Aniket Aich
Program Manager, Conscious Kitchen
Aniket is a sustainability enthusiast with a background in food and education. Aniket started out working as a field researcher working with farmers on different agriculture projects. He has worked as a high school teacher teaching Math and Science in an underserved community in New Delhi. After briefly working as a program manager for Pratham, one of the largest NGOs in India, Aniket decided to get his master’s in development economics along with a graduate certificate in food systems. Aniket co-facilitated the Plant Futures Challenge Lab on Food Systems at the Haas School of Business, exploring the intersection of education and food systems. As a consultant, Aniket has worked with organic farms to develop sustainability metrics and programming strategies. In his free time, he loves to cook elaborate dinners.
Aradhya Seth
Lead Analyst, PGC 2018 Finalist Cigna Healthcare
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
AP Human Geography, Colegio Nueva Granda
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 ethnobotany 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 to pursue a life path for continual learning, hope, and change through working with youth. After three years teaching US and World History in Spanish in Woodburn, Oregon, social justice and student empowerment were clearly his passion. Brian and Colombian wife Marta moved back to Colombia in 2007. Brian’s passions in teaching are engaging students in social and environmental justice through climate change, sustainability and activism as he teaches AP Human Geography, AP Seminar and a new course with PGC being the central curriculum. Brian met Judi Shils in Bogota in 2011 and has been inviting students to take this incredible challenge ever since. Over his 16 years at Colegio Nueva Granada, Brian has written and taught various courses in sustainability, run our PGC and GIN clubs, organized plantings of over 250 native trees on our campus, organized multiple projects of engaging the local biodiversity of our campus and city. Brian lives with his wife and their two sons Alejandro and Benjamín in Bogotá. As a family we road trip to the far corners of this amazing country finding great wisdom and hope in its lands, cultures, and peoples.
Caralee Ellis
Program Coordinator, Conscious Kitchen
Caralee graduated from UC Berkeley where she received a B.S. in Society and Environment and a minor in Food Systems. Throughout her academic career she held leadership positions across several student organizations advocating for environmental and social justice. She started her journey with Turning Green as a lead intern on the Conscious Kitchen team in 2021 and was quickly promoted to a fellowship position where she supported key initiatives like Project Cereal and conducted a comprehensive cost analysis on organic school meals for her senior capstone project. As our Program Coordinator since 2022, she wears many hats to ensure the program’s success, such as managing the Ambassador Program, facilitating organic procurement, overseeing social media and communications, and mentoring our interns. Caralee is organized, adaptable, and driven by a deep passion for protecting the health of the planet and all those who inhabit it.
EMI LAFOUNTAIN
Sustainability Integration Manager, Turner Construction
Emi works for Turner Construction, the largest construction company in the United States. As a Sustainability Integration Manager, Emi is in charge of integrating new and existing sustainability practices into operations within Northern California by working with project teams, subcontractors, and designers to include sustainability language in contract documents. Previously, she managed the company’s embodied carbon and jobsite emissions program at the national level. She has spoken at numerous green building events, including Living Future and Greenbuild, and is an active and founding member of the Bay Area Sustainable Construction Leaders group. Emi graduated from Rice University in 2015 with a degree in Civil Engineering and is currently studying for her Masters in Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge.
Emi was a PGC 2014 Finalist.
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
Social Entrepreneur & MBA candidate, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Kevin is currently pursuing an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business where he holds a position as a Student Advisory Board Member at the Center For Responsible Business. Prior to going back to the classroom, Kevin spent over seven years working at Clif Bar, a multi-bottom line organic food company, where he held various roles ranging from managing retailers and distributors to developing product launch and channel growth strategies. Here, Kevin began to see the many challenges and opportunities facing the K-12 school food system and how organic food suppliers can reframe their business model to serve school food programs better. Kevin is eager to help rethink our existing food system to create equitable access to nutritious, organic foods in all communities.
MISSY MARTIN
Chief Sustainability Officer, Sapien Network, PGC 2015 Champion
Missy Martin is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Sapien Network, focusing on areas such as novel regenerative business models, social impact through blockchain, and DeSci. Previously, 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 with Climate Reality and also enjoys supporting her local food community. She graduated from UC Berkeley with highest distinction where she studied Society and Environment with a concentration in US Environmental Policy and Management. 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 equity to create positive impacts in urban environments. 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, Nolan has 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
Associate Consultant Bain & Company
Reese is a recovering electrical and computer engineer turned management consultant. In his time at Bain & 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.
Sarah Trager
Strategist, Advisor, Problem Solver
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 fourth year as a PGC mentor.
Tamsin Stringer
ESG Analyst at the Gilmartin Group, PGC 2016 Champion
Prior to joining Gilmartin as an ESG analyst, Tamsin worked as an intern for Promethos Capital, where she conducted ESG and fundamental research on public companies for the asset management firm’s climate resiliency portfolio. She also co-founded the Energy Solutions group at her college, where she has developed financial calculations and models of 20-year payback periods for energy efficiency initiatives and participated in board conversations around carbon neutrality.
Tamsin holds a B.A. in Economics and Environmental Studies from Bates College, where she was a member of Women in Economics and the ultimate frisbee team.
Sunny Bitner
Lewis & Clark Law School, PGC 2018 Finalist
Sunny was a Project Green Challenge Finalist in 2018, an Ambassador in 2019 and 2020, and a Fellow at Turning Green in the Summer of 2020. Sunny graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 2020, and because of her work with Turning Green, she was inspired to pursue a career in environmental law. She is now in her third year at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, and will graduate with a J.D. and a certificate in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law in Spring of 2023. Her favorite part of law school has been gaining real environmental litigation experience by working in the Earthrise Law Center’s clinic for law students at Lewis & Clark.
ILANA ZEITZER
PhD Student at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, PGC 2017 Runner Up Syracuse, NY
Ilana is a PhD student in the program of ecology, evolution and conservation at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She is pursuing research on positive plant-fungal interactions and how they impact prairie restoration. She received her MS in Ecology from SUNY ESF and her BS in biology from Dickinson College. She was the 2017 PGC second place winner and has been volunteering with Turning Green ever since. Outside of Turning Green, she was a co-founder of Re-Earth Initiative and produces multiple podcasts focused on science communication.
