WOHESC

Jessica L. Black is the Director of the Center for Indigenous Health, Culture & the Environment (CIHCE), an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies, and the Chair of the Science Department at Heritage University. Jessica earned a B.A. in Geology from Wellesley College, a B.S. in Geography from the University of St Andrews, a M.S. in Quaternary Studies from the University of Maine, and a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Colorado. In her professional career, Jessica has focused her efforts towards the overall goal of supporting diverse undergraduate students in STEM to completion of their degrees so they can transition to graduate programs and the STEM workforce, ultimately diversifying the professoriate and strengthening rural and tribal communities with skilled indigenous candidates. Jessica continues to work with her colleagues at Heritage University to infuse the B.S. Environmental Science and B.A. Environmental Studies degree programs with culturally responsive curricula, respectfully intertwining Traditional Ecological Knowledge, intergenerational learning, and experiential learning methodologies. ▾

Terrence R. (Terry) McDonald is the entrepreneurial-minded executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc. (SVdP) who has been recognized locally, regionally and nationally for innovations not just in reuse and recycling enterprises, but also for the programs that serve the disenfranchised in Oregon. Terry's passion is creating avenues out of poverty through a unique kind of reclamation: finding new uses for consumers' "useless" discards, creating new strategies and community coalitions to deal with old problems, and giving low-income and homeless people a chance to reclaim their dignity through employment and self-sufficiency. His agency operates multiple social enterprises including mattress recycling facilities, a fashion upcycling workshop, used bookstores, retail thrift stores, a used car lot, an appliance repair and recycling operation and reverse logistics contracting that aids retailers dealing with returns, and warehouse damaged materials. ▾

Michele Crim has worked in the environmental field for over 20 years. Her professional expertise in the areas of climate action, pollution prevention, environmental management systems and resource conservation led to her current position as the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Michele is responsible for leading the work of innovative and talented teams focused on climate action, sustainable development, energy efficiency, renewable energy, emerging mobility, sustainability engagement with both businesses and the community, climate resilience and adaptation, as well as recycling, composting and waste collection. Michele works to advance the integration of equity into all aspects of the city's sustainability and climate work to help ensure all Portlanders have access to the opportunities necessary to satisfy their essential needs, advance their well-being and achieve their full potential. Michele has a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Washington State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geology and Technology, and a minor in Space Studies, from the University of North Dakota.

Omar El Akkad has reported from Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and numerous other locations around the world. He is the recipient of a National Newspaper Award for Investigative Journalism and the Goff Penny Award for young journalists. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Le Monde, Guernica, and many other newspapers and magazines. His debut novel, American War, is an international bestseller and has been translated into thirteen languages. It won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers' Award, the Oregon Book Award for fiction, the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and has been nominated for more than ten other awards.

Noel Kinder is Nike's Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). As the CSO, Noel leads Global Sustainability, a team committed to protecting our planet to maintain an environment where all athletes can train, live and thrive. Prior to becoming the CSO, Noel was the Vice President of Sustainable Manufacturing and Sourcing, where he was responsible for collaborating with Nike Inc.'s business units, contracted factory leadership, representatives in academia and within the NGO community on the evolution of the company's sustainable business performance policies. Noel joined Nike in 1999 and has held a wide range of leadership positions in the footwear and apparel divisions as well as roles in strategic planning and finance. In 2013, Noel became the General Manager of Nike Vietnam LLC, one of Nike's largest sourcing countries, and was responsible for all manufacturing operations. He has worked with a wide range of manufacturers; from textile and apparel production in Sri Lanka and Eastern Europe to footwear manufacturing in Brazil and throughout Asia. ▾

Mitchell Thomashow is a writer, teacher, and former university president. He is the author of "Ecological Identity, Bringing the Biosphere Home", and "The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus", all published by The MIT Press. His new book, to be published (also by The MIT Press) later in 2020 is "To Know the World: Why Environmental Learning Matters (Now More than Ever)". Mitchell was the Chair of the Environmental Studies Department at Antioch University New England from 1976-2006 and the President of Unity College from 2006-2011. Between 2012-2017 he was the Director of the Presidential Fellows Program at Second Nature and then a Catalyst Fellow at Philanthropy Northwest. During that time he consulted for over sixty North American colleges and universities on sustainability, environmental studies, and organizational strategies for constructive change. He lives in the hill country of the Monadnock Region in Southwest New Hampshire, where you might find him roaming the hills, playing the piano or guitar, and doing his best to advance environmental learning.

Sean M. Watts has spent his career seeking environmental solutions that yield the greatest human and ecological benefits. He is the owner of SM Watts Consulting, LLC - empowering communities to drive environmental and land use policy and helping historically white-led organizations move from awareness to action to create an equitable and inclusive environmental movement. Most recently, as Director of Community Partnerships for the Seattle Parks Foundation, he created programs to advocate for and build capacity among resident-led groups to enhance open space in Seattle. He has worked to bridge gaps between science, policy and society as faculty at Santa Clara University; as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation and as founding Director of the University of Washington, Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program. Sean received his BA in Biology from the University of Virginia; and PhD in Ecology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.