NEWYORKSBC - Key Persons
Born and raised in the Finger Lakes town of Homer, NY, Aaron is a 2007 graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he studied political science and philosophy. In 2010, he completed a Masters of Professional...
When leading NYSBC efforts, Bob draws from his diverse experience in sustainable business, nonprofit development, community organizing, and activism. Bob has been instrumental in several sustainable business startups including a skateboard manufacturer, bio-composite manufacturer, green building worker-owned cooperative, a web development firm, and a coworking space. In 2002, Bob cofounded an ultimate frisbee league in Ithaca, NY and then, over the course of 5 years, grew the league to become the largest per capita in the United States. In the nonprofit sector, Bob cofounded and served as president of the Green Resource Hub, a nonprofit focused on the marketplace for sustainable products and services. Bob then cofounded a "triple bottom line" business network called the Sustainable Enterprise & Entrepreneur Network (The SEEN), which he helped grow to over 100 members. Bob's early activism included LGTBQ+ rights actions and the anti-fracking movement in New York. Bob was also a Seneca Lake Defender and served on the coordinating committee of We Are Seneca Lake.
Job Titles:
- President
- Founding Partner at Designing
Braden is a founding partner at Designing the We, a social impact design studio operating in community-driven social and economic development. The DtW team designs programs, policies and enterprises that grow local communities and global networks dealing with deep crises, from the history of Redlining to the future of work. He has served as the president of the board of Sure We Can: a non-profit collective for canners, who are those who make their living by redeeming cans and bottles for five cents. Braden graduated from the innovative program MS Design and Urban Ecologies at Parsons the New School for Design in May 2014 with honors, taught ecological thinking in urban issues at Parsons and produced a live audience web series about New York.
He received his undergraduate education at The Pennsylvania State University for Landscape Architecture. In Pennsylvania, he founded Groundswell PA- A Community and Environmental Rights Initiative, which campaigned for and passed a "Community Environmental Bill of Rights" in the borough of State College, PA, by a popular vote in November of 2011. This was the first instance municipal "rights of nature" were passed in the United States by using a popular vote. Groundswell helped pass a second initiative in Ferguson Township, PA, in November of 2012. He is an RSA Fellow.
Braden lives and gardens in Brooklyn, NY.
Camille has a passion for the reduction of environmental factors contributing to the rise of chronic disease, including transformation to a safer chemicals economy. She earned a professional certificate in sustainability with the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) and...
Chris is the president/owner of Horizon Enterprises, a 26-year-old resource management company engaged in computer programming. He has degrees in Chemical Engineering, Social Psychology, Public Administration, and Economics. He currently chairs the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition (BRSC). A former County Legislator, he has also chaired numerous boards including: Southern Tier East Regional Planning and Development Board, the Broome County Energy Commission, the Broome County Soil and Water Board, and Cornell University's Eco-Justice Project. He also serves on the Center for Civic Engagement, NY State Council of Churches Public Policy Committee, Environmental Management Council, and National Sierra Club's Committee on Zero Waste.
Christine Appah is an attorney and consultant who specializes in environmental justice and sustainability. In addition to her work, Christine teaches environmental justice as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Her background includes several years of experience in the nonprofit sector, working on environmental, housing, food justice and civil rights issues.
Christine has worked as a senior staff attorney in the Environmental Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and as a regional director at the New York State Division of Human Rights. She began her career as a staff attorney in the Civil Division of The Legal Aid Society of New York. She has served as a member of New York City's Environmental Justice and OneNYC Advisory Boards and frequently speaks and writes on topics related to the environment.
Christine graduated magna cum laude from The City College of New York and received her law degree from Duke University School of Law. She is also a graduate of the New York City Environmental Law Leadership Institute.
A serial entrepreneur and mother of six, Jan started her first business, Silk Oak, in 1977. Now 45 years later, Silk Oak continues to produce brightly colored, hand-silkscreened clothes for men, women, and children. Meanwhile, Jan has founded several other...
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Katie Ellman has an extensive background working at the intersection of the arts, culture, community organizing and civic engagement. A member of the Producers Guild of America, Katie has produced projects ranging from documentaries to television series and podcasts, with network credits including Discovery, TLC, History, Animal Planet & NatGeo. With the Bard MBA in Sustainability, she created the Impact Report podcast and currently produces, directs and edits the series. As a proud Queens Native, Katie is president of the non-profit group Green Shores NYC, advocating for a cleaner, greener, and more accessible East River Waterfront. She also serves on Queens Community Board 1, where she Co-Chairs the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Committee, and is a member of the Land Use & Zoning, Housing, Environmental & Sanitation Committees. Katie is currently the Secretary of the Bard MBA Alumni Association and Chairs the JEDI Committee.
Miaojun has an interdisciplinary background in marketing, computer science, and sustainability. Her experience includes research and consulting for a law firm, NGOs, and research institutes. She is broadly interested in environmental and energy policy, and renewable resources storage. Miaojun holds...