Matt Buck, Assistant Director
Food Alliance

Prior to joining Food Alliance in 2004, Matt served as communications director for Sustainable Northwest, a regional non-profit promoting environmentally sound economic development in communities of the Pacific Northwest. In that position he led research, writing and publication of over 100 case studies of sustainability initiatives by urban and rural businesses, community organizations and government agencies. He also conceived and organized two “Sustainability Forums,” which each drew more than 1,000 participants from across the US and internationally. Under contract with USDA Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Matt published Sustainable Agriculture: Continuing to Grow, which profiled a wide range of on-farm research and development efforts. As chair of the board of Friends of Zenger Farm, Matt has also led a successful effort to create an education center focused on sustainable agriculture and community food systems on an historic 16-acre farm property in a low-income neighborhood in outer Southeast Portland. Matt holds a B.A. degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Lewis and Clark College, and has additional experience in research and education.

Valerie Davis, Principal and CEO
EnviroMedia Social Marketing

Valerie Davis passionately speaks out about injecting ethics and authenticity into companies' sustainability programs and communications efforts. Davis and cofounder Kevin Tuerff started Tuerff-Davis EnviroMedia Inc. 11 years ago as the nation's only full-service advertising and public relations firm dedicated solely to environmental and public health campaigns. Under the EnviroMedia Social Marketing banner, the company has conducted hundreds of campaigns for corporate, government and nonprofit clients, including Dell, Green Mountain Energy, and Don't Mess with Texas. Davis and Tuerff launched Green Canary Sustainability Consulting in March 2008 to help corporations craft practical strategies that ensure they remain credible, minimize risk and reach goals in the booming green marketing world.

Jason Graham-Nye, Co-founder
gDiapers

In 2004, Jason Graham-Nye and his wife Kimberley had a grand plan...move to America from Australia and launch a new and very unique kind of baby diaper - gDiapers. gDiapers are flushable and compostable and have been in Australia since 1991. Kim and Jason were just happy customers who loved it so much, they bought the rights to the rest of the world and headed to Portland, Oregon with child and dog in tow. They now have two children, have been on the shelves in the U.S. and Canada for two years and have Julia Roberts as a customer. Along with being a new kind of diaper, gDiapers is a new kind of business. We take the "Fair Dinkum" approach to everything we do. And what is "Fair Dinkum"? It's Australian for genuine, real, honest. Come and hear some more about this new approach.

Gary Hirsch,Co-Founder
On Your Feet

Gary is the co-founder of On Your Feet (OYF), and has led programs with Nike, Warner Bros., FedEx, Intel, Saatchi & Saatchi, Mattel, and many others. He has been teaching and performing professional improv for 15 years. He has presented and taught at numerous iimprov festivals, and marketing related conferences. He is an adjunct instructor in the School of Business Administration, Portland State University. He is also a voracious doodler, illustrator and painter. (www.doodlehouse.com)

Bart Houlahan, Co-founder
bCorporation

Prior to B Lab, Bart Houlahan, 39, was CFO, COO and President of AND 1, a $250M basketball footwear, apparel and entertainment company. As the principal operator of the business, Bart joined AND 1 in its second year, when revenues totaled just $4M. Over the course of the next 11 years, Bart helped to finance, operate and scale the business to $250M in brand revenues with distribution in 85 countries world wide. AND 1 undertook a leveraged recapitalization in 1999 with TA Associates, and eventually was sold in May, 2005, to American Sporting Goods out of Irvine, CA. Before AND 1, Bart was an investment banker with Stonebridge Associates, BNY Associates, and Prudential-Bache Securities, specifically focused on providing corporate finance and merger and acquisition services to small-cap businesses ranging in size from $20M to $500M. Bart grew up in Chicago, is a graduate of Stanford University, and now resides in Devon, PA with his wife Chrissy and daughters Molly, 14, and Carly, 12

Deborah Morrison, Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising
University of Oregon

Morrison is the Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. She teaches conceptual thinking, creativity and content, portfolio, and campaigns courses from a social responsibility perspective. Prior to the University of Oregon, Deborah was the leader of Texas Creative at the University of Texas at Austin for 18 years. Her students have gone on to great careers in great agencies around the world, including TBWAChiatDay, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Wieden + Kennedy, Mother, BBH, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, DDB, Loeffler Ketchum Mountjoy, Leo Burnett, The Richards Group, GSD&M, and Fallon. She believes strong university programs should uphold the promise of developing intellect and talent for the advertising industry. Her research concerns professional creativity, social responsibility in advertising, and creative process. Importantly, she believes that good advertising can be one way to save the world. Deborah has judged regional, national, and international shows for the Addys and the One Show. Her teaching awards include Educator of the Year from the Austin Ad Federation, the Blunk Professorship at the University of Texas, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from UT. Morrison is a member of the Board of Directors for The One Club for Art & Copy in New York., the only university educator to hold that honor. She is honored to be part of the SOJC faculty.

Bobbie Parisi, Vice President of Marketing
KEEN Inc.

Bobbie Parisi has more than 20+ years of leadership experience and passion for building global brands. She is currently the Vice President of Marketing at KEEN, Inc., a leader in outdoor hybrid performance products including footwear, sock and bags.

Parisi is regarded by her peers as a savvy brand strategist and marketer. Her passion for both creativity and innovative brand programs has contributed to the growth and development of KEEN over the past 2 years. She has been the driving force behind the brand’s HybridLife positioning and “STAND”- a consumer program focused on inspiring consumers to become more personally involved with sustainability. The “STAND” program has generated significant media attention and consumer involvement since its recent launch.

Parisi’s career began in the wine and spirits industry where she spent 12 years working on notable brands such as Jose Cuervo and Smirnoff Vodka. It was her work with Jose Cuervo that got her recognition as one of Brandweek’s “Marketing’s Most Wanted” for the development of “Cuervo Nation,” an integrated marketing program. Parisi’s development and implementation of the KEEN “STAND” sustainability initiative was recently recognized by Advertising Age in their feature “Marketing 50: Fifty Sharp Ideas and the Visionaries Who Saw Them Through”.

Prior to joining KEEN, Parisi was Global Marketing Director and Board Member for four years at Doc Martens, working in both Portland, Oregon and London, England. She began her footwear career at Nike as Global Marketing Director for Nike ACG, the company’s outdoor performance brand.

Bobbie is an avid skier and enjoys hiking, traveling and snow shoeing.

Kate Peringer, Marketing Communications Manager
Hartman Group

Kate is responsible for marketing collateral, media placement and proactive public relations strategies. She strives to bring understanding and awareness to our clients through frequent participation as a speaker at industry events. She also directs her time to business development. Kate's previous marketing experience focused on the real estate industry, in which she implemented and managed online and print media campaigns to promote the company, agents and listings.

Lisa Petterson, AIA, LC, LEED® AP, NCARB
SERA Architects

Lisa’s work as a project designer / architect is focused on the development of projects with green building goals. Currently, she is working on the Kenton Living Building, a housing development designed to meet Cascadia’s Living Building Challenge. As part of her Living Building work, she is coordinating the team working on a grant whose goal is to provide solutions to the regulatory barriers preventing the achievement of Net-Zero Water.

In addition, Lisa serves as the project manager for an aquatics addition to the East Portland Community Center which is targeting a LEED Platinum rating. Lisa served as the project architect for SERA’s recently completed tenant improvement, which will be submitted as a LEED CI - platinum project. She has participated in several of the firm’s design competitions, including the recent winning entry for the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development’s GIF grant and coordinates the office’s work with the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory. She also organizes the in-office learning series “SERA thinks Green” and chairs SERA’s Sustainable Action Committee.

Lisa is a regular speaker on the subject of the Living Building Challenge and other green building topics and has been teaching design at the University of Oregon as an adjunct professor for the past ten years. Conferences and seminars she has spoken at include: LightFair 2008, Living Future 2008, Engineering Green 2007, Solar Expo 2006, the Oregon Chapters of ASHRAE and IESNA, the Office of Sustainable Development’s Green Building Program, the AIA Committee on the Environment, the Natural Step and the Corvallis City Club.

Brian Platter, General Manager of Home Delivery
Peet's Coffee & Tea Inc.

Brian Platter is General Manager of Home Delivery for Peet's Coffee & Tea Inc, a specialty coffee roaster and marketer of fresh, deep-roasted whole bean coffee for home and office. He joined the company in 2005 and is responsible for managing Peet's online, call center and catalog business as well as supporting multi-channel marketing initiatives. Prior to Peet's, Platter served as the Vice President of Product Management at Coremetrics Inc, the leading web analytics provider for online retailers. As the 6 th employee of Digital Impact, Platter served as Digital Impact's Director of Client Services and Vice President of Product Management from 1998 to 2000. Prior to 1998, Platter led product development efforts at Hewlett-Packard Company and consulting engagements at Gemini Management Consulting. Platter earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado , and an MBA from Stanford University 's Graduate School of Business. Platter serves on the San Francisco regional advisory board for Shop.org.

Linda Povey, Vice President of Strategic Consulting
NMI

Linda’s career in strategic planning, brand development, market research and marketing spans more than 20 years. Her consumer expertise includes marketing, research and consulting for such companies as The Body Shop, World Wildlife Fund, IKEA, The United Way, The Limited, and The United Nations. Linda received a B.A. in Art History and Political Science from Ithaca College and is a Professor Brand Strategy and Account Planning at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

John Replogle, President & CEO
Burt's Bees

John Replogle joined Burt's Bees in 2006 to oversee all activities and set the tone and direction for the company. He came from Unilever, where he ran the skin care division and helped to launch the Real Beauty campaign for Dove and establish the Dove Self-Esteem Fund for young girls. John's love for our products and his family both played a role in his decision to come on board. He has four daughters and says "Raising their awareness to environmental and natural product consciousness provides a very tangible benefit in my life. I just feel like this is a place where I can be my best, do great work and do some good in the process." John earned a B.A. in History from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. His upbringing in New England gave him a great appreciation for the ocean and mountains and helped him to become an avid outdoorsman. Put him on a bike, in a canoe or on a hiking trail and he couldn't be happier.

Aimee Sands, Community Marketing Manager
Annie's Homegrown

Aimee Sands is the Public Relations & Community Marketing Manager for Annie’s, Inc., with responsibility for press outreach, events, and community giving programs. She leads sampling efforts, and also dabbles in web marketing and copywriting. Prior to joining Annie’s in 2006, Sands was part of the Media Relations team at Target Corporation, handling crisis communications and media training. She has a B.A. in Communications from Lewis & Clark College. When she’s not passing out samples of Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Sands can be found cooking and baking for her friends, reading cookbooks, or hiking in Northern California.

Francesca Schuler, Vice President of Marketing
Method

Francesca Schuler is the Chief Marketing Person…Against Dirty...at Method Products, Inc. A pioneering company of premium non-toxic home care, laundry, air care and personal care products, Method was recently named one of the world’s 50 most innovative companies by Fast Company. Francesca brings over 15 years experience in marketing, branding, and strategy development. She was formerly the VP of Brand Management in Gap Inc.’s Global Marketing department, prior to which she ran their Corporate Strategy group. She was a partner at Marakon Associates, a boutique management consulting firm, where she advised both consumer and retail companies. Early in her career, Francesca held several marketing and sales positions at the E&J Gallo Winery. She holds an MBA from Wharton, a BA in Comparative Literature from Brown University, and is a board member of the Patz & Hall Winery in Napa, CA. Francesca lives in San Francisco with her husband Eric and two children, Aria and Will, who are her daily inspiration for working to rid the world of “dirty.”

Julie Sheldon Huffaker, Partner
On Your Feet

A cultural anthropologist with an MBA, Julie fell into business completely by accident. It began as a passionate affair with coffee rituals; Julie was part of the brand team driving experiential marketing at Starbucks in the early '90s, and then helped companies like Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard discover what the heck people in developing economies thought about new technology. As a partner in boutique consultancy On Your Feet, Julie now focuses on the place where business and the human spirit come together--namely, helping leaders and teams with communication, creativity and change. Julie is an insatiable traveler, a humble yoga practitioner, and a wannabe bike commuter. She finds human beings endlessly fascinating and, frankly, really quite extraordinary.

Derek Smith, Director of Operations
YOLO Colorhouse

Derek Smith comes to Yolo Colorhouse with an enviable track record of upping the sustainability profile for a bevy of well-respected local and national companies. During his seven-year tenure at Norm Thompson Outfitters, Inc., Smith served as Director of Communications and Corporate Responsibility, where he managed marketing and corporate communications and sustainability integration for the $225 million multi-channel retailer. Prior to YOLO, as a sustainable strategy consultant, Derek’s clients included Home Depot, Rejuvenation House Parts and Mercy Corps.

As Director of Operations, Smith will be integral to the growth and operations of YOLO Colorhouse as his position calls for evaluating all company activity and business decisions through the lens of the triple bottom line. These three pillars of sustainability – people, planet and profit – are central to the Yolo Colorhouse business model.

Culling from an education that combines a BS in Advertising and Mass Communications from San Jose State University, and an MBA from University of Oregon – Smith is able to ferret out good business strategy and successfully communicate it to the public. As a member of the Sustainable Development Commission for the City of Portland and Multnomah County, and former director of the Oregon Business Association, he enjoys working at the intersection of business and environment.

When not figuring out ways for YOLO Colorhouse to reduce its footprint while beautify the world, he spends painting, playing music and hiking with his wife and young son.

Susan Sokol Blosser, Founder
Sokol Blosser Winery

Susan Sokol Blosser is a co-founder of Sokol Blosser Winery in Dundee, Oregon. She and Bill Blosser were early pioneers of the Oregon wine industry, clearing the land and planting their first vines in 1971. Susan managed the vineyards from 1980-1990 and was President from 1991-2007, leading Sokol Blosser Winery to become one of the most respected and best-known Oregon wineries, with national and international distribution. Susan established herself as a leader in environmentally friendly winemaking, driving Sokol Blosser’s organic farming initiative and sustainable practices throughout the business. Sokol Blosser was the first winery certified “Salmon-Safe” when the program started in 1996, the first winery in the world to receive the U.S Green Building Council’s prestigious LEED certification in 2002, and one of very few vineyard-winery operations in Oregon to have achieved full USDA organic certification. In 2007, Sunset Magazine awarded Susan and Sokol Blosser their “Green Winery of the Year.” Her community activities (past and present) include: eight years on the Dayton School Board; a trustee of Marylhurst College; a founder and board member of the Oregon Chapter of Business for Social Responsibility; a director of the Oregon Environmental Council; a director of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; a member of the Key Bank Oregon District Advisory Board; a member of the Oregon Natural Step Board; an Oregon Trustee of the Nature Conservancy, and a member of the Oregon Women’s Forum.

Linda Tom, Field Services/Cause Marketing Manager
KEEN Inc.

Linda Tom has been with KEEN for more than 2.5 years of the company’s 5 year history. She currently manages the grass roots outreach, retail education, and giving programs at KEEN, Inc., KEEN is a leader in outdoor hybrid performance products including footwear, socks and bags. Linda contributed to the development and planning of the KEEN STAND and Hyrbid.Pedal marketing programs. She experienced the power of the STAND messaging first hand as a presenter at 22 of the 50 college campus STAND events in 2007. Linda started her career in the publishing industry. Her passion for the outdoors and giving back led the way into the marketing department at KEEN. Linda believes in living a HybridLife and is as passionate about her work at KEEN as she is about her outdoor pursuits. She is an avid skier, trail runner, surfer and yoga enthusiast.

Rob Walker, Author and "Consumed" Columnist
The New York Times

Rob Walker has written the weekly “Consumed” column for The New York Times Magazine since 2004. Part business report, part cultural anthropology, “Consumed” explores how and what consumers are responding to in today’s marketplace. The column appears in the Boston Globe and other newspapers, has been reprinted in many publications all over the world and is used regularly in design and marketing college courses.

“I’m a believer in the idea that at the end of the day the consumer is making a decision as to whether the product succeeds or fails, and what I do is to come in afterwards and try to articulate what the consumer saw or didn’t see that makes something succeed or fail.”

Eric Weaver, Vice President
Edelman Digital

Eric Weaver develops digital and social marketing strategies for Pacific Northwest clients at Edelman Digital. He helps clients leverage trust and technology to build awareness, affinity and revenue. Over the past 15 years, Weaver has helped many consumer brands take their first steps into digital marketing, including P&G, Kraft Foods, GE, RCA, Ford, Brita, BMW, Johnson & Johnson, the Mayo Clinic, and many more. A blogger, podcaster and photographer, Weaver is also the founder of several pioneering social media efforts including the Seattle Podcasting Network and the Seattle Flickrites, one of the world’s largest social photography groups.

Lynette Xanders, Founder
Wild Alchemy

Lnette Xanders is the founder of Wild Alchemy, a qualitative research and brand strategy company, working with clients and their creative agencies to help "create something amazing." An advertising agency veteran, she's worked with such respected and diverse brands as Nike, Nordstrom, Deschutes Brewery, Outward Bound, E&J Gallo Winery, the American Red Cross, Washington Mutual and Virgin. She taps 20 years of experience at respected ad shops such as DDB Seattle, Cole & Weber, BBDO Vancouver and The Richards Group.

Virginia Young, Co-founder
YOLO Colorhouse

Young, a self-professed color nerd, co-founded YOLO in 1996 originally as a paint and plaster finishes company. Her love of creating, combined with her passion for color and a drive to succeed, led her to bring to market the YOLO Colorhouse line.

In addition to co-creating the company, Young has handled a wide range of duties at YOLO Colorhouse including finance, manufacturing relations, sales, creative development and brand management. As YOLO moves into its next phase of growth, she has taken on the title Vice President of Green Development/Marketing, which reflects her desire to focus more on the creative side of the business.

A Minneapolis native, Young earned her Fine Art degree from Colorado College and went on to study graphic design at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Before starting her own custom paint company, she racked up time in the advertising world as an art director for J. Walter Thompson in New York and crafted national campaigns for household name clients such as Lubriderm, Kodak and Lipton.

Art is the thread running through both Young’s professional and personal life. As a company owner and member of the community, she sponsors and supports education that promotes the arts and sustainability.