Joe Madden, Principal
Joe recently transitioned out of a successful decade in Transport Logistics with Transgroup Worldwide Logistics. There, Joe was consistently recognized on a national scale as a top producer and was also a partner in Transgroup SFO. More recently, Joe has focused his efforts on synthesizing his experience in Transport Logistics with his education in sustainable business practices to integrate sustainability and transportation at the aggregate level. His recent endeavors include an integral part in the launch of both DriveNeutral and Advanced Transit Dynamics as well as an Associate Editor for Triple Pundit, Media Outreach Coordinator for the Treasure America Project and the development of numerous collaborative efforts that include TransNeutral and LiveNeutral DuPont. Joe is a Presidio School of Management Class of 2008 candidate with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Jessica Williams, Associate: Project Management
Jessica was a co-founder and director of the educational web-based startup, GlobaLearn, where she managed product development and sales. She also built and managed the Eastern US sales team for AlphaSmart, an innovative, educational technology company. Since becoming involved in sustainability Jessica has been the lead for projects in sustainable agriculture and the energy field as well as marketing development for carbon offsets. She has extensive experience in project management, marketing and professional development programs. She has presented at the Smithsonian and hundreds of conferences nation-wide. Jessica received a BA in Intercultural Relations from New York University, a MAT in English from Quinnipiac University, and will complete a MBA in Sustainable Management at Presidio School of Management in 2008.
Saskia Feast, Associate: Quantitative Strategies
Saskia started her drive to bring scientific solutions to sustainability challenges with a doctorate thesis that focused on the reduction in waste in pharmaceutical production. Since then she has researched noble metal catalysts for car exhausts, tested materials for refining applications, and developed business opportunities for chemical sensor arrays. In partnership with Jessica and others, she developed a comprehensive strategy for job sharing at the executive level that covers logistics, communication strategy both inter and intra, and enables seamless integration within organizations. Her recent projects include developing a business plan for distributed hydrogen fuel, based upon on-site photo-catalytic electrolysis of water powered by renewable energy, building a model to assess multiple cost options for the expansion of a manufacturer of thin-film CIGS solar cells. She brings a global perspective, having worked in the U.S., U.K., and Europe, and has given numerous technical and business presentations at International conferences. She has worked with BP, Chevron, and Smiths Detections. Her B.Sc. in Chemistry is from King's College, London, and her MSc. & Ph.D. are from Liverpool University, U.K.
Nick Aster, Associate: Communication and Outreach
Nick Aster is a New Media Architect who has worked with companies like Nike, SAP, Gawker Media, Offermatica, and many others on internal and external strategies for communication. With a great deal of interest in environmental matters he is also a founding team member of TreeHugger.com, the most popular environmental website in the world, and owns the niche website TriplePundit.com to promote sustainable business. Nick holds an MBA in sustainable management from the Presidio School of Management and graduated with a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis.
Todd English, Associate: Science and Policy
Todd's passion is creating profitable business practices that ensure environmental responsibility. His other passions include creating environmentally responsible and profitable business strategies, problem solving and ideation. Todd's most recent work includes conducting sustainability research for the National Restaurant Association and Kimpton Hotels with Business Evolution Consulting. He has also lead carbon footprint calculation projects for several large corporations to establish green house gas inventories for carbon mitigation projects, and has worked with municipalities in financing alternative energy projects. Todd has a BA in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley and is a candidate for an MBA in sustainable management from Presidio School of Management in San Francisco, California. His diverse background includes environmental research, world cultures, real estate finance, and science education.
Nick Karno, Associate: Legal Advisor
Nick Karno is both a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, currently working in the Criminal Division, as well as a certified member of Al Gore's Climate Project. After three years in court as a Prosecutor, Nick spent the last three years doing civil litigation in the City's code enforcement and nuisance abatement unit, and he is currently preparing to transfer to the Environmental Justice Unit in the Fall. Nick has successfully implemented sustainable practices inside and outside of work. Since training with Al Gore earlier this year, Nick has delivered numerous presentations to schools, community organizations, and private gatherings in order to increase awareness around the issue of climate change. As a union representative, Nick organized a telecommuting program at work that is currently being negotiated with management. As a board member of the Venice Neighborhood Council, Nick is working to implement sustainable practices in the Venice region. Prior to joining the City Attorney's office, Nick worked as a Teacher and a Business Representative at the Mayor's Office of Economic Development. Nick has a J.D. (Cum Laude) from American University's Washington School of Law and a B.A. in English from Tufts University.