Adam Kesselman

Senior Advisor for Sustainable Food Systems

As a Senior Advisor for Sustainable Food Systems, Adam advises on state and federal policy strategy and systems change efforts to advance fresh, local, and healthy school meals for all, and expand regenerative agricultural practices. His career has centered around cultivating a more sustainable food system and a local food culture that respects a healthy balance between people and planet, and values the craft of growing and creating memorable meals. Adam was a co-founder of Acre Gourmet, a San Francisco based sustainable food service management company that offered a first of its kind farm-to-school Real Lunch program. Later, Adam joined the Center for Ecoliteracy to take on school lunch reform in the nation’s public school system, eventually leading the organization as Executive Director when the Center co-sponsored California’s School Meals for All Act making California the first state in the nation to offer free, healthy school meals to all students. Adam has also developed healthy CPG food products, ranging from start-ups to national product launches with Trader Joe’s. He currently lives with his family in Ketchum, Idaho.

Aradhya Seth

Lead Analyst, Cigna Healthcare PGC 2018 Finalist

Aradhya currently works as a Lead Analyst with Cigna Healthcare in Chicago, Illinois. Aradhya first became a part of the Turning Green family when he was a sophomore in college in India and participated in Project Green Challenge 2018, finishing as a runner-up. He has been involved with the TG family ever since, serving as an ambassador and speaker in the following years. He came to the US in 2021 to pursue his master’s degree at the University of Illinois, and since his graduation in May 2023, he has been residing in Chicago. He credits PGC as a turning point in his life and always loves coming back, believing that PGC has the power to shape future leaders and help them identify their purpose in life.

Brian O’Connor

Teacher, AP Human Geography Colegio Nueva Granada

Brian is a passionate bilingual social studies educator that currently works at Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogota, Colombia. As an anthropologist from the University of Iowa interested in ethno botany and Latin American studies, Brian spent much time studying in Mexico and Colombia. After a few years studying abroad, teaching, and social work he entered the MAT in social studies teaching at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR. After three years teaching US and World History in Spanish in Woodburn, Oregon, Brian and his wife Marta moved back to Colombia in 2007. Brian makes sustainability part of the curriculum in his AP Human Geography and AP Seminar courses, as well as the PGC class inspired by this amazing program. Brian enjoys working at the school where his two sons attend, his wife works, and has a bio diverse campus that have inspired many student-led projects over these past 18 years here. 

Caralee Ellis

Procurement & Special Projects Manager Conscious Kitchen

Caralee graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Society and Environment and a minor in Food Systems. During her studies, she held leadership roles in multiple student organizations focused on environmental and social justice. Caralee joined Turning Green as a lead intern on the Conscious Kitchen team in 2021 and quickly advanced to a fellowship position, where she contributed to initiatives like Project Cereal and conducted a comprehensive cost analysis of organic school meals for her senior capstone project.

After wearing many hats as Program Coordinator for a year, Caralee now serves a more focused role as Procurement & Special Projects Manager. Directly supporting connections between schools and farmers to facilitate organic procurement, she manages weekly produce availability lists, coordinates direct orders, and offers general support for schools in securing fresh, local ingredients. Caralee also leads the organization of events, like the local organic culinary workshops hosted in collaboration with The Alice Waters Institute, and oversees various special projects as they develop. Organized, adaptable, and driven, Caralee is dedicated to protecting the health of the planet and all those who inhabit it.

EMI LAFOUNTAIN

Sustainability Strategy Manager, Turner Construction, PGC 2014 Finalist

Emi is a Sustainability Strategy Manager at Turner Construction, focused on standardizing sustainability programs along the West Coast and identifying and implementing policies and standards aimed towards meeting Turner’s ESG goals. Aside from having worked in construction operations, finance, and procurement roles,  she has also held corporate positions as Turner’s Embodied Carbon Program Manager and Jobsite Carbon Program Manager, where she worked to define the contractor’s role in sustainability and operationalize best practices. Emi was a founding member of the Bay Area Sustainable Construction Leaders group and is an active member of the AGC-California Advocacy Group. She holds an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering from Rice University and has a master’s in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge.

Emi was a PGC finalist in 2014.

Gabriela Nahm

Program Coordinator, Salzburg Global Seminar

Gabriela is currently a Program Coordinator at Salzburg Global Seminar in Washington, D.C. after graduating in May from Davidson College with honors in environmental studies. She has worked for Turning Green in various capacities since starting in the summer of 2021: as a communications intern, PGC Course Teaching Assistant, Turning Green Fellow, Conscious Kitchen Fellow, and most recently, as a Program Coordinator. She is a passionate, curious, and empathetic individual who cares deeply about building stronger relationships with her communities, the planet, and herself. She is eternally grateful for her journey with Turning Green that has transformed her into the person she is today, and she will continue to return whenever she can to support their deeply meaningful work. Whenever she can, she enjoys reading, connecting with people in coffee shops, and walking through Rock Creek Park.

Hannah Behrendt

Hannah has dedicated over a decade to the field of macro-level social work, specializing in advocacy, outreach, and community engagement. Passionate about sustainability, Hannah integrates a commitment to environmental impact into her personal and professional life. She believes in the power of individuals to create meaningful change while recognizing the critical role corporations and governments play in driving systemic solutions. Hannah is devoted to empowering communities to take action and championing environmental advocacy for a more sustainable future.

Jessica Hurtado-Hansel

Marketing & Communications Director, Good Earth Natural Foods

Jessica is the Marketing and Communications Director for Good Earth Natural Foods, a Marin-based grocery chain with a deep commitment to organic sourcing. She has over a decade of experience in the natural products industry, holding previous positions in both Marketing and Learning and Development at Whole Foods Market, as well as marketing roles at Revive Kombucha and Non-GMO skincare brand, Andalou Naturals. Jessica studied literature and creative writing at Sonoma State University, and uses her background in communications to tell the stories of the dedicated farmers, producers, and merchants striving to make positive change in the food system. When she’s not busy exploring new, organic products at Good Earth, she loves to read, listen to music, watch sci-fi, and spend time with her husband, Phil, and beloved cat, Ripley.

Kevin Grossman

Brand Manager, SC Johnson Lifestyle Brands

Mary Jane Chandler

Program Officer, World Wildlife Fund’s Food Waste Warrior Program

Mary Jane is currently the Program Officer for World Wildlife Fund’s Food Waste Warrior Program, leading K-12 schools across the U.S. in reducing cafeteria food waste through education and analysis. She brings 5 years of prior experience in community organizing, education, and food systems, including roles as a middle and high school science teacher in Guinea with the Peace Corps and as a community economic development liaison in Turkey. With an MSc. in Food Studies from Syracuse University, Mary Jane specializes in regional food systems, focusing on community-driven food waste reduction and recovery, food education, and advocating for regional food policies.

MISSY MARTIN

UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA Candidate, PGC 2015 Champion.

Missy is an MBA candidate and Fellow for Berkeley Haas’s Center for Responsible Business. She is currently developing a 12-city national salon dinner series focusing on community building and sustainable food systems. Previously, Missy was the Chief Sustainability Officer at Sapien Network, concentrating on areas such as novel regenerative business models, social impact through blockchain, and decentralized science. Prior to Sapien, she supported business development at circular economy platform, Loop, as well as led leadership development and mentorship programs at Tesla and the Bay Area Environmentally Aware Consulting Network. In her free time, she volunteers working on climate justice issues and also enjoys supporting her local food community. She is a former participant in Harvard’s Executives in Sustainability Leadership program as well as graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in Society and Environment. Missy is a long-time Turning Green supporter. She won PGC in 2015, interned for two years, and worked for a year as the organization’s Director of Happiness.

Nolan Zail

Founding Principal, Impact Urban

Nolan is a founding principal of Impact Urban, a real estate development company that advances innovation, sustainability and social and economic value to create positive impacts in the built environment. Nolan contributes over 30 years of experience in real estate development including design and construction, developing and re-developing residential, commercial, historic and mixed-use projects. Nolan’s mixed-use and residential development experience includes founding principal of Transform Urban (CA), Senior Vice President of Development with Carmel Partners (CA) and development manager with Santa Clara Development Co. (CA). In addition, Nolan has commercial development experience with Cushman & Wakefield (NY) and non-profit housing redevelopment experience with Common Ground Community (NY). Prior to real estate, Mr. Zail worked for award winning architectural firms on residential and commercial projects. Nolan was the Project Executive with Carmel Partners for UC Davis West Village, a 130- acre planned net zero energy mixed-use development that received the Urban Land Institute Global Award of Excellence. Nolan received a Master of Science (Real Estate) from New York University; a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Horticulture) from the University of Melbourne; and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Notable Projects include UC Davis West Village, Davis, CA; Grand Central Terminal Redevelopment, New York; Prince George Affordable Housing Redevelopment, NY and ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia.

Reese Costis

UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA Candidate, Former Bain Associate

Reese is a recovering electrical and computer engineer turned management consultant. In his time at Bain and Company, Reese has worked with conservation non-profits to drive American reforestation and with international energy companies studying global energy transition strategy. Last year, he spent six months serving as Chief of Staff for Kenya’s largest waste management company, TakaTaka Solutions. Reese is now pursuing an MBA at the University of California, Berkeley where he sits as a Student Advisory Board Member for the Berkeley-Haas Center for Responsible Business and a Board Fellow for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Ruthie Burrows

Research Contractor, Project Drawdown PGC 2012 Finalist

Ruthie recently earned her PhD in Geography from the University of Minnesota, where she was also a Population Studies Trainee in the Minnesota Population Center. Her research examines population-environment interactions, with a specific focus on the effects of climate conditions on undernutrition in low-resource settings. Prior to receiving her PhD, she was a master’s student at Johns Hopkins University, where she also worked as a researcher on food systems at the Center for a Liveable Future. She is currently a research contractor with Project Drawdown, a nonprofit committed to advancing science-based climate solutions to stop climate change. She is passionate about interdisciplinary, inclusive science addressing effects of climate change on health and wellbeing. Ruthie was a PGC finalist in 2012 and has since supported Turning Green as a challenge reader, ambassador, and mentor.

Sarah Trager

Director of Engagement and Policy, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Sarah is a mission-driven strategist, advisor, and problem solver who has worked with entrepreneurs from around the world, governments, and nonprofit organizations to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges. She is the Director of Engagement and Policy at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, loves learning from others and is excited to support this project however she can. This will be her fifth year as a PGC mentor.

Tamsin Stringer

ESG Analyst at the Gilmartin Group, PGC 2016 Champion

Tamsin Stringer (she/her) participated in and won Project Green Challenge in 2016, which jump-started her journey into sustainability and led her to intern with Turning Green in Sausalito in 2018. She majored in Environmental Studies and Economics at Bates College, where she helped the college transition to electric hand dryers, implement solar and EV chargers, and ultimately achieve carbon neutrality. During college, she developed an interest in ESG and impact investing, which led her to her current position as an ESG analyst at the Gilmartin Group in San Francisco. Her work involves helping management teams strategize their sustainability plans, writing ESG reports, and staying up to date on corporate climate disclosure regulations. She also volunteers for AHA Bolivia, a sustainable textiles organization based in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Tamsin is incredibly excited to mentor this year, knowing the enormous impact PGC can have.

Taylor Lee

Director of Sales, Patagonia Provisions

Taylor has been in the Natural Foods Industry for over a decade working with companies whose primary goal is to grow acreage for organic and regenerative organic agriculture. He currently leads Sales at Patagonia Provisions, the food and beer arm of Patagonia, whose mission is to save our home planet. Previously, he led Sales Strategy at Clif Bar & Company while leading a task force that trained and equipped the sales team to have impactful conversation around climate and clean energy with retailers to shift consumer behavior. 

Taylor graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Global Economics. He currently lives in San Francisco and spends most of his free time on the trails around the Bay Area and the Sierras. He’s passionate about building and nourishing community and is currently an active member of the ALS Network.

TRACEY WINGATE

Assistant Manager of SNAP Outreach, Greater Boston Food Bank

Tracey currently works as the Assistant Manager of SNAP Outreach for the Greater Boston Food Bank. In this role, she helps Massachusetts residents access SNAP benefits, furthering the food bank’s mission to end hunger in Eastern Massachusetts. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2018 with a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Intergroup Relations. During college, Tracey developed a passion for sustainable agriculture and its potential to mitigate climate change after studying food systems in Cuba, Alaska, and New York. In her free time, Tracey enjoys visiting farmers markets, trying new FLOSN recipes and hanging out with her two-year-old niece.  Tracey was a PGC Finalist in 2015 and has been honored to support PGC in different capacities since then as a challenge reader, ambassador and judge.