People ... Speakers
Verge Event ... Santa Clara 2016

People ... Speakers ... Verge Event ... Santa Clara 2016

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Debbie Acosta Debbie Acosta City of San Leandro

Antwi Akom Antwi Akom Institute for Sustainable Economic Educational and Environmental Design (I-SEEED)

Nathan Allen Nathan Allen WaterStart

Trenton Allen Trenton Allen Sustainable Capital Advisors

Christopher Ategeka Christopher Ategeka Ride for Lives

Whitney Austin Gray Whitney Austin Gray Delos

Rainer Baake Rainer Baake Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Sandra Baer Sandra Baer Personal Cities

Shadi Banna Shadi Banna Potential.com

Dave Bartlett Dave Bartlett GE Current

Andrew Beebe Andrew Beebe Obvious Ventures

Rob Bernard Rob Bernard Microsoft

Scott Bryan Scott Bryan Imagine H2O

Butterscotch Butterscotch Artist

Heather Clancy Heather Clancy GreenBiz Group

David Crane David Crane Pegasus Capital Advisors

Nonny de la Peña Nonny de la Peña Emblematic Group

Eric Faurot Eric Faurot GreenBiz Group

Nicole Ferrini Nicole Ferrini City of El Paso, TX

Gil Friend Gil Friend City of Palo Alto

John Gartner John Gartner Navigant Research

Mark Glick Mark Glick Hawaii State Energy Office

Bill Gross Bill Gross Idealab

Mark Hatch Mark Hatch TechShop

Tim Healy

Tim Healy EnerNOC

Jackie Henke

Jackie Henke TD Bank

Dan Hoffman

Dan Hoffman Montgomery County, MD

Elaine Hsieh Elaine Hsieh GreenBiz Group

Kiran Jain Kiran Jain City of Oakland

Michael Jansen Michael Jansen CityZenith

Paula Kehoe Paula Kehoe San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Peter Kelly-Detwiler Peter Kelly-Detwiler NorthBridge Energy Partners, LLC

Shilpi Kumar Shilpi Kumar Filament

Kimberly Lewis Kimberly Lewis U.S. Green Building Council

Joel Makower Joel Makower GreenBiz Group

Michael Molitor Michael Molitor Ray C Anderson Foundation

Michelle Moore Michelle Moore Groundswell

Ramez Naam Ramez Naam The Infinite Resource:

Janet Napolitano Janet Napolitano University of California

Sara Neff Sara Neff Kilroy Realty Corportation

Melanie Nutter Melanie Nutter Nutter Consulting

Tim O'Reilly Tim O'Reilly O'Reilly Media

Alan Oshima Alan Oshima Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO)

Patrick Otellini Patrick Otellini City and County of San Francisco

Jen Pahlka Jen Pahlka Code for America

Nancy Pfund Nancy Pfund DBL Investors

Shana Rappaport Shana Rappaport GreenBiz Group

Beth Rattner Beth Rattner Biomimicry Institute

Jeannie Renne-Malone Jeannie Renne-Malone Prologis

Laura Schewel Laura Schewel StreetLight Data

Jigar Shah Jigar Shah Generate Capital

Naomi Starkman Naomi Starkman Civil Eats

Maryrose Sylvester Maryrose Sylvester Current powered by GE

Roy Taylor Roy Taylor

AMD Roy Taylor Corporate Vice President | Alliances, Content & VR AMD @Roy_techhwood Roy Taylor linkedin Roy Taylor is Corporate Vice President for Alliances. In this role, Taylor is responsible for AMD alliances working with such companies as Microsoft, Google, UL, Electronic Arts and with consortiums including Khronos and others. A 25-year industry veteran, Taylor has had a multi-faceted career as a technology evangelist, content strategist and entrepreneur in both start-ups and established companies. He joins AMD from Right, a Finland-based software start-up where he was Chief Sales Officer. Prior to Rightware, Taylor spent a decade at NVIDIA where he held a number of leadership roles including Vice President Telco Relations, Vice President Content Relations and CTO for PCGA (PC Gaming Alliance), Vice President for GPU Sales and Vice President of EMEA Sales. An avid gamer and IT enthusiast, Taylor started his career in the component distribution business and was a founder of Addtron, a firm representing sales and marketing for semiconductor leaders such as Aureal, IBM Microelectronics, NEC, Nexgen and others in Europe. Taylor holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Studies from Maidstone College, Kent, United Kingdom

Mark Thomas Mark Thomas

City of Los Angeles Mark Thomas Director, Mayor’s Operations Innovation Team City of Los Angeles @CityoLosAngeles Mark Thomas linkedin Mark Anthony Thomas is the Director of the Mayor’s Operations Innovation Team for the City of Los Angeles. He brings more than 15 years of successful management and entrepreneurial leadership for publishing, corporate, and public sector organizations. He began his professional career with Georgia-Pacific Corporation, managing a portfolio of economic, philanthropic and environmental health initiatives before leading public relations for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Medical School for International Health. In New York, he served as the Deputy Director of the Center for an Urban Future (a think tank) and developed the business model to relaunch its magazine, City Limits, as a startup news media. Appointed Publisher and Executive Director, he led the establishment of City Limits’ new organization and governance structure, expanded content across digital platforms, acquired the Bronx News Network, and launched collaborations with New York’s leading civic institutions and foundations, and e-commerce companies. In 2014, he became the City of Los Angeles’ first Fuse Corps executive fellow and served as the Senior Advisor to the City Administrative Officer. He has served on Board of Directors and task force appointments to strengthen local media, college access, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship and has delivered lectures and performances across the nation as a creative writer and published poet. Thomas earned his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MPA in Advanced Management and Finance from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Business from the University of Georgia.

Rob Threlkeld Rob Threlkeld

General Motors Rob Threlkeld Global Manager-Renewable Energy General Motors @RobThrelkeld Rob Threlkeld serves as Global Manager, Renewable Energy, for General Motors. Threlkeld is part of GM’s Environmental Compliance & Sustainability Group, which is responsible for a wide range of environmental support activities for GM Manufacturing Operations, including procuring renewable energy, driving GM’s corporate sustainability goals, obtaining and managing environmental permits, such as air and water, and increasing energy conservation services. Prior to this role he managed over $300M of Central Utility Complex Contracts that supply utility services to GM plants. Threlkeld received both a B.S. and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.

Miranda Wang Miranda Wang BioCellection Inc.

Miranda Wang Co-founder & CEO BioCellection Inc. @BioCellection Miranda Wang linkedin Miranda Wang is a synthetic biologist, environmental advocate, and student entrepreneur. As the Co-founder and CEO of BioCellection Inc., a seed stage synthetic biology startup that is using bioengineered bacteria to upcycle polystyrene waste into valuable products, she is leading a team of innovators to solve the plastic pollution problem. Wang has recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where she had studied cell and molecular biology, engineering entrepreneurship, and philosophy.

Jeanny Yao Jeanny Yao

BioCellection Inc. Jeanny Yao Co-founder & CTO BioCellection Inc. @JeannyYao Jeanny Yao linkedin Jeanny Yao is the Co-founder & CTO of BioCellection Inc. She recently graduated from the University of Toronto.

Helene York Helene York

Bon Appetit at Google Global Director, Responsible Business Helene York Bon Appetit at Google

Helene York is Global Director, Responsible Business, Bon Appetit @ Google overseeing procurement and environmental initiatives, and a founding faculty member for the Food Business School at the Culinary Institute of America. Her course, Reinventing Supply Chains for a Sustainable Future, draws upon her experiences as a global supply chain manager partnering with farmers and fishermen to create new products.