Opportunity Green Business Conference Board of Advisors

Our Board of Advisors is a pool of experts whose combined expertise is one of the most valuable resources available to Opportunity Green.

Sean Arian

Founder and President,
Eos Consulting
Sean Arian worked in government/politics as the Director of Economic Development Strategy for the Mayor of LA, developing the Mayor's strategy to build Los Angeles into a global capital of clean technology, prior to founding Eos Consulting, which helps to bring government agencies together with new clean tech opportunities. In addition, Sean's past experience includes work at McKinsey Consulting in assessment and selection (recruiting strategy) plus extensive of work in strategy and operations (healthcare, financial services). Mr. Arian has served as director of small non-profits, and worked for years for the longshoremen's union (top that!)
Bruce Brandfon

Vice President and Publisher
Scientific American
Bruce Brandfon joined Scientific American in September 2001, as Publisher. He was named Vice President in 2002. He assumed responsibility for all SciAm business ventures in 2007.

Mr. Brandfon was instrumental in the creation of the Scientific American 50 list - an annual editorial feature that salutes the most influential innovators and achievements of the year in the categories of research, business and public policy. He forged the partnership with The Financial Times that resulted in the special collaborative report, The Future of Stem Cells, that appeared in both publications in July of 2005. Mr. Brandfon's relationship with HSM, a leading global conference producer, resulted in the first ever World Science Forum, which convened in New York in November of 2006. Under Mr. Brandfon's leadership, Scientific American successfully launched SciAm MIND magazine and introduced Scientific American EARTH 3.0 in September 2008. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, is a Board Member of the MPA Media Committee, is a member of the International Advertising Association and was a member of the Board of Junior Achievement of New York.
Chip Conley

Founder & CEO, Joie De Vivre Hospitality
Chip Conley is the founder & CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, California's largest boutique hotel company, consisting of over 40 award-winning hotels, restaurants, and spas. Chip and his company's time-tested techniques have been featured in Business 2.0, TIME, Fast Company, Fortune, People and other leading publications.
Josh Dorfman

Author, The Lazy Environmentalist
Josh Dorfman is an environmental entrepreneur, author, speaker, and radio personality. He is the founder & CEO of Vivavi, a provider of contemporary, eco-friendly furniture and furnishings, working with over 40 of today's leading edge sustainable designers. In 2006, he launched ModernGreenLiving.com, Vivavi's companion resource that helps consumers find green homes and green building experts throughout North America.
Lex Heslin

President and CEO, Beautiful Earth Group
Lex Heslin is a sustainable energy developer whose goal is to improve the environment by creating reliable sources of clean, green power. Lex worked in power generation finance at Sanwa Bank in Tokyo, then at Goldman, Sachs & Co., before becoming president of a real estate investment firm in New York. He founded Beautiful Earth Group in Brooklyn, NY in 2008 to develop utility-scale solar and wind power generating facilities. Beautiful Earth (BE) develops and invests exclusively in non-carbon emitting electricity generation. BE is committed to helping the world change its consumption of fuels which pollute to those which help achieve a sustainable, life enhancing relationship between humans and the earth.
Nurit Katz

Sustainability Coordinator, UCLA
As UCLA's first Sustainability Coordinator, Nurit Katz is working to foster partnerships among academic, research, and operational departments and further the goals and initiatives of the campus sustainability program. Before starting in this position she founded the UCLA Sustainable Resource Center in 2005 to provide resources for the community on sustainability. She then served as President of the Graduate Students Association and helped Dr. Charles Corbett to develop a new interdisciplinary graduate certificate program - Leaders in Sustainability. After graduation she helped launch the UCLA Center for Corporate Environmental Performance. She has worked on a variety of sustainability projects including a project for the City of Los Angeles that focused on transit-oriented development along the Expo Light Rail Line. Her essay on the topic was published in the UCLA Anderson Forecast's "Solutions for Our City." Nurit holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Masters in Public Policy from the UCLA School of Public Affairs. She is Chapter Leader of the Los Angeles Professional Chapter of Net Impact, a global network of leaders changing the world through business.

Irwin Miller @GenslerLfstyle

Principal
Gensler
Irwin Miller is an architectural designer in the Mixed Use/Entertainment practice in Gensler Los Angeles office. He serves on the firm's Retail taskforce and the Southwest Regional Learning Council. Noteworthy projects include The Sales Office for MGM Mirage CityCenter in Las Vegas, The Nomadic Museum in Santa Monica and Majestic Cruises flagship vessel based in Curacao. Miller holds bachelor of arts and bachelor of architecture degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and a masters of architecture degree from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.
Bill Moses (Chairman of the Board)

Angel Investor and Founder Casa Barranca Winery
Bill Moses has crafted a multi-faceted, green lifestyle that merges sustainable business/commerce with a rich, organic home life. In addition to his Chairmanship at Opportunity Green, Bill is CEO of Earthson Organics, makers of the Kevita Brand probiotic beverage. He currently owns and operates Casa Barranca Retreat Center in Ojai, CA, a national historic landmark estate that is an eco-retreat center hosting green businesses like GlobalGreen.org & Patagonia, as well yoga and mediation groups. Bill is also the owner and vintner for Casa Barranca Winery, the first certified organic winery and vineyard in California's Central Coast.
Emilie Cowan

Strategic Advisor and Partnerships
Emilie brings a broad range of expertise to our management team. When Emilie worked for Senator Carl Levin in his Washington DC office, on environmental policy, she quickly realized the importance of being conscious about one’s community and how one should build and design within it. She spent time working overseas on community development and advocacy projects, specializing in resource management and sustainability, and occasionally living in alternative conditions (such as sharing a hutch with a chicken), in India. While completing her Masters in Business Communications, she worked for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, focusing on the development and implementation of a large Sustainable Development program throughout Australia (she did not live with any marsupials but did develop a penchant for kick boxing - coincidence?). Upon moving back to the US, she continued her career in high-end real estate sales and development for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. It was there that she refined her passion for new business operations, project management, client relationship development and strategic partnerships.
Nicole Landers

Eco-Consultant, Co-Founder of Econnect Group
Nicole Landers is considered to be one of Los Angeles' premier green authorities. Over the last five years, Nicole has devoted her skills in the PR industry to aid the environmental community in changing locally to affect globally. Nicole remains committed to being apart of the solution and has immersed herself in learning and passing on knowledge about all that aids the population in having a more sustainable and healthier living planet. Click Here for more info.
Heidrun Mumper-Drumm

Graphic Designer; Adjunct Associate Professor
Art Center College of Design
A graphic designer and letterpress printer, Heidrun Mumper-Drumm serves as adjunct associate professor in the Graphic Design and Humanities & Design Sciences departments at Art Center College of Design. Since 2003, her focus has been on the incorporation of sustainability principles into design education and the design process.
Ken Rutkowski

Host, President, KenRadio Broadcasting,
KenRadio
Ken Rutkowski is both Host and President of KenRadio Broadcasting. Part pundit, part matchmaker, part strategist, Rutkowski is considered one of the most broadly informed and connected people in the media, entertainment and technology markets. He helps startups and multinational corporations understand the trends shaping their industries and connect with the people who matter. His daily radio and Internet show, World Tech Round-Up, is a source of inside information for listeners in more than 40 countries, often scooping the major media and giving perspective to emerging trends, developments and industry maneuvers.
Jamie Simon

Director of Sustainability
Red Bull North America
Jamie Simon is the Director of Sustainability for Red Bull North America. Her primary responsibility is to identify programs that restore the environment, increase profitability, reduce risk, and improve brand value. As a former World Champion and Red Bull athlete in Freestyle kayaking, Jamie has a deep connection to nature. Her goals include finding the intersection of nature and business, where they profit most, and delivering this unique intersection through her work in corporate social responsibility.
Chris Ursitti

Owner, LA Center Studios
Managing Director, Green House
Chris Ursitti earned his degree in Theater and Production Design from Westminster College in Fulton Missouri, he went on to work for all the major studios in Hollywood. He gained extensive experience in producing, directing and production design which has contributed significantly to his future enterprises. Chris's first venture was in 1992 when he joined The Hollywood Location Company (HLC).