Richard Gerstein | Global Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Unifi, Inc.
Richard Gerstein is EVP, Global Branded Premium Products and Chief Marketing/Innovation Officer of Unifi. Gerstein has a rich history in Business Leadership and Marketing, having served in various executive roles with The Procter & Gamble Company, HP Inc. (formerly known as Hewlett-Packard Company), Sears Holdings Corporation, and Alberto Culver Company. Gerstein was also founder and partner of The Brand CHarGe. In these roles, he worked with early-stage technology and consumer products companies on strategy, marketing and investment.
Dr. John H. McClendon III | Professor, Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University
Dr. John H. McClendon III is Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University. Professional affiliations involves serving as the former Co-editor of the American Philosophical Association Newsletter on Philosophy of the Black Experience. Presently, McClendon is the Co-Editor of the African American Philosophy Series for Brill Publishers; Consulting Editor for the Journal of the American Philosophical Association, Advisory Board Member of Blackpast.Org; member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the journal, Cultural Logic and also on the Editorial Board with the Journal on African Philosophy. McClendon academic areas of interests include the burgeoning field of the philosophy of sports and the African American experience. Concurrently, among his representative published works, McClendon co-authored his book, Beyond the White Shadow: Philosophy, Sports, and the African American Experience (Kendall/Hunt, 2012) (with Dr. Stephen C. Ferguson II) as well as penned the scholarly article, "'Race' to the Finish Line: African Americans, Sports and the 'Color-Line'" which appears in The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Race (Oxford University, 2017), edited by Dr. Naomi Zack.
Roger McClendon | Executive Director, Green Sports Alliance
Roger McClendon is the Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance. In his role, he leads the Alliance of international sports and stadium executives, as well as sustainability experts, to use sports as a vehicle to promote healthy, sustainability communities throughout the world. Prior to joining the Alliance, Roger was the first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer for Yum! Brands, whose holdings include Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC restaurants. He also led the development of Blueline, a sustainable design guide for restaurants built on the LEED certification program. Blueline was a global standard implemented in approximately 5,000 Yum! Brand restaurants globally. Due to his efforts, Yum! Was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in 2017 and 2018, as well as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. Roger's other passion is basketball. He was named a McDonald's All-American in 1984, on eof the top 25 high school basketball players in the nation and went on to be a four-year starter who closed his University of Cincinnati men's basketball career as the No. 2 scorer, second only to Oscar Robertson at the time. Roger was inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer & Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Bill Walton | Former UCLA student-athlete, NBA player, and ESPN and Pac-12 Networks on-air talent
Bill Walton is a retired professional basketball player and television sportscaster. Bill has had a prominent career in the NBA with the Trailblazers, Clippers, and Celtics. He was a league MVP and has won multiple NCAA and NBA championships. He remains active in basketball through clinics, camps, coaching, and television commentary with positions over the last 21 years with ABC, ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, MSNBC, Turner Sports, KCAL, NESN, and the NBA. Walton has also been inducted into the San Diego Breitbard Sports Hall of Fame, The UCLA Hall of Fame, the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, the Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame and the Guinness Hall of Brilliance. In 2007, Walton was named one of the top 10 pundits in America by Forbes as well as one of the top 20 Business Athlete representatives by TSE Sports and Entertainment Group. In 2009, Walton was named one of the top 50 sports broadcasters of all time by the American Sportscasters Association, and named as the inaugural inductee into the Grateful Dead Hall of Honor. Walton is currently the Executive Chairman of Connect SD Sport Innovators (SDSI) and serves on the board of the Junior Seau foundation.
Megan Eisenhard | Vice President of Campus, Learfield IMG College
Megan Eisenhard has been in the collegiate athletics industry for over 18 years. She has held various leadership roles during her 10 year tenure with Learfield IMG College, a fully integrated sports marketing and solutions platform that manages multimedia rights and sponsorships for over 200 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas. Currently she is Vice President of the Campus+ division, which develops comprehensive business partnerships and marketing programs specifically designed to align priority university initiatives with the corporate community. Prior to joining Campus+ in July 2018, she had multi-million dollar sponsorship sales oversight of multiple properties, including Cal, Oregon State, and Boise State, as Vice President of the West Region, and most recently she developed and built out the Learfield Talent Acquisition team to support the entire sponsorship sales division. While in Boulder, she worked closely with the CU Environmental Center and Facilities Department to enhance the Green Stampede program with corporate partners who value sustainability and environmental stewardship. Sustainability also holds a place in her heart, developed during her time in Boulder being immersed (almost literally) in the waste, recycling, and composting programs and messaging at Folsom Field and Coors Event Center.
Eric Moncrief | Founder, The Talk with Green Guy Show and Green Guy Media
Eric Moncrief is the host of The Talk with Green Guy Show on Talk Radio 640 WGST/iHeart Radio in Atlanta, GA. Eric Moncrief began his Sustainability talk show and podcast in March 2014. His mission is to help spread awareness and education about the Sustainability/Environmental community and become the country's premiere platform for information and interviews. Eric Moncrief interviews trendsetters on the cutting edge of innovation and technologies in energy, solar, Climate Change, urban agriculture, sustainable investments, environmental justice, community development and all environmental issues. While the ultimate goal is to become a nationally syndicated talk show for sustainability/environmental issues, Eric Moncrief also produces the Mayors' Climate Summit Series and College Sustainability Summit Series. Mayors are invited from around the country to come on the show and share what they are doing in their respective cities on Climate Change, Resilience Planning and Sustainability. Colleges/Universities are invited to share their campus sustainability best practices and how they impact the communities they reside in. ▾
Eric has worked over 20 years in the IT industry with extensive experience in computer hardware, software, network security and recycling. Eric Moncrief began as CEO in 2009 of Nvirotech Recycling, LLC, a Computer and Electronics recycling company that helps companies and schools with IT Asset Recovery services in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast recycle and dispose of their electronic equipment the environmentally responsible way. Eric's passion has always been to promote change and serve as a resource to educate individuals, communities and corporations and advance the mission of achieving Sustainability.
Kirk Myers | Director of Sustainability, Alaska Airlines
Kirk leads Alaska's sustainability strategy, initiatives, goals, metrics and communication to advance corporate goals for environmental and social impact, and specifically focuses on climate, waste, green building, and aviation-specific opportunities such as sustainable aviation jet fuel. He joined Alaska after a 16 year career with REI. Kirk holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute (now Presidio Graduate School), serves on the Board of the Washington National Park Fund, and loves exploring our outdoor places with his two young sons.
Dave Newport | Director, Environmental Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder
Dave launched the first US college sports sustainability activation with corporate partnership for the Florida Gators when he was UF's Director of Sustainability in 2002. Later he became Director of the University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Center and founded the nation's first comprehensive NCAA Division 1 sports sustainability program, Ralphie's Green Stampede. He has helped develop fan engagement partnerships with BASF, Pepsi, Wells Fargo, WhiteWave Foods, The Pantry, Eco-Products, and UPS etc aimed at influencing fans' behavior toward sustainability at home, work and play. Dave is also Secretary of the Green Sports Alliance Board of Directors, former Board Secretary of the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, an award winning publisher and editor, and a former elected county commission board chairman.
Erin O'Connell | Senior Associate Athletic Director, University of Washington
Erin O'Connell serves as the Senior Associate Athletic Director. Her role includes overseeing event management, facilities and operations, sports administration/operation and IT staff. O'Connell is also responsible for nine varsity programs - men's and women's golf, gymnastics, softball, volleyball, sand volleyball, women's crew and men's and women's cross country/track. Additionally, she serves as the Pac-12 SWA and works to maintain and promote gender equity in compliance with Title IX. Prior to joining the athletic department executive staff, O;Connell was the Director of Athletics at Seattle Pacific University from 2009-2015. She also served as the President and Chair of the U.S. Rowing Board of Directors from 2014-16. A UW graduate and student-athlete, O;Connell served as an Assistant Women;s Rowing coach at Washington for seven seasons, before moving into the athletic department at Seattle Pacific. O;Connell was a four-year student-athlete at the University of Washington, a coxswain on the Washington rowing team from 1993-96. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor;s in English in 1996, and went on to earn a Master;s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Administration in 2001 from Seattle Pacific University.
Sophia Thomas | Student-Athlete, Women's Tennis; University of Arizona School of Geography and Development
Sophia Thomas is a senior at the University of Arizona studying Physical Geography. She is a member of the women's tennis team (wildcats) and has been a leading campaigner for sustainability both within the athletic facilities and across the wider campus.. Sophia is the women's tennis SAAC representative and Vice President of the UofA SAAC and represented the University at the PAC-12 SAAC conference in San Francisco in 2018. A key member of the 'Students for Sustainability' club and the Waste Reduction Committee within the University, Sophia takes a leadership role in developing new sustainability initiatives, including a recent campaign to replace plastic straws across campus with paper versions and recycling plastic bags into waterproof blankets for the homeless.
Pete Waldron | President, L2 Brands
Pete joined League in July of 2016 assuming the role of President in Sept. He is now President of L2 Brands where he looks forward to growing the League and Legacy Brands, a merger that occurred in April of 2018. For over 25 years League and Legacy have been producing premium logo apparel, headwear and home decor. Both brands are from Pennsylvania rooted in a hardworking, entrepreneurial culture, driven to provide best-in-class products. Pete has been in the logo apparel and licensing business for that last 20 years. He previously worked for Host Communications as a Senior VP in the NYC office. He later founded and was CEO of Colony Sportswear which held licenses with over 200 major colleges, the NBA and NFL (where he outfitted former Super Bowl MVP's at SBXL), he sold the business in 2012. Before joining League, he was Senior VP at Vantage Apparel architecting a turnaround and return to profitability for the 40-year-old logo apparel supplier.
Cheryl Wong | Assistant Commissioner, Sport Management and Championships, Pac-12 Conference
Wong, starting her seventh year at the Pac-12 Conference, serves as the Assistant Commissioner for Sport Management and Championships, overseeing women's soccer, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's golf, women's lacrosse, and men's and women's rowing. With almost 15 years of experience in collegiate and professional athletics, Wong has held a variety of positions in athletics, starting as an athletic trainer at UCLA, with stops in marketing and corporate sponsorship, and most recently came to the Conference from the University of California, Berkeley where she oversaw travel operations for the athletic department. Wong continues her development with participation in various NCAA leadership conferences and programming as well as serving on the National Board for MOAA (Minority Opportunities Athletics Association). Wong completed her undergraduate degree at UCLA and also holds a Masters degree from the University of Miami.
Mike Yam | Host, Pac-12 Networks
Mike Yam joined Pac-12 Networks at its August 2012 launch after spending nearly four years at ESPN where he served as an anchor on SportsCenter, and was also heavily involved in the network's NBA, college football, and college basketball coverage. Yam currently hosts "Inside Pac-12 Football", as well as anchoring the Pac-12 Football pregame and postgame shows, and "Pac-12: Final Score". Previously, Yam was a regular voice on the radio as co-host of ESPN's "Fantasy Focus Basketball" and a frequent fill-in on ESPN Radio and its affiliate in New York City. Prior to ESPN, Yam had stints as anchor of NBA-TV's "Game Night" and provided daily sports updates on the College Sports Television Network (CSTV). A graduate of Fordham University and winner of the Marty Glickman Play-by-Play award, Yam began his broadcasting career hosting "One-on-One" on WFUV radio in New York.
Alexis Alexander | Digital Engagement Program Manager, University Sustainability Practices, Arizona State University
Alexis Alexander is a Digital Engagement Program Manager with University Sustainability Practices, at Arizona State University. Her role at ASU is primarily focused on developing digital-based behavior change programs within sustainability and coordinating with Sun Devil Athletics in the development of green game events, including; fan engagement, video production and marketing. Alexis has a B.S. in Sports Media and Strategic Communication from Oklahoma State University. Alexis got her start in higher education by working for CBS College Sports, where she led the the overall marketing plan and digital strategy for university clients.
Karen Baebler | Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Operations University of Washington
Karen Baebler is in her 20th year on the Husky athletics staff, currently serving as Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Operations. In this role, Baebler oversees Pac12 and NCAA Championship events, the operations of the Nordstrom Tennis Center, scheduling and contracting of athletics contest, and gender equity initiatives. She currently serves on the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and is the athletic department's liaison to the Seattle Sports Commission and Convention and Visitor's Bureau. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and holds an M.S. in Athletic Administration from Ball State University. She attended the Sports Management Institute on the campuses of the University of Michigan and University of Texas and has been an adjunct professor at Seattle University, teaching graduate courses in Event Management and Finance of Sport. ▾
She initiated the Athletic Department's sustainability program in 2010, and continues to the chair of the University of Washington Intercollegiate Sustainability Committee and is a member of the University of Washington's Environmental Stewardship Committee. Additionally, she has forged a relationship with the University of Washington's Office of Sustainability, student groups, and the Program for the Environment which has resulted in course offerings and internship opportunities. She was also the keynote speaker for the SustainableUW Festival in 2014. Baebler was integral in the planning of the 2.5 million renovation of Husky Stadium that achieved Silver LEED certification, as well as the Athletic Department's successful waste diversion program. This spring, she was the tournament director for the Pac12 Women's Golf Championships which featured sustainable practice at the course, the University and the surrounding community. She is committed to environmental and social sustainability and is thankful for the opportunity to make an impact.
Matthew Bone | Student Lead, Ralphie's Green Stampede, University of Colorado, Boulder
Matt studies Sustainability Planning and Management in CU's Masters of the Environment program and is the student lead for Ralphie's Green Stampede, CU's athletic sustainability and fan engagement initiative. Before entering graduate school, Matt played baseball at UCCS and was naturally drawn to RGS as a lifelong athlete and environmentalist. He plans to build a career around these passions combined with his curiosity for energy and economic transition.
Bryce Carnehl | Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Hunter Industries
I've been in the landscape industry for 20 years as a nursery worker, a contractor, a landscape architect, a sales representative, and now as a Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Hunter Industries. Throughout the years I've dedicated myself promoting the value of green spaces. What I've learned during this time is that the 'green industry' (landscape industry) is far from being green or responsible for its actions and impacts. So, I've channeled my passion for the green industry to educate our stakeholders on aligning responsible practices with business goals to help build business prosperity, increase the value of landscapes and ensure healthy communities in which we all live, work, and play.
Naomi Carrillo | Green Certification Coordinator, University of California, Santa Barbara
Naomi Carrillo is a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara studying Biological Sciences. Within UCSB Sustainability, she is a Green Certification Coordinator with the Program for the Assessment and Certification for the Environment and Sustainability (PACES). Combining experience as UCSB Rugby captain and work through AASHE's STARS report, she helped develop a checklist and model for PACES to evaluate Recreation and Intercollegiate Teams. After graduation, she hopes to work with sustainability through environmental counseling or ecological restoration.
Nicole Chernick | External Relations Coordinator, Ralphie's Green Stampede, University of Colorado, Boulder
Nikki is a graduate student at CU Boulder studying Sustainability Planning & Management. Coming from the business development and communications realm, she is interested in how to encourage behavior change toward healthier environments and happier people. As a passionate sports fan throughout her life, she believes part of this behavior change can come at the nexus of sports and community. Outside of sports sustainability, Nikki's professional interests lie in urban forestry and sustainable food systems.
Ayrel Clark-Proffitt | Sustainability Engagement, University of Utah
In her role, Ayrel develops and implements initiatives that promote a culture of environmental, social, and financial sustainability among the campus community. She also connects with various groups and departments across campus to educate and expand sustainable behaviors.
Kelsey Gaude | Program Manager, Zero Waste, Arizona State University
Kelsey Gaude is a Program Manager in the Facilities Maintenance and Management Department, Zero Waste, at Arizona State University. Her role at ASU is primarily focused on large scale zero waste events with Sun Devil Athletics and ASU Residential Life. Kelsey has a B.A. in Anthropology from Appalachian State University and a M.A. in Sustainability from Wake Forest University. She is an AmeriCorps alumni that got her start in her sustainability career by working for a Fortune 500 company on accessing their zero waste initiative among their manufacturing facilities.
Taylor Graham | Vice President of Business Operation & Marketing, Seattle Sounders FC
Taylor Graham enters his eighth year with the organization in 2019, following nine years of professional soccer - including the final three with Sounders FC. As Vice President of Business Operations and Marketing, Graham oversees traditional marketing and communications, digital and social media, broadcast, match presentation and operations with CenturyLink Field, youth soccer programs, and community outreach. Graham was a seven-year MLS defender for Kansas City (2003-2004), New York (2006-2007) and Seattle (2009-2011). He was also a member of the 2005 and 2007 USL-1 Seattle Sounders championship teams and was named USL-1 Defender of the Year in 2005. A graduate of Stanford University, Graham was named the club's Humanitarian of the Year in 2009 and has served as a board member on the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska and Washington and America SCORES Seattle.
Moira Hafer | Building Sustainability Program Manager, Office of Sustainability, Stanford University
Moira serves as the Manager of the Building Sustainability Performance Program in the Department of Sustainability & Energy Management at Stanford University. Her work includes addressing energy, water, and waste issues in Stanford's buildings to improve overall sustainability performance. Among other projects, Moira manages Stanford's Cardinal Green Athletics program and has has also served on the Assessments team in the Office of Sustainability, where she was responsible for compilation, analysis and reporting of key sustainability metrics for the campus as a whole. Before joining Stanford, Moira served as the Program Manager for a residential energy efficiency program at Acterra, an environmental non-profit organization based in Palo Alto. Moira graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in Human Biology and a concentration in International Environmental Policy.
Jason Hodin | Senior Research Scientist, University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories
Jason Hodin is a Senior Research Scientist at University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, where he studies metamorphosis in the ocean. In addition, Jason directs a series of educational websites dedicated to Biology and Environmental Science, including VirtualUrchin (virtualurchin.org) and the International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge (i2sea.org/iscfc). Jason strives to live as sustainable lifestyle as much as possible, eating a mostly vegan diet, traveling mainly by bicycle locally, bus regionally and train long distance (including cross-country), and shopping second hand. His favorite sport is international soccer.
Mark Horvath | Founder, Invisible People
Mark Horvath has broken the mold. He's not doing what makes sense. He's not doing something that even pays the bills. He is living out his passion and doing what burns deep inside of him. Mark has developed Invisible People to give a face and voice to homelessness, something he knows all too well since he once lived among them. His work is extremely innovative and his ingenious use of social media for storytelling is a model for both the corporate and not-for-profit worlds. After an extended period of unemployment and losing his house to foreclosure, Mark grabbed his camera and started to use social media to help tell the stories of people experiencing homelessness. With only a $45 start-up budget and lots of tenacity, Mark has used social media to reach a different stakeholder and change how people perceive a very serious social crisis that's mostly ignored. Mark regularly works on cause campaigns with major brands like Hanes, Ford, and Virgin Mobile, and has consulted for the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Police Department, Utah, the City of San Francisco, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, and more. In addition, Mark has served as a guest lecturer at educational institutions across the globe including UCLA, USC, NYU, and Syracuse University. In 2018, The Nonprofit Times included Mark in their 2018 Power & Influence Top 50 nonprofit executives.
Lin King | Cal Zero Waste Manager, University of California
Lin managed the R4 Recycling Program at UC Davis for fifteen years and Cal Zero Waste at UC Berkeley for the past seven years. UC Berkeley has won the Pac-12/ Green Sports Alliance Road to Zero Waste Basketball competition four consecutive times. He is the founder and Chair of the Zero Waste College and University Technical Committee under the TRUE Zero Waste Program of the USGBC and on the Board of the California Collegiate Recycling Council under the California Resource Recovery Association. He has also served on the Board of the College and University Recycling Coalition and California Resource Recovery Association. Lin completed his Bachelor's degree from UC Davis and his Masters at California State University, Fullerton, where he completed his thesis on evaluating and reporting the status of all twenty CSU campus waste reduction and recycling programs.
Michelle La | Zero Waste Specialist, Cal Zero Waste, UC Berkeley Facilities Services
Michelle is a Zero Waste Specialist for University of California, Berkeley, focusing on building a culture of zero waste on the Berkeley campus through education, promotion and operational projects, increasing waste awareness and operational efficiency. She has actively chaired and participated in a number of zero waste organizations, including the newly founded Zero Waste Campus Council, a technical council of CRRA. She holds a MBA in Sustainable Business Practices from the University of Oregon, Lundquist College of Business. Prior to graduate school, she was the Waste Reduction and Recycling Coordinator at University of California, Davis.
Eli Maesner | Student & Men's Rowing Team, University of Washington
Eli is a senior at the University of Washington in the Program of the Environment, finishing up his major in Environmental Studies. He is a member of the UW Men's Rowing Team. He is currently completing his senior capstone research project for his major by interning with the UW athletics department sustainability program.
Brian McCullough | Associate Professor of Management and Sport Business Leadership, Seattle University
Brian McCullough, PhD is an Associate Professor of Management and Sport Business Leadership in the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. His research examines the intersection of environmental sustainability in the sport sector, specifically the managerial decision-making processes to implement sustainable initiatives, examining interventions of behavioral change among sport spectator and participants to promote more sustainable behaviors, and evaluating the environmental impact of sport spectators and participants. Most recently, he has worked United Nation's Climate Change Secretariat to assist with the creation of the Sports for Climate Action Framework, Also, Dr. McCullough is the Co-Director of the Sport Ecology Group, an online consortium of researchers seeking to amplify the environmental sustainability efforts in the sport sector.
Izzy Parnell-Wolfe | Zero Waste Specialist, Cal Zero Waste
Izzy Parnell-Wolfe grew up in the Bay Area (Marin County) before attending UC Santa Barbara where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Global Studies. While at school, Izzy became involved in helping the the campus with its zero waste goals and was deeply influenced by her positive experiences of being a co-chair of the Zero Waste Committee, a student-run campus organization dedicated to zero waste, and a student researcher for the Refuse & Recycling Research Center, housed within Facilities. Upon graduating, Izzy decided to pursue her interest in the waste management industry and worked for two years as the Schools & Community Recycling Coordinator for Marin Sanitary Service, a private hauler in Marin County. Izzy currently works as a Zero Waste Specialist for Cal Zero Waste, UC Berkeley, where she and her team are working hard to help the campus reach its zero waste by 2020 goal through a variety of operational and educational based programs and strategies.
CJ Pennington | President, Proud Source Water
CJ Pennington is president of Proud Source Water a mission based bottled water company focused on creating a positive local and global sustainable impact. His passion is the outdoors. As the president of a CPG business and everyday consumer he continually makes choices centered around the future of the environment. A proud Arizona State graduate where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture.
Alexa Schreier | Predoctoral Instructor, Program on the Environment, University of Washington
Alexa is a graduate student at both the UW's Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. In addition to her research, Alexa teaches an undergraduate environmental studies course focused on sustainability, titled Sustainability Studio. Sustainability Studio is an experiential learning course where students work in groups on different projects with clients from the UW and Seattle community to improve sustainability around a specific topic, which changes each quarter. The Spring 2019 quarter of Sustainability Studio revolves around Sustainability in Pac-12 Athletics.
Dr. Galen Trail | Professor of Marketing & Sport Business Leadership, Seattle University
Dr. Galen Trail applies his 20 years of expertise as a consultant and researcher to help sport organizations increase environmentally sustainable behaviors in their fans, spectators, and participants. His focus on marketing sustainability through sport has helped organizations like Special Olympics USA Games, Special Olympics Washington, and Cherry Blossom Run, among others, improve their sustainability marketing and communications campaigns. In addition, he has done market research for many NCAA Division I athletic departments (University of Florida, Iowa State, Ohio State, University of Texas, University of Delaware) and professional teams (Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Sounders, Seattle Storm, Seattle Reign, Baltimore Orioles, and Sporting Lisbon) as well as the Circuit of the Americas, the Champions Tour, and the Boeing Classic. He has published over 75 books and articles, and currently teaches at Seattle University, after being on faculty at The Ohio State University, University of Florida, and Iowa State University.
Julia Wetstein | Zero Waste Director, Vegware Packaging Inc.
Julia Wetstein is the former Assistant Dean of Agriculture from Southern Illinois University where they started a campus composting program in 2006. In 2014 she joined Vegware, a manufacturer and global specialist in plant-based compostable foodservice packaging. Headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, with its US operational base in Huntington Beach, California, her role with Vegware is to provide the company's "Beyond Packaging" environmental consulting services in North America which link foodservice operators to the composting industry and help them meet zero-waste-to-landfill goals. Vegware is a sponsor of the Chou Hall project at UC Berkeley and the product sponsor for this year's PAC-12 Conference.
Claire Williams | Oregon State University Women's Rowing
Claire has been a member of Oregon State Women's Rowing for the past 2 years. Through the sport she found OSU's Student Athlete Sustainability Club, which was founded by a former member of the team. Claire is a second year student in the Honor College and is majoring in Environmental Science with a specialization in Applied Ecology. The Sustainability Club compliments her classwork and allows her to take my knowledge into the community and learn things in return.
Steve Wiseman | Western Regional Manager, Greenworks Commercial Tools
Steve is the Western Regional Manager for 3 years at Greenworks commercial. The markets he covers is from Colorado to Hawaii. Steve works directly with distributors, dealers and end users specializing in bringing battery outdoor power equipment to Universities, sports facilities, golf course and school districts nationwide.
Jamie Zaninovich | Deputy Commissioner/Chief Operating Officer, Pac-12
Jamie Zaninovich joined the Pac-12 Conference as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer in July of 2014. He is responsible for all aspects of the Pac-12's administrative operations, including television administration, sport management, championships, football bowl relationships, Pac-12 Global, governance, enforcement, compliance, and officiating. During his first two years at the Pac-12, Zaninovich helped guide the conference through unprecedented governance changes, major increases in its international efforts, and continued high-level success of its 23 sponsored sports. To name just a few of his myriad accomplishments at the Pac-12, Zaninovich has overseen the addition of two Pac-12 sports, transitioned the Pac-12 football postseason from the BCS to the College Football Playoff, navigated major changes in intercollegiate athletics governance and rule-making, and overseen reforms to student-athlete benefits and the addition of the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Leadership Team to the Pac-12's official governance structure. ▼
During Zaninovich's time at the Pac-12, the Pac-12 Global initiative has also expanded exponentially. In 2015, the conference hosted the first-ever U.S. regular season basketball game, collegiate or professional, to be played in China as the University of Washington defeated the University of Texas in Shanghai. He also orchestrated the advent of a first of its kind coaching education program in which coaches from China visit Pac-12 universities to be trained on coaching techniques. Additionally, Zaninovich has helped increase global distribution of Pac-12 sports around the world and across multiple platforms, including LeSports in China and YouTube. Prior to the Pac-12, Zaninovich spent six years as the commissioner of the West Coast Conference. He led the WCC through a period of extraordinary membership growth, transformed the conference basketball championships into successful events, and brought forward television and digital media advances that showcased the WCC's brand regionally, nationally and internationally. Zaninovich also served on several national college sports committees. Notably, he was as a member of the prestigious NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee from 2011-2014 and a Chair of the Division I Collegiate Commissioners Association Division I Subdivision from 2010 to 2011. He is also a founding member of the Board of Managers and Competition Committee of the Men's Basketball Officiating LLC, and a past member of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics. In 2010, Zaninovich was named to Sports Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list in recognition of his visionary leadership at the WCC. Prior to becoming commissioner of the WCC, he was a sports administrator in two prominent Division I athletics departments, serving as a Senior Associate Athletic Director at Princeton and a Senior Assistant Athletic Director at Stanford. A native of Eugene, Oregon, Zaninovich is a graduate of Stanford University and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Jamie and his wife, Karen, live in Millbrae, Calif. and have two children, Max and Luke.