Russell is a first-generation farmer in the foothills of Hickory, North Carolina, where he farms JRH Grain Farms, LLC. Russell is known as one of the most progressive young farmers in the country. Russell has been a featured producer in Top Producer Magazine, Furrow Magazine, and on RFD TV, Ag PhD, and National No-till Farmer for profitably farming by reducing fertilizer inputs and using soil health practices on cash crops.

In 2017 he won the North Carolina Corn Yield contest, the first person to win in the state using regenerative practices. Russell's operation focuses on maximizing profits and direct consumer marketing for all their products, including corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, pastures beef and pork. He is the co-founder of Regen Mills and Heritage Ground, co-owner of Soil Regen, LLC, and has partnered with Foothills Distillery producing the first bourbon in North Carolina since prohibition.

Scott Tew serves as vice-president of sustainability and co-founder of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Trane Technologies. In addition, he leads the Center for Healthy and Efficient Spaces. Tew is responsible for forward-looking sustainability initiatives aimed at transitioning to more efficient and climate-friendly solutions without compromising health or resource impacts. He is also responsible for climate and energy related public policy matters.

Tew serves as a thought leader in linking public policy, economic impacts, and a value-stream approach to sustainability. His recent efforts have led to the development of world-class initiatives, including introduction of the company’s comprehensive 2030 targets, an SBTi validated Net Zero target, the creation of the EcoWiseTM portfolio, launch of the largest customer-facing commitment to combat climate change with the Gigaton Challenge: and as a pioneer in integrated reporting. Most recently, the company appeared as the cover story on ESG Governance by the National Association of Corporate Directors, received the inaugural Terra Carta Seal for Sustainability Leadership by HM King Charles III, obtained a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index, an “A” rating from CDP and the company has been consecutively listed to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for 13 years and is a 2022 Hall of Fame inductee in Climate Leadership.

Tew holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in environmental science and ecology from Livingston University. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Corporate Eco Forum and the Global Sustainability Centre; as past board chair of the World Environment Center and the US Business Council for Sustainable Development (USBCSD). He was appointed to the North Carolina Energy Policy Council where he chairs the Energy Efficiency policy committee and was named NC Industry Energy Leader of the Year by Charlotte Business Journal. He was the recipient of the 2023 Sustainability Professional of the Year by the UK-based Global ESG Awards. Tew is the author of myriad white papers related to sustainable practices and is included in the recently published book, Chief Sustainability Officers At Work, by Chrissa Pagitsas and Apress Media.

Dena Diorio has been a leader in public administration since 1988. After graduate school Dena started what would be a ten-year stint with the City of New York, eight of which were in the Mayor’s Office. Serving under three different Mayors, Dena started as a financial analyst in the Departments of Sanitation and General Services where she provided financial support to various operating divisions. In 1990, she was appointed a supervising analyst at the Mayor’s Office of Operations where she rose to the level of Deputy Director in only five years. In 1995, she was appointed the Director of City Legislative Affairs and served as the Mayor’s lobbyist to the City Council. In that role she is credited with facilitating the passage of over 100 local laws included in the Mayor’s legislative agenda.

In 1998, Dena was appointed the inaugural Director of the Office of Policy and Management for the City of Stamford, Connecticut. She established a strong budget and auditing department that improved efficiency and accountability. In 2002, Dena moved to the City of Danbury, Connecticut where she served as the Director of Finance and Human Resources. Dena joined Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 2007 as Director of the Department of Financial Services. She is recognized for guiding the County through the fiscal crisis and implementing policies that significantly improved the financial position of the County. In 2013, she was promoted to Assistant County Manager and in 2014 was selected as the first woman to serve as County Manager for Mecklenburg County. As County Manager Dena serves as the CEO of the organization and is responsible for a workforce of 6,000 employees and an annual operating budget of $2 billion.


In her role as County Manager, Dena serves on a variety of boards including Charlotte Center City Partners, the Charlotte Sports Foundation, the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Blumenthal Performing Arts, and United Way of Central Carolinas.

Aarti Tandon is a seasoned lawyer, human rights activist, film producer, and event producer who has been developing strategic partnerships at the intersection of entertainment + technology + justice for two decades. She is most well-known for having secured a rare Presidential Commutation at just 33 years old.

She is the CEO of Smart City Expo USA where she convenes presidents, global mayors, government officials, CEOs, NGOs, and leading innovators on harnessing AI, big data, blockchain, and the $1.6 trillion global smart city marketplace to build smart, equitable, and sustainable 21st century cities.

“Cities cannot be ‘smart’ if we have homelessness, hunger, and poverty or if cities cannot access decent transportation, housing, healthcare, security, broadband, education, energy, clean air and water, or build generational wealth. We must use frontier technologies to prepare cities for tomorrow while addressing urgent issues of today,” says Aarti.

Aarti is a graduate of Emory University (B.A., International Studies; Certificat, Sorbonne Université) and the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law (J.D.) where she served as Editor-in Chief of the Moot Court Honor Society and received the Jacob Burns Medal of Honor. Aarti is a Global Ambassador of Global Impact Initiative, and a member of the third class of the Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellowship and the Aspen Global Leaders Network. Aarti lives in New York City with her husband, Joseph.

Geraldine Gardner has served as Executive Director of Centralina Regional Council since January 2019. She has extensive local government experience in transformative partnerships and integrated policies that build sustainable and inclusive communities. Prior to joining Centralina, she served as Director of Urban and Regional Policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and Associate Director at the District of Columbia Office of Planning. Geraldine has a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of California, Los Angles and BA in metropolitan studies from NYU.

Tori Kaplan is the Chief Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Officer for Truist. She partners with the company’s executive, business, and strategy leaders to develop, formalize, and promote Truist’s corporate responsibility initiatives to align with the bank’s purpose, mission, and values.

In her role, Kaplan analyzes external trends and benchmarks to inform near- and long-term goals; builds relationships with internal and external partners to advance Truist’s sustainability goals; and works across the enterprise to ensure corporate responsibility practices are embedded throughout the business. She also has oversight of the Truist Charitable Fund, Workplace Giving and Enterprise Volunteerism.

Elisa is a recognized thought leader on ESG and sustainable business models. She advises business leaders on evolving their businesses to become profitable impact organizations – helping them understand the holistic interconnections between risk, reward and impact.

She has been recognized “As A TOP 50 Leader” by the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, listed by Gartner as a top 5 "Cool Vendors" in Sustainable Business Solutions and was a member of the United Nations Global Compact Business Leader’s Summit on Sustainable Business Solutions. She has collaborated with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, Global Reporting Initiative, CDP and served as a speaker on sustainable business models for industry conferences.

Elisa’s passions are: preserving the traditions of cowboy culture, working with horses, collaborating with other like-minded people to create a better world for the next generation. Elisa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Katie is a former C-suite healthcare thought leader with over 25 years of experience developing and implementing innovative programs to enhance care, promote health and expand business models for success. A bestselling author, Both/ And: Medicine and Public Health Together charts a practical path toward better health outcomes at a lower cost, for all.

She is the founder of the Whole Person Index, serves as the CEO of LovEvolve and advised companies including VOX TeleHealth, Honor My Decisions, GE Healthcare, and Pfizer, among others. As the Chief Administrative Officer, Katie was responsible for a $3.5B portfolio including heart/ vascular, neuroscience, surgical services, children’s, emergency medical services (EMS) and mobile medicine- including a fleet of helicopters and airplanes. She was the co-creator of the first programs in the healthcare system focused on population health including telemedicine, care management, community
health and hospital at home.

Brian is a regenerative agriculture consultant for Understanding Ag and a student of soil. His family’s roots are planted in Northeast Iowa where he spent 17 years enrolled in the dairy farming school of hard knocks. He applies his passion for working with nature and his background as a farmer and agricultural engineer to help heal broken nutrient, water, and energy cycles to make regenerative food production a reality.

Harriette is a certified sustainability consultant, associate of North Star Transition (UK) Member of World.Link. Co-founder of Women invested in Nature, WIIN, Advisory board of a Canadian water group. Currently Director of Communications for Soil In Formation, PBC (SIF).

Harriette consults for initiatives focused on building educational change and regenerative finance. Harriette is a communications and network leader, career educator and coach, restaurant owner, consultant, publisher, journalist, 40-year food/health pioneer and entrepreneur.

Based in Charlotte, as Sustainability Strategy Executive for Business Banking (BB) and Global Commercial Banking (GCB), Erin works to align BB and GCB Sustainability efforts to the broader Enterprise wide Bank of America ESG goals. In her current role, Erin focuses on banker preparedness and client engagement as it pertains to social impact, net zero engagement and overall ESG strategy. Erin joined the Bank in 2016 and most recently served as Senior Vice President and LIHTC Syndication Senior Relationship Manager for the Community Development Banking group and ESG Co-Chair of the GCB ESG Taskforce. Prior to joining the bank, Erin worked in NYC in real estate finance at JPMorgan Chase and KPMG.

Based in Charlotte, as Sustainability Strategy Executive for Business Banking (BB) and Global Commercial Banking (GCB), Erin works to align BB and GCB Sustainability efforts to the broader Enterprise wide Bank of America ESG goals. In her current role, Erin focuses on banker preparedness and client engagement as it pertains to social impact, net zero engagement and overall ESG strategy. Erin joined the Bank in 2016 and most recently served as Senior Vice President and LIHTC Syndication Senior Relationship Manager for the Community Development Banking group and ESG Co-Chair of the GCB ESG Taskforce. Prior to joining the bank, Erin worked in NYC in real estate finance at JPMorgan Chase and KPMG.

Margaret holds a Masters of Science in healthcare leadership from Dartmouth College and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Francis Marion University.

Chef John Tesar’s influential culinary career spans over five-decades,
with a gastronomic footprint in the Southwest, and the west coast. Tesar has earned high praise for his critically acclaimed Knife steakhouse and burger concepts, and his newest concepts, Knife Italian and Knife and Spoon. In 2022, Knife and Spoon at The Ritz Carlton Grand Lakes in Orlando was awarded a MICHELIN star for Chef John Tesar’s exemplary work, and it continues to retain the star today.

Known for his classically trained chef’s approach to seafood and steakhouse cuisine, over the years he has cemented his reputation for reinventing the steakhouse dining experience. “For years, I thrived as the European-trained seafood chef,” Tesar explains, “so for Knife, I travelled to steakhouses around the country to find out how I could change and elevate the game.” Opened in May 2014 in the Highland Dallas hotel, Knife finds its drive from the products it sources through partnerships with nearby Heartbrand Beef and 44 Farms and the innovative, classically rooted techniques it employs in the kitchen, as well as the science behind its up-to-240-day on-site dry-aging process.

The success of his concepts stems from Tesar’s distinct leadership philosophies. “It’s all about carrying on those classic traditions while keeping your mind open for growth and new experiences,” he says, valuing purity, hard work, style, and integrity. With the expansion of the Knife steakhouse brand throughout Texas and the country, as well as the introduction of Knife and Spoon and Knife Italian —Tesar relishes the enthusiastic support his concepts garner from staff, guests, and critics. “To identify, execute, and multiply a niche like this is truly a treasure,” he says. A five-time James Beard “Best Southwest Chef” semifinalist, two-time contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and winner of Food Network’s “Extreme Chef,” Tesar’s national media presence also includes appearances on “The Today Show” and “The Early Show” as well as coverage in The New York Times, Food and Wine, New York Magazine, and more.

Paige Jackson is a regenerative farm manager based in Person County, North Carolina. After years of working in marketing within the beauty industry, she transitioned her skills to develop a farming business focused on sustainability and enhancing farm visibility.

Grass Grazed, the farm she co-founded, is a pasture-based operation emphasizing soil health and sustainable farming practices. The farm raises pork, chicken, and cattle, and has recently developed a snack line called Grazed Snax, offering meat snacks with protein you can trust. Grass Grazed strives to offer transparency from farm to table for their customers.

Derrick Jackson is a regenerative farmer based in Person County, North Carolina. He previously served in the US Army Special Operations for 14 years.

In 2019, Derrick and his wife Paige launched Grass Grazed Farm while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Grass Grazed is a pasture-based farm focusing on soil health and sustainable farming practices. The farm raises pork, chicken, and cattle, and has recently developed a snack line called Grazed Snax, offering meat snacks with protein you can trust.

Grass Grazed strives to offer transparency from farm to table for their customers.

Dr. Courtney Owens joined American Farmland Trust in October of 2022. His primary responsibilities as Southeast Regional Director is to lead programs to protect farmland, promote sound farming practices and keep farmers on the land in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Most recently, Dr. Owens has focused on bringing awareness and creating equitable opportunities in conservation for Historically Underserved Farmers and Landowners in the Southeast.

Dr. Owens experience in agriculture dates to the beginning of his career in 2006 when he served with the United States Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, as a small enterprise developer, where he trained over one hundred farmers in sustainable agriculture and environmental practices. During his 18-year career, Dr. Owens led, implemented, evaluated, and reported on community-based rural development education programs. Before joining AFT, Dr. Owens worked in various leadership roles with Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension where he was responsible for supporting nine programs including 4-H youth development, family well-being, nutrition, community health, and small farm development that were delivered by 70+ faculty and staff.

Dr. Owens also previously served at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Cooperative Extension and helped lead programs to assist farmers with adopting computer technology and overcoming barriers to broadband internet access as well as strengthening farm business management.
Dr. Owens is a native of North Carolina, he attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and received his Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Science and professional service in agricultural education. Dr. Owens received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in agricultural education and communication with a specialization in Extension education.

Madhu Vulimiri is the Deputy Director for the Division of Child and Family Well-Being at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). The Division of Child and Family Well-Being is a new division at NCDHHS that integrates behavioral health, physical health, and social programs to support whole child and family health. As the division’s inaugural Deputy Director, Madhu provides strategic and operational leadership for major federally-funded nutrition programs (Food and Nutrition Services (also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Child and Adult Care Program (CACFP), and SUN Bucks/Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). These nutrition programs collectively provide over $4 billion in food benefits annually in North Carolina and are a critical support for millions of children, families, and older adults across the state. Madhu led the development of the NCDHHS State Action Plan for Nutrition Security in 2023, outlining an innovative, multi-pronged strategy to decrease the number of North Carolinians currently experiencing food insecurity.

Previously, Madhu served as the senior advisor and chief of staff to the Chief Deputy Secretary of NCDHHS supporting North Carolina’s COVID-19 response from 2020-2021, as well as the senior strategist at the North Carolina Medicaid agency from 2018-2020. Madhu is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health (BSPH) in Health Policy and Management, where she was a Morehead-Cain Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa, and of Duke University with a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) and a certificate in health policy, where she was a Margolis Scholar in Health Policy and Management.

Barbara Worley, Ph.D. is a food and culture research expert and consultant. Her primary research focuses on the relationship between food and culture through the use of critical discourse analysis. Dr. Worley's food and culture work has been published in the international peer reviewed journal Food, Culture, and Society, and presented at conferences and symposia both domestically and internationally.

Dr. Worley graduated with a B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill in Management and Society, a Masters in Extension Education from North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Science Communications from the University of Georgia. She also holds additional Ed.D. work from North Carolina State University studying International Extension, including food, culture, and agricultural economics research at the University of Zagreb in Croatia.

As a university county faculty member and Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agent for nearly two decades at three universities across the South (the University of Florida, North Carolina State University, and the University of Georgia), she specialized in chronic disease prevention, food safety, and food preparation education through the dissemination of research-based information. In April 2023, Dr. Worley joined NC State University as the Director of N.C. Cooperative Extension in Mecklenburg County where she focuses on community resource development and urban agriculture across the local food system.

Over the last two decades, Dr. Worley has collaborated on projects with celebrity chefs, food and nutrition scholars, and appeared in various forms of print and broadcast media. From 2010 to 2015, she hosted "Fresh and Local", a cable television show that engaged viewers in learning how to prepare local, in-season products from North Carolina. In 2018, Dr. Worley partnered with John Burrell's High Adventure Company and was featured fishing for and preparing redfish in Louisiana on "Brush Country Monsters". The episode subsequently became Emmy nominated. Barbara has also appeared in "Garden and Gun", "Sporting Classics Magazine", and in numerous University publications. She has written nutrition and food related content for news outlets across North Carolina and Georgia, was a state media spokeswoman for the NCSU "Steps to Health" program, and had a regular radio spot in central North Carolina on WKXR.

In addition to her expertise in food and culture studies, Dr. Worley also focuses research on agricultural innovations related to their overall global and domestic socio-cultural impacts, and offers implications in these areas using her model to convey cultural awareness and intelligence. While at the University of Georgia, she participated in a two-year USDA/SCRI multi-university grant where her work examined agricultural commodity and turfgrass innovation communications. Her agricultural innovations and communications research has been published in peer reviewed journals including Advancements in Ag Development, the Journal of Agricultural Education, and the Journal of Applied Communications.

Adam and his brother, Seth, found their way into regenerative practices to help with weed control and to bring them back from the brink of bankruptcy. Adam and his brother’s farm grow corn, soybeans, cotton and rice on approximately 8,000 acres near Cotton Plant, AR. Their farm is all no-till and they use diverse cover crops and livestock integration to improve soil health. Adam and Seth have expanded into additional hi-margin businesses, including cattle, cover crop seed sales, and a rice mill to improve ROI. Adam is an entomologist, regenerative ag specialist and Viking.

April Whitlock is the Head of Corporate Citizenship at LendingTree and Executive Director of the LendingTree Foundation since 2020. At the time, those were new roles for both April and LendingTree, but LendingTree isn’t new to her. April initially joined the fintech company over 20 years ago when it was a start-up and has returned to lead the strategic development and execution of impactful relational giving programs and volunteerism across LendingTree’s U.S. footprint. April is a creative strategist who excels in helping organizations, which have included Foundation for the Carolinas and Carolina Pad, turning big ideas into successful ventures. Prior to LendingTree, April served as the Interim Director of Charlotte Corporate Affairs Professionals and was the business owner of Fundanoodle, a series of educational readiness products. In other entrepreneurial ventures, April started the Charlotte market for Mom Corps, a staffing firm for professional parents seeing flexible jobs so they can contribute at home and at work.

A Duke University graduate and Charlotte native, April values the importance of community and currently volunteers on the City of Charlotte Arts and Culture Advisory Board, the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte Board of Directors, Share Charlotte, Classroom Central and the Women’s Impact Fund. She was recently honored as one of the 2023 Charlotte Ledger’s “40 Over 40 and has also been named as Charlotte Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and Mecklenburg Times’ “50 Most Influential Women.”

In her free time, April enjoys exploring Charlotte and the cultural community with her husband, three daughters, and their rescue dog.

Bryan is a native Texan and a biologist by birth. Bryan has incorporated nature-based green-infrastructure biomimicry practices into renewable energy and habitat regeneration projects across private, state, and federal lands. Accelerating Nature-Based Solutions often improves the health of the ecosystem and helps convert flooding liabilities into agricultural abundance and resilient groundwater assets. His passion is “teaming with nature” to benefit People, Planet, and Profits.

Meg joined Catawba College in August 2017 as Interim Vice President of
Development for a two-year period as an executive on loan from the
Charlotte-based Foundation for The Carolinas. In 2019, Dees accepted the permanent position of Vice President of Development for Catawba. She served the Foundation for The Carolinas from 2008 to 2019 as its Vice President – Philanthropic Advancement, Affiliate Development. Prior to that Meg was the Assistant Director of the NC Main Street Program for the State of NC from 1999-2008 and served as the Executive Director of the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation from 1993-1999.

Meg is a graduate of Mary Baldwin College and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from NC State University. In the past Meg has served on the Board of Directors for Piedmont Players Theatre, The Rowan Museum, Preservation North Carolina, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame Association Foundation and the
Catawba College Board of Trustees.

Meg currently serves as the Vice Chair of One Green Thing and on the
advisory boards of the Catawba College Center for the Environment and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Nutrition Research Institute.
Meg is married to Jay Dees, an attorney in Salisbury, NC and has two children, one in college and one in graduate school.

Whitney Feld currently serves as the President of the Bissell Ballantyne Legacy Foundation, a private family foundation started by Smoky and Margaret Bissell. Previously, Feld worked in regulatory relations at Wells Fargo supporting the Strategy, Digital, and Innovation teams. Prior to her role at Wells Fargo, Feld spent six years at Foundation For The Carolinas (FFTC). At FFTC, she led the Center for Personal Philanthropy, Planned Giving, and Family Office Partners divisions. During her tenure at FFTC, Feld served as the dedicated relationship manager for FFTC’s most complex family and foundation relationships and advised clients on current gifting strategies, legacy planning, multi-generational family engagement, and succession planning. Feld excelled in helping her clients identify and achieve their social impact objectives and remains an avid champion of this region’s nonprofit sector serving on several nonprofit boards.

She began her career at a Title I school in Brooklyn, New York where she taught Special Education. Feld received her undergraduate degree from Miami University. In 2014, her alma matter selected her for the “18 of the last 9” award, which highlights graduates who are living the values inherent in a Miami University education. Feld also holds a master’s degree in education from Pace University and a Juris Doctorate from the Charleston School of Law. She is licensed to practice in North Carolina.

Julie Davenson, a Farm Finance Specialist at the Soil and Climate Initiative, holds a master’s degree in organization and management from Antioch New England University. With over a decade of leadership in agriculture and food businesses, she excels in securing funding for farmers and assisting businesses in developing sustainable sourcing programs.

Julie is dedicated to advancing regenerative agriculture by serving as an intermediary connecting farmers and businesses to transition finance and funding. Her expertise in agriculture and systems change work helps develop effective sourcing programs, promoting environmentally responsible operations.

She actively writes on systems change in agriculture with articles in U.S. Acres and Food Solutions New England. She is an accredited Educator with the Savory Insititute and serves as the Board President of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH where she helped establish their farmer emergency and transition fund and leads policy work.

Robyn Hamilton serves as the President and CEO of the Urban League of Central Carolinas. The Urban League is North Carolina’s oldest civil rights organization and an affiliate of the National Urban League. She is a seasoned leader who has built deep trust in many communities across the United States and led impactful work that Charlotte is still benefitting from.  A mission-driven leader, her passion for people, strengthening communities and improving lives was a winning combination to lead the North Carolina DHHS, Healthy Opportunities Pilot on behalf of Dogwood Health Trust.

At Novant Health she was Director of Community Engagement, for the regional not-for-profit integrated health system.  Her deep community relationships helped lead the team to distributing millions of funding to organizations’ that aligned with the market strategy. She served on the leadership team as the Senior Advisor of Diversity, Business Relations and Procurement for the 2012 Democratic National Convention where she was responsible for achieving the unprecedented 41% diversity spend with a political convention.  Political conventions leverage her system to insure equality in the procurement of goods and services.

During her tenure as the CEO of Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council, Robyn authored and established the Charlotte Minority Economic Development Initiative for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce in 2011, which generated over $52 million in contracts and created 469 jobs by minority owned firms. Many remember the work Robyn did with Charlotte’s African American leaders with Access Charlotte, a mentoring program for African American emerging executives. The program saw 20% of the participants to go on to C-suite level positions. She holds an MBA from Queens University and a B.A. in human resource management from Saint Leo College. She honorably served our country in the United States Army as a Military Intelligence Analyst and also in the U.S. Air Force as a Social Actions Specialist.

I am a dedicated conservationist championing regenerative agriculture. Raised on a farm in Illinois, my expertise spans agronomy and sustainability, focusing on plant nutrition, soil data, and production analytics. My vision for a sustainable and transparent food system led me to co-found Merge, where I am redefining agricultural practices, empowering farmers, and transforming food production for a healthier planet and future generations.

Jolene is the owner/operator of a sustainable hobby farm in Cokato, MN. Her purpose and passion is educating on how nutrient dense foods can heal both our environment and people.. Currently, Jolene works full-time for the Minnesota National Guard as the Holistic Health and Fitness Director. Lieutenant Colonel Carlson has been a traditional Guardsmen for 19 years currently attached to the Minnesota National Guard Medical Detachment as Deputy Commander of Administration. Jolene currently serves on the MN Soil Health Coalition Board and has served on other non-profit Boards supporting systems change for the past 10 years. Jolene spent 20 years as a high school science teacher, and over 25 years in emergency services and education. Jolene has a Masters of Education in Env and Nat Sciences and a Masters of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, and has worked as a State of MN Licensed Nutritionist with clients for the past 5 years. When able, Jolene most enjoys spending her time on the hobby farm foraging plants for food and medicine and teaching her 4 children that everything in nature is connected and has a purpose.

Claude is the Executive Director of the US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD), a globally recognized leader in sustainable development solutions, collaboration and innovation. US BCSD platforms and projects are action-based and results-oriented, bringing together the collective insights of the council’s members to define challenges, develop and test solutions, evaluate results and establish solutions that create meaningful change. This work includes leveraging academic, government and non- profit resources and expertise to support market development and to proactively address hurdles in a streamlined and collaborative manner. Current platforms focus on decarbonization, equity, water/ecosystem synergies, and material reuse in support of a circular economy. Claude served skillfully as a program director at the US BCSD for two years, following retirement from Shell in Houston.

Among his goals as executive director, Claude is expanding upon the US BCSD’s strong social equity foundation. Claude has more than 40 years of program and project experience in commercial and government sectors, focused on energy, environmental restoration, conservation, and social investment. Before retiring from Shell, he served as External Relations Advisor for Social Investment Environmental Programs in the US. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina A and T State University. Claude also serves on the board of BCarbon, a Texas based carbon credit registry.