative partnerships to address complex local and regional environmental issues and is focusing her studies on nonprofit management and organizational behavior. Since graduating from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in environmental geology, Laura has worked in various capacities within the environmental field - including leading FEMA’s congressional correspondence team for the National Flood Insurance Program and working as an environmental consultant. For the past four years, Laura also worked on regional sustainability issues with the Great Lakes Commission, a nonprofit interstate agency dedicated to safeguarding the Great Lakes region’s water and related natural resources through collaboration with a wide array of partners.
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Josh Nothwang - Résumé
MBA/MS Program 2008

Josh is focusing his studies on corporate environmental strategy and is interested in incorporating sustainability into traditional business models. He is also interested in green construction and renewable energy. Last summer Josh worked at Deloitte Consulting in Detroit, Michigan, supporting the development of a market offering focused on sustainability, CSR, and climate change advisory services. The previous summer he worked at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan, developing strategies to promote the implementation of advanced mobility technologies in typically underserved markets. Prior to attending Michigan, Josh advised the United Nations and several US government agencies at Industrial Economics, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While there he evaluated environmental damage claims submitted to the United Nations, coordinated the development of partnerships between EPA and industry to improve environmental performance, and investigated the implications of the emerging domestic market for micro-fuel cells. Josh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Geology from Middlebury College.
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Amisha Parekh
MBA/MS Program 2008
Prior to Erb, Amisha worked at Deloitte Consulting for 5 years developing solutions to improve corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Her interest in environmental issues led her to take a leave of absence to work with an environmental lobbying group in India where she worked on vehicular pollution and wetland protection issues. At Erb, Amisha wants to explore business models that address environmental sustainability issues.
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Rachel Permut
MBA/MS Program 2008
Rachel is interested in two different fields: transmission grid and energy generation regulation, and non-profit/private partnerships focused on environmental stewardship. For three years, Rachel worked in Washington, DC for a national collaborative addressing issues affecting the growth of wind power in the United States including: wildlife-turbine interactions, siting of facilities, transmission and green power markets. Prior to returning to graduate school, she completed four months of international travel, including a month volunteering in Croatia with an environmental organization helping to revise their information systems and operations. Rachel holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.
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Terri Schroeder
MBA/MS Program 2008
After several years of experience in marketing and business development in both the private and public sectors, Terri’s career goals focus on strategy and business development for clean energy technologies. Prior to business school Terri was a founding employee in the Marketing Department at Jenner & Block, a 400+ attorney law firm headquartered in Chicago. During her time at Jenner & Block, Terri implemented a number of programs to support and enhance the firm’s client service and business development activities. Additionally, Terri served as an AmeriCorps member at City Year Detroit. In addition to her service work at City Year, Terri led the marketing and corporate relations committees, strengthening the organization’s corporate sponsorship program and helping to secure Detroit team sponsorship from CSX. Terri graduated from DePaul University with a BS in Marketing and an Information Systems minor.
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Rupal Shroff
MBA/MS Program 2008

From engineering to business, Rupal has trekked across the automotive industry following a desire for greater social responsibility. It is this passion for change that has led her to the Erb Institute, where her ultimate goal is to create value for shareholders through the development of economic, environmental solutions.  Rupal is concentrating on strategy in finance in the Ross School of Business and environmental policy in the School of Natural Resources and Environment.  She is interested in renewable energy and has experience in biofuels, wind and solar.  Last summer, she worked at GE in their Renewable Energy Leadership Program building competitive intelligence for their wind and solar divisions.  Rupal is a member of SNRE Student Government, Net Impact, Women in Business and the SOL Consortium. She holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota.
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Brian Swett
MBA/MS Program 2008
Brian’s career interests include green buildings, smart growth, corporate social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and socially responsible investing. In the summer of 2007, Brian worked for Boston Properties, a national REIT, on green real estate development and regional green building strategy. In the summer of 2006, he worked for Business for Social Responsibility on internal CSR reporting and strategy, environmental stewardship strategy analysis for external clients, and facilitating BSR collaboration with U.S. EPA. At Michigan, Brian has played a leadership role in advancing and advising two major green building efforts: the $150 million Ross School building and the $500 million Mott Children’s Hospital building. Prior to school, Brian worked for an environmental justice nonprofit, two socially responsible investment firms, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, and several offices in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During his time at EPA’s National Center for Environmental Innovation, Brian created and led a program on learning from international best practices in environmental policy for domestic adaptation and application. Areas of focus included water infrastructure, integrated permitting, and smart growth and urban planning. Brian holds a BA with honors from Brown University in Public Policy and International Relations and is a LEED AP.
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Gabriel Thoumi
MBA/MS Program 2008
Gabriel’s focus is on business development in the compliance and voluntary carbon markets. He has consulted with project developers, banks, and NGOs in SE Asia, Central America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. His specialty is designing, implementing, and selling credits from avoided deforestation voluntary carbon market projects. Last year, he spent six months developing projects in Indonesia working with projects of various sizes. He also attended the UNFCCC COP 13 meeting in Bali December, 2007. The previous year he led a team assisting the Malaysian Nature Society in protecting a million acre rainforest. His previous work includes working at American Express as a portfolio strategist, at Intel(Hong Kong) analyzing the Asia-Pacific chipset market, and at Wells Fargo in Institutional Brokerage and Sales and Correspondents Banking in relationship management and cash management. He speaks Indonesian and Spanish. Gabriel graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maryland. He is also a candidate in the Real Estate Development program at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
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Daniel Wang
MBA/MS Program 2008
Dan's Erb interests lie in helping large corporations integrate environmental and social responsibility into corporate strategy and operational practice while ultimately driving change in consumer behavior at large. Before coming to Michigan, he volunteered for VSO in Papua New Guinea, consulted for Accenture in financial services, enjoyed engineering internships for Ford in Canada, Volvo in Sweden, and Ricoh in Japan, and earned his bachelor degree in mechanical engineering at McGill University in Montreal. Two summers ago he consulted with the National Park Service to create a 5-year business plan for the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. This past summer he spent in New York interning with GreenOrder, a sustainability consulting firm, working on green strategy and marketing projects for oil & gas, real estate, and finance clients.
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Annie White - Résumé
MBA/MS Program 2008
Annie White’s primary career objective is to facilitate the development of profitable, environmentally sound products and services through integrating environmental considerations into corporate strategy, product development, and operations. Prior to graduate school, Annie launched and oversaw GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition, an innovative industry working group dedicated to realizing sustainable packaging through supply chain collaboration. Prior to joining GreenBlue, Annie worked for McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), a sustainable design consulting firm. Working with MBDC’s education team, Annie developed curricula for business executives and product development teams on topics including: the business implications of sustainability and applying cradle-to-cradle principles to the product development process. Annie earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Science from the College of William and Mary in 1998.
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Jasmine Zhang
MBA/MS Program 2008
Jasmine is interested in identifying new business models that integrate sustainable strategies into private business . She has 10 years of experience in different business sectors from one of the world’s largest developing countries. Among these, she worked on the first set of IPO auditing projects in China and then worked for three years with KPMG Management Consulting. She moved to a general management position in the China affiliate of Siemens AG, the largest German company. Just prior to coming to the US, she helped launch an entertainment start-up in Southern China. Jasmine’s 2006 summer internship was with Eli Lilly & Company where she developed bid and tender pricing strategy for a declining product in an emerging market.
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Class of 2007
Bodhi Burgess
Piper Jaffray
Bodhi Burgess is currently with Piper Jaffray. His undergraduate degree is from Humboldt State University in the field of Industrial Technology Management. With a focus on sustainable development, Bodhi worked in private industry serving as the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for Birkenstock, in government as a Program Manager for the Alameda County Stopwaste Authority and in non-profits, serving on the Board of Directors for Marin Conservation League and the Environmental Education Council of Marin. In 2003, Mr. Burgess studied sustainable development in Guatemala with a grant from the Environmental Leadership Program where he is also a senior fellow. At the Erb Institute, Bodhi's focus was on energy and finance having previously held positions with DTE Energy Technology Investments, the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative and Piper Jaffray as an investment banking associate covering renewable energy and clean technology.
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Doug Glancy
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Doug is a voluntary board member of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. He is interested in strategies to internalize the costs associated with climate change into business decisions including finance, operations and accounting. Doug is a native of Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Trinity College in Connecticut in 2000 with a B.A. in Political Science. As an undergraduate, he spent several months in the Middle East, and conducted research for his honors thesis on nuclear, chemical and biological terrorism. Following graduation, Doug was an English teacher in Xi’an, China.
From 2001 – 2004, he worked as a Congressional Aide in the office of Senator Levin (D-MI), where he represented the Senator on Agriculture, Energy and Environmental issues. In the summer of 2005, Doug consulted with the MI Department of Environmental Quality on a report regarding state action on climate change. For his MAP experience, Doug consulted to Pratt and Whitney and developed financial justification for a $20 million facility investment which would dramatically reduce energy consumption. The most recent summer Doug worked in New York for Swiss RE where he developed a business plan for a $200 million green REIT and advised management on climate policy.
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Chris Guenther
Manager of Client Services
SustainAbility
Chris is a Manager of Client Services at SustainAbility, a think tank and strategy consultancy specializing in corporate responsibility and sustainable development in a market context. His work currently focuses on clients in the energy and technology sectors, and on the role that business innovation will play in driving the next wave of the sustainable development agenda. Prior to graduate school, his experience included management of environmental and public interest campaigns, copyediting, technology management, and web design and programming. At the University of Michigan, he pursued interests in corporate strategy, finance, public policy, systems thinking, entrepreneurship, and other topics. In his first year, he served as a graduate student research assistant at SNRE’s Ecosystem Management Initiative and was an active member of the Erb Institute Student Advisory Board, where he helped lead efforts to redesign the website and overall graphic identity of the Institute. Chris spent his first summer developing a comprehensive business strategy for sustainable mobility at Ford Motor Company and his second summer conducting research and strategic planning on corporate innovation at SustainAbility. In his third year, he worked with five other MBA/MS students to complete a UN-sponsored research project investigating the role of public policy in shaping the financial risks associated with renewable energy generation projects. Chris received the Erb Institute’s Steven Percy Service Award in 2005 and was a member of the 1st-place team at the GE Global Corporate Citizenship Challenge in 2006. In addition to his master’s degrees, he holds a BA in English from Vassar College.
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Sarah Hines
Presidential Management Fellow
U.S. Forest Service
Sarah's primary focus is related to Corporate Social Responsibility, and the ways in which non-profits, NGOs, and corporations can work synergistically to reduce the ecological footprint of business practices while simultaneously improving the quality of the social environments in which they operate. Sarah has spent time working on issues of human-wildlife conflict in both Kenya and Zambia; in Kenya, she collaborated with local academics and community members, researching and developing an integrated land and water-use plan combining sustainable agricultural and pastoral practices with the creation of protected areas for wild game. In Zambia, Sarah worked with farmers to mitigate human-elephant conflict and improve their economic well-being by using chili peppers as a natural wildlife deterrent and sustainable cash crop. Sarah has also volunteered with the US Fish & Wildlife Service in her home state of Rhode Island, and was selected as a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow in 2005. Sarah graduated with honors from Harvard University in 2002, and holds a B.A. in Biological Anthropology.
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Michael Horn
Renewable Energy Leadership Program
GE Energy
Michael aims to utilize his business and policy expertise to promote effective climate change solutions. He is a contributing author to the Pew Center’s October 2006 report Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Strategies That Address Climate Change. In an internship with Weyerhaeuser he performed a valuation of the opportunity to sell carbon credits and informed the company’s climate policy position. Michael has also analyzed microfinance market opportunities in East Africa and developed a business plan for conservation-minded ranches. Prior to graduate school he was a manager in the Financial Advisory Services group at Deloitte & Touche, LLP. Michael is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a bachelor's degree in economics and business from Lafayette College.
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Alex Keros
Fuel Cell Infrastructure - California
General Motors
Alex is interested in strategy and finance in the renewable energy and automotive markets. Between his undergraduate and graduate studies at the UofM, Alex was a lead scientist at an environmental consulting firm. At Michigan, he has worked with GE Energy and Roush Performance Products on market assessments and benchmarked the design of renewable energy policies and recommended an economic modeling approach for NextEnergy and the State of Michigan. In addition, Alex has spent that last two summers working with GM’s Fuel Cell Activities on a range of business development issues, including hydrogen infrastructure and costing issues, domestic and international development opportunities, as well as public policy and planning concerns. You may also find Alex in downtown Detroit working in his family’s restaurant, the American Coney Island, renowned for inventing the “Coney Dog”.
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Jessica Lin - Résumé
Renewable Energy Leadership Program
GE Energy
Jessica’s career focus is in corporate responsibility, particularly in developing responsibly sourced supply chains. For her internship at The Coca-Cola Company Jessica worked on stakeholder engagement strategy as well as the alignment of procurement practices with the company’s citizenship goals. She has also worked with Wal-Mart’s Global Procurement team, focusing on food safety and security in the supply chain. After graduating from University of North Carolina in 2001, Jessica was as an environmental consultant for RTI International, where she worked primarily for federal clients like the US EPA and National Park Service. Jessica is the recipient of an EPA STAR fellowship to sponsor her studies at Michigan.
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Jeff Martin
Sales Manager
REC Solar
Jeff is specifically interested in the role new technologies play in domestic energy markets as well as in developing countries. During the summer of 2005, Jeff interned at Western Resource Advocates, a non-profit environmental organization in Boulder Colorado, where he was assigned to the Energy Group. He developed strategies and recommendations for the promotion of renewable energy resources based upon analysis of the financial implications of purchased-power agreements on utility bond ratings and capital structure. Immediately prior to attending Michigan, Jeff worked as Director of Operations for an adventure-travel company. He also founded a small social venture, Altruistic Adventures – Expeditions for Earth and Humanity, and has volunteered extensively abroad, leading community development and conservation initiatives in Nepal and Kenya. A graduate of Duke University with a degree in environmental engineering, Jeff spent the first two years of his professional life as a consulting environmental engineer.
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Niko Meissner
Renewable Energy Leadership Program
GE Energy
Niko’s professional goal is to help shape and promote sustainable business practices—particularly in the energy and transportation industries—and his internship and project experiences at Michigan include: creating a market entry strategy for a solar energy technology start-up, and researching Best Practices in non-profit development at Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Currently, Niko is working on an initiative for the Office of the Provost aimed at increasing interdisciplinary education and research in the field of environmental sustainability at the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to Michigan, Niko completed his undergraduate degree at the Free University of Berlin, in Germany, with a dual-degree B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in French Philology and then moved to New York City, where he worked in the financial services industry for four years.
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Alexis Olans
Bosch Fellow
Adidas Group
Alexis hopes to change consumer and corporate behavior to more sustainable models through the promulgation of sustainable products. Her professional focus is in marketing, sustainable product development, and corporate strategy. Alexis’ internships have revolved around the development and promotion of clean technology, and this past summer she worked with Procter & Gamble in their Sustainable Development group to market their Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program and PUR water purification product. Prior to the MBA/MS program, Alexis worked in the international development field for three years, and came to Michigan following her service in the Peace Corps (Nicaragua) as a Health Education Volunteer. In Nicaragua she trained health care personnel statewide in preventative health and participatory education techniques. Alexis graduated, cum laude, from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a BS in International Politics and Latin American Studies.
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Scott Pryor
Deal Associate
MMA Renewable Ventures
Scott is currently working as a Deal Associate in the solar group at MMA Renewable Ventures, a company that coordinates the financing, installation, and operation of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency projects. Prior to joining MMA RV, Scott worked in the Commercial Operations group with Clipper Windpower. As an Erb student, Scott held summer internships with Gas South and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He also completed an independent study with GE Energy, and was a contributing author to the Pew Center’s October 2006 report Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Strategies That Address Climate Change. Prior to graduate school, Scott co-launched the Biomass Coordinating Council, a non-profit dedicated to unifying the biomass industry. Scott also worked for three years in the socially responsible investment industry with Calvert Funds and Progressive Asset Management, where his responsibilities included investment management, sales, operations, and social research. Scott graduated, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University with a B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and a B.A in English. Scott has lived in Brazil and Spain, and speaks Portuguese and Spanish.
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Karen Putterman
Boeing
Karen hails from Washington, D.C., where she was a research assistant and office manager of the Marine Fish Conservation Network,a coalition of fishing associations and environmental groups that lobbies for sustainable fishery policy. To get a better handle on the life of a fisherman, Karen spent the summer of 2004 working as a deck hand on a salmon troller off the coast of Sitka, Alaska. While earning her B.A. in Natural Resources, Science, and Policy at Brandeis University, she interned at the Charles River Watershed Association and spent a summer with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge in Lacombe, LA. Karen is now focusing her studies on the relationship between green manufacturing processes and operational efficiencies.
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Greg Shopoff
Greg is interested in working with companies to integrate sustainability into corporate strategy and traditional business models. For his first internship, Greg worked for Conservation International benchmarking best practices in the cruise industry related to management of ports of call. His MAP project involved in a strategic analysis of the Carbon Disclosure Project, an international investor secretariat representing over $31 trillion in assets. He was also a contributing coauthor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change’s report, “Corporate Strategies That Address Climate Change”. Prior to graduate school, Greg worked as a paralegal in San Francisco focusing on contract disputes and intellectual property litigation. He is a graduate of The Colorado College where he received a B.A. in geology.
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Matthew Stout
Director – Commercial Development
Catamount Energy Corporation
Matt is a Director with Catamount Energy Company, a developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale independent power projects. He is responsible for commercial development of Catamount’s renewable power projects. Before joining Catamount and during his third year of study at Michigan, Matt was a manager of business development and corporate finance at STM Power, Inc., a start-up manufacturer of power generation equipment for the renewable energy industry. At Michigan, Matt focused on finance, entrepreneurship, and sustainable energy production, and on the science, policy, and management of environmental issues and natural resources. Previously, he worked as an investment banking associate at Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc., where he helped clients raise capital and execute strategic corporate transactions. He began his career as a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Matt holds a B.A. in Economics from Connecticut College. He lives with his wife, Jessica, daughter, Jane, and dog, Riley, in Woodstock, Vermont. He enjoys backpacking, skiing, running, cycling, and basketball and is a member and volunteer with local and national conservation and environmental organizations.
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Cristina Turney
Corporate Executive Board
Cristina is focusing on corporate social responsibility. Her interests also include corporate strategy and marketing. Her professional goals include working with corporations to form strategies that are both profitable and socially responsible. Prior to attending Michigan, Cristina was a strategy consultant in Washington, DC. Her interests include photography and hiking with her big yellow dog. Cristina graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Political Science.
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Doug Wein
Associate
Constructive Technologies Group, Inc.
Doug is focused on corporate strategy and real estate development, and seeks to create profitable and sustainable solutions in growing business opportunities. His emphases are in green building and sustainable community optimization, real estate finance and marketing, and management consulting. Doug played a pivotal role in initiating and creating the Ross School’s now annual “Urban Symposium” in October 2005. He has been instrumental in designing and launching the new “Green Development” course, to be cross-listed at the business school and School of Natural Resources and Environment. He was Co-President of the Ross Net Impact Club, which was named National Chapter of the Year of 2006 for its exemplary efforts in socially and environmentally responsible business. Doug graduated from Pitzer College with a B.A. in psychology.
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Sarah Winkeller
Johnson & Johnson

Sarah's professional focus is corporate social responsibility, particularly marketing sustainable products and sustainability to consumers. Prior to enrolling in the University of Michigan, Sarah worked as a research analyst at a think tank where she created a nationwide marketing campaign to raise awareness about the importance of parental involvement in child development, planned and executed conferences, and managed and conducted research studies. She also spent two years teaching creative writing to underprivileged South Bronx high school students. Sarah graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in Art History. In the summer of 2005, she interned at Spencer Trask Ventures, a venture capital firm, and in the summer of 2006 she was a marketing intern at Johnson & Johnson Personal Products Company.

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Mitsuyo Yamamoto
Executive Director
Jyonan Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd

A native of Kyoto, Japan, Mitsuyo focused his studies at the Erb Institute on corporate strategy and sustainable development, with an interest in creating new green ventures. He worked at Venture-link Co., Ltd http://www.venture-link.co.jp/english/ as a consultant to startup JJ Club100, a recycling videogame entertainment business of Next Japan Inc., and to promote profitability of various franchise businesses. Mitsuyo graduated from Doshisha University with a Bachelor of Theology and his thesis, "The Protestant Ethic and Japanese Social Enterprises". He received Rotary Environmental Management Scholarship in 2004, the first scholarship especially for environmental management and a sustainable enterprise in the history of Rotary Foundation. After studying at Copenhagen Business School during the Winter 2007 term as an international exchange student to get hands-on experience in green venture business in Denmark, he has been working at Jyonan Electric Industrial Co., Ltd as the Managing Director for Eco Venture Division http://www.jyonan.co.jp/e/index.html. Stay tuned with his blog at http://mitch01.typepad.com/

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Class of 2006

Nathan Arbitman
Marketing Specialist
DuPont
Nathan currently works as a Marketing Specialist for DuPont. Prior to joining DuPont, Nathan spent more than 10 years working on assignments in strategic marketing, renewable energy, and environmental management for The Coca-Cola Company, GE Power, Aveda Corporation (Estee Lauder), the Dial Corp., Tetra Tech EM Inc., David Gardiner & Associates and Sustainable Conservation. In addition to the MBA and MS from the Erb Institute's dual degree program, Nathan received a BA in political science from Brown University. Nathan currently lives in Philadelphia and is an avid traveler, photographer and yoga practitioner.
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Richard Bole
Real Estate Development
Richard is focusing on the financial instruments that lead to sustainable land use by real estate developers and natural resource companies. Richard's internship at the National Parks Service resulted in a national publication on open space protection and property values. He serves as finance director for MiSo*, Michigan's entry into the US Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. Richard graduated from Connecticut College, where he majored in International Relations and Economics, served as student director of the Inherit the Earth Award for Sustainable Business, and interned at an environmental NGO in Mali, West Africa. After graduation, Richard was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Natural Resources group at Bear, Stearns & Co. in New York, and finance manager for Recycle Midwest, Inc.
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Ed Chao
Associate
GE Energy Financial Services
Ed is a portfolio manager overseeing debt investments in project, acquisition, working capital, and capex financing at GE Energy Financial Services, one of the world's leading long-term investors in the energy and water industries. Prior to GE, Ed served as a short term consultant to the World Bank helping the Yunnan Whitewaters Hydropower Development project successfully attain registration under the Clean Development Mechanism, expected to reduce ~274000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

A California native, Ed earned an AB in Computer Science from Cornell University and MBA/MS Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan where he was a Samuel Zell Scholar. He enjoys exploring places on bicycle, cooking with friends, and participating in church activities. Ed is conversant in Mandarin Chinese.
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Marshall Chase
Senior Advisor, USAID Fellow
US Chamber of Commerce, Armenia
Marshall is focused on sustainable enterprise in the US and emerging markets. His internship and project experiences at Michigan include proposing a sustainable business strategy for Ford Motor Company, improving a product remanufacturing line at Cummins, Inc, developing a model to evaluate DTE’s prototype hydrogen energy park, and researching paper markets at Environmental Defense. Prior to Michigan, Marshall improved recycling rates and reduced waste management costs as an environmental consultant for major real estate clients in Washington, DC. He also worked with entrepreneurs to develop business plans and improve environmental practices as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, and led a community health initiative to improve water quality and sanitation. Marshall has a degree in government and a minor in Environmental Policy from Dartmouth College.
New Search
Laura Flanigan
Consultant
Five Winds International

Laura is currently a Consultant with Five Winds International in
Chicago where she assists companies in the creation of value by
integrating sustainability into core decision-making processes.  Her
work focuses on product sustainability, CSR benchmarking, climate
change, and management systems. Prior to joining Five Winds, Laura
served as Director and Co-founder of the Chicago Sustainable Business
Alliance, a non-profit providing services to support the growth and
sustainability of Chicago-based enterprises.  In 2007, Laura was
selected as a McCloy Environmental Affairs Fellow, where she conducted
extensive research in Germany on trends and opportunities in the use of
Environmental Product Declarations (ISO 14025), particularly in
building and construction sectors.  Laura also holds a BA in Philosophy
from Indiana University.
New Search
Aaron Harris
Commercial Finance, Experienced Commercial Leadership Program (ECLP)
General Electric
Aaron currently is in the Experienced Commercial Leadership Program (ECLP) at General Electric working on marketing and strategy projects for GE's Commercial Finance and Infrastructure businesses. While at Michigan, he focused on entrepreneurship, real estate development, and urban sustainability. As part of his master's project, Aaron worked with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to publish 'Building Green for the Future: Case Studies of Sustainable Development in Michigan', a comprehensive guidebook discussing the benefits of green development and targeted for real estate developers and policy makers throughout the state of Michigan. The project team earned several grants including a P3 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and won the National Student Collaboration Award presented by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Prior to Michigan, Aaron co-founded Harris Brothers LLC, a mission-driven, real esdevelopment/management company based in Chicago and focused on green building design and environmentally sensitive residential renovation projects. Aaron graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madision with a BA in Sociology (Honors) and a Certificate in Environmental Studies, and graduated from the University of Michigan with both an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and an MS from the School of Natural Resources & Environment.
New Search
Rina Horiuchi
Manager, Advisory Services
Business for Social Responsibility
Rina Horiuchi is in the Advisory Services group at Business for Social Responsibility where she works with companies to develop solutions to address social and environmental issues. Her internship experiences while at Michigan included developing a sustainable mobility strategy for the Sustainable Business Strategies group at Ford, and marketing for a non-profit social enterprise through the REDF Farber program. Prior to Michigan, Rina worked at two technology companies in the US and Japan where she managed software projects and designed product user interfaces. Rina completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University with a double-major in Product Design Engineering and Japanese Studies.
New Search
Kris Jadd
Finance MBA Development Program
Chevron
Kris is a Financial Analyst with Chevron's Finance MBA Development Program. His first assignment is with Chevron's Asia South upstream business unit in Bangkok, Thailand. As an Erb Institute student, Kris held summer internships with Chevron and CERES, and his Master's Project team developed a financial model to assess the viability of distributed hydrogen generation for DTE Energy. Before beginning the Erb Institute's dual degree program, Kris was a project manager for the San Francisco Small Business Energy Efficiency Program and worked at the Field Museum in Chicago. In addition to his MBA and MS from the University of Michigan, Kris holds a BA in history from Dartmouth College.
New Search
Katy Abrams Levine
Human Resources
Cisco Systems
Katy is interested in public spaces and how they affect community and individual wellbeing. She is also interested in cross-sector partnerships and is the student coordinator of the Business School's Board Fellowship Program. Katy conducted a Domestic Corps summer internship at Focus: HOPE where she developed recommendations to improve the timeliness and accuracy of volunteer placement and initiated an ongoing improvement process for the volunteer department. Prior to returning to school, Katy was a consultant with the Public Sector Group of American Management Systems where she most recently worked with the Human Resources Administration of New York City to implement Medicaid policy and program changes. Katy graduated from Brown University in 1999 with an A.B. in Human Biology.
New Search
Kate Napolitan
Innovation Marketing Manager
Eaton Corporation
Kate currently works as the Innovation Marketing Manager for Eaton Corporation’s Truck Group. In this role she focuses on commercializing environmentally and economically sustainable technologies for the trucking industry. Prior to joining Eaton, Kate spent almost 10 years working on assignments around resource efficiency and process streamlining, environmental regulatory compliance and sustainability measurement tools for Rocky Mountain Institute, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), 3M, Ford Motor Company, and Meaden & Moore Management Consulting. On the side, Kate also provides marketing support to Bamboo Styles, a bamboo apparel company recently started by her husband Greg. In addition to the MBA and MS from the Erb Institute’s dual degree program, Kate also holds a BS in Industrial and Operations engineering from University of Michigan.
New Search
Sara Nosanchuk
Proctor & Gamble Account Manager
Ziba
Sara was formerly a senior business analyst at The Holland, Inc. a restaurant holding company that owns Burgerville. Burgerville is a regional fast food restaurant located in Northern Oregon and Southern Washington that focuses on serving fresh, seasonal food made from locally sourced ingredients. As a senior business analyst, Sara was responsible for project management as well as helping the company measure the impacts of its recent investments, including the switch to 100% wind power and affordable healthcare for all restaurant employees. In addition to the MBA and MS from the Erb Institute's dual degree program, Sara received a BA in cultural anthropology from Amherst College.
New Search
Nancy Poderycki
Corporate Governance Analyst
Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America
Nancy is interested in urban economic development, real the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in New York City, developing promote the area's urban planning, economic, social, and environmental initiatives. In this role, she collaborated closely with government, non-profit, private sector and community partners. She further strengthened her marketing and strategy background with a summer internship at Johnson & Johnson in 2004. Her prior experience also includes working at New York City's child welfare agency, the internet company iVillage.com, and a community-based health and human services organization. Nancy serves on the MBA/MS Program Student Advisory Board and as the co-Vice President for Career Development of Net Impact. She holds a B.A. in History from Cornell University.
New Search
Kari Walworth
Consultant
Kari is interested in promoting restoration, conservation, and sustainable use of water through innovative policy instruments and strategic corporate-nonprofit partnerships. Prior to starting the MBA/MS program, Kari worked as an environmental engineer with the Ford Motor Company. Her eight-year career at Ford included assignments in the U.S., Europe, and Asia working on environmental programs and initiatives related to automotive manufacturing. In 2004, Kari interned with the University of Michigan Tech Transfer Office and Engineering Technology Council (ETC) to identify water-related engineering research activities with high potential for both sustainable systems leadership and technology commercialization. During the summer of 2005, Kari volunteered with the Huron River Watershed Council, a local nonprofit organization. With the Watershed Council, she worked on a monitoring program to increase the data available on nutrient contributions to the Middle Huron River, with an overall goal of providing more detailed information on relationships between land use and ecological stream health. Kari holds a B.S. in chemical engineering and an M.S. in environmental engineering, both from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Kari is also a registered professional engineer.
New Search


Class of 2005

Tony Baptista
Leadership Program
Honeywell, Inc
Tony is interested in applying environmentally sustainable strategies to supply-chain and manufacturing through process re-engineering]and productdesign. Tony is currently working with four other MBA/MS Program students to analyze the environmental impact of Aveda's logistics. During the summer of 2003, Tony completed his Tauber Manufacturing Institute internship at Honeywell Consumer Products Group, where he initiated several process changes and reduced packaging waste by an annualized $100,000. Additionally, he worked on a lean manufacturing initiative that reduced scrap, inventory, and labor costs by an annualized $1 million. Tony earned his BA in Biology with Honors from Wheaton College. As an undergraduate, he published several papers in ecology and earned a Howard Hughes Fellowship in Organic Chemistry at Dartmouth College. Tony is fluent in Portuguese and a dual-citizen of the US and Portugal.

New Search
Emily Collings
Environmental Manager
Weyerhaeuser
Emily interned at Weyerhaeuser Company during the summer of 2004 where she benchmarked best practices in sustainability reporting and developed a proposal for enhancements to the company's sustainability report. After graduation, Emily will be joining Weyerhaeuser as an Environmental Manager. For her first internship, Emily worked with Ford Motor Company to pilot a community impact assessment for a manufacturing facility. Prior to graduate school, she managed Internet development and strategy projects for non-profit organizations. Emily also spent two years as a fellow with the U.S. Agency for International Development, where she worked on legislative issues, communications and outreach. Emily holds a B.A. in Environmental Science and Policy with a minor in African and African American Studies from Duke University.

New Search
Nick Cucinelli
President and CEO
Octillion Corporation

Prior to joining Octillion, Mr. Nicholas S. Cucinelli was employed by Energy Conversion Devices (ENER). During his tenure at ENER, Mr. Cucinelli facilitated the commercialization of solar photovoltaic, advanced battery, fuel cell, solid-state hydrogen storage, and next generation information technologies.  His wide-ranging responsibilities included working with research teams and scientists alongside senior managers to objectively quantify risk, prioritize research and development efforts, and develop the business case for new amorphous silicon solar cell manufacturing processes and conversion efficiency enhancements for wholly-owned ENER subsidiary, United Solar Ovonic LLC. Mr. Cucinelli also served as Manager of Federal and Military Sales for United Solar Ovonic, where he developed and executed plans to deploy UNI-SOLAR Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) in Federal market segments, and championed a market-centric approach to portable and mobile photovoltaic product development to meet key military needs.
New Search
Ted Ekkers
Sr. Analyst, GRM Guest Insights
Target Corporation
Ted is a Sr. Analyst with Target Corporation in Minneapolis. Ted previouslyworked as a market research analyst for Stax in Chicago. There he was responsible for conducting and managing primary and secondary market-side research for clients in a wide array of industries including financial services, manufacturing, health care and online services. Last summer he interned at Morningstar where he coordinated direct mail campaigns and conducted competitive research for the firm's financial software. His first internship was with Dell where he evaluated the environmental impact of their logistics network. While at Michigan he worked with Steelcase to provide a strategy for incorporating sustainability initiatives into their products and is working with Aveda for his Masters project to assess the impact of delivering their products to customers. Ted has a B.S. in environmental engineering from Northwestern University.
New Search
Jonathan Forrester
Resource Analyst, Renewables Procurement
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Jon graduated from the MBA/MS Program in 2005 with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and energy, and his current work focuses on the economic profile of renewable energy technology. Jon served on the Erb Institute Student Advisory Board (SAB) and was awarded the Weyerhaeuser fellowship and Steve Percy Service Award. Jon has worked for GE Energy on an extensive market opportunity assessment for long term contract service agreements and on a model for the RPS based US renewables market, for Aveda Corporation (Estee Lauder) to create the first of its type energy reduction strategy, and before graduate school, for the City of Berkeley as an economic development analyst and project manager where he developed the sustainable development program for this $100M municipality. Jon has a BA in sociology with honors from UC San Diego.
New Search
Shelly Foston
Mediator
Meridian Institute
Shelly is interested in working with companies to identify and take advantage of opportunities to increase the sustainability of their business practices. This summer Shelly worked with Environmental Defense to update the organization's strategy for forming alliances with players in the global pulp and paper industry. This research formed the basis for her Master's Project. Prior to Michigan, Shelly spent several years in alliance management and negotiation consulting at Vantage Partners in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was instrumental in developing and implementing the firm's core negotiation and relationship management methodologies, tools, and implementation vehicles. Shelly's experience also includes facilitating public involvement at Superfund sites for a public affairs consulting firm in Washington, DC. Shelly graduated from Yale University in 1995 with a B.A. in Political Science and Studies in the Environment.
New Search
Liz Short
Special Projects Manager
Stonyfield Farm

Liz is interested in corporate sustainability initiatives,cross-sector partnerships, and nonprofit capacity building. During her first summer internship, Liz worked with The Nature in Conservancy southwestern Massachusetts,where she collaborated with a tri-state stakeholder group to develop itscapacity for rural conservation. During her second summer she worked for Ford Motor Company's Purchasing Strategy Office,focusing on emerging market suppliers' working conditions. Liz currently sits on the board of the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Prior to graduate school, Liz worked as a research analyst for The Nature Conservancy's national science division and as a researcher for a health and environmental consulting firm. Liz has a BA in Biology with distinction in allsubjects from Cornell University.

New Search
Michael Hokenson
Managing Director
Minlam Asset Management
Minlam Asset Management actively markets investment products individual investors. The range of potential product synthesizes a great dealof the material covered in the MBA/MS Program with a particular focus on emerging markets. In this early stage, Minlam is targeting capital market innovations in the field of microfinance and customizable managed accounts that include social and environmental screening processes. Michael received his undergraduate degree from St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, majoring in mathematics and philosophy. After traveling extensively in Asia in 1997, he founded Minlam, Inc., a fair trade manufacturing firm designing handicraft products in Nepal in cooperation with the NGO Rugmark. Michael has worked in various entrepreneurial ventures, including the launch of Kinetix LLC in 2001, a NYC based consulting firm whose mission itis to assist businesses in the profitable alignment of financial goals with ethical and ecological principles. Michael believes that the landscape of development currently taking place in emerging economies is transforming because of the need to balance development with environmental considerations.
New Search
Heather Kirshman
Leadership Program
Adidas Group
Heather was previously a Bosch Foundation Fellow living in Berlin, Germany. She worked for the Institute for Ecological Economic Research and also for the adidas Group. Heather graduated in 2005 with a concentration in Marketing and Management as well as Environmental Policy. She completed her first internship at Pfizer in their EH&S department working on a Mercury phase out, recycling program, and habitat restoration and conservation plan. During her second internship she worked for Shepherd Advisors , a start-up consulting firm that specializing in clean technology. Before coming to Michigan Heather was at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and both the Slovak and Polish Agencies for Foreign Investment in Eastern Europe. She earned a B.A. with Honors from Alma College in Environmental Policy and Management.
New Search
Howard Lin
Howard wants to promote environmental technologies and sustainability frameworks to developing countries, especially in Asia. During his first summer internship, he worked with the Environmental Technology Council at the College of Engineering and the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Michigan. In the second summer, he worked with a local environmental technology consulting firm and traveled to Poyang Lake, China to conduct systems thinking research on sustainability. Prior to studying at University of Michigan, he was an independent software consultant co-founded a chemical distribution company. Howard also worked at Delta Air Lines as a software engineer for four years. Howard received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering with emphasis in biotechnology. Howard is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

New Search
Bryan Magnus
Strategic Marketing and Business Development
Honeywell Transportation Systems
Bryan's interests include sustainable transportation and alternative energy. He spent his first summer with GM in their Fuel Cell Activities group and his second summer with Honeywell Transportation & Power Systems (TP&S) in a Marketing capacity. Upon graduation Bryan will be returning to Honeywell he will continue to support their efforts to grow the US and European diesel markets for both commercial and passenger vehicles. Prior to studying at Michigan, Bryan spent five years at the Barra Strategic Consulting Group advising senior executives of asset management firms. Bryan graduated magna cum laude from Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island, where he received his BBA with a dual concentration in Finance and Applied Actuarial Mathematics and a minor in Biotechnology.

New Search
Rebecca Nadel
Sustainable Development and Social Performance Manager
Shell Exploration Production
Rebecca is the Sustainable Development and Social Performance Manger for Shell Exploration and Production Company in the Americas. She is responsible for designing and executing the sustainable development and social performance strategy for the region and works closely with the Health, Safety and Environment team to do so. Rebecca earned her MBA and Master of Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of Michigan through the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Duke University and a Master of Engineering in Underwater Acoustics from Penn State. Formerly, Rebecca worked as an acoustical engineer for a military defense contractor on various sonar and noise quieting projects.

New Search
Ruth Scotti
US Fuels Policy Advisor
BP America, Inc. Future Fuels
Ruth Scotti serves as the U.S. fuels policy advisor for BP Biofuels. She constructs advocacy strategy and company advocacy positions for BP's new Biofuels business. While at Michigan, she was a summer associate in the renewable energy leadership program at GE Wind. Prior to that she conducted market research in Taiwan and funding strategies for US grant makers seeking to fund Chinese non-governmental organizations. She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and biology with minors in chemistry and Asian studies. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and speaks conversational French.

New Search
Eric Wingfeld
System Analyst
Ford Motor Company
Eric is interested in valuation methodologies and communication techniques that foster the decision-making necessary to protect the interests of people and the environment. He has been a student advisory board member for the Corporate Environmental Management Program, the Vice President of Career Development for Net Impact, and the President of the Dance Club. Eric worked as a civil engineer and an entrepreneur before returning to graduate school. He has since worked extensively with Ford Motor Company applying systems thinking tools to strategic business challenges. He holds an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering with an environmental emphasis from the University of California at Berkeley. Eric has accepted a strategic planning position with Ford Motor Company, beginning in May 2005.
New Search
Class of 2004

Scott Baron
Leader of Organizational Effectiveness
Acciona
Scott is responsible for building scalable processes. Before moving to Acciona, he was Product Line Leader, Renewable Energy Leadership Program (RELP) for GE Energy as well as the Product Line Leader for GE's 1-2 MW Wind Turbine Segment This was an exciting role on the cutting edge of GE's business strategy and new product introductions in wind. Scott is a 2004 Erb MBA/MS graduate. During his tenure in the MBA/MS Program, Scott focused on renewable energy, particularly wind power and hybrid power systems in developing countries. His research has led to the formation of a business plan for a company called Developing Power and his Master's thesis: "Developing Power Business Plan: Empowering the Bottom of the Pyramid". In 2003, he participated in several business plan competitions and won Best Social Entrepreneur at the New Ventures Competition in San Diego, CA and the Social Return on Investment (SROI) award at the National Social Venture Competition in New York. Scott was also named as a finalist in The Global Venture Connections Business Plan competition. He pitched his business plan at the London School of Business and was awarded 2nd place. Scott worked closely with the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and was featured in their annual report, 'Dream, Learn, Do'. This publication provides an in-depth view of the diverse areas of study within entrepreneurship, celebrates the many successful students and alumni engaged in the creation of new ventures, and provides insight into Michigan's vibrant entrepreneurial community. In 2004, he was named Student Entrepreneur of the Year. Prior to starting in the MBA/MS Program, Scott focused on climate change by helping start the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world's first large-scale voluntary carbon dioxide emissions trading program. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in political science and with honors in economics, he worked in Boulder, CO for Stratus Consulting, a cutting-edge environmental and energy consulting firm. At Stratus, Scott designed analytical tools for energy companies and performed statistical studies on various health and water quality projects.

New Search
Carey Bylin
Program Manager, Natural Gas STAR Program
EPA, Climate Change Division
Carey is a Program Manager with the Natural Gas STAR program with the Climate Change division at the EPA. Prior to her Graduate Studies, Carey graduated laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Los Angeles with a BA in Psychology and a Specialization in Business Administration.  Previous professional experience includes positions as an accounting supervisor and media buyer at TBWA Chiat/Day advertising and as an on-campus recruiter for The Boston Consulting Group. On a volunteer basis, she has chaired a workplace community service committee and assisted low-income Spanish speakers with labor and legal issues. Carey has lived in Spain and has a strong interest in Spanish language and culture that she hopes to apply to future work in Latin America.  During summer 2002, Carey worked at the World Resources Institute, where she managed a structured feedback process for the development of global, cross-sector accounting and reporting standards for greenhouse gas emissions. She convened working groups of corporate, NGO and government representatives, both internationally and domestically, to address treatment of energy sector emissions as well as general up- and downstream emissions. Her work will lead to the publication of the second edition of WRI's "GHG Protocol: a corporate accounting and reporting standard."

New Search
Richard Chandler
Commercial Development Manager
BP Solar
At BP Solar, Richard is responsible for developing large commercial solar photovoltaic solutions for both public and private sector clients. Prior to joining BP Solar, Richard worked for the White House as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) in the Energy Branch of the Office of Management Budget. As a PMF, he also served the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science Committee, where he was responsible for drafting legislation and handling issues related to renewable energy and energy efficiency. Richard has performed energy and environment work for organizations such as Green Mountain Energy Company, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Weyerhaeuser, Solar Electric Light Fund, and the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. In addition, he was an investment banker for Salomon Smith Barney in New York City and provided consulting services to the World Bank on water and sanitation financing issues. Prior to the Erb MBA/MS Program, Richard graduated cum laude from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a B.S. in Economics with a dual concentration in Finance and Strategic Management.
New Search
Mindy Gomes-Casseres
Director, Cause Branding and Corporate Responsibility
Cone, Inc.
Mindy is a Director of Cause Branding and Corporate Responsibility at Cone, a strategic marketing and communications firm. Her responsibilities include helping companies develop corporate responsibility and philanthropy programs and communications. Current and past clients include Starbucks, Mattel, The Home Depot, eBay and Toyota. Mindy also helps develop corporate strategy and new product methodologies for the agency. Prior to joining Cone, Mindy worked for the USDA Forest Service to help manage creation of a Federal rulemaking to protect 60 million acres from most logging and road building. She also worked as a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington DC where she conducted organizational, financial and process improvement analyses for Federal clients

New Search
Sharada Machiroutu
Program Manager, National Community Relations Group
CitiGroup
Sharada is a Program Manager in the National Community Relations Group at CitiGroup. Prior to her Graduate Studies at Michigan, Sharada completed a Bachelor of Architecture degree at Anna University, India. Concerned about the energy-dependent trend in architecture while working as an architect in India, she pursued an MS in Building Design at Arizona State University. She specialized in Climate Responsive and Sustainable Architecture. She accepted an internship at SouthWest HEC, an energy services company and performed lighting and HVAC analysis and made retrofit measures for Northern Arizona University. She has presented a paper on Passive Cooling at the Solar98 conference at Albuquerque, NM and her paper titled BioClimatic Strategies for Climates at Low latitudes was accepted and published at the PLEA (Passive Low Energy Association) conference at Sydney, Australia.

New Search
Ruchi Misra
Manager, Advisory Services
Business for Social Responsibility
Ruchi Misra graduated from the MBA/MS Program in May 2004 and is currently working for Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) in San Francisco, CA. With an academic focus on corporate social responsibility management, Ruchi is the Relationship Manager and Consultant for BSR's CAT Team (Consumer Goods, Food & Agriculture, and Transportation). At Michigan, Ruchi interned for two summers at Altria Group's Strategy for Social Responsibility Group in New York City. There she worked on company strategies relating to sustainable agriculture, human rights and ethical marketplace issues such as privacy and responsible marketing. Before her time at Michigan, Ruchi graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University in 1997 with a B.A. in Environmental Science and a Concentration in Economics. She then worked as a financial analyst in Salomon Smith Barney's Equity Capital Markets Group in both the New York and Hong Kong offices. She also spent another two years as an Associate at Freeman & Co., a management consulting and M&A advisory firm in New York.

New Search
Monique Oxender
Global Manager, Supply Chain Sustainability
Ford Motor Company
Monique Oxender manages sustainability efforts for Ford's global supply chain – amounting to a $90 billion buy from over 11,000 suppliers. In addition, she is on loan from Ford to the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) in order to lead North American-based automotive manufacturers in a collaborative effort to address working conditions in the global automotive supply chain. During her tenure with Ford Motor Company, Monique has developed and coordinated delivery of internal and supplier training on Human Rights, while specifically managing supplier issues in Latin America. Her work has also included coordination of supply base environmental compliance. With a background in secondary education and sustainability, Monique has an MBA and an MS from the University of Michigan's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. Monique's graduate studies focused on tropical conservation and agroforestry systems; her thesis research combined an evaluation of the ecological and socioeconomic dimensions of shade coffee agroecosystems in Latin America.
New Search
Wendy Rigterink
Transportation/Logistics
Target Stores, Inc.
Wendy Rigterink is an Associate with Target Stores. She formerly worked for Aveda. Wendy graduated with University Honors from Miami University of Ohio with a degree in mathematics/statistics and a degree in education. Previously, she worked within the public and private sectors as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Washington DC area. Across all types of industries, she managed numerous survey projects as well as a mix of quantitative work that used different estimation and modeling techniques. This past summer, Wendy interned with ExxonMobil's Controllers group in their Downstream Office.
New Search
Maia Sallouti
Manager, Utilities Strategy
Accenture
Maia Sallouti is currently a Manager with Accenture, based out of the San Francisco office. She has been with Accenture since 1998 and took a leave to pursue her Masters degrees from Michigan. Her industry focus was and continues to be in utilities and has worked on diverse projects at clients all over the country. Maia graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration. She also has a minor in Environmental Economics and Policy from the School of Agriculture, also at UC Berkeley. Maia previously lived in Brazil for 14 years, and is fluent in Portuguese. 
New Search
Scott Ward
Development Project Manager
The Presidio Trust
Scott was previously Senior Associate with Jones Lang LaSalle in San Francisco.  He is a licensed architect with eight years of experience building in the United States, Britain and Japan. He has expertise in the development and implementation of various sustainable design strategies including passive solar design, daylighting, materials reclamation and reuse, and alternative energy integration. Scott's Graduate thesis was entitled "Consumer Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Green Buildings: A Survey".
New Search
Class of 2003
Brian Cooper
Energy Trader
Florida Power and Light
Brian Cooper was formerly Marketing Manager with GreenMountain Energy in Florida. At Michigan, Brian's interests included renewable energy and distributed generation  technologies. Brian spent the summer of 2002 at Nike’s world headquarters in Portland, where he waspart of a team developing the “business case” for Nike’s sustainability initiatives. In the summer of 2001, Brian worked at General Motor’s Global Alternative Propulsion Center where he prepared financial and sizing models for early commercial adopters of stationary fuel cells and performed analyses of potential fuel cell partners for GM’s Business Strategy Group.  Prior to coming to Michigan, Brian worked as an intern at the EPA’s Region 4 office and before that as an HIV scientist for three] years at the]Centers for ]Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. He received his B.S. with honors in Biology from Georgia State University in 1996. Brian was an avid rugby player at Michigan.

New Search
Stephanie Cuttler
Senior Social Research Analyst
Calvert Asset Management Company
Stephanie is a Senior Social Research Analyst with Calvert Asset Management Company. She formerly worked in the Climate Protection PartnershipsDivision of the Environmental Protection Agency works with businesses, organizations,governments, and consumers to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change by promoting greater use of energy efficient and other cost-effective technologies.  Stephanie works on the Division Director's staff, with primary responsibility for reviewing,developing, and evaluating strategies that effectively reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.  Before returning to graduate school, Stephanie worked as a senior analyst with the Investor Responsibility Research Center's Environmental Information Service, analyzing Environmental Protection Agency and corporate survey data for publication in IRRC's Annual Corporate Environmental Profiles Directory of S&P 500 Companies. Stephanie also worked as a research associate in the Calvert Group's Social Research Department, compiling corporate social issues profiles to determine whether companies met the social investment criteria for the Calvert/Vanguard Social Investment Index. In addition to her graduate degrees from the University of Michigan, Stephanie also earned a Bachelors of Science in EnvironmentalScience and Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

New Search
Alison Dimond
Piquette Project Coordinator, and enrolled in Ph.D. Program, University of Montana
ASG Renaissance
Allison is Piquette Project Coordinator with ASG Renaissance, a strategy, marketing, and communications firm that focuses on sustainability initiatives in the automotive and energy sectors. Prior to her Graduate Studies, Alison received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan with honors in history. After college, she joined the Teach for America program as a Special Education teacher in rural Mississippi. She has since worked as an Information and Communication Manager for a start-up environmental technologies venture capital firm and as a Resource Ecologist for a wetland consulting firm. In both positions, she focused on merging the goals of economic growth and environmental protection. During the summer of 2002, Ali worked in Ford Motor Company's real estate development division (better know as "Ford Land") developing a tool box for engineers, designers, and project budgeters to help them incorporate sustainable technologies and design elements into their new building and renovation projects.

New Search
Elizabeth Fastiggi
Ziff Brothers Investments, LLC
Before joining Ziff Brothers, Ms. Fastiggi was a member of the client advisory team at Global Forest Partners. In this capacity, she was responsible for client relationship management and business development for the firm. She also coordinated the periodic reporting to individual clients regarding their specific timberland portfolios. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Fastiggi was an Associate with The Alliance for Environmental Innovation where she partnered with market leading consumer product companies to design environmental initiatives resulting in business benefits.She holds a BS from the University of California, Berkeley, and as part of her undergraduate work, Ms. Fastiggi studied international policy, economics and law at the University of Oxford, UK. She also earned an MS and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

New Search
Ajay Gupta
Director - New Ventures
Cummins Power Generation

Ajay is currently setting up a spinoff focused on rural electrification in developing countries and leading renewable energy activities for Cummins Power Gen, a 4 billion dollar subsidiary of Cummins Inc. Prior to this, he led the implementation of several strategic initiatives for the company and reported to the president while developing a turnaround strategy for the Company. Before graduate school, Ajay worked for several years with a United Nations Development Programme fund called the 'Global Environment Facility' where he originated, developed and managed multi million dollar investments in environment and energy projects around the world. Wanting to get his hands dirty, he moved from New York City to the far reaches of Brazil and then India for several years to set up community owned eco enterprises. Ajay received a BS from Allegheny College in Environmental Studies. A native of India, Ajay loves photography, motorcycling, travel, and playing soccer, and speaks several languages poorly including Portuguese.

New Search
Hyesung Han
Non-profit Consulting
Hyesung Han is from Korea and graduated in 2003. Hyesung is interested in developing public-private partnerships for more sustainable businesses and efficient environment protection. Hyesung worked at Mckinsey & Company, consulting in e-commerce strategy to one of the largest banks in Korea during the summer of 2000. Prior to entering University of Michigan, she worked on a wide range of projects, from managing the start-up of textile plants to launching new businesses both in Korea and internationally. Between 1998 and 1999, Hyesung led a task force in the e-commerce department of her company, culminating in the successful start-up of one of the largest Internet shopping malls in Korea. While working in the private sector, she volunteered in local environmental organizations as a researcher. She also volunteered as a counselor to help abused women. During the summer of 1999, Hyesung volunteered at the Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers, helping to preserve wildlife in the Larapinta desert area in the Northern Territory.

New Search
Nadia Herb Read
Full Time Mother
Before becoming a full-time mom, Nadia was a marketing specialist with Nieman Marcus in Dallas, Texas. In 1995, Nadia completed a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Environmental Science and Geography at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In addition, she spent a year studying Environmental Geography in Munster, Germany. After graduation, Nadia worked as a Consultant with Jacques Whitford Environment Ltd. in Calgary. She undertook environmental and socioeconomic assessments and developed stakeholder and First Nations consultation programs in support of large infrastructure projects, primarily in the oil and gas industry. In 1998, Nadia accepted a position as Project Coordinator for the International Human Dimensions Program on Global Environmental Change. She managed the Industrial Transformation Project, an international and interdisciplinary research framework, which explored the environmental strategies and responses of multi-nationals to globalization within the energy, food, and technology sectors, as well as the role of urban systems and governance. Nadia worked most closely within the energy sector, and investigated incentive structures that shape the energy system, international co-operative mechanisms to enhance energy efficiency, and the driving forces for change. Before arriving in Michigan, Nadia spent three months traveling in Central America and had the opportunity to assist a Guatemalan company develop a green business plan for the World Resources Institute's New Ventures Investors' Forum. Nadia spent this summer working for Enron Energy Services in Germany. She supported the development of integrated energy management solutions for industrial and commercial customers throughout Europe. Nadia is fluent in German and is always trying to find opportunities to improve her French and Spanish. She is interested in international business and strategy.

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Jamie Lloyd
Chief Operating Officer
Tidewater Plantation, LLC
Jamie manages a $420 million HOPE VI redevelopment of the Atlanta Housing Authority's former Perry Homes site into a mixed-use, mixed-income, community built upon a former landfill. He also spent three years with the Peace Corps working at Hovsgol National Park in Mongolia on biological research, educational outreach, and environmental protection initiatives. Jamie set up a solar power station to run the park's computers as the village was without electric power. Realizing that basic human needs - social and economic well being - had to be met before education and environmental protection were considered, Jamie founded the first official trekking guide training program with the park staff and trained over fifty local residents to work as guides. He was honored by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature for this accomplishment. He later designed and implemented Peace Corps Mongolia's environmental training program for new volunteers. Prior to Hovsgol, Jamie taught a variety of topics at the Paideia School in Atlanta, GA, including literature, creative writing, history, geography, and evolutionary biology. 

Jamie received a Masters of Science in Environmental Resource Policy from the School of Natural Resources and Environment and a Masters of Business Administration with concentrations in Strategy and Organizational Behavior from the University of Michigan Business School. He also holds a Bachelor or Arts degree from Emory University. He is originally from New York and has a wife, Caroline, and a young son, Sam.

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Lisa Monzon
Stanford University Institute for the Environment Fellow
The Packard Foundation
Prior to her work with the Packard Foundation, Lisa held Human Resources positions with Borders Group and Deloitte & Touche. Her graduate studies focused on organizational behavior and learning, and group thought processes in the context of sustainable ecological systems. In the summer of 2001 she interned as an Associate on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs & Co. in the Private Wealth Management Division. Lisa's 2002 summer internship was with Deloitte & Touche, in their Human Capital Advisory Services - Organizational Performance group. The internship provided the opportunity to engage in team consulting from a business-focused and human capital perspective. Projects included analysis of and recommendations to Fortune 100 Companies and the application of cutting-edge, organizational strategy research tools. Prior to attending graduate school, Lisa worked for six years at The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation organization. Most recently, she directed fund raising efforts for the Mexico Division's $10.5M capital campaign. Before joining the Conservancy, Lisa conducted research at the Inter-American Development in Washington, D.C. where she evaluated the Bank's indigenous relocation programs in Latin America. She also produced a report on possible market mechanisms for carbon sequestration for the World Bank. Lisa earned her B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University. She is fluent in Spanish.

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Jonathan Newton
Supply Chain Sustainability Strategy Analyst
Ford Motor Company
Jon works on sustainability-related supply chain issues for the Ford Motor Company. He previously served as Manager for Sustainable Development with Holcim (US) Inc., where he helped to facilite a corporate-wide stakeholder engagement strategy.

Following his first year of the MBA/MS Program, Jon worked for the summer of 2001 with Holcim (US) Inc., the leading cement producer in the U.S., in their corporate Environmental Affairs Department. Projects at Holcim included authoring several sub-studies on behalf of Holcim for submittal to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's "Toward A Sustainable Cement Industry" global industry study. Additionally, in coordination with Holcim (US)'s parent company, Holcim Ltd. of Switzerland, Jon conducted an in-depth investigation of Sustainable Development awareness levels through detailed personal interviews with senior and middle management and hourly employees at approximately one dozen U.S. and Western European operating locations. During summer 2002, Jon returned to Holcim (US) to develop a comprehensive strategic implementation roadmap for sustainable development alignment across Holcim (US)'s business operations.

Jon earned a B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College in 1994. After Dartmouth, Jon worked for several years in the corporate law department of Travelers Insurance assessing environmental liability claims. He also worked for a year as a litigation paralegal at a large, Boston-based law firm. Prior to attending the University of Michigan, Jon spent three years at Arthur D. Little as a Consultant in its Global Environment and Risk practice. In this role, he performed environmental health and safety audits, environmental management systems assessments, environmental due diligence assessments, liability valuations, and conducted environmental strategy formulation workshops for numerous global companies in multiple industry sectors.

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Nikole Reaksecker
Middle School Teacher and Consultant
Nikole Reaksecker graduated in 2003 with an interest in energy, sustainable development, and strategic environmental management. Her long-term goal is to help companies integrate the concepts of empowerment and environmental leadership into their corporate strategies. She believes that companies can make sound business decisions, improve their industrial processes, and increase their organization's morale by considering their impact on the environment and by eliminating waste. Prior to joining the MBA/MS Program, Nikole earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Davis and she worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Region 9's Air Division. During her career at the EPA, Nikole provided technical and legal support to over 40 state and local air pollution control agencies, developed strategic plans for the implementation of the compliance and air toxics programs, provided assistance to the regulated community, and trained over 100 federal, state, and local health officials on public participation and risk communication. During her Multi-disciplinary Action Project (MAP), Nikole worked as an organizational consultant at CH2MHill, a multi-billion dollar engineering construction firm. Nikole interned at Phillips Petroleum Company during the summer of 2001 where she performed marketing and competitive analyses for emerging business opportunities, developed a communication strategy for interacting with community groups and regulatory agencies, and investigated market incentives.
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Michael Sadowski
Manager, Client Services
SustainAbility, Ltd.
Michael Sadowski is Manager of Client Services with SustainAbility Ltd. and advises clients on matters related to sustainability strategy, business case development life cycle assessment, and process improvement. Previously, Michael was a Senior Associate with PWC's Sustainable Business Solutions Group in New York City. Michael holds a BA in Economics from Columbia University, where he was a member of the varsity swim team. For several years after graduation, he worked at UBS Warburg as a business analyst in the foreign exchange operations and derivatives trading divisions. He was then an associate at Weaver Capital Management, a New York-based risk arbitrage fund, where he modeled merger transactions in the financial services industry and traded equities and options. During this period, Michael also worked part-time for the Council on Economic Priorities, a non-profit which analyzes the social and environmental performance of corporations.

In the summer of 2002, Michael developed the business case for sustainability at Nike. In doing so he created a practical framework through which Nike project leaders and senior management can see the benefits of sustainability in terms of eco-efficiency, brand enhancement, and new product development. In the summer of 2001, Michael worked in the Environmental Affairs department of Holcim U.S.A., a subsidiary of Swiss-based Holcim cement company. In this position, Michael authored several case studies which were incorporated into Towards a Sustainable Cement Industry, a report commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He also documented and analyzed best practices in the permitting process for new cement kilns and alternative fuels and raw materials in the U.S. and Europe.

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Jake Swenson
Corporate Social Responsibility Analyst
Staples, Inc.
Jake is a Corporate Social Responsibility Analyst at Staples, Inc. He previously worked as an Associate with Industrial Economics. While at Michigan, Jake interned in the Fuel Cell Activities division of General Motors. He also holds a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University.
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Nuyi Tao
Technical Specialist
World Bank
Nuyi (Flora) Tao is working at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. A native of China, she witnessed the drastic environmental deterioration due to the rapid economic development. As a result, she determined to pursue a career change to environmental management and has dedicated herself to searching for a solution to reconcile the conflict between environmental interests and economic development. Coming from traditional financial services industry; Nuyi is interested in leveraging her financial expertise to help build successful business case of sustainable development. She has special interests in sustainable energy and water resources issues. In the summer of 2001, Nuyi worked in Beijing, China for a joint project of World Resources Institute and William Davidson Institute, conducting the feasibility study of launching a new environmental program in China. She widely contacted governmental officers, environmental entrepreneurs, NGOs, and China top business school to identify potential partners and build local network for future program launching. She also worked as an intern in Finance department at the DTE Energy Company on the projects of stock repurchase and subsidiary financing policy. In the summer of 2002, Nuyi worked on business development for local community-based eco-tourism enterprises for The Nature Conservancy in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China. Nuyi compile environmental news briefing as a member of editorial board in Professional Association for China's Environment (PACE) on Sinosphere, PACE quarterly journal. She holds a B.A. in Finance from Fudan University.

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Elizabeth Terry
Commercial Associate
Duke Energy
Elizabeth Terry is in the Commercial Associates Program at Duke Energy in Charlotte, NC. Elizabeth’s present rotation is with Supply Chain, focusing on sustainability and supplier diversity. Her first rotation was with Strategic Planning/Corporate Development, and her second rotation was with the Duke Energy Generation Services affiliate, which provides energy management expertise to create and run energy-efficient facilities. Elizabeth graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Anthropology and a Certificate in Environmental Studies. She then joined the United States Peace Corps as an Environmental Education volunteer and served for two years in Senegal, West Africa. While an Erb MBA/MS Program student, Elizabeth had a summer internship co-sponsored by Ford Motor Company and the World Resources Institute (WRI), where she worked on the WRI Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Elizabeth also had a summer internship at Battelle in Seattle, WA, where she developed alternative business models for the Pacific Northwest Regional Collaboratory, a NASA-sponsored geospatial data provision project.

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Mark Tholke
Regional Project Development Manager, Southwest Region
enXco
Before joining enXco, Mark was Vice President of Project Development at Eurus Energy America Corporation , a wind power developer and owner/operator jointly owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company and Tomen Corporation.  In his role with the company, Mark was responsible for matching Eurus with greenfield to ready-for-construction US-based wind power projects seeking development assistance and/or capital investment.   Mark's prior work experience includes positions with GE Wind Energy and Green Mountain Energy.
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Jessica Urdangarin
Account Manager
Root Learning
Jessica Urdangarin is an Account Manager in the Energy and Basic Materials practice with Root Learning, Inc. She has worked with clients in the US, Europe and Latin America, including BP, FirstEnergy, and Hess.

Jessica graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and received her MBA with Distinction in 2003. She has experience in corporate social responsibility through academic as well as client projects, including: developing a strategic plan for a client in Azerbaijan to promote partnerships between local businesses and non-governmental organizations; creating a U.S. market-entry strategy for an environmentally-friendly Bolivian hardwood flooring manufacturer; developing a sustainability roadmap for a major energy provider; and implementing an employee volunteer program in the Latin American business units of a multinational company. While in graduate school, Jessica was the Vice President of Curriculum for Michigan’s Net Impact chapter.

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Class of 2002
Dov Brachfeld
Senior Consultant
Enact Sustainable Strategies
Dov Brachfeld brings a balance of financial sector and environmental management practice to Enact. With training and experience as both a business manager and consultant, his work has focused on working with management teams to develop corporate responsibility goals and action plans that complement existing business strategies. Having previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Financial Institutions Group for Citibank, France and as a Researcher at Harvard Business School, he has more recently been involved in the development of sustainability performance measurement and reporting tools, greenhouse gas inventory development and implementation, as well as analysis and training on the market forces and drivers in corporate responsibility. A graduate of Columbia University, Dov also holds an MBA and a Master of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan.
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Meghan Chapple-Brown
Director, Client Services
SustainAbility
Meghan Chapple-Brown is Director of Client Services at SustainAbility, a think tank/consultancy group, working to advise on corporate responsibility and sustainable development as it relates to market risks and opportunities. Previously, at the World Resources Institute, she managed the Beyond Grey Pinstripes report as well as other projects within the business education portfolio. She has experience in corporate social responsibility from her work with The Albright Group, Ford Motor Company, and Dow on climate change, human rights, and emerging markets, respectively. She also has expertise in community development and environmental education. While at the University of Michigan, she worked on various start-up projects including a social enterprise for the Crow Indians, a green marketing plan for a Bolivian company that is a WRI New Ventures client, and a greenhouse gas emissions registry. She also conducted a new business opportunity analysis in Brazil and Argentina for Dow Chemical through the William Davidson Institute. Her interest in the social issues of sustainability led to her work on Ford Motor Company's social performance strategy in the summer of 2001. Before enrolling at Michigan, Meghan applied her Environmental Science degree from Northwestern with Public Allies in Chicago to implement economic development programs with low-income communities. She has also worked with the Illinois Chapter of The Nature Conservancy as a community outreach coordinator and a writer for public relations and fundraising efforts. In addition, she initiated a teen community environmental program for the Southeast Chicago Development Commission.

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Megan DeYoung
Senior Consultant
Corporate Citizenship Inc.
Megan DeYoung is a Senior Consultant at Corporate Citizenship Inc. She is part of the US operations, working with clients on their environmental, corporate social responsibility, and reporting activities. She has 10 years of corporate responsibility experience with both the private and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining CC, Megan worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers where she assisted clients on sustainability, risk management, and ethics projects with clients in the consumer products, food and beverage, financial services, and energy sectors. Megan also worked for Population Services International (PSI), where she developed a program for companies interested in providing HIV education to their employees and worked with PSI’s African offices to provide health products and services to underserved markets. Her other international work includes working with an ecotourism company in Peru to develop a marketing strategy and with local government in Croatia to analyze the opportunities to develop the golf industry. Megan has a Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan as well as a Bachelor of Art, with High Honors, in Sociology from Emory University. Her master thesis analyzed the effectiveness of drug access programs in developing countries. She co-authored “Insights into the Food, Beverage, and Consumer Products Industry: GMA/FPA Overview of Industry Financial Performance and Trends.”

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Tad Dritz
Independent Consultant
Tad's goal is to minimize society's adverse environmental effects by modeling business and industrial processes after natural systems. Other interests include the management challenges associated with sustainable development initiatives, strategic opportunities for environmental management and alternative energy technologies. Tad earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Ohio University in 1993. After graduation he was hired by EDG, a New Orleans area oil and gas consulting firm, to design offshore oil platforms. In 1996, Tad was selected to serve with a team of engineers to design and supervise the construction of modifications to the Tengiz petroleum plant in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. After two years in Tengiz, Tad accepted a project engineering position with Bechtel, an international leader in engineering and construction, to participate on a multi-billion dollar upgrade of Mexico's largest offshore oil field. Following his first year of the MBA/MS Program, Tad worked with Holnam, the leading U.S. cement producer, in their corporate environmental affairs department. Projects at Holnam included an investigation of sustainable development opportunities and evaluation of the prospects for air emission trading. Tad split his second summer between Battelle Memorial Institute and SustainAbility Ltd, in London. At Battelle, he worked with the Chemical Market Sector Group to evaluated the market potential of inventions and determine the best commercialization path for revolutionary chemical industry technologies. At SustainAbility, a highly respected firm specializing in sustainable development initiatives, Tad investigated the correllation between organizational learning and sustainable development. Work on this subject is ongoing with funding from the Erb Institute.

In his years at Michigan, Tad received numerous awards and scholarships including: Texaco Scholar scholarship, 3M Industrial Ecology Award and the Hermalin Fellowship to study abroad in Norway.

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Shinsuke Kodama
Project Manager
Ask.com
Before joining Ask.com , Shinsuke worked as a Senior Associate at AskJeeves. He has more than ten years IT industry experience and his enthusiasm for creating more sustainable society with the leverage of business sectors. He is interested in strategic uses of environmental and corporate information. Last summer, he worked for Ecos Technologies in NYC and conducted business analyses and designed a web based environmental knowledge management service. He also led a social enterprise database project which monitors performance of a company's social enterprise program. In summer 2000, he conducted Life Cycle Assessment of a yogurt product delivery system at the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. Shinsuke was a Senior Consultant for AVT Corporation based in Tokyo and San Francisco. He was a Project Leader of Product Design, Technology Research and Business Alliance for Recruit Co., LTD. in Tokyo. Prior that, he has five years experience in system development and management of a non-stop telecommunication system which processed 2 million transactions per day. He has been a Fellow of The Center for Advanced Engineering Study with Computer Science concentration at MIT. Shinsuke holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the Keio University in Tokyo. He is active in introducing his experiences in the MBA/MS Program in Japanese media. Shinsuke published several articles in Japanese publications.

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Matt Roman
Environmental Affairs Manager
Visteon Corporation
Matt received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and joined Ford Motor Company's Climate Control Division after graduation. In his five years with the company, he spent time in every phase of a product's development life from design to manufacture. During that time Matt has tried to initiate awareness of sustainability and resource consciousness including developing a recycling program at a manufacturing plant which now recycles over a half ton of waste product per month it used to throw away. In the future he hopes to initiate change in the corporate mind set to include sustainable growth and natural resource preservation as part of the end decision instead of an element to consider.

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Samantha Sturhahn
Social Responsibility Consultant
Samantha Sturhahnwas formerly an independent corporate social responsibility consultant working for Chipotle Mexican Grill, a quick-service restaurant offering naturally-raised pork, chicken and beef and pursuing other socially responsible programs with suppliers and in its restaurants. Previously, Samantha was a Senior Manager within the Social Responsibility Department at McDonald’s Corporation. In this position, she coauthored the company’s second social responsibility report, drafted McDonald’s global antibiotics policy, and helped to lead the Socially Responsible Food Supply Initiative, a pilot project to measure progress toward environmental goals among key suppliers. Samantha spent the summer of 2001 as an Associate with Deloitte Consulting working on a strategic planning project in the Financial Services sector. During summer 2000, Samantha performed market and financial analyses to support the commercial licensing activities of the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and contributed to the design of a network of business incubators assisting clean energy companies. Samantha graduated from Yale University in 1995 with a B.A. in Political Science and a focus on global conservation issues. During 1996, she worked with Conservation International in Madagascar, helping to launch local community development and ecotourism activities tied to the conservation of a complex of protected areas. Upon return to the U.S., Samantha became the Program Coordinator for Conservation International's projects in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa, managing two multilateral-funded conservation and enterprise development projects, serving as the liaison between the field, U.S. headquarters, and public and private sector stakeholders, and helping to develop corporate partnerships and in-kind support.
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Jed Van Dyke
Chief Financial Officer
The Van Dyke Technology Group
Jed Van Dyke is currently the CFO of a small information technology consulting firm. Jed is interested in integrating sustainability into corporate strategic thinking and planning. He intends to focus on the development of mechanisms that shift sustainable business practice from a perceived burden of responsibility to an economically viable and attractive business solution. Jed spent this past summer with Deloitte Consulting in Chicago, Illinois. His primary projects were development of a five-year strategic plan for a local Chicago non-profit organization seeking to limit the number of killings in Chicago and development of a consolidated cost allocations system design for two merging insurance providers. Jed spent the summer of 2000 with the Calvert Group, a socially responsible investment firm located in Bethesda, Maryland. For Calvert, Jed performed an analysis of the social, environmental, and financial performance of and trends within the biotechnology industry as part of the development and launch of a new technology fund. Prior to the MBA/MS Program, Jed earned a Bachelor of General Studies from the University of Michigan with a focus in Anthropology. Upon graduation, Jed worked at the World Foundation for Environment and Development (WFED), a non-profit environmental conflict resolution and consulting firm based in Washington, DC. At WFED Jed worked on the development and implementation of benefits-sharing contracts between private sector research groups and the U.S. Department of Interior (primarily for Yellowstone National Park). Work with Yellowstone included a fourteen-month on-site project during which Jed managed the day-to-day operations of the Yellowstone National Park research program and integrated the benefits-sharing model with the current research system.

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Jay West
Director of Health, Products, & Science
American Chemistry Council
Jay is working as a mediator for Meridian Institute, a non-profit that specializes in mediation and conflict resolution around a variety of sustainable development topics. Jay's interests lie in the connection between agriculture and specialty consumer goods, especially in the food, beverage, and timber industries. He is also interested in how globalization will affect agricultural policies and rural communities in the developing world. Jay has worked as an ozone depletion consultant for the World Bank and was an aquatic biologist for the Izaak Walton League of America. As a MBA/MS Program student he developed an organic hErbal medicine farm for the Crow Indians.

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Melissa Vernon
Director of Sustainable Strategy
InterfaceFLOR Commercial
Melissa joined Interface, Inc. in their Sustainable Operations group in October 2002. Interface is well known for it's founder and Chairman, Ray Anderson, and his path in discovering sustainability. Melissa is working on environmental issues such as measuring greenhouse gas emissions, sourcing renewable energy and carbon dioxide offsets, greening our transportation, developing an action plan to achieve our 2020 goals, and developing 'climate neutral' products. She supports the individual business units in achieving their corporate energy efficiency and renewable energy goals and in reducing the environmental footprint of Interface's products. The products include carpet tiles, broadloom carpet, interior fabrics (cubicle fabrics, chairs), architectural raised flooring. Interface is very active in the US Green Building Council.

In the summer of 2001, Melissa worked at Ford Motor Company in the Global Purchasing Planning Strategy group where she tackled both environmental and social issues as part of Ford's corporate citizenship initiative. Specifically, she worked on expanding the ISO 14001 requirement for suppliers, coordinated a Supplier Environmental Forum, and evaluated potential impacts of a Human Rights Code of Conduct in the supply chain.

In the summer of 1999, Melissa researched and wrote web pages demonstrating the environmental and economic benefits of green building for the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. In the summer of 2000, Melissa assisted the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce in the initial stages of creating a Sustainable Business Forum for the Ann Arbor area. Melissa has a B.S. in marine biology from Duke University. Prior to entering the University of Michigan, she worked at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL, and, as an AmeriCorps volunteer for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, coordinating a volunteer stream-monitoring program for 11 counties in the Chicagoland area.
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Class of 2001

Carmen Baskette
Senior Manager, Corporate Development
EnerNOC, Inc.
Before going to EnerNOC, Inc. Carmen worked as a Regulatory and Policy Manager for Ecos Consulting. Ecos' San Francisco office not only supports the energy efficiency program marketing and management that Ecos is known for, but the company is also expanding their practice areas to include services related to renewable energy and demand response resources as well as energy-environment issues (e.g. carbon dioxide regulation). Prior to Ecos Consulting Carmen was a Consultant at Energy and Environmental Economics (E3), a San Francisco-based consulting firm specializing in engineering and economic solutions for the electric industry.
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Luis Bravo
Manager, Capital Markets Research
Interfip SAB
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Rachel Fineberg Sylvan
US FoodService
Rachel was formerly a Management Associate at Creative Associates International, Inc. CAII addresses urgent challenges facing societies today. Whether they are shifts in demographics, the workplace, the classroom, technology, or the political arena at home and abroad, CAII views change as an opportunity to improve and helps clients turn transitional environments into a positive force – an impetus for creating more empowered and effective systems and institutions.
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David Gard
Energy Program Director
Michigan Environmental Council
David directs the Michigan Environmental Council’s energy program. He advocates in multiple policy arenas for cleaner, more efficient energy systems, focusing on both stationary and mobile sources. One objective is to highlight the burdens associated with fossil fuel dependence: human illness, damage to natural systems, lost economic opportunity, and geopolitical instability. While completing the MBA/MS Program, David earned a Manufacturing Concentration through the Tauber Manufacturing Institute. As a Research Associate with the Center for Sustainable Systems, he wrote a Master's Thesis that was later published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology. David holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University. Upon graduation, he served with the U.S. Navy on a ship based in Norfolk, Virginia.

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Andrew Horning
Managing Director, Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise
University of Michigan
Drew oversees all operational, financial and marketing matters for the Institute and has responsibility for strategic planning efforts and the successful execution of high-priority initiatives. He also regularly advises graduate students with regard to academics and career direction. Mr. Horning came to the Erb Institute in 2002, after serving as Market Development Manager with DTE Energy, where he focused on the commercialization of clean and renewable energy technologies, such as fuel cells, photovoltaics and wind power. He also worked for several years as a wealth manager in the financial services industry, spending most of that time with the Merrill Lynch Private Client Group. Drew received his MBA and MS degrees from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources and Environment. He also holds a B.S. in Business Economics from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. Drew presently serves on the Board of Advisors for Greenopolis.

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Matthew Johnson
Director of Business Development
Gaia Power Technologies
Matt works as Director of Business Development for Gaia Power Technologies, an energy technology company located in New York City. Gaia has developed a modular energy storage device which can provide demand reduction, backup power and renewable integration for residential and commercial customers. Matt's work includes strategy development, direct sales, development of strategic partnerships, and management of government R&D contracts. Prior to moving to Gaia, Matt was Assistant Vice President for Electricity and Distributed Generation at Sentech, a clean energy consultancy based in Washington, D.C.. As a MBA/MS Program student, Matt's projects included a valuation and market assessment of cogeneration power plants in Romania, and development of an environmental marketing strategy for the Westvaco Corporation.

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Sangeeta Labhsetwar Ranade
Senior Program Associate & Manager Faculty Networks,
Center for Business Education
The Aspen Institute
Sangeeta is a manager and senior program associate at the Aspen Institute in the Business & Society Program. Before joining Aspen, Sangeeta was a director with RSe Consulting, a strategy consulting firm in London, England. Prior to moving to London Sangeeta worked with Starbucks Coffee Company as an environmental affairs specialist where she managed waste, energy, and water conservation initiatives across all North American stores. While in the MBA/MS Program, she interned with an organization in Cape Town, South Africa to develop a strategy to attract foreign investment and create South African jobs. For her second internship, Sangeeta developed a corporate social responsibility strategy for Ford Motor Company of Australia. Sangeeta received a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University. Upon graduation, Sangeeta worked as an Analyst for Mercer Management Consulting.

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Jeff Manternach
Vice President, Finance
Pacific Ethanol, Inc.
Jeff joined PEI in June 2003 and is primarily focused on financing the company's capital projects. For his first year at PEI, Jeff served as CFO of the company, performing the complex accounting functions of the rapidly growing business. Prior to joining PEI, he was a financial consultant at Pacific Resources and focused on controllership projects. Jeff received his MBA with Distinction and an MS in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan.
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Asako Nagai
CSR Manager, Corporate Social and Environmental Affairs
Sony Corporation
Asako is responsible for producing the annual Environmental Report for Sony Corporation. She challenges environmental and social practices in Sony through the stakeholder relations committee, which is cross-functional group within the organization. Asako graduated from Sophia University in 1992 with a BA in Management. Before enrolling in the MBA/MS Program, she worked as a Project Manager with IntErbrand Japan, Inc., a marketing consulting firm. Her work at IntErbrand included marketing and brand strategy development for clients in multiple industries and cross-functional team management with client companies.

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Alan Phipps
President
Phipps Associates, Inc.
Alan is President of Phipps Associates, Inc., an environmental strategy and performance consulting firm based in Massachusetts. Before founding Phipps Associates, Alan was a Policy Analyst at the Product Stewardship Institute at UMass, where he focused on product stewardship of electronics.

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Elyse Steiner
Clean Air Markets Division
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Elyse joined EPA’s Clean Air Markets Division in 2006. She works on market-based cap-and-trade programs that reduce emissions from stationary sources—mainly in the power sector. She has also been involved with EPA’s voluntary climate change programs such as ENERGY STAR. Formerly, she was an energy analyst in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Washington, DC office supporting a variety of renewable energy modeling projects for the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Elyse has earned a BA, MBA, and MS from the University of Michigan.
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Class of 2000

John Cunningham
Co-founder and Partner
Innoventures LLC
Innoventures is a product and business development firm dedicated to bridging the gap between research and business to quickly bring beneficial products and services to market.  Innoventures flagship businesses include Arbor Insulation - a spray foam insulation installer for residential and commercial construction, and Rapid BioSense - an early stage biosensor technology for bacteria & viruses.  John worked formerly as a Senior Technology Licensing Specialist with the University of Michigan's Technology Transfer Office.
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Rob Frederick
Assistant Vice President, Corporate Sustainability
Brown-Forman Corporation
Rob is leading corporate sustainability efforts at Brown-Forman Corporation, one of the largest American-owned companies in the wine and spirits business. In this role, Rob leads the company's efforts to set transformational environmental and social goals, engage with stakeholders, become more transparent, and further the business case for more sustainable operations. He previously served as Manager for Corporate Responsibility at the Ford Motor Company, where he helped to develop and implement the company's corporate citizenship strategy.

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Lewis Garvin
Management Consultant
Lewis works with medium sized companies, advising on IT decisions and setting up database applications. Previously, he was a Strategic Environmental Consultant in the Life Cycle Management group of Battelle Memorial Institute, based in Columbus, Ohio. Lewis joined the Life Cycle Management group in 2000. He led research efforts that used economic theory to characterize various stakeholder priorities for sustainable development and will address how business sustainability can be improved through public policy, stakeholder engagement, and business innovation.

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Natalie Henry
Global Product Manager, Industrial Systems - Light
Ingersoll-Rand
Natalie is currently responsible for driving IR's global strategy for Reciprocating Compressor and Air Treatment Technologies. After graduating from MIT in 1992 with a BS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, she worked for five years in General Electric's Aircraft Engines Division in Lynn, MA. During that time, she provided technical and managerial support for commercial and military engine programs. She was also a member of the Environmental, Health and Safety Team, which focused on educating the work force in order to promote healthy and safe practices in the workplace. While at the University of Michigan, Natalie pursued her interests in Finance, Organizational Change Management and Natural Resource Policy. She has had two internships with Ingersoll-Rand Company. During the summer of 1998 she developed a strategic plan for the Rotary Drill Division in Texas that helped to better align the order fulfillment process for spare parts with the needs of the customer. The summer of 1999, she worked at corporate headquarters in New Jersey in the Environmental, Safety and Health Department. As part of this experience, she developed Chemical Management Program Guidelines that have been integrated into the company's new Environmental Management System.

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Kathleen Judd
Research Scientist
Batelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Kathleen Judd is a Research Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Much of Kathleen's work focuses helping government clients to assess investments in science and technology for the energy, environmental and national security sectors. She is currently working on a multi-year project to assess the commercial viability of PEM fuel cells for the US Department of Energy. She has worked extensively with the Mexican energy sector over the past five years, including on an economic and environmental feasibility study for a proposed new R&D institute. In addition to technology planning, Kathleen does public outreach and stakeholder involvement to support R&D collaboration. Prior to joining PNNL, she worked for Conservation International to develop sustainably-harvested non-timber forest products.

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Tim Reed
Conservation Audit Manager
The Nature Conservancy
Tim is Conservation Audit Manager at The Nature Conservancy. Formerly, he was a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting. Tim graduated from the University of Chicago's History, Philosophy, and Social Science of Science Program with a concentration in Evolutionary Biology. His thesis focused on environmental ethics and their biological basis. Between 1984 and 1992, Tim was a field biologist on numerous birds and primate research projects, including extended periods in the Brazilian Amazon, the Everglades, and Kenya. Prior to graduate school, Tim worked as a Business Analyst for Deloitte Consulting, assisting Fortune 500 companies through business process re-engineering. During the summer of 1997, Tim interned at the Environmental Defense Fund's Alliance for Environmental Innovation group in New York City, consulting to a wood-recycling enterprise. In 1998, he assisted small business development and honed his non-profit management skills in South Africa as a Fellow in the Business School's African Business Development Corps (ABDC). In 1999, Tim interned in the Africa Environment group of the World Bank, analyzing financial and institutional structure of protected area authorities with the aim of improving the performance of these public agencies through the application of private sector tools and techniques.

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Class of 1999

Rob Glancy
Founder & Vice President
RateCapital Inc.
Rob is founder and Vice President of Rate Capital, a mortgage brokerage company based in Atlanta.

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Heather Lair
Mediator
Meridian Institute
Heather joined the Meridian Institute in January 2000 as a Mediator. In her tenure at Meridian, she has managed and facilitated multi-stakeholder processes focused on agricultural biotechnology, technology transfer, sustainable forestry certification, access to medicine, corporate social responsibility, and coastal zone management. While at the university of Michigan she completed summer internships with Battelle Memorial Institute's Life Cycle Management Group and Monsanto's Sustainable Development Business Sector. While at Michigan, her Master's Project focused on designing a project planning guide to assist The Nature Conservancy, electric utility partners, and developing country governments in the development and implementation of forestry-based carbon sequestration projects. Prior to attending Michigan, Heather worked as an information dissemination specialist for the US Agency for International Development's Environmental Education and Communication (GreenCOM) Project and served as a US Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras in environmental education and rural development. She is fluent in Spanish and has traveled extensively in Latin America.

In addition to her MBA/MS from Michigan, Heather holds a Bachelor of Philosophy from Miami University in Interdisciplinary Studies. While at Michigan, she was the recipient of an EPA "STAR" (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship, one of 100 environmentally focused graduate students nationwide to receive this honor.

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Ryan Waddington
Director
ZBI Ventures
Ryan is a Director at ZBI Ventures, the private equity arm of Ziff Brothers Investments, LLC (ZBI). ZBI is a multi-billion dollar private investment firm that manages the assets of the Ziff family, formerly of Ziff-Davis publishing. ZBI Ventures invests in energy assets and technology companies with a primary focus on unconventional oil and gas, biofuels, solar and other carbon-favored energy sources. Before joining ZBI, Ryan was Director of Venture Services for NextEnergy, a non-profit corporation founded to advance the alternative energy technology industry in the State of Michigan . There he developed and managed Michigan's only business accelerator program and seed fund focused exclusively on alternative and clean energy technologies. Prior to joining NextEnergy, Ryan spent over six years at DTE Energy Company (NYSE: DTE) where he identified, evaluated and managed clean energy technology investments in DTE Energy's $100 million corporate venture capital fund (DTE Energy Ventures), as well as managed several advanced energy technology demonstration projects. Ryan has also worked as an environmental engineer, and co-founded a start-up company, GetOutdoors.com.
Ryan earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He also earned an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where he participated in the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise.
Ryan currently serves on the Board of ZBI Ventures' portfolio company Advent Solar and the External Advisory Board for the Erb Institute. Ryan has lectured and taught courses on energy and energy technology at the University of Michigan.
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Class of 1998

Brian Brenton
President
Brenton Consulting
Brian is the President of Brenton Consulting. He was formerly a Senior Manager in Deloitte Consulting's technology strategy practice, where he focused on large-scale manufacturing clients. At Deloitte, he worked with a wide range of corporate clients to assist in the development of technology strategies based on the latest industry trends and market conditions. Much of Brian's work has focused on designing and building enterprise architecture solutions to support web access to legacy data through the use of commercially available middleware.
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Kevin Greiner
President and CEO
Gas South, LLC
Kevin Greiner is President and CEO of Gas South, a leading provider of natural gas and energy services in Georgia's deregulated natural gas market. Gas South serves over 160,000 residential, business, and governmental customers, and has annual revenues of approximately $250 million. Gas South was formed as part of an acquisition of Southern Company's natural gas unit in early 2006.
From 2002 through 2005, Kevin held management positions at two Southern Company divisions. In 2004 and 2005, he was Director of Marketing for Southern Company Gas. From 2002 - 2004, he was General Manager at Southern Company Energy Solutions, responsible for that division's build-own-operate energy projects and its energy information services business lines.
From 1998 - 2002, Kevin worked in various sales & marketing roles at Enron Energy Services. He spent two years in Frankfurt, Germany helping to build Enron's retail energy businesses in Europe, and is a fluent German speaker.
Kevin taught an Erb Institute course on the energy industry in Winter 2003. He is an Erb Institute alum, having received his MBA and MS from the University of Michigan in 1998. He also holds a BA from Wesleyan University.
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Claudia Harner
Program Officer, Commercialization & Corporate Partnerships
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
Claudia is a program officer at the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) in Seattle, Washington. PATH is an international, non-profit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to improving the health of women and children. PATH identifies, develops, and applies appropriate and innovative solutions to public health problems, particularly in low-resource settings. Founded in 1977, PATH has managed over 950 projects in 100 countries. In all its activities, PATH collaborates with public- and private-sector partners, including community groups, nongovernmental organizations, commercial enterprises, ministries of health, and international agencies. PATH's headquarters are located in Seattle. Additional offices are located in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, Thailand, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Washington, D.C. Claudia's major responsibilities are business planning, marketing, and commercialization. Her primary areas of focus are the Ultra Rice(tm) team and the Health Technologies team, where she conducts market research; identifies public- and private sector partners; implements strategies to transfer technology in developing countries; negotiates licensing and technology transfer agreements; and manages intellectual property issues. Current assignments take her to Brazil, India, and Indonesia on a regular basis.
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Chuck Hornbrook
Senior Manager, Customer and Solar Generation
Pacific Gas & Electric

Chuck is the Senior Manager for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Customer and Solar Generation group.  His organization manages the California Solar Initiative as well as the Self Generation Incentive Program focusing on fuel cells and small wind.  Before joining the customer generation group, Chuck was part of the Sustainable Communities program at PG&E focusing on working with communities to reduce their carbon footprint through energy efficiency and renewable generation.  Prior to PG&E, Chuck was the World Wide Director for Support Services at Electronics For Imaging, a technology company primarily focused on providing software and hardware solutions for the printing industry. While at EFI, Chuck worked in areas of operations, finance, M&A, marketing and change management. During his time at EFI, Chuck had the opportunity outside of work to consult for the California Wilderness Coalition through a NetImpact Pro Bono consulting project, work full time for 8 weeks on the John Kerry for President Campaign in Seattle Washington and volunteer in providing disaster response services in Java, Indonesia (2006) and Mississippi (2005).

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Elizabeth Maclin
Eastern Conservation Director
Trout Unlimited
Elizabeth leads TU’s eastern conservation efforts, working from Georgia to Maine to protect, reconnect, and restore habitat for eastern brook trout. Prior to joining TU, she spent eight years at American Rivers developing and implementing the organization’s dam removal and river restoration programs. Elizabeth received a B.A. in biology from Colby College in 1993 and an M.B.A. and M.S. in natural resource policy from the University of Michigan in 1998. She grew up in northern Virginia, but spent as much time as possible hiking, fishing, and skiing on her grandparents’ farm in western Massachusetts

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Todd Ongaro
Free Lance Web Designer
 
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Robyn Roberts
Full-Time Mom
Robyn currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1998 - 2000, Robyn worked at Enron Corp., in the water and global finance divisions. Since leaving Enron, she has enjoyed working as a stay-at-home Mom in Frankfurt, Houston, and Atlanta.

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Dan Skeeters
President
Sperry Van Ness Skeeters & Associates
Originally from Radcliff, Kentucky, Dan is a 1991 graduate of VandErbilt University and holds MBA and MS degrees from the University of Michigan. The former Director of Investment Services for the Harry K. Moore Company (Louisville, KY), Dan has over ten years of real estate industry experience. Dan's local market knowledge and expertise combined with Sperry Van Ness®'s extensive research capabilities ensures that local buyers and sellers will receive world-class real estate investment services throughout Kentucky.
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Class of 1997

Jeff Bernicke
Vice President, Business Development
DTE Biomass Energy, Inc.
Jeff is vice president of business development, DTE Biomass Energy, Inc. He is responsible for all business development and acquisition activities, including joint development and financial analysis and has more than 15 years experience in business development and finance in the energy, clean technology, and manufacturing sectors. Prior to DTE Biomass Energy, Jeff worked at DTE Energy Resources in the Growth Strategies and Mergers & Acquisitions group supporting non-regulated strategy development and acquisition activities. Prior to joining DTE Energy, he led the business development activities of the Cleantech Venture Network where he worked with early stage energy and technology companies to obtain venture-backed financing. Jeff's experience also includes strategy and finance consulting with Marakon Associates in energy, manufacturing, and clean technology. He was formerly Senior Associate for Growth Strategies and M & A at DTE Energy Resources. In 2000-2001, Jeff worked for the Energy and Environmental Capital Network helping clean technology companies obtain Venture Capital Financing. Unfortunately, the economy in 2001 dampened their efforts, and Jeff moved into a strategy and M&A position with DTE Energy Resources which includes many of the non-regulated businesses of DTE Energy.
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William Burnidge
Grasslands Project Director, Colorado Field Office
The Nature Conservancy, Colorado
William formerly managed the Sustainable Conservation Program for the United States Business Council for Sustainable Development. His primary work was to improve Agriculture Department programs to create incentives for landowners to afforest flood-prone croplands in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and to leverage private investment in afforestation. This project was designed to afforest 70,000 acres in the Mississippi