SPEAKERS
Business, Policy and Purpose Conference
October 21 - 23 2025 | 12 - 3:30 PM ET Daily | Virtual Event
KeyNote Speakers
Rick Steves
Television Host, Author, Activist
Rick Steves is a popular public television host, a best-selling guidebook author, and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel. He is the founder and owner of Rick Steves’ Europe, a travel business with a small-group tour program that brings more than 30,000 people to Europe annually. Rick lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, where his office window overlooks his old junior high school.
PAUL RICE
Founder of Fair Trade USA
Paul Rice is an award-winning social entrepreneur, author, and founder of Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of Fair Trade products. Rice launched Fair Trade USA in 1998. Under his leadership, Fair Trade Certified became one of the fastest growing segments of the food and apparel industries. By forging partnerships with over 1,700 brands and retailers, the organization has generated over $1.2 billion in cumulative financial impact for 1 million farmers, workers, and their families in 72 countries worldwide. Previously, Rice worked with family farmers for 11 years in the highlands of Nicaragua, where he founded and led the country’s first Fair Trade coffee export cooperative.
Rice was Ethical Corporation’s 2019 Business Leader of the Year and was recognized four times as Social Capitalist of the Year by Fast Company magazine. Rice received the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the World Economic Forum’s Outstanding Social Entrepreneur award. His new book, Every Purchase Matters, is a USA Today National Bestseller.
Mindy Lubber
CEO and President, Ceres
Mindy Lubber is the CEO and President of the sustainability nonprofit Ceres. She has been at the helm since 2003, and under her leadership, the organization and its powerful networks and global initiatives have grown significantly in size and influence.
As a global thought leader, Lubber has inspired capital market leaders including some of the world’s largest institutional investors and corporate boards and executives to factor responsible investment and business practices into their overall strategies. She regularly speaks to high-level global and national policymakers on the need for stronger climate policies that accelerate the transition to a more just and resilient economy. She is frequently quoted in mainstream business and financial news outlets and pens columns for Forbes.com and Reuters.com on a variety of sustainability topics. In 2015, Lubber helped catalyze the necessary business support to get the historic Paris Agreement across the finish line, leading Vogue Magazine to name her a “Climate Warrior.”
Lubber has received numerous awards and recognitions for her leadership. In 2020, she was awarded the United Nations ‘Champions of the Earth’ Entrepreneurial Vision award. She has made Barron’s Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential women in U.S. finance for four consecutive years and received the Climate Visionary Award from the Earth Day Network, the William K. Reilly Award for Environmental Leadership from American University, and the Skoll Foundation’s Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Ceres has been named a top 100 women-led businesses in Massachusetts for five years in a row by the Globe Magazine.
Prior to Ceres, Lubber served as a Regional Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She also founded Green Century Capital Management and served as the director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. She resides in the Boston area.
Ellonda Williams
Co-Lead Executive, B Lab
Dr. Ellonda L. Williams is an Equity-driven Community Relations Operator, Inclusion Artist & Strategic Organizational Leader.
She serves as Senior Director of Community and co-Lead Executive at B Lab U.S. & Canada; one of six global partners of the B Lab Global Network that foster and mobilize a growing community of people and businesses working towards a more fair and inclusive economy in the United States and Canada.
In her day-to-day work, Dr. Williams balances focus on demonstrating the indispensable business value of certification, building community, and driving impact.
Ellonda possesses a rich background; with education in Human Services, Psychological Studies, Education, and Leadership Management, her experiences vary widely, giving her a keen eye and ear in the spaces she takes up. With both personal and professional commitments to the equitable treatment and inclusion of those who are historically and regionally marginalized, she has been a lifelong proponent and champion of social justice. She brings those ethics and ideologies to her everyday work and conversations.
Fran Seegull
President, U.S. Impact Investing Alliance
Fran Seegull is President of the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, which works to increase awareness of impact investing in the United States, foster deployment of impact capital across asset classes globally, and partner with stakeholders, including government, to build the impact investing ecosystem. She also serves as Executive Director of the Tipping Point Fund on Impact Investing—a donor collaborative focused on growing the field.
Previously, Seegull was the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director at ImpactAssets, where she headed investment management for The Giving Fund—now a $3.5 billion impact investing donor-advised fund.
Seegull has a BS in Economics from Barnard at Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She serves on the board of Align Impact and the investment committee of Calvert Impact Capital.
Angela Dingle
President and CEO, Woman Impacting Public Policy
As President and CEO of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), Angela Dingle leads a national nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of women entrepreneurs, strengthening their impact on our nation’s public policy, creating economic opportunities, and forging alliances
with other business organizations. Serving as the voice for the over 14 million women owned companies in the U.S., WIPP works with lawmakers to impact and influence policy that provides economic equity, procurement inclusion and access to the global marketplace.
Prior to serving in this role, Angela founded Ex Nihilo Management, an award-winning consultancy that provides governance, risk and cybersecurity (GRC) to the public, private and non-profit sector.
Angela is a sought-after speaker and thought leader. She is the author of Discovering Your Girl Powers: 10 Strategies to Build Confidence, Charisma and Credibility and Unexpected Leader: 11 Tools for Transformational Leadership. She has written articles and publications that provide valuable leadership guidance.
Hannah Pathak
Chief Executive Officer, Forum for the Future
In over two decades of working in climate change and its intersecting impacts on nature, communities, and health, Hannah has always worked to connect different parts of the systems needed to activate transformational change: businesses, policy-makers, academia, and NGOs. From co-leading the HSBC Climate Partnership – at the time the world’s largest business-led climate change programme- to leading humanitarian response operations following disaster, Hannah’s focus has always been on trying to connect up different parts of the system, and on trying to identify intersections and patterns between issues, and the root causes that underpin them.
Camilla Taylor
Executive Director, 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.
Skye Perryman
President and CEO, Democracy Forward
Skye Perryman is the President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a nonpartisan, national legal organization that promotes democracy and progress through litigation, regulatory engagement, policy education, and research. Named one of Time 100’s 2025 100 Most Influential People In The World, Perryman is known for developing innovative legal strategies, building unique communities and coalitions, and values-based leadership.
Session Speakers
Eryn Banton
Founder, ReSurge
Eryn Banton is a climate and sustainable business advocate dedicated to advancing equitable, community-centered solutions to environmental challenges. Inspired by her experience in the Environmental Social Governance Sector, she founded ReSurge, a social enterprise that connects companies with community leaders to create resilient and inclusive impact. Additionally, Eryn serves on the ASBC Board, where she helps shape policy initiatives that drive sustainable business practices. As a current law student, she is committed to using legal tools to champion environmental justice and systemic change.
Mia Ketterling
Sr. Global Sustainability Lead at Pinterest
Mia Ketterling is the Sr. Global Sustainability Lead at Pinterest. In her role, she is responsible for building Pinterest’s sustainability strategy to advance sustainable outcomes within its operations. Mia manages Pinterest’s annual GHG inventory and assurance, sets science-based emissions reduction targets, helps maintain Pinterest’s commitment to 100% renewable electricity for our offices around the world, and collaborates on the company’s ESG disclosures.
Previously, Mia was a Program Manager on Pinterest’s Product Design team and before joining Pinterest, she was a Senior Producer at Apple. Mia earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Business and International Business from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. She lives with her husband, two wild kids and puppy in Pacifica, California.
Matt Renner
Vice President, Seneca Environmental
Matt Renner leads strategic development for Seneca Environmental with the goal of creating unprecedented collaboration to accelerate climate action. Previously he worked as a nonprofit executive in clean energy policy, climate organizing, and journalism for over a decade, focusing on the near-term social and economic impacts of climate change. Matt began his career as an investigative reporter and later became the Executive Director of the World Business Academy to focus on the future of business in a climate-constrained world. He has a BA in Political Science and Government from the University of California, Berkeley. In his spare time, Matt feeds local squirrels and birds and occasionally his family and friends by raising fruit trees.
Nick Beck
Regenerative Agriculture Organizer Climate Reality Project
Nick (he/him) is the Regenerative Agriculture Organizer for Climate Reality Project; Covering the agricultural portfolio for governmental affairs and engaging chapters on advocacy opportunities. Born in Orlando, Florida, Nick attended New College of Florida in Sarasota, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. There, he coordinated events, sustained traditions and discovered his passion for agroforestry, land use policy, and community spaces. For his senior thesis, Nick researched and reported on student perceptions of the campus’ built and natural environments. Before joining Climate Reality, Nick interned with the House of Representatives’ Committee on Agriculture. In his free time, Nick enjoys long walks with his dog and playing percussion in a folk band.
Gary Belan
Senior Director of American Rivers’ Clean Water Program
Gary Belan in the Senior Director of American Rivers’ Clean Water program. He leads a national team working to ensure cities across the countries have rivers that are clean enough to swim and play in. He does this by building national leadership for increasing funding and improving regulations to improve urban water infrastructure, including stormwater and sewage systems. He also promotes increasing the use of natural infrastructure practices and improving water quality monioting and data systems to help make water quality information more transparent to the public.
Gary joined American Rivers in May 2003. Prior to American Rivers, he worked as a project engineer for the Clark Construction Group, working on large commercial building projects.
Sasha Chebil
Director of Communications at the Carbon Business Council
Sasha Chebil is the Director of Communications at the Carbon Business Council, a global coalition of over 100 leading companies and nonprofits advancing carbon management. With extensive experience in strategic communications, she works to elevate the role of carbon removal in addressing climate change. Previously at the We Mean Business Coalition, Sasha led communications for mitigation programs focused on small businesses and corporate supply chains. With a background in climate communications and policy, she is currently working to integrate carbon removal into COP30 priorities and spotlight the companies and policymakers leading the industry. Sasha’s expertise spans strategic communications, media relations, and stakeholder engagement.
Dãnia Davy, Esq.
Founder/Owner, Land & Liberation LLC
Dãnia Davy is the founder of Land & Liberation, LLC, a consultancy promoting liberatory relationships between humans, natural and financial resources, and land. To help farmers, land stewards and their communities of support navigate the challenges of the current political climate, she created the WTF?! (We’re the Future), through which she distributes a weekly newsletter, maintains an educational website, and hosts educational webinars. Her previous professional experience includes serving as Director of Land Retention & Advocacy at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund and Skadden Fellow Attorney at the Land Loss Prevention Project.
Will Devine
Sr. Advisor to Centerline Liberties
Will Devine is a Sr. Advisor to Centerline Liberties which is a 501(c)3 focused on advancing policy solutions capable of defending core constitutional liberties, preserving a free market economy, and limiting the role of government in Americans’ everyday lives. For the past decade, Will has built his career at the intersection of Republican politics, advocacy, and grassroots organizing at the federal and state level. His work has centered on finding common ground and advancing solutions on complex policy issues most notably in clean energy.
Will holds a degree in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross. A Florida native, Will currently resides in Boston, where he enjoys New England’s occasional warm weather.
Nick Gardner
Co-Founder and Head of Strategic Initiatives and Community at Premiums for the Planet
Nick Gardner is Co-Founder and Head of Strategic Initiatives and Community at Premiums for the Planet, a climate finance movement helping businesses use their insurance dollars to accelerate resilience and climate action. He leads efforts to build a coalition of climate-conscious companies, mobilizing their collective spend, influence, and voice to drive systemic change across the insurance industry.
Beyond his work at PFP, Nick helps guide the U.S. Chamber of Connection, a civic innovation network tackling the loneliness epidemic and rebuilding trust in communities. He previously spent seven years at Salesforce, where he launched climate-focused products and built citizen philanthropy programs in education, economic opportunity, and climate resilience. Based in Seattle, Nick finds inspiration on mountain trails year-round.
Aaron Hurst
CEO, U.S. Chamber of Connection
Aaron Hurst is the founder and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Connection, a national movement to reverse the decline of trust and social connection by mobilizing cross-sector leaders to take collective ownership of their communities. A pioneering social entrepreneur, Aaron previously founded the Taproot Foundation, catalyzing the $15 billion pro bono service market, and Imperative, a venture-backed company redefining purpose at work. Author of The Purpose Economy, his work has been featured in The New York Times, WSJ, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. At the Chamber, he partners with cities, companies, and civic institutions to turn purpose into lasting civic infrastructure.
John Imes
Executive Director, Wisconsin Environmental Initiative
John Imes is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative and Village President of Shorewood Hills. For more than three decades, he has shown how smart policy and market innovation can reinforce one another—even in a politically divided state. John works with unlikely coalitions of business leaders, policymakers, and communities to advance clean energy and sustainability solutions that lower costs, create jobs, and strengthen local economies.
From manufacturing and green building to sustainable tourism and municipal governance, he has championed pragmatic, bipartisan approaches that turn environmental stewardship into a competitive advantage. His track record demonstrates that when policy enables market-driven innovation, states like Wisconsin can become national leaders in building a resilient, inclusive, and low-carbon future—proof that in purple states, local momentum and business ingenuity can outpace politics as usual.
Anthony Myint
Executive Director of Zero Foodprint
Anthony Myint is the Executive Director of Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit named One of the Most Innovative Companies in the World (#1 in Agriculture) by Fast Company. ZFP leads collaborations with state agencies, local governments and hundreds of businesses to implement impactful and validated regenerative agriculture projects. ZFP has awarded $8+ million to 600+ farm projects with a modeled GHG benefit equal to not burning 22+ million gallons of gas.
Kate Ogden
Head of Advocacy and Movement Building at Seventh Generation
Kate Ogden is Head of Advocacy and Movement Building at Seventh Generation, where she harnesses the power of brands and consumers to push for climate justice and systemic policy change. Her work has supported the passage of state “polluter-pays” climate superfund laws in both Vermont and New York and is now focused on advancing coalition efforts in California alongside partners across business and civil society. Before joining Seventh Generation, Kate spent 12 years at Greenpeace leading campaigns on climate, toxics, forests, ocean protection, and the right to protest. She continues to collaborate closely with advocacy and research groups, helping translate complex data into public action and business voice. Kate’s work centers on partnership, civic engagement, and using brand influence to shift culture, policy, and capital toward a livable future.
Athena Petty
Sr. Manager Sustainability News Seasons Market
Athena Petty is a sustainability leader with over 15 years of experience working with companies to draw down their climate impact and build sustainable systems. A graduate of the University of Oregon,
Athena worked in the energy efficiency sector using innovative behavior change models to reduce energy use before shifting her focus to food and agriculture. As the Senior Manager of Sustainability and B Corp practice lead at New Seasons Market, Athena develops strategies that deliver value beyond the dollar, implements climate actions and creates partnerships to deepen impact. Athena is dedicated to the protection of our planet and communities and advocates for farmer protections and the climate-
smart practices necessary for a resilient food economy. Athena is inspired by nature and seeks balance in life, spending time with her family under the stars whenever possible.
Tim Smith
Senior Policy Advisor ICCR
He is one of ICCR’s founding staff members and has been a leader in our field for over five decades.
Tim currently serves as ICCR’s Senior Policy Advisor, where he supports ICCR’s work around responsible political engagement, deepening engagements with asset managers, and responding to the pushback on ESG.
Tim served as ICCR staff for 30 years including 24 years as its Executive Director. In 2000, Tim joined Boston Trust Walden where he led the organization’s shareholder engagement efforts for 22 years. In 2007, 2012, and 2013, Tim was named one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics” by Ethisphere Institute. In 2010, he received the Bavaria Award for Impact at the third annual Joan Bavaria Awards for Building Sustainability into the Capital Markets. In 2011 and 2012, he was named one of the most influential people in corporate governance by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Greg Wilson
Founder and CEO, HempWood
HempWood founder and CEO Greg Wilson developed HempWood out of a desire to create a healthier material based on natural ingredients, driven by his experience in the bamboo flooring industry in China. Greg experienced respiratory issues from formaldehyde exposure after his time working in bamboo flooring mills and set out to create a material that was free of formaldehyde but performed like other hardwoods. The answer was HempWood, which uses the strong, fibrous structure of industrial hemp and the bonding power of a soy-based glue to create a strong, high-performance flooring product.
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