GBENN | 2025 GBENN Summit Speaker Bios

2025 GBENN Virtual Summit – Session Speakers

We have a great line-up of speakers at this year’s 2025 GBENN Virtual Summit! We’re grateful to all of those that are sharing their expertise – it only makes the Network and the Summit that much more special.

The speakers below are organized by Summit day and session title. To view the full schedule, please visit our Summit webpage here.

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Day 1 – November 12, 2025

The State of Sustainable Business – American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN)

Camilla Taylor is the Executive Director of the American Sustainable Business Network. Camilla is a globally renowned leader focused on changing economic systems into stakeholder-driven economies. Over the years, she has held leadership positions at B Lab Global as well as Holland FinTech and FinTech Aera, a network of sustainable European FinTech companies working together toward the democratization of financial services. When Camilla’s not driving systemic change, she’s exploring the world with her husband and kids in tow.

Building Bridges: Strategic Business Recruitment and Engagement for Program Growth

Max Ciarlone (he/him) is the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability BRITE Program. In this role, Max is responsible for the marketing of the program and working with businesses throughout the process to potentially receive grant funding. He also assists with report writing, coalition building, and training businesses on sustainability tactics. Max also has years of experience in community organizing and political advocacy.

As the Director of Green America’s Green Business Network (GBN), Steve Fletcher leads the planning and execution of programs, content, and events that provide education, certification, and technical assistance to thousands of purpose-driven, US-based small businesses. Previously, Steve supported, strengthened, and advocated for South Carolina’s small business ecosystem as Director of Economic Development at one of the country’s largest local-first nonprofits, Lowcountry Local First (LLF). Through innovative and inclusive programming, Steve and his team at LLF encouraged the equitable recirculation of millions of dollars back into South Carolina’s burgeoning economy. Steve has produced the Good Business Summit, an event for purpose-driven businesses, the podcast “Small Talks, Big Ideas,” and the radio show Charleston Business Hour. As a musician and arts enthusiast, Steve proudly sits on the Board at Media Reform SC, an organization committed to providing alternative, locally produced digital audio news and lifestyle content to counteract the impact of an increasingly consolidated and homogenized national media landscape. When Steve isn’t digging into Salesforce or MembershipWorks dashboards to find ways to optimize the GBN member experience, he’s SCUBA diving, thruhiking, or enjoying an espresso with his wife, dog, cats, and plants.

Andrew Nowak is a senior environmental specialist in the new pollution prevention (P2) division of the Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability (DES). Currently, this P2 division is administering the BRITE Program, a pollution prevention program for small businesses that is comprised of free facility assessments and grant funding opportunities. This new division hopes to expand the BRITE Program as well as find new ways to educate and support businesses and residents within the County on ways to be more environmentally sustainable.

Before joining the P2 division, Andrew worked at Cook County DES in a compliance capacity, enforcing state and local solid waste and recycling permits. Prior to that, Andrew worked in the environmental consulting sector as a project manager and field technician, focusing on industrial wastewater testing. Andrew graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015.

As Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Buildings Manager, Gail Suzuki-Jones is also program and project manager in the areas of green business, green building technical assistance and training, grid-integrated efficient buildings, and the green intern program as well as former contract manager of energy code for new construction and baseline and benchmarking projects for existing buildings. Gail is co‐coordinator of the Hawaii Green Business Program and has mentored over 50 interns during her 28 years at the Hawaii State Energy Office. Gail has a Master of Architecture from University of Washington and Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from U.C. Santa Cruz. She is a LEED Operations and Maintenance Accredited Professional and holds a Green Building Certification Institute’s‐Green Classroom Professionals Certiﬁcate. Gail actively participates in the USGBC Hawaii Chapter and AIA Honolulu’s planning committees coordinating continuing education and training activities such as the Hawaii Build and Buy Green Conf. and Site Tours, other seminars, workshops and webinars.

Maddi Murphy is a Hawaii State Energy Office Hele Imua Intern and supervisor at Starbucks. She is a recent 2025 Hawaii Pacific University graduate with a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in business.

Building Bridges: Strategic Business Recruitment and Engagement for Program Growth

Frances Gilliland, Associate Director at the Pollution Prevention Resources Center, is an experienced program manager and team builder. She is passionate about bringing together individuals and organizations around common goals to work together toward resource conservation, environmental preservation, and equity. She has over 30 years of experience in program development, pollution prevention and green business. She holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and reading.

Luke Truman serves as a Senior Program Manager for the New England Environmental Finance Center, supporting the BetterBev project. He entered this field following a career with Maine’s largest brewery where he was Facilities Manager, Green Team Lead, and a member of the national Brewers Association’s Sustainability Subcommittee. Luke has in-depth, hands-on knowledge of the energy systems, technologies, resources, and processes used in ingredient procurement, beverage manufacturing, waste management, sales, and distribution. He currently serves on the Maine Brewers’ Guild’s Technical Committee as well as the Maine Water Environment Association’s Pretreatment Committee.

John Fay is a Project Manager at the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA). For NEWMOA, John is the lead on solid waste issues, the BetterBev program, and the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse. Over the past 25 years, John has managed a transfer station, conducted waste-related technical assistance, education and outreach, consulted on solid waste issues, run commercial-scale compost facilities, operated household hazardous waste facilities, and served as an environmental analyst for the Vermont DEC. John holds an M.S. in Resource Management and Administration from Antioch University New England.

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Day 2 – November 13, 2025

From Awareness to Action: Equitable Outreach for Sustainable Business

Berenice El Gharamti is a passionate and visionary leader dedicated to advancing equity and sustainability across the public and private sectors. With over a decade of experience in environmental engineering, climate action, and Latino economic development, she has consistently delivered impactful and innovative solutions that benefit diverse communities and organizations.

As President and Co-Founder of Monarca Group, Berenice provides multicultural, triple bottom-line solutions, enabling partners to engage and communicate effectively with underserved populations. In her role as Buildings Equity Administrator for the City and County of Denver, she leads compliance assistance for Denver’s building performance and decarbonization policies, focusing on equity-priority buildings.

Berenice is a recognized advocate and expert in her field, with multiple honors and publications acknowledging her contributions. Driven by a mission to create a more inclusive and resilient future for all, she continues to be a leading force in promoting sustainable and equitable practices.

Jose Luis Ramos is a bilingual/bicultural software engineer with extensive experience in construction, entrepreneurship, education, and business ownership. He has worked for several large corporations, including HP, Agilent, and Seagate, performing software engineering and R&D management duties. José Luis has also made significant contributions to the community as a bilingual business specialist for the City of Fort Collins. He helped establish communication channels between minority-owned businesses and the government, creating the Multicultural Business and Entrepreneur Center. In addition, he founded the NoCo Latino Chamber of Commerce, supporting over 90 new companies in his two years with the City. He has also worked as a business consultant for the Minority Business Office and the Larimer Small Business Development Center, assisting various businesses in all business processes. In addition, he helped create the technical foundations program offered by the Minority Business Office. José Luis has owned a consulting company helping small businesses in Fort Collins for the last 19 years and has owned a restaurant for over ten years. He oversees the Sustainable Business Program (SBP) for the City of Longmont, where he works with several partners to help underserved businesses achieve their sustainability goals.

Hanna De La Vega Sanchez serves as the Forum’s Bilingual Sustainability Associate, where she works to reduce barriers to participation in sustainability and sustainable business practices for diverse communities. Fluent in Spanish and English, she provides critical education and technical assistance to community and business leaders, helping drive environmental and economic progress across Michigan.

Cassie Carroll, Assistant Director at EnergySense Resilience Center at the University of Illinois System, Director at the Illinois Green Business Program, and GBENN Coordinator, brings extensive experience in developing and leading impactful resilience programs that enhance organization and business operational efficiency and bolster local economic resilience. With experience in community-based outreach & engagement, program development, and strategic relationship building, she brings an innovative approach to efficiency and environmental initiatives to all of her work. She enjoys working hands-on with partners, organizations, and businesses to identify efficiency & resiliency opportunities, provide leadership and support for successful implementation, and amplify key successes. She co-founded the Illinois Green Business Association in 2008 and co-leads the Green Business Engagement National Network since 2015 with greenUP!

Designing Effective Business Grant Programs: Lessons form the Intuit Green Business Grant Program

Donna Walden is the President of greenUP! and Director of Nevada Green Business Network. Walden was responsible for launching the green business program, developing needed partnerships, and implementing the certification model and portal in Nevada. She started Nevada’s first green dining district in 2019 and helps lead the Green Dining Nevada effort for the state. For 5 years, Walden was the Regional Coordinator for WSPPN, where she managed EPA grants and provided assistance for Region 9 TAPs.

Beth Halverson, Rethink Business Program Coordinator, Bookeeper, is a recent addition to the BRING Team in Eugene, OR. After working in mental health for over 15 years, she wanted to turn her passion project for sustainability and community support into actionable change. As a Eugene Environmental Film Festival team member, she interacted with BRING’s Director of Education and Outreach Emily Reynolds, learning of the BRING Rethink Business Program. She joined the team with a focus on supporting Food + Beverage Manufacturers across Oregon to improve practices and engaged in statewide outreach to build the Oregon network. “Offering change with a helping hand” is her mantra: she is passionate about supporting Oregon businesses in every way she can! Reach her at beth@bringrecycling.org.

Nick Shivka is the Senior Manager of Sustainability Initiatives at Local First Arizona, which gives him the privilege of working alongside entrepreneurs that are leading the charge in creating a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable Arizona economy. He has a Master’s in Sustainability Solutions and brings his experience as a coffee business owner to help entrepreneurs develop transformational solutions that will reduce their costs & environmental footprint while growing and future-proofing their business.

Erica Gallegos, Green Business Program Coordinator, Western Nevada College and the Nevada Green Business Network, manages the GreenBizTracker database for the network and works directly with green businesses throughout the state. She graduated with honors from the University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Renewable Energy.

Fundraising and Capacity-Building to Sustain Green Business Programs

See Cassie Carroll’s biography above.

As Co-Executive Director of the California Green Business Network, Lacey Raak serves communities throughout the State of California supporting community-level economic development and a sustainable and environmentally-responsive business sector.

Lacey began her career at the City of Monterey, supporting sustainable transportation and the development of their first Climate Action Plan. She then worked for 12 years in Higher Education Sustainability as the Director of Sustainability at UC Santa Cruz and CSU Monterey Bay, where she developed and supported innovative initiatives, integrated sustainability into long-term plans and policies and helped build a culture of sustainability within an institutional setting. She wrote the City of Seaside’s Municipal Plastic Ordinance in her role as founding Chair of the Seaside Environmental Commission.

Lacey holds a Master’s Degree in International Environmental Policy and Bachelor’s Degree in Global Studies. She recently completed a Chief Sustainability Officer credential from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was 2010 Fulbright Researcher in Indonesia.

Originally from Minnesota, Lacey now enjoys exploring the California Coast with her husband, 2 young kids and dog! She finds peace getting her hands dirty in the garden and laughing at all the crazy bits of life that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

Aidan Lawton, the Green Business Program Coordinator for the cities of Englewood, Sheridan and Littleton, holds an MBA from Colorado State University, where he focused on Corporate Sustainability. With a strong background in sustainability and business development, he’s passionate about creating impactful environmental solutions that benefit both businesses and communities.

Through his role, he provides one-on-one coaching to businesses as part of the Sustainable Business Partnership program, offering personalized support to help businesses achieve their sustainability goals. This dedicated approach ensures that each business receives the guidance and resources they need to succeed.

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Day 3 – November 14, 2025

Cleaner Communities, Brighter Future: How Green Business Programs Drive Community Pollution and Energy Reduction

Since 2011, Lamees Mubaslat has had the privilege of directing Dayton Regional Green, a Montgomery County initiative. One of her proudest achievements has been establishing and launching a highly successful Green Business Certification program, which has attracted over 1,000 participants to date. This initiative has played a pivotal role in promoting greener practices across the Dayton region.

May Xie, Cascadia Consulting, coordinates and supports zero-waste sustainability events from workshops to large-scale conferences. When she is not facilitating planning subcommittees and implementing ideas from communities, she is collaborating with translators to make accessible content across all of Cascadia’s lines of business; and providing technical outreach support for the Seattle Public Utilities Green Business Program.

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