GoGreen Portland Conference

Restorative Economics practitioner, Nwamaka Agbo, brings a solutions-oriented approach to her project management consulting. With a background in organizing, electoral campaigns, policy and advocacy on racial, social and environmental justice issues, Nwamaka supports projects that build resilient, healthy and self-determined communities rooted in shared prosperity. In addition to her consulting practice, Nwamaka is now an Associate with the Movement Strategy Center after having completed a Senior Fellowship with the organization. She is also 2017 Fellow for the RSF Integrated Capital Fellowship Program. Nwamaka serves as a Faculty member with EcoDistricts, where she previously served as the Director of Programs for Target Cities-a program to support 11 neighborhood-scale sustainable urban regeneration projects across North American committed to equitable economic development. ▼

In the 1980s, she developed and managed the City of Toronto's Environmental Protection Office - the first local government environmental office in Canada - and in the 1990s her environmental policy consulting company provided services to international agencies and the Canadian federal government. She has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2002 and was Director of the Center for Creative Change at Antioch University. Her first book, The Rise of the US Environmental Health Movement was chosen as one of the top ten books on sustainability published in 2013, and her second book, Intrinsic Hope: Living Courageously in Troubled Times, has recently been published by New Society Publishers.

Susan Anderson is the director of Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. She is responsible for long range planning, zoning, urban design, and a host of programs and policies focused on energy efficiency, solar and other renewable energy sources, green building, waste reduction and recycling, urban agriculture, ecodistricts and promoting healthy, walkable neighborhoods. Recent efforts include 1) a once in a generation - new comprehensive land use plan, 2) a new Climate Action Plan, and 3) a new vision and strategy for development of the Central City. Susan has presented at dozens of venues nationally and internationally on sustainable urban development. She has held director-level positions in the public and private sector, and holds degrees in Economics and Environmental Science, and a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning. She was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus at both the University of Oregon and the University of California-Santa Barbara. In the past, she owned a wholesale tree nursery, and she has three charming, smart, well-behaved children.

Lena is a Senior Project Manager at Brightworks Sustainability, a green building and energy consulting firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon. During her 10 years of experience with implementing sustainability programs, energy incentives, and green building rating systems, Lena has managed the successful certification of more than 75 sustainability projects. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, LEED for Homes Green Rater, GreenPoint Rater, Energy Star Rater, Certified Energy Analyst, Home Energy Rater, Certified Carbon Reduction Manager. Lena loves guiding progressive clients, including Salesforce, Microsoft and Facebook, to execute their sustainability goals.

Elaine is a widely respected green building consultant whose background in both interior design and architecture gives her unique insight into building operations and how occupants interact with built environments. Clients benefit from Elaine's rich expertise in certification frameworks such as LEED, WELL Building Standard and EcoDistricts. With over 30 years' professional experience, including nearly 20 years in the green building industry, she is an engaging communicator and educator who takes a results-driven, pragmatic approach to facilitating diverse project teams, guiding them through sustainability strategies that best meet their individual high-performance goals. From developing "best in class" webinar series and curricula to presenting on national stages such as Greenbuild, IFMA and NeoCon, Elaine has taught diverse people across many disciplines about LEED, WELL, SITES, GRI, and the integrative process.

With over 25 years of experience in construction and building science, Alex Boetzel is a Certified Passive House Consultant and has consulted on dozens of LEED, Passivhaus, high-performance and zero energy projects in the US as well as in Europe. He plans and executes Green Hammer's innovation concepts, technical training, including building envelope and HVAC, and ensures quality control of envelope, energy, and water systems in design, construction, and commissioning. Under his leadership, Green Hammer has consulted on over 200,000 square feet of commercial multifamily, office, retail, academic, industrial, and single family residential Passivhaus projects designed, built, or retrofitted in Oregon to date. Alex plays an essential role as a company-wide resource for brainstorming and ensuring solutions to any challenge. His role as Director of Operations and Sustainability allows him to flow through company operations, teams and projects as a 'free radical' ensuring his wisdom and innovative expertise is pervasive throughout the organization.

At the City of Portland, Pete works with a team within the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) that is responsible for program and policy development, specifically for commercial food scraps service, clean and safe collection, administrative rule development, and recovery rate calculation. Pete also serves on the Board of The Association of Oregon Recyclers (AOR), Pete currently serves as the past chair board member. AOR is a 501 c(6), is focused on development and maintenance of a system of sustainable materials management in Oregon. AOR is a state recycling organization that provides education, networking and legislative opportunities for members to engage and participate.

Erica is an award-winning architect and Green Hammer's Director of Design. She has served as the Lead Architect on five net-zero energy homes, two net-zero energy pocket neighborhoods, and the Living Building Certified Tasting Room at Cowhorn Vineyard and Garden. Erica has served on the Portland chapter of the AIA's Board of Directors and been a Co-Chair for the chapter's Committee on the Environment. She has also been a guest lecturer, critic, and studio instructor at the University of Oregon. In 2012, Erica was awarded the Van Evera Bailey Fellowship for researching the Human Aspect of Net-Zero Energy in High Performance buildings. Her research included Post-Occupancy Evaluations of nine Net Zero/High Performance buildings in Oregon and around the country looking at occupant comfort and how to engage occupants in energy saving behavior. Erica was recently named a 2017 Woman of Vision by Oregon's Daily Journal of Commerce.

Mark Gamba is a world class visual artist. His long career in still photography for clients like National Geographic, Sports Illustrated , Nikon and Adidas has earned him a reputation as a communicator able to bring back great images, no matter the difficulty of the situation. This career allowed him to experience firsthand a number of issues facing us all, and his frustration at the distinct lack of appropriate response to these issues by the government caused him to run for office in 2012. He has been serving on the Milwaukie City Council for five years, the last three as Mayor. He currently serves on the Clackamas County Coordinating Committee and on the Metro Policy Advisory Committee. Mark is working to make Milwaukie: entirely equitable, delightfully livable and completely sustainable.

As a Senior Consultant with our Building Performance and Sustainability teams, Joel brings over 10 years of consulting experience on building-energy and sustainability projects. Our clients benefit from Joel's deep understanding of energy, daylight, airflow and comfort modelling in complex buildings and climates. Whether designing for low energy, performing energy simulations or supporting building code compliance, Joel always adds value and helps secure strong project outcomes. His keen insight into the unique challenges and opportunities of each project helps project teams make the most of the natural passive energy potential offered by a site's specific climate.

Wisdom Co-founder and Executive Producer Rose High Bear (Deg Hit'an Dine) was born and raised in a remote subarctic Athabascan village of McGrath along Alaska's Kuskoquim River. Following graduation from Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (B.S.), she made Portland, OR her home where, in 1993, she co-founded Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. (Wisdom). For the past 25 years, she has dedicated herself to Wisdom's mission and vision as Executive Director and now serves as Senior Consultant to the organization as needed.

As SVP's Senior Vice President for Community Impact, Lauren provides strategic direction & management of SVP's investments of human, social and financial capital in organizations & initiatives that build community capacity to solve intractable problems collaboratively. The current focus is to ensure equitable access to high quality, culturally relevant preschool experiences for children across Multnomah County, especially those children from communities who have experienced systemic social, economic, and/or political inequity. Lauren consistently seeks to pursue the greatest potential, not the easiest path, by working to build genuine partnerships with leaders - across sectors - to develop shared goals, metrics and strategies, so that all children in Portland have the foundation for learning and life success.

Dylan Kruse is Sustainable Northwest's Director of Government Affairs & Program Strategy, providing strategic direction and decision-making across the organization's programs. As Director of Government Affairs, Dylan represents and advocates for the state, regional, and national priorities of Sustainable Northwest. In this role, he is responsible for state and federal legislative activity, agency relations, and stakeholder engagement. Dylan also coordinates the Western Juniper Alliance, a 50 member organization working to restore the health of western rangelands, develop markets for Western Juniper wood products, and support rural economic vitality and wildlife habitat. He is also the bioenergy specialist at Sustainable Northwest, serving on the Oregon, Washington, and Idaho Statewide Wood Energy Teams, and supporting the development of a variety of woody biomass projects across the Pacific Northwest.

Kevin leads the City of Portland's Smart City PDX team. He has in-depth experience developing, implementing and managing systems and applications to improve delivery of services, increase community involvement in City projects, and to support Portland's long-range planning. Kevin manages a diverse team of Smart Cities and Open Data coordinators, web developers, web designers, graphic designers, database administrators, GIS analysts, and an air quality scientist.

Khanh Pham is the Manager of Immigrant Organizing at APANO. She also serves as the Board Chair of OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon. She's worked as a community organizer, fundraiser, and communications associate in a variety of social justice organizations, including VietUnity, Global Fund for Women, Refugee Transitions, and National Radio Project. Khanh leads the immigrant organizing programs and our Climate, Health, and Housing Institute (CHHI) fellowship program. She focuses on political education, leadership development, and policy advocacy, with a particular emphasis on the intersections between climate, health, and housing.

Megan Shuler works at the City of Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, where she leads a team that encourages Portlanders to take climate action through reuse, repair, recycling and composting. With over a third of Portland's carbon emissions coming from the "stuff" we consume and dispose of, these programs empower Portlanders to reduce their impact with smart choices. Megan has 16 years managing sustainability programs, and is committed to advancing racial equity, diversity, and inclusion through her work.