I’m currently a Project Coordinator at Daily Acts working to support ecological and community resilience in Sonoma County. I also mentor young people in nature connection and Rites of Passages and have a background in Permaculture design. I am most concerned with avoiding the impending climate disaster while finding ways to address the root issues that plague humanity and allow us to create such inequitable, life destroying systems. My hope is that regenerative business and social entrepreneurship will be an avenue with enough potency to create a more just and beautiful world while reestablishing the health of the ecological systems we depend upon.
Patrick Pelegri-O’Day
I grew up in the SF Bay Area and studied Public Policy and Economics at Pomona College, graduating in 2015. I am a dual USA-Spain citizen through my dad. I have worked on environmental policy through the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. For the past two years I’ve worked as a sustainability and resilience planner in the Bay Area where I also mentor high schoolers taking leadership on sustainability. I feel increasingly drawn to the role of regenerative and cooperative enterprise in this Just Transition which is why I’m participating in the LIFT MBA program. I am inspired by the potential to heal relationships between the human and more-than-human world and to dismantle structures of oppression for a more just and connected culture.
Raye Winch
Raye Winch is an organizer with the Tucson Cooperative Network (TCN), a low-income, immigrant, and people of color (POC) led collective that works alongside larger institutions to advance community self-determination through cooperative business development. They work for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona's Water Harvesting Program, a program focused on supporting people with low-incomes to learn both the business and technical skills of of launching small businesses committed to high quality, low cost water harvesting installations. Raye is committed to building community climate resiliency and community self-determination.
Samuel González
Samuel González has spent their life finding ways to reconcile the intersecting identities that reside within. Bringing art, coaching, creative strategies, healing practices, and digital wizardry to their work, Samuel is helping transform how people do business. They have been able to create transformational spaces in many areas, including higher education, the nonprofit sector, corporate environments, etc. Decades of experience inform the work along with passion and empathy.
Samuel majored in the Performing Arts at Vanguard University. Samuel still pursues artistic adventures, fusing that creativity into working with people through personal coaching as well as with people as they work within organizations. Organizational development, strategic planning, training (train the trainer), and facilitation are areas of expertise for Samuel.
Sound healing and dream work are two of the healing modalities in Samuel’s tool kit. They are also a certified compassion fatigue specialist, bringing a trauma informed approach to their work. Because of their background in art (music, writing, photography, painting), Samuel also uses the creation of art as a form of healing.
Mauricio Nuñez Oporto
Mauricio is deeply motivated by the opportunity to improve our collective stewardship of socio-ecological systems. He consistently pursue and fully engage himself is responsible, pragmatic, and incremental ways to convene and explore potential to complex questions based on regenerative practice and living systems thinking. He works catalyzing landscape initiatives and capital for ecological restoration and human well being. Enabling collaboratives for multi-stakeholder partnerships to increase efficiency, impact, and scale up a series of community-led restoration initiatives.
His burning question is how to develop an advanced landscape development hypotheses that ignite regenerative development at the bioregional scale? With this in mind, he is designing a landscape investment fund that will ensure that restoration is financially attractive while supporting rural livelihoods and wellbeing.
He loves surfing, camping and farming.
Maria Nakae
I'm a movement builder, communications strategist, resource mobilizer and funder organizer who has spent my career working in and with social justice movements to advance racial, gender and economic justice. I currently serve as the Senior Engagement Director at Justice Funders, a nonprofit organization that works with foundations to re-imagine and practice a new approach to philanthropy that redistributes wealth, democratizes power and shifts economic control to communities in a way that is truly regenerative for people and the planet. I'm also a member of the Hella Heart Oakland Giving Circle, a drummer with BoomShake Music, and mama of two rambunctious girls.
Melissa Kelii
My vocation is to seed creative discovery in a way that awakens the designer so that we, together, co-create thriving social ecosystems. My vocation is my guide as a mother, artist, friend, daughter and business owner. I discovered my vocation while completing my Master’s in Organization Leadership, an Organization Systems Renewal program through Bainbridge Graduate Institute. The experience was the catalyst to my continual journey to engage my vocation in all aspects of my life with intention, passion and authenticity.
Kyle Lawson
Kyle is a design prototyper, and entrepreneur. He is actively working on Soil Centric, a nonprofit aggregating resources to help new folks enter the regenerative agriculture space, and Tenth Floor Studio, a multidisciplinary creative group focusing on conceptual art installations and appropriate product design.
Ethan Mauch
A New Jersey native, Ethan is an alumni of his local community college and of McGill University in Montreal, where he studied Industrial Labour Relations. While at McGill, Ethan took a deep interest in cooperatives, labor movements, and the welfare state.
Since graduating from university, Ethan has continued to work with CYCLEffect Regenerative Ventures, a multi-stakeholder venture fund that invests in the regenerative and circular economy. Additionally, he works with New Profit, a nonprofit leader in social impact investment and systems change.
In his spare time Ethan loves ceramics, painting, homebrewing, and Marvin Gaye.
Reza Shahcheraghi
Reza designs new business strategies and implementation plans for various types of organizations and facilitates the creation of the new mindsets, skills, and environments needed to execute these strategies. He has 15 years of experience in the private and social sectors as an entrepreneur and consultant.
Reza holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley and a BS in management from the McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia.
Ricardo I. Garay
Ricardo’s background as a farmer, researcher and designer have shaped his deep understanding of restorative production practices. Over 10 years experience in mixed crop regenerative organics & carbon drawdown; Ricardo is a Regenerative Textile & Systems Strategist. He holds degrees from UC, Davis; B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture Food Systems as well as an M.A. in Sustainability in Fashion; ESMOD Berlin University.
Prior to relocating to Berlin, he was involved in sustainable growing activities in his native California. His pursuit to understand fashion's global value chain and to learn innovative agricultural techniques lead him to places such as Guatemala, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, & Colombia.
Nicholas Salmons
Nicholas is a creative leader, designer, convener and place-maker with twelve years of experience managing high-impact projects, executing top-quality custom builds, and producing tailored cultural events with a focus on community, sustainability, and greening the built environment. Designing and building spaces for community and festivals has led him to join the community at the Mushroom Farm, where he is helping to restore the land and build spaces for communal thriving.
Rhumi Maher
Rhumi Maher is an aspiring entrepreneur in the consumer packaged goods industry. Inspired through her background in grocery retail and by the power of food to bring people together, she seeks to empower consumers with healthy food based innovations while fostering growth in local food systems.
Colleen Skemp
I am a co-owner of a tech coop called CoLab Coop. Our goal is to use technology to make the world a better place. There I manage projects and manage our Team support Org Area, making sure our workers have what they need to thrive.
Danylle Kunkel
Danylle Kunkel is an Associate Professor in the Davis College of Business Economics in the Department of Management at Radford University. She has studied at University of Central Florida and VCU. She received her Ph.D. and Post Doc from Virginia Tech focusing on leadership and business curriculum development. Before entering Higher education, Danylle spent 8 years working for Red Bull North America.
She had taught at 3 universities in areas Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development at the Undergraduate, MBA, PMBA and Executive Education level. She has also worked in corporate leadership development in industries. Her research interests are centered around social issues and sustainable benefit corporations.
Adrian Roman
Inspired these days by Adrienne Marie Brown, Tarthang Tulku, Frédéric Laloux, Lama Rod Owens, Angel Kyodo Williams, Lift. I am working for a non profit in Berkeley, Mangalam, and my focus is on - how to integrate or use Buddhist practices in a modern world; how to structure an organization in a way that is supportive for personal growth and meaning to the members; how to blur the lines between life and work; how to foster relationships and facilitate groups with emergence in mind. I am a 27 year old hispanic male who graduated with a degree in philosophy and business. I have a partner, Cyn, and twin sister, Anais, who I spend much of my time with. This past weekend I went to see Vulfpeck at the Greek theater and went hiking in Mt. Tam to West Point in to eat pancakes.
Amethyst Carey
Amethyst Carey is a queer, Black, land-loving co-op nerd working to free herself and the communities that raised and sustained her. She currently serves as a Program Associate at the Center for Economic Democracy, where she coordinates a statewide coalition working to advance a movement for worker ownership in Massachusetts.
Joyce Hu
A creative and marketing director hybrid with an entrepreneurial spirit for social and environmental impact. Fashion industry refugee. Marketing Director at Wildlife Works, a company that stops deforestation. Co-Founder of Sustainable Fashion Alliance.
Jazmine Cable
Inquisitive, Creative, Analytical, & Empathetic are 4 words I use to describe myself. My interest include being outside in nature, in-depth conversations, learning, music, and having a good laugh. I’ve received my Bachelor’s in Marketing with a Minor in Psychology and currently work as a Sr. Business Development Analyst. Topics I’m seeking gain increased involvement in include the circular economy, sustainability, global warming, systems thinking & applications of trans-disciplinary perspectives.
Hannah Kullberg
Hannah grew up amongst the trees in Portland, Oregon. In college, she studied food systems and worked on an organic CSA farm. Returning home, she served on the Food Policy Council, meanwhile, experiencing the power of business to make immediate impact. She co-founded Better Bean Co, growing it from farmer’s markets to national distribution. Successfully selling to Hain Celestial, where Hannah became Brand Manager. In 2019, Hannah started officially supporting natural food startups as a consultant and SBDC business advisor. Hannah is also a holistic health coach & leads a women’s new moon group. She is blessed to be mom to two young children.