BARREL BAG - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Marketing Manager / Partnerships, ESalon
As a millennial working for recognized brands including Alo and eSalon, Amaia has artfully leveraged social media to significantly increase customer engagement, drive sales, and decrease customer acquisition costs. Amaia has a proven track record of developing successful ambassador programs that leverage relevant social media celebrities to assist in amplifying her company's brand and dramatically influencing its top line numbers. Amaia is directly in tune with her generation's -- and knows how to leverage current technologies to reach this community.
Anais is a second year student at Minerva Schools at KGI, pursuing a double major in Business and Science with concentrations in Managing Operational Complexity and Earth's Systems. She's an advocate for climate justice with an emphasis on targeting systems rather than individuals, and enjoys taking deep dives into the many issues that intersect with the climate crisis. She is currently focused on Indigenous land rights, specifically relating to pipeline conflicts, and regenerative agriculture. At Barrel Bag, Anais manages social media strategy as the Social Media Intern, and aims to make the organization's platforms into a useful resource.
Job Titles:
- Chief Legal and Philanthropy Officer, Blue J Strategies
As a General Counsel and Head of CSR at several public and private venture-backed companies including AOL, Yahoo, The Find and Topspin Media, Ms. Jan D'Alessandro has dedicated her career to harnessing technology to make the world a better place and empowering companies to do well by doing good.
She founded strategic advisory business, Blue J Strategies,with Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins), to harness their collective networks to provide access, connectivity and strategic direction to companies across the media, entertainment, technology and nonprofit sectors, creating opportunities that accelerate growth, time to market, and value. Her extensive experience in launching CSR programs, structuring partnerships across sectors and inspiring and leading teams makes her a valuable member of our Advisory Council.
Job Titles:
- Development Manager, Bay Area Wilderness Training ( BAWT )
Lindsay is a true desert dweller coming from the high temperatures of Phoenix, Arizona. Graduating from Arizona State University with her degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Lindsay has dedicated her career to learning the ins and outs of fundraising. Outside of work, Lindsay has spent countless hours exploring her favorite Arizona trails around the Sedona Red Rocks and kayaking on the desert's many lakes. Inspired by the wonder of Grand Canyon National Park - her favorite spot in the West, Lindsay believes every child deserves the opportunity to connect with wild sceneries that awes and empowers them. Understanding the system of oppression that prevents youth of color from exploring the outdoors, Lindsay is motivated for her start at BAWT!
With an entrepreneurial background and spirit, Loren gave Tucker Grooms, her son, the encouragement to create Barrel Bag in 2018. Loren oversees the daily operations of the organization and also runs the youth internship program. Located in Mill Valley, CA, she is passionate about protecting our environment, educating youth on the importance of taking responsibility for our environment, and mobilizing a grassroots movement of individuals to protect our oceans through a reduction in plastic dependency.
Matt spent the early part of his career at some of the world's best and biggest creative advertising agencies where he led the business side of accounts including ESPN (where he oversaw the development of the long-running and award-winning "This is SportsCenter" campaign), Miller High Life, and Coca-Cola sports marketing efforts, leading multiple campaigns created in support of that company's sponsorship of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He also led global marketing efforts for Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile, and Xbox. In addition, he worked in marketing roles at adidas and H-P, as well as holding the Chief Marketing Officer title for hospitality companies including the San Francisco Travel Association and CityPASS.
Driven by creativity and collaboration, Matt has also had service and purpose at every stage of his career - managing pro bono accounts including the Native American College Fund, Portland Public Schools, Boys & Girls Club, and Fork Food Lab, a shared kitchen and food incubator in Portland Maine. Most recently, via his work with The Art of Good, Matt has been working with Black-owned organizations which are struggling especially hard during the pandemic. At the center of that activity is Matt's drive to correct injustices, to better provide and care for others, and to ensure a better world for all.
Job Titles:
- High School Engagement Intern
Maya Breckenridge is a highschool intern at Barrel Bag. She participates in the Tam Highschool Surfrider Club and has been practicing reducing her plastic usage for years. Maya does monthly clean-ups around the Bay Area, and when she can't clean up at the beach she is always picking up trash elsewhere. She loves marine wildlife, the beach, surfing, snorkeling, and has been Scuba Diving since she was ten years old. Maya believes that educating her peers and the youth can make a massive difference and inspire them to take action on a united front.
Job Titles:
- Customer Engagement & Ambassador Program
Pragya is a second year student at The University of Virginia pursuing majors in Marketing and IT. She is passionate about raising environmental awareness and tries to actively implement change in her community. Pragya oversees the Barrel Bag Ambassador Program and handles customer engagement. She is also working towards expanding the Impact Tracker initiative, so people can see how their personal contributions add to our community's global efforts. When she isn't busy growing Barrel Bag, you can find her painting on the lawn or keeping the oceans clean.
Hailing from the tropical islands of the Philippines, Sheehan is an undergraduate student at California State University, Los Angeles studying Biochemistry. As a premed student, she's passionate about learning the effects of climate change to our health. She's is also the Advocacy Co-Chairperson of the Association of Filipino Scientists in America. As a web and graphic designer in Barrel Bag, she aims to bring to life the vision of the team and deliver digestible content about our planet's conservation.
Job Titles:
- Shepard Consulting, Founder
Tom is most widely known for his role as the Executive Vice President of International Marketing, Partnerships and Sponsorship for Visa International. He pioneered the business of partnership marketing across all industries, leveraging the Visa network of members via relationship management, savvy negotiating skills, and marketing expertise to secure long-term brand and financial success for Visa and its stakeholders. This earned Visa a global reputation for creating highly successful revenue and marketing models.
Tom holds a B.S. in Biological Science from the University of Connecticut, currently serves on the Board of the EACH Foundation and served on the Board of the Student Conservation Association, USA Pentathlon and STEP (Sustainable Tourism for the Elimination of Poverty) Boards. Tom also guest lectures a graduate course at Stanford University.
In 2018, Tucker Grooms was a high school student and avid surfer who had a consistent history of giving back to his environment. He was an active Marin Search and Rescue team volunteer, participated alongside the Marin chapter of Surfrider Foundation, and volunteered with the non-profit, Surfworks, mentoring underprivileged kids about surfing and the importance of protecting our oceans and beaches.