D’Artagnan Scorza

D’Artagnan Scorza is the current Executive Director of The Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI), which is dedicated to advancing social justice by empowering communities through education, training and programs that help to address their needs. They currently do this through their academic, food and environmental justice initiatives where they offer trainings, workshops, programs and resources to meet the community’s needs. They provide on-campus literacy programs and college preparatory education. We also operate community gardens and orchards that provide a direct link to healthy food to our community members. D’Artagnan Scorza entered UCLA in 1998 as a graduate of Morningside High School in Inglewood, CA. His studies were interrupted immediately following the events of September Eleventh, when he decided to join the U.S. Navy and became an Iraq-War Veteran. In April of 2006, he returned to UCLA to resume his studies and became a McNair Undergraduate Research Scholar where he developed curriculum for culturally relevant for African-American male youth and worked to reduce recidivism, imprisonment and death rates in the community. He was appointed as a representative on the Chancellor’s Enrollment Advisory Committee, served as a participant in the Alliance for Equal Opportunity in Education (AEOE) and the UCLA Task Force on African American Enrollment which helped to increase enrollment from 96 African-American students in 2006 to 213 African-American students in 2007.

Kabira Stokes

Kabira Stokes is the owner of Isidore Electronics Recycling, an electronics recycling social enterprise in Downtown Los Angeles. Kabira recently completed a Master of Public Policy at SPPD, with a focus on Justice System Reform and Environmental Governance. Prior to her Masters degree, Stokes Hochberg worked with local – as well as international – non-profits, and then in city government. While in school, she works with Green For All, a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

Kabira previously served as field representative for Echo Park and Atwater Village. She worked with community groups and individual constituents to improve quality of life and public safety in these two amazing Eastside neighborhoods. She is also the Arts Deputy for Council District 13. Prior to working for Council President Eric Garcetti, Kabira was the Outreach Coordinator for the Robert Greenwald documentary, “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.” Before that, Kabira owned and operated a custom fashion design company. Design is indeed her trade, but it turns out that being a big civic geek is her calling. After the 2004 election, Kabira co-founded the Young Progressive Majority, a non-profit organization established to educate and empower the young artists and professionals of Los Angeles and beyond.

Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal

Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal became a lawyer because she believes in justice. Having spent a lifetime servicing the nonprofit sector on various issues – the arts, women’s rights, water conservation, human rights – Shaheen resolved that these issues cannot be fixed without the requisite energy behind it. In today’s modern times, money is probably the biggest component to the energy required, quickly followed by time and commitment. Merging her passion for social justice, her love of the law, and her entrepreneurial spirit gave birth to Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal, Esq, a boutique law firm empowering today’s social entrepreneurs to find their double bottom-line: profitability and positive social impact.

Shaheen is an experienced business and intellectual property attorney who specializes in assisting companies grow through a comprehensive legal strategy. Her practice scope includes corporate organization, general business transactions including employment and service agreements, and protecting and exploiting intellectual property through copyright and licensing deals. She also brings her decade-long business development experience to bear on clients’ business strategy needs.

Brady Hahn

Brady specializes in strategy and experience design. A matchmaker at heart, she connects people-to-people and brands-to-resources. By leveraging her background in fundraising and programming development, she consults with a variety of organizations on positioning special projects and events to ensure meaningful engagement with corporate sponsors and a targeted audience.

Since 2010, she has designed 80 partnerships and over 150 live events (including conferences, interviews, panels, parties and fundraisers). In addition, she is a regular speaker and moderator on the topics of partnership development, fundraising, prospect research, brand messaging, event planning, and women’s leadership.

To give back, she created Non Profit Effect, which partners on quarterly events focused on bringing together non-profit leaders, board members, start-up’s and brands to talk strategies and explore the role of non-profits and socially focused companies in today’s society. In her spare time, Brady loves mixing her own eco-cleaning and beauty supplies, taking photos of people, traveling to random places, and is a soon-to-be certified Atma Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master.

DeKoven Ashley

DeKoven documents diverse fieldwork in the built environment. His advocacy, community organization and real estate development experience includes national and municipal policy, innovated design-build development as well as campaign and disaster-recovery fieldwork. For thrdPlace, his key management space includes business and product development as well as community engagement.

Christian Lachel

Christian Lachel is a Vice-President and Creative Director at BRC Imagination Arts. He designs innovative, environmentally responsible projects around the world – everything from award-winning World Expo Pavilions (Shanghai Expo 2010) to 21st century museum experiences (Museum of Liverpool) to regional development projects in Germany, China and the United States. He is the first LEED accredited professional in the themed entertainment business, having designed the first LEED attraction in the world in collaboration with McDonough + Partners (The Ford Rouge Factory Tour – Dearborn, Michigan).

Christian’s signature philosophy of creating an emotional souvenir – a gift – for every guest has made him a sought-after speaker in the industry and a prolific writer for entertainment/museum/branding trade publications. He is dedicated to creating 21st century projects and attractions that combine immersive storytelling, digital connectivity and environmental integrity in order to produce happy people on a healthy planet.

Bricia Lopez

Bricia Lopez is co-owner of Guelaguetza, an authentic and traditional Oaxacan style restaurant located in the heart of Korea Town.  Guelaguetza routinely makes “Best Of” lists (including Best Mexican and Best Oaxacan), was featured on “The Martha Stewart Show” and has earned accolades in publications ranging from GQ to the New York Times. Most recently she was chosen one of LA Weekly’s “Best of LA ” in their annual People Issue. The “Sweet Bricia” cocktail made Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jonathan Gold’s 2011 55 Essential Cocktails list. She has participated in several food and spirits panels discussing authenticity in Mexican cuisine and mezcal’s influence in mixology and in today’s spirits market.  Bricia is currently working with GOT MILK on a summer Licuado campaign targeting the Hispanic market where she serves as a spokesperson mixing Oaxacan influenced ingredients with Milk for the perfect summer Licuado.  She is a founding member and sits on the board for The Taste of Mexico Association in Los Angeles.  She is also a founding member of the National American Alliance emerging leader program for the Los Angeles chapter.

Peter Bonfante

Peter Bonfante and his law partners bring years of major international law firm experience (Paul Hastings, Latham & Watkins, White & Case) to their boutique law firm, Bonfante Steinbeck Dentino. Together, the firm’s lawyers combine their knowledge of corporate finance, capital markets, venture financing, intellectual property, technology transactions, complex tax issues and regulatory and privacy issues to serve as a single point of contact for their clients’ legal matters.

Peter takes great pride in his social enterprise legal practice, working with both non-profit and cause-based, for-profit companies and social entrepreneurs. Peter recognizes that enterprises can be profitable and also drive positive social change and routinely supports his clients by designing appropriate legal structures that fit each client’s purpose, which may include certified B Corporations, L3C’s or traditional entities. Peter’s 501(c)(3) clients, in particular, can attest to the importance of the firm’s carful tax planning and IRS compliance counsel. Peter also counsels his clients on their cause-based marketing campaigns and assists commercial co-venturers with state registration and disclosure requirements. Peter shares his clients’ commitments to making sustainable and meaningful changes in the communities that they serve and is proud to contribute legal acumen to their causes.

Shivani Siroya

Shivani is currently the CEO and Founder of InVenture. InVenture’s vision is to provide a standardized global credit scoring for anyone with a mobile phone thereby revolutionizing the financial services sector in emerging markets.

She has a wide array of professional experiences in global health, microfinance, and investment banking. Prior to InVenture she worked health costing at UNFPA and Mergers & Acquisitions at Health Net and Citigroup.

She is a 2011 Echoing Green Fellow and 2011 Unreasonable Institute Fellow. She is also a blogger for the Huffington Post, and on the peer board of ReWork and the LA Chapter of Young Women Social Entrepreneurs. Shivani holds a M.P.H in Health Economics and International Policy from Columbia University and a B.A. in International Relations from Wesleyan University.

Carrie Norton

Carrie Norton is Founder and President of Green Business BASE CAMP, a global immersion training program and on-line education platform for early stage green business and clean tech entrepreneurs.  Carrie’s broad expertise in sustainable business and entrepreneurship has evolved as strategic career choices allowed her to appreciate a range of perspectives, starting with her positions at Garage Technology Ventures and Idealab.  Most recently, Carrie served early-adopting clients such as Google, Sony, and British Telecom as a senior executive responsible for Market and Project Development in the commercial solar power industry.  Carrie is a Catto Fellow of the Aspen Institute, Class of 2010. She co-founded the Sustainable Business Council of Los Angeles, and her community leadership also includes work with Grid Alternatives, the Clean Economy Network, and Net Impact. An adjunct Faculty member at the Graziadio School of Management at Pepperdine University, Carrie earned an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA from Trinity University.  Carrie speaks frequently on topics related to innovation & entrepreneurship, clean tech, and triple bottom line investing.

Sean Arian

Sean Arian is founder and President of Eos Consulting, a consulting company focusing on the space where clean technologies, economic development and public policies intersect. For the past three years, Sean was the Director of Economic Development for the Mayor of Los Angeles. In that role he was responsible for advising the Mayor on his strategy to build the green economy in Los Angeles including the development of LA’s Clean Technology Corridor and Cleantech LA, a partnership with the region’s premier academic institutions. He also led the Mayor’s team that implemented the Clean Trucks Program at the Port of Los Angeles, a policy that resulted in an 80% reduction in truck emissions while promoting the use of new clean transportation technologies.

Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Sean worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. A native of Los Angeles, Sean earned his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, and a bachelor of arts from the University of California at Berkeley. Sean served as a Fulbright scholar in Buenos Aires, Argentina focusing on strengthening the rule of law, and as a Japan Foundation fellow in Yokohama, Japan. He is a member of the California Bar.

Betsy Densmore

Betsy Densmore is Founder and President of Academies for Social Entrepreneurship. Formerly an officer with the Social Enterprise Institute, she has worked with hundreds of non-profit organizations on how to grow mission-related earned income ventures and improve their business acumen. She is also a popular workshop leader on leadership and organization development.

Betsy is an entrepreneur herself, having founded and managed two hospitality businesses, an insurance agency and two nonprofit organizations.  Most recently, she worked for six years as a program leader at a global personal development organization. Her career has also included running a community foundation for ten years, managing an energy services social enterprise, serving as the Manager of Consumer and Community Affairs for a Fortune 500 retailer, and helping to manage a county social services department.

Daniel Villao

Daniel is currently the Director of the California Construction Academy at the UCLA Labor Center, where he is guiding research and analysis of issues facing the construction industry in the new green economy. He previously served as a council representative for the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. Since 2008 Daniel has served as managing director of Intelligent Partnerships, a consulting group specializing in business development and labor management relations in the public and private sector. He remains focused on bringing diverse interest groups together in order to create policy on innovative green construction and creating long-term opportunities around the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  In 2010 Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis appointed Daniel to the national Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship. He holds a BS, BA, and an MBA, and serves on a variety of boards and committees.

Griff Foxley

Griff recently completed his MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. He is also head of Sales, Marketing and Operations of Lone Mountain Cattle Company, a family-run Fullblood Wagyu ranch producing exquisite, sustainably raised Fullblood Wagyu beef. His mission is and has been to learn the art, science and practice of sustainability in order to bring about more equitable and ecologically sound business practices and behavior. He strives to learn continually, in the hopes of inspiring people, challenging the status quo, usurping tired systems, promulgating progressive ideals and encouraging the construction of sustainable systems.

Catherine Geanuracos

Catherine Geanuracos is the founder of New Economy Campaigns.  A pro-social strategy consulting firm, New Economy Campaigns leverages technology, entertainment, and media to create global movements that respond to the most urgent social and political issues of our time.  Catherine has worked on progressive politics (MoveOn.org), climate change (Live Earth), childhood obesity (Power Rangers emPOWER), plastic pollution (TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch) motherhood and family policy (MomsRising.org) and girls’ education (10×10).  She’s a member of the advisory boards for Zimride/Carpool on Facebook, Social Media Week, the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, BetaTraffic, and CicLAvia.

Gregory Wendt

Gregory Wendt is a Senior Wealth Advisor at Stakeholders Capital. Greg advises clients who want to align their wealth through investments that reflect their priorities and concerns for a better world. Greg is one of only a handful of Sustainable Investing experts in Southern California with over 19 years of experience as a financial advisor. Mr. Wendt is also the co-founder of the non-profit “Green Business Networking,” a community of over 3,500 green business owners and professionals in Los Angeles and founder of the annual conference “LA Regional Green Economy Think Tank Day.” A native of Southern California, Greg has lived in Santa Monica for 27 years.

Uyen Le

Uyen Le is the Research Director for the California Construction Academy (CCA), a project of the UCLA Labor Center. Uyen conducts research, advises stakeholders, and develops programs on topics related to green jobs, energy efficiency retrofits, apprenticeships, and project labor agreements (PLAs).  Her most recent report analyzes the workforce implications and impacts of “deep green” comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits as compared to basic weatherization. Uyen is also a research affiliate at the Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Prior to working with the CCA and the CoLab, Uyen had four years of experience working with Vietnamese American communities on community-based planning, economic development, and housing advocacy. Uyen worked in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina as a Dan Than fellow for the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA). Following her fellowship, Uyen continued to provide consulting services to Gulf Coast communities in the areas of market analysis, industry analysis, and small business development. Uyen graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a Masters degree in city planning, and from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelors degree in Political Science.

David Levy

David is currently working as VP, Strategy and Development for PAX Scientific. PAX Scientific is an engineering research and product design firm. Their understanding of natural fluid flow allows them to design industrial equipment and other technologies that are highly efficient and innovative. They then license these designs to manufacturers in a variety of industries. Previously he was a Summer Associate at Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management. Board President and Co-Founder at Young Progressive Majority and Owner at Threshold Music LLC.

Karen Levanthal

Karen Levanthal is the Founder & CEO of Social Enterprise Rising, which helps socially responsible start ups grow a customer base by connecting them with citizens and business partners who care. She is also the Director of the Tarjan Center Service Inclusion Project (TCSIP) and she sees her role as Catalyst, Community Organizer, and Insight Generator. The Tarjan Center Service Inclusion Project, through grantmaking, coalition development, evaluation, and training and technical assistance, creates communities where everyone can serve. TCSIP has successfully delivered on $1.75 million in grants and contracts related to the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in service and volunteerism.  

Karen holds an M.S. in Community Development from the University of California at Davis and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester. She is an AmeriCorps*VISTA alumnus and former AmeriCorps outreach consultant. She has a background in training and program management. The Service Inclusion Project combines some of her major interests, including: inclusive communities, public service, and the collaborative process. In her off time, she is a creative writer and fitness enthusiast.

Alex Lightman

Alex Lightman is an author, entrepreneur, and futurist, who has made significant contributions to the adoption of IPv6, served as CTO of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization, and has authored several books on technology and society. Alex served as Executive Director of Humanity+ from August 2009 until July 2010, and writes extensively for h+ magazine. He is a director of Fortune Nest Corporation (Bahrain, Beijing and Beverly Hills, CA) and of Inova Technology.

He is an award-winning educator, an inventor with several US patents issued or pending and the author of over 800,000 words, including 12 articles in h+ magazine, and Brave New Unwired World: The Digital Big Bang and The Infinite Internet, the first book on 4G wireless. He has advised NATO, the US Department of Defense, and a number of governments on Internet Protocol version 6, the 128-bit successor to the current Internet, IPv4. Alex studied Civil and Environmental Engineering, graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983 (Course I-A), and attended graduate school at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Valerie Velazquez

Valerie has worked in the non-profit field in the areas of community and youth development for 6 years. She has also worked as a free lance writer focusing on arts & music. Recently she began an M.A. program in Social Entrepreneurship. She currently works as a Project Associate for Synergies in Sync/iWe (a social entrepreneurship capacity building org) which involves consulting, identifying talent and developing blog content AND developing an idea to grow a network of activists and artists that will bring media and arts resources to marginalized communities worldwide. She also travels to Haiti to work on a project on photography, visual arts, and writing therapy with teen girls.

Michael Polier

Michael has spent the last 10 years working in Film, Television & New Media.  As an Assistant Editor he worked on such films as Iron Man I & II, Couples Retreat, and Cowboys & Aliens.  He edited the web series “Satacracy 88″ which won an Emmy for Outstanding Broadband Program and was nominated the following year.  He produced the feature length film “Debating Robert Lee” and, most recently, the short film “Stupid Questions.”  He is currently bringing all of his knowledge and expertise to The Audition Studio. The Audition Studio is a luxury, top of the line facility equipped with professional gear. He hopes to use his time, money and influence to positively impact our world by working within the following fields: Green Energy, Entertainment, International Banking/Finance, Particle Science and more.

Suzanne O’ Brien

Suzanne O’ Brien is Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for African Leadership in Business. The Foundation for African Leadership in Business offers fellowships to African citizens for completion of an International MBA. Suzanne graduated cum laude from Iowa State University and holds an International MBA degree from IE Business School.  She has worked in international higher education for four years, gaining experience in partnership development, working with universities throughout the U.S., the Asia Pacific region and Europe.

Andy Sternberg

Andy Sternberg is a digital strategist and online journalist with more than a decade’s experience directing multimedia content programs, online marketing, and social media campaigns. He currently works as a digital media consultant both independently and with the support of top boutique agencies. Recent clients include Google, Fundly, and a partnership between Waze and KABC. Andy is associate editor for the top Los Angeles cityblog, LAist and also blogs for KCET, the largest independent public television station in the U.S. Andy received a Master’s Degree in Online Journalism from USC Annenberg in 2007. While working toward his Master’s, Andy spent weekends as a content producer for Yahoo! News and blogged about local news and media issues for LAist. As VP of Digital for Live Earth, he built global campaigns to raise awareness of the most critical environmental issues of our times, coordinating content and social media strategies and developing messaging for corporate and nonprofit partners as well as artists and celebrity spokespeople.

Vikram Jadhav

Vikram is the Managing Director of Crux Objectives a full-service consulting firm providing strategy consulting, capacity building, and technical assistance to for-profit, non-profit, government, community based and philanthropic organizations.  With over ten years of professional experience, Crux Objectives offers expertise and innovation in designing, implementing, evaluating and sustaining progress within organizations working within the economic, social, and environmental sectors.  He has diverse project experience in organizational strategy, management consulting, and financial analysis.

Doug Campbell

Doug Campbell is Founder of Syyn Labs which was formed in 2008 by a group of creative engineers who twist together art and technology. We find fun solutions to unique challenges and build interactive installations that encourage strangers to play together. He is also the Co-Founder of Mindshare, a monthly event that bring a ~400 diverse people together for a night of inspiration and interaction. The cornerstone of the night is a curated program of short, equally diverse presentations. There is food, and open bar and always new creations from the great brains of Mindshare Labs; they showcase projects that encourage social engagement and make people consider their relationship with technology, and each other. He is also the Co-founder of ProjectFresh centered around building community, sharing inspiring ideas, showcasing fascinating characters, raising awareness for global issues, and celebrating what it means to be alive.

Chris Ko

Chris Ko is an Program Officer at the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Additionally, Chris Ko worked for Gina Airey Consulting and the Center for Nonprofit Management. Chris received his B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and is Phi Betta Kappa.

He is passionate about ideas to take the energy and compassion of direct service voluntarism (soup kitchens, makeovers, etc.) to support permanent housing outcomes for the homeless (volunteers can do more than hand out sandwiches).

Christine Hanson

Christine Hanson is Owner / Master Chocolatier of AF2 Chocolatiers, LLC, a chocolate confectionary specializing in handmade, bite-size chocolate fudge confections and the home of auntie fruf’s aahsome fudge. Inspired from memories of a childhood treat, and after years of traveling, tasting, and testing – all in the quest for the finest chocolate experience, Hanson became a master chocolatier and launched the business in 2009.

Hanson is also the owner/principal of CRH Communication Management. With 20+ years experience impacting the visibility and performance of diverse organizations, she delivers expert consulting, strategic planning, creative development, and adept leadership in the areas of public relations, marketing, community and public affairs, media relations, and corporate identity. Her client base has included small businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofit agencies, educational institutions, and membership associations. Previously she was Corporate Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for MCA/Universal Studios and served as Director, External Communications and Media Relations, Marketing & Communications Department, for Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Christine received a Bachelor of Science, Management from Pepperdine University.

Hanson now combines her expertise to provide consulting services to designers and food-based entrepreneurs, while at the same time creating award-winning handmade, bite-sized chocolate and chocolate fudge candies and confections.

Alex Sasayama

Alex Sasayama is a Public Affairs and Communications Advisor for NeighborWorks America. He is responsible for helping to tell the story of NeighborWorks and its network of 235 independent, community-based nonprofit organizations. Previously, Alex was a consultant for NeighborWorks helping to coordinate foreclosure intervention efforts throughout California. He developed and managed strategic partnerships, represented the organization in coalitions and networks, built capacity of foreclosure counselors and counseling agencies, conducted borrower outreach through events, and addressed the explosion of foreclosure rescue scams. Alex has over ten years of experience in community development including work as a homeownership counselor and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area at the Unity Council and the Mission Economic Development Agency. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development/Documentary Filmmaking from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA.

Alex Richmond

After graduating from Marymount Manhattan College in 2007 with a degree in Political Science, Alex spent over a year traveling the country as a field organizer working for Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign. After the campaign he moved back to Los Angeles where continued his career in campaign politics, managing an LA City Council race and an Independent campaign for US Congress. Additionally, Alex volunteered as a contributor for a local voter guide that engaged young people to participate in local politics. Alex is passionate about voter participation and is currently the executive director of Children’s Neurobiological Solutions. CNS Foundation is a 501c3 non profit that funds and facilitates scientific research that focuses on making brain repair and regeneration a reality. Unlike many non-profits, CNS is not focused on a specific condition; it is our goal to help scientists find the tools to treat and cure all childhood neurological disorders.