Laury Hammel, Executive Director, SBN
Laury founded the Sustainable Business Network (SBN was originally New England Business Association for Social Responsibility (NEBASR)) in 1988, and has been leading the sustainable business movement in Massachusetts ever since. He is the owner and president of The Longfellow Clubs – a group of health and recreation clubs in the Greater Boston area- considered to be among the greenest health clubs in the U.S.
Laury has been the Executive Director of SBN since 2008 and provides overall leadership and visioning for the organization and its programs. Laury has been instrumental in founding numerous additional regional and national networks including Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).
Katrina Kazda, Managing Director, SBN
Katrina received her Bachelors degree in Visual Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her Master’s degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University. Prior to joining SBN she worked on a variety of international development initiatives, including the Lighting a Billion Lives campaign – a rural solar lighting program led by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) based in New Delhi, India. Katrina was the first ever recipient of the Maynard Town Committee’s “Think Globally, Act Locally” Award (2009) for voluntarily undertaking a municipal energy audit for the Town of Maynard. Katrina is a member of the board of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) and of theMOVE (The Massachusetts Outdoor Volunteer Experience). Katrina is also an active volunteer in numerous local food and sustainability organizations around Greater Boston. Katrina has been with SBN since October 2010.
Juan Sanchez, Program Coordinator, SBN
Juan received his Bachelors degree in Natural Resources Management from UNED University in Costa Rica and his Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from Tufts University. Prior to joining SBN, Juan worked as a high school teacher both in Costa Rica and in the Greater Boston Area for more than ten years where he focused on language and environmental education. While working at the Cambridge School of Weston, an independent school in Weston, MA, Juan developed and directed an environmental study abroad program that focused on sustainable development in Latin America. More recently Juan served as Program Supervisor for the City of Cambridge Team Green Sense Sustainability Summer Program managed by the Department of Public Works.
In the year 2000, Juan was recognized as one of the most promising young environmentalist at the World Expo in Hannover, Germany, where he represented Central America and Columbia University at the “Natural Resources and Sustainability Challenge” Symposium. Juan is a member of the board of Groundwork Somerville and a member of USGBC Green Schools. He is fluent in Spanish and is proud to bike to work most days of the week.
Taryn Johnson, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, SBN
Taryn graduated from Elon University in May 2012 with a B.A. in Broadcast & New Media Communications and French. Specializing in video production and social media, Taryn produced several shows based on her passion for the sustainable food movement. She had an active role in Elon’s Community Garden and was a regular volunteer at Apple Street Farms in Essex, MA.
Taryn served as the Marketing and Communications Intern for SBN from September to January. She previously worked as Digital Media Intern for Chefs Collaborative, a national non-profit network of chefs who engage in sustainable food practices. During a recent trip to Costa Rica, Taryn studied international sustainability and soon hopes to return to Central America to further her education in environmentally responsible food systems.
Nicola Williams, Producer & Marketing Director, Boston Local Food Committee, SBN
Nicola is the Principal of The Williams Agency, an award-winning full-service marketing, event planning, and business strategy firm based in Cambridge, MA that creates marketing solutions that make a difference for livable communities and a healthy environment. The Williams Agency is producer and marketing agency of the Boston Local Food festival and leads on marketing communications, sponsorship development, and logistical operations development.
The Agency works with government agencies, associations, and nonprofit organizations, offering a full range of marketing and “green events and marketing” services. Nicola has over eighteen years of marketing experience and is passionate about community. Nicola is also an active board member of SBN.
Jessica Boynton, Vendor Coordinator, Boston Local Food Committee, SBN
Jessica graduated from Antioch University New England in 2010 with a Masters in Environmental Studies with a Biology Teacher Certification and has found a passion working with food systems after developing a more formalized composting program and starting a small, organic garden on her grad-school campus. Collaboration, leadership and network building are the foundation for much of her work. Other current projects include serving as the Program Assistant for the New Hampshire State Food System Planning project through Food Solutions New England at the Sustainability Institute of the University of New Hampshire and writing for the NH Farms Network.
Other projects in the past include Solid Waste Consultant with the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, teaching Introduction to Ecology at Keene State College, and developing farm-school curriculum with East Hill Farm in Jaffrey, NH. Jessica loves to grow food and is dedicated to making connections across New England to build a stronger local food system.
Charlotte Meissner, SBLP Visiting Researcher
Charlotte received her Master’s degree in Biology from the Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany. After working as a biomedical scientist for four years, she moved to Boston to follow her passion for sustainability and the environment. She will complete her second Master’s degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management at Harvard University in 2013. She is currently working on her thesis in cooperation with the Sustainable Business Leader Program.
Charlotte loves the outdoors, biking, back yard gardening and local food, and she is living car free!
Mari Brunner, SBLP Research & Outreach Associate
Mari is currently pursuing her Master’s in Sustainable Development at Antioch University New England. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from the University of Michigan, with a dual degree in Spanish and a minor in Environmental Studies. She is expected to graduate with her MS in Environmental Science in May 2014.
Mari first became interested in sustainability in undergrad after taking a course on Environmental Justice. Since then, she has studied, volunteered, and worked abroad in Spain, Ecuador and South Korea. These experiences inspired her to go back to school to get her Master’s in order to work in the field of sustainability.
She currently lives in a transition town (Keene, NH) and is interested in sustainability consulting and working with communities on building resilience to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.
Jackie Gorman, Boston Local Food Program Associate
Jackie is currently a junior at Loyola University Chicago. She is pursuing two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Environmental Studies and Advocacy and Social Change and is expected to graduate in May of 2015.
While at school, Jackie became interested in sustainability through taking a theology course focusing on the moral problems of the ecological crisis. Her studies since then have started to move towards strengthening her ability to communicate the need for change. As the Sustainability Initiatives Coordinator for her gardening club at Loyola, she is working on a campaign to bring more local, fair trade, ecologically sound and humane foods to her campus’ dining hall by 2020. This summer, she is joining the Boston Local Food Festival team and is excited to continue to learn more about sustainability through real world experience.
After graduation, Jackie hopes to continue working towards building more sustainable food systems. She is enthusiastic about farmer’s markets, urban farming and local music.
