URBAN GARDEN INITIATIVE

Megan Chen is an environmental activist, author, and social entrepreneur. She is a current senior at Stanford University studying Urban Studies + Architectural Design, and pursuing a Masters in Earth Systems. She is the Founder of The Urban Garden Initiative, an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental sustainability and gardening education. TUGI has worked with thousands of students around the world, encouraging them to become environmental changemakers and activists within their own communities in addition to building the skills necessary to create their own sustainable food systems. Through her work with The Urban Garden Initiative, she has been featured by PBS, Teen Vogue, Ashoka Young Changemakers, the U.S. Department of State, TEDx, and more. She is a Daily Point of Light Award Recipient, HERLead Fellow 2020, and Our Planet: Our Purpose STEM for Changemaking Award Winner.

She also serves on the UN Youth Advisory Board for ProVeg International, Co-Chair for Generation Restoration with The World Economic Forum, US Stakeholder Council for 1t.org, Sustainability Advisory Council for the Stanford Doerr School, Partnership for Climate Justice in the Bay Area Advisory Board, Ashoka Young Changemakers, and Director of Stanford Earthtones.

PHILANTHROPY NOW

Sean Cherry is a founding member of Philanthropy Now, a consulting firm supporting organizations and funders making a positive impact. He is a digital marketing expert with experience delivering strong, cost-effective returns for social impact organizations throughout the world. Sean has raised tens of millions of dollars for nonprofit organizations through strategic, innovative campaigns spanning numerous platforms.

As Vice President of Digital Media at Greater Good Charities, Sean elevated Digital Marketing efforts, scaling revenue from under 100k to over 5M annually within just five years. In 2023, his leadership was recognized by Meta when Greater Good Charities was selected as one of one hundred nonprofits for their Non-Profit Accelerator Program. Sean led efforts resulting in TikTok selecting Greater Good Charities as one of fifty nonprofits for the 2023’s #GivingSzn campaign. Sean was also instrumental in the organization’s selection for the second-ever recipient of NP Digital’s Non-Profit Concierge Program (2023 Global Marketing Agency of the Year). 

Originally from Ohio, Sean now lives in Tucson, Arizona along with his rescue dog Mo and his tortoise Kurt. In addition to Philanthropy Now, he manages a portfolio of sustainable real-estate investments.

SHORTLIST FUTURES

Ciara Remerscheid is the Director of Shortlist Futures, where she leads impact strategy and partnerships to drive inclusive growth in Africa’s green economy. With over eight years of experience spanning philanthropy, international development, and climate innovation, Ciara brings a hybrid perspective to this panel—having worked closely with both funders and grassroots entrepreneurs. She has managed multi-million and billion-dollar public-private partnerships across Africa and India, advancing climate-smart job creation and inclusive workforce development. Her career includes roles with The Rockefeller Foundation, CARE, ODI, and 60 Decibels, shaping funding strategies and impact frameworks for community-driven solutions. Ciara is passionate about channeling capital and creativity into hyper-local innovation and job creation, particularly for women and youth. She holds degrees from NYU, the London School of Economics, and SOAS in political science, global politics, and human rights. 

COMMUNITY EDUCATOR

Indy Rishi Singh is a champion of the working class, a community educator and a chief pollinator. California Doughnut Economics Coalition information his policy work and regenerative civic engagement. As executive director of the nonprofit Cultivating Self, Indy is reframing healthcare to include cultural medicines, food as medicine, ecological medicine, and civic literacy. Indy is a DoBe leader with Cosmic Labyrinth, a collective of skilled professionals reimaging work by solving disasters through nature-based solutions and practicing self and collective care along the way. Indy has been a commissioner in local government, regularly secures business contracts with municipal and state governments, and organizes hyperlocal citizen assemblies that bring stakeholders together in more dynamic civic spaces. He also hosts the podcast, Political Hope, which interviews people from around the world who are building health governance and possibilities for the communities. 

https://linktr.ee/mysticscience

3x NONPROFIT FOUNDER

Dave Snyder is a lifelong social justice activist, mostly in the field of transportation policy.  He was the founding executive of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Transportation for a Livable City (now Livable City), and the SF Transit Riders Union. In every case, the organization brought people together to meet a need for change and continues to thrive to this day. He also served as an executive or senior director at the Alliance for Biking & Walking, San Francisco Planning & Urban Research, the California Bicycle Coalition, and PeopleForBikes. He has coached and trained hundreds of leaders across the country in developing winning campaigns and powerful organizations. 

GIRL PLUS ENVIRONMENT

Diamond Spratling is an award-winning Climate DisruptHER, children’s book author, and global public speaker. With over a decade in the environmental justice movement, she is redefining what it means—and looks like—to be a climate activist. Diamond is the proud founder and executive director of Girl Plus Environment, the national nonprofit that has raised over $700,000 to ensure Black and Brown women+ are leading climate and environmental policies, decisions, and innovative solutions. Beyond being a founder, Diamond has led major projects with agencies like Bloomberg, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the City of Atlanta. She is also the author of Sage Sails the World, a children's book series following 7-year-old Sage and her dog Benji as they explore Earth’s wonders, uncover climate challenges, and inspire young readers to become environmental stewards. A Detroit native and two-time TEDx speaker, Diamond is a globally recognized voice in climate justice, delivering talks for Hasbro, Columbia, United Nations, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Microsoft, the World Resources Institute, MIT, and more.

Her work has been featured in Essence Magazine, Inc. Magazine, The Bitter Southerner, and other leading publications—cementing her influence as a leader shaping the future of climate justice.

MARTIN TRUST CENTER FOR MIT ENTERPRENEURSHIP

Jennifer Turliuk is a technologist, keynote speaker, published author, climate tech investor and entrepreneur. She is Practice Leader, Climate and Energy AI at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a MIT Sloan Fellow; she builds, researches and instructs AI for climate and energy solutions at MIT. She has delivered talks on AI for climate and energy solutions at Davos, COP29, ARPA-E Summit, TEDx, New York Climate Week, MIT, Yale, Climate Change AI and Terra.do. Recently, she was Partner of Climate Capital Syndicate (one of the most active funders of climate tech startups), and Partner and Co-Instructor of Climate Angels (an educational program about climate tech angel investing). Previously, she co-founded an education company, bootstrapped to self-sufficiency, raised VC funding, and exited through acquisition. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, NBC, FOX, CBS, Fast Company, and Wired, and she has written for Forbes, VentureBeat, and Business Insider. She has been a board member, consultant, and mentor for entrepreneurs. She graduated from Queen’s University and Singularity University’s Global Solutions Program (at NASA Ames), and was awarded an honorary degree from Humber College.

CISCO

Alex Wilkins is the Grant Manager of Cisco’s Climate Commitment from the Cisco Foundation and Cisco’s Chief Sustainability Office. Through strategic funding, Alex supports organizations that are working toward climate resiliency in vulnerable communities worldwide. Prior to joining Cisco Alex earned her MA in Anthropology as a Social and Behavioral Sciences Fellow at The Ohio State University, with a specific focus on conservation ecology. Combined with a background in leading strategic programs and partnerships for nonprofits, Alex is now dedicated to enabling resources to flow into high-impact projects and programs that can ensure a bright climate future for us all. While an East Coaster by birth and a Midwesterner at heart, Alex now resides in Berkeley, California.

MODERATOR

Dean is the Co-Founder and CEO of Green Community Catalysts - an organization that provides courses for community leaders that are looking to build or enhance their local climate action organizations and for funders that are trying to understand what can be most beneficial to these community organizations.