UN2020 - Key Persons

Dr. Rivasplata holds a B.A in Geography, as well as, Master's degrees in City Planning, (Transportation) Engineering and Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. Under the supervision of Professors Martin Wachs and Daniel Sperling, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the impacts of policy reform on transit in Britain. Dr. Rivasplata has more than 25 years of experience in transportation planning. Since 2007, he has taught courses on regional and local transportation planning in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San Jose State University (SJSU), and undertaken research projects at the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI). He has taught in the Department of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley and the campus's Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Berkeley). Dr. Rivasplata is also a senior transportation planner at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, where he has been involved in the safe and convenient integration of modes (e.g., 2010 Fleet Plan, Bike Plan development) Travel Demand Management, and the comprehensive review of new development projects with transportation requirements. At SJSU, he has shared his international experiences with students in the Department's transportation planning courses.

Job Titles:

• Chief Sustainability Officer
• CSO

Job Titles:

• CEO
• First Chief Ethics Officer

Greg Finkelstein serves as the first Chief Ethics Officer, providing oversight and neutral guidance to CalGreen. He also serves as the Director of Standards and Practices for the University of San Francisco's (USF) Nonprofit Student Council. Finkelstein graduated from U.C. Davis in 2013, with a degree in Animal Science-emphasizing Animal Behavior and Welfare. He has a deep appreciation for the great outdoors, and his experiences as an Eagle Scout have helped shape who he is today. Finkelstein just graduated with a Master of Nonprofit Administration, from USF's School of Management. He looks forward to increasing animal welfare, while promoting the human-animal bond.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Board of Directors

Michael Casas first served the California Green Academy's as its first Student Board Member. Upon his graduate school commencement, Casas was elected to the Board of Directors as the Vice Chair. Within a year of office, the Board elected Casas as Chair. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from San Jose State University ("SJSU"), as a Pi Sigma Alpha Honors graduate. Casas' advocacy and leadership started while serving as Student Body President and Student Trustee at San Jose City College, where he also advocated for such legislation in Sacramento. Casas just graduated from the Urban and Regional Planning graduate program at SJSU, earning a Master in Urban Planning, with a focus in Real Estate Development and Community Design and Development. He works as a research assistant with the Mineta Transportation Institute, conducting research work for Transit-Oriented Development. Casas has worked with various organizations in the public and private sectors, conducting work in economic development, advocating for housing and education policies in Sacramento, as well as, healthcare and sustainable transportation - like high-speed rail. His approach to helping make the world a better place for all is by focusing on sustainable development, including transportation, housing, and employment; this is a unique strength that makes him stand out as CalGreen's first SBM. He takes a proactive stance on promoting bike share programs and is an ambassador for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. This past year, Casas served on "TRANSITion" and as President for SJSU's Urban Planning Coalition, where his team helped register over 1,000 students for the 'Bike Share for All' program. In addition, his approach to balancing work requirements with his graduate studies has allowed him to work collaboratively with members of the community, as well as, organizations he is a part of.

Job Titles:

• Director, Translation Services

Job Titles:

• Deputy Editor, TransportiCA