Nick Aster - Media Architect & Web Builder
Nick Aster is a new media architect specializing in using online technology to advance conversations on sustainability. He has worked with companies like Nike, SAP, Gawker Media, Offermatica, and many others on internal and external strategies for communication, and is also a founding team member of TreeHugger.com, the most popular environmental website in the world. Currently, Nick runs the Green Business website TriplePundit.com to promote sustainable business and works for Mother Jones magazine.
Nick holds an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management and graduated with a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis.
Ethan Austin - Fundraising Coordinator
Ethan Austin is the Co-founder of GiveForward.org, a website that provides individuals with personal fundraising pages to raise money online for the causes and organizations they care about. When he manages to step away from the GiveForward office, Ethan can likely be found scouring the aisles of Trader Joe's or training for marathons in a banana costume.
David Curtis - Treasurer
David brings over 25 years of experience in consulting and professional services management to Climate Cycle. Most recently, David served as a management consultant where he acted in key leadership roles for several health care companies. David has sold and delivered solutions that exceeded 100 million dollars in the pharmaceutical, utilities, telecom and banking industries. As a VP at Oracle, he was instrumental in converting client specific solutions into products, specifically in the area of banking and telecom. He also created and implemented Oracle's worldwide professional services method for delivering on all types of engagements. As an Executive Vice President at march FIRST (formally USWeb/CKS), David managed both internal and customer facing organizations.
Abigail Dean - Designer
Abigail Dean is a graphic designer residing in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood. Abigail's passion for environmental causes aligned her with Climate Cycle in the early stages of its development. With 10 years of commercial print and multimedia design experience, Abigail's diverse list of clients include: national trade associations, local rock bands, corporate coaches, business consulting firms, industrial manufacturers and energy transmission companies. Abigail brings to the table extraordinary enthusiasm for Climate Cycle, a welcome journey into a greener realm of design, which is very close to her heart.
Joey Feinstein - Executive Director
Joey had given little thought to climate change until he met a small town North Dakota farmer during a cross-country bicycle trip in 2000. This farmer shared his deep concerns about the shifts he was seeing in weather and this conversation changed Joey's life. The following spring, Joey graduated from the University of Illinois in Chicago with a BA in Sociology and began teaching in his hometown of Evanston, IL at Rice Children's Center. More than 80% of all children attending this school were wards of the state and lived in a residential facility attached to the school. Despite the severe personal challenges these children faced, Joey could never shake the nagging feeling that these kids were learning little about the global challenges that would ultimately affect them in the future. After graduating from the Presidio School of Management with an MBA in Sustainable Management in 2007, he founded Climate Cycle.
Jake Fray - Web Coordinator
Jake has been an Evanston, IL resident since 1999. He is an independent insurance catastrophe adjuster and travels to the front line of weather related disasters such as wildfires, tornadoes and hurricanes to assess the damage. He is a transplant, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate from the University of Oregon. While working as a catastrophe adjuster he has coordinated several side projects to get businesses to utilize more environmentally sound practices such as moving toward flex fuel vehicles and large-scale office waste reduction and recycling programs. In 2005 he worked in Hurricane Katrina and Rita's aftermath throughout Louisiana and Texas seeing the destruction and turmoil first hand. While aiding residents in rebuilding their lives along the Gulf Coast he developed a passion for fighting climate change and a dedication to getting the public as involved and aware as possible to the climate crisis.
Cassie Freeman - Director of School Outreach
Cassie Freeman is a researcher at the University of Chicago's Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education. While researching learning in non-human primates she developed a more global appreciation for habitat destruction and climate change. This appreciation became a call to action when she worked with students in New York City's Harlem and Washington Heights neighborhoods, where few children are given the opportunity to learn about environmental issues. Now that she lives in Chicago, she is dedicated to developing actionable awareness about the environment, especially in children. She holds bachelors degrees in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and Educational Studies from Emory University and a master's in Educational Leadership from Columbia University's Teacher's College.
Jeff Kurt - Grant Procurement
Jeff Kurt is a Toledo, Ohio native and an Ohio University graduate. He moved to Chicago over there years ago to work for InterCall, where he sells communication services to governments and public companies.
Jeff was very excited to join Climate Cycle as it combines his love for biking, his interest in promoting renewable energy solutions, and his desire to make a positive contribution to his community. Jeff became active in community service nearly 10 years ago and has since been involved with nonprofits ranging from Youth Leadership Toledo to Big Brothers Big Sisters. In 2007 his community service was recognized by former Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, who inducted him into the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.
Sarah Lozonova - Editor
After earning an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco, Sarah Lozanova joined Solar Service Inc. as the director of marketing and public relations. She is a writer for Green Options Media and co-founder of Trees Across the Miles, a non-profit urban reforestation project.
Hanh Pham - Director of Creative Greening
Hanh Pham is passionate about waste reduction and inspiring people to rethink what they throw away. Hanh's enthused about giving trash a second chance and has done street performances that bring beauty to waste. She has "greened" conferences, where 1,100 lbs of food waste was diverted from the landfill, and festivals, where the waste diversion rate was over 90%. Hanh has an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management and works for WRD Environmental as a consultant for the Department of Environment.
Marise Robbins-Forbes - Director of Sponsorship
Marise is currently a freelance event planner/fundraising consultant. She has lived in Illinois for the past 12 years, currently residing in Decatur. With 19 years of experience working for diverse clients including Fortune 500 companies, universities and nonprofits, she brings her professional fundraising experience along with a long-held passion for the environment to Climate Cycle. Over the past three years she created a ride called Rolling on the River from the ground up. With the backing of the Lumpkin Family Foundation and Grand Victoria Foundation this ride for the environment raised funds for three statewide charities (Prairie Rivers Network, Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund and Stewardship Alliance). Rolling on the River quickly became known for its high level of participant support and beautiful route, growing 200% in just three years and advertised to more than 3 million households. Although she holds three degrees in the sciences and spent her early years as a field biologist in the wilds of the Adirondacks and Florida swamps, she discovered through her work with Rolling on the River a love of event planning and a talent for partnership development. With her event on hold until 2010, she is pouring her passions into growing Climate Cycle. She encourages all the cyclists, sponsors and volunteers from Rolling on the River to join her in supporting Climate Cycle in 2009.
Lisa Brin Spewak - Children's Event Coordinator
Lisa Brin Spewak has been a teacher of early childhood for 16 years. She is also the director of the Jewish Council for Youth Services (JCYS) Sunflower Day Camp in Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago. Lisa is interested in bringing the great big ideas of renewable energy to small children in order to help them understand they can be an active part of a global solution. She continues to seek innovative ways for children to be active partners in changing our climate for the better.
Anya Traisman - Video Director
Anya Traisman's educational background is in environmental studies, multimedia journalism, media management and marketing. She is the owner of Natropolis, a consulting and media company that focuses on sustainability.
As the photo editor for the Planet Magazine, Anya was given the opportunity to follow her passion for the great-outdoors and photojournalism. As a freelance photojournalist at the Bellingham Herald, she learned alongside Pulitzer Prize winning and nationally recognized photographers. The editors of America 24/7, DK Publishing, recognized Anya as one of the top student photographers in the nation, publishing her most notable photograph in a double-page spread, hardbound book.
Contributing to her outlook, Anya is an international and wilderness backpacker, long-distance backpacker, and has owned a Mercedes Benz that ran on vegetable oil. She believes in thinking big and the pursuit of daily happiness.
Jimmy Watkins - Designer
Jimmy is a graphic designer who holds a BA in Advertising from Michigan State University, and he currently works for both Murdoch Marketing in Lansing, MI and Cramer-Krasselt and Hoffman York in Chicago. His career path runs from Michigan to Chicago and back.
Advisory Council
Suzanne Carlson
Suzanne Carlson is environmental program manager in the Office of CEO Arne Duncan for Chicago Public Schools (CPS). She was brought on in May 2007 to help meet the Mayor's vision to make Chicago an environmentally friendly city and CPS an environmentally friendly school district. She has worked on transportation, climate change and energy policy in Chicago and Seattle. Previously, she served as founding executive director of a community bike shop in Seattle. Suzanne has a Masters in Public Administration.
Rob Eiseman
Rob's broad-based public relations experience spans more than 20 years. Prior to opening Eiseman Associates, he worked with a variety of public relations agencies, as well as broadcast and association groups. He served as creative director for Dome Communications, earning creative agency of the year honors in 2000. Rob has also served as vice president at Selz/Seabolt, Ketchum Public Relations (Chicago) and Laughlin/Constable Public Relations (Milwaukee). He spent the early part of his career as director of communications for the National Roofing Contractors Association, and as promotions director for WBEZ-FM Radio.
Rob has worked with a variety of nationally-recognized clients, developing award-winning campaigns for Wendy's, Harley-Davidson, Bombardier (Ski-Doo/Sea-Doo recreational products), Jim Beam Brands, Encyclopedia Britannica, Motorola, ConAgra, Disney Regional Entertainment, ESPN Zone, Sara Lee, Sargento Cheese Company, Fannie May, Mayflower, the American Iron and Steel Institute and many others.
Sarah Elizabeth Ippel
Sarah Elizabeth Ippel is the founder and executive director of the Academy for Global Citizenship, a new Chicago Public Elementary Contract School that opened on August 18th, 2008, on the city's Southwest side. AGC's mission is to empower children to become active global citizens by positively impacting their community and the world beyond.
Throughout her career, Sarah Elizabeth has traveled to 64 different countries across 6 continents, extensively examining educational philosophies and world languages as well as creating international alliances that have contributed to the design and culture of the Academy for Global Citizenship. In addition to studying the application of the International Baccalaureate approach in various cultural contexts across the globe, her most recent initiatives have been the development and implementation of globally cooperative literacy programs for orphan children in northern Tanzania.
As current vice president of education on the governing board of the United Nations Association, Sarah Elizabeth is committed to fostering implementation of The Growing Connection, a globally collaborative organic gardening initiative established to cross-culturally connect children and educators. She also serves on the United States Green Building Council Green Schools Advocacy Committee for the Chicago Chapter, Chicago Public Schools Environmental Action Plan Taskforce, and the Steering Committee for Climate Cycle. Sarah Elizabeth's additional leadership and civic contributions have included executive board memberships with Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Hunter Lovins
Hunter Lovins is president and founder of the Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS). (www.natcapsolutions.org) NCS educates senior decision-makers in business, government and civil society to restore and enhance the natural and human capital while increasing prosperity and quality of life.
Trained as a sociologist and lawyer (JD), Hunter co- founded the California Conservation Project (Tree People), and Rocky Mountain Institute, which she led for 20 years. Lovins has consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide, including the International Finance Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell, Interface, Clif Bar and Wal-Mart. Governmental clients include the Pentagon, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and the governments of Jamaica and Australia. She also serves as an advisor to the Energy Minister of the Government of Afghanistan.
Michael Orlove
Michael is a senior program director for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. He joined the Department of Cultural Affairs in 1993 as an intern in the Public Programming Division assisting on a number of performing arts series at the Chicago Cultural Center. Over the years, Michael has worked at transforming the Chicago Cultural Center into a prime venue for a variety of musical forms including jazz, blues, folk and world music. Additionally, he created two summer festivals that have become staples in the Chicago summer festival season. Chicago SummerDance, an 11-week outdoor dance/concert series (now in its 12th season) and World Music Festival: Chicago, a multi-day festival highlighting both traditional and contemporary music from around the world in a variety of venues throughout Chicago (now in its 10th season).
In 2004, Michael was instrumental in organizing the opening weekend events at the new Millennium Park in downtown Chicago and is now responsible for programming a majority of the non-classical events including a series of jazz, world music and rock concerts this season. Currently, Michael serves as senior program director for the Department of Cultural Affairs and collaborates with many additional city agencies including the Mayor's Office of Special Events, Chicago Office of Tourism and the Chicago Park District on a variety of seasonal events. He was selected as one of the "Chicagoans of the Year" by the Chicago Tribune in 1999.
Richard Ross
Richard Ross is an award winning marketing and strategy professional with over 18 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods and technology sectors working for and consulting with start-ups, small entrepreneurial firms and Fortune 500 firms such as The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods and Intel Corporation. Over the course of his career he has launched or helped launch an IT consulting firm, a promotional goods company, an internet startup and most recently various sustainability-related businesses and organizations. His areas of expertise are branding, positioning, new product and small business development, communications, consumer insights and multicultural and grassroots marketing. He often presents at industry conferences and has written for and is often quoted in trade magazines.
He holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Michigan and a BS in Biology from Emory University. He sits on the advisory boards of Climate Cycle and Steppin Out Adventures, serves as the Chicago city ambassador for The Couchsurfing Project and volunteers with a variety of other organizations including the Notebaert Nature Museum, Junior Achievement and the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. He is an active member of the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance and Net Impact Chicago. His passions include adventure travel (which has taken him to nearly 50 countries on 5 continents and 48 U.S. states), sustainability, hiking, art, education and photography.
Jason Smith
Jason Smith is the vice president of key accounts for ClimateCHECK, a greenhouse gas (GHG) management services and solutions provider. In this role, he manages the company's marketing strategies and customer relations, as well as its operations in the U.S. Prior to ClimateCHECK, Jason was the founder and executive director for LiveNeutral, a non-profit organization (where he currently serves as board chair) that is centered on educating individuals and companies on how to reduce their carbon emissions. During his tenure at LiveNeutral, Jason helped facilitate numerous CO2 offset and climate change education initiatives at major organizations, such as TransGroup Worldwide Logistics, American Electric Power, Williams-Sonoma and DuPont.
Jason earned an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio School of Management and a bachelor's degree in Ethics and Religion at the University of Oklahoma, where he focused his studies on environmental ethics and economics.
