Atlanta Metropolitan Area
Service is possible through any profession. I chose Sustainability. I practice patience in thought and impatience in action. This is the only way to excel at a complex systems science like Sustainability—the greatest opportunity to improve wellbeing and wealth in a century. I am a builder. I find deep contentment in building. I have turned this calling into tangible systems and tools across five continents. In my lifetime, I have watched forests burn, seas rise, and families lose everything—even access to insurance. To stay the course, I draw inspiration from Leonard Cohen: “Ring the bells that still ring... there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” For me, that light is found in how we treat each other. I practice Christiana Figueres’s philosophy of a "Soft Front and Hard Back" to remain a people-first operator even on a changing planet. A new chapter as an Angel Investor: I am now investing in those "cracks" where the light gets in. My capital follows a simple logic. We often say sustainability is about future generations, but the parents and grandparents of those generations are alive today. If they are not better off, how can their children and grandchildren be any better off? What is the point of being "customer-first" if the people serving those customers are not even on the list! I back founders who can answer these questions in: 1. Climate/Circularity: Where I hold the most expertise. 2. Education: The virtuous cycle needed to distribute power. 3. Biodiversity and Agriculture: Creating an abundance of life on our lands and waters—where my heart resides. My Leadership Philosophy: I am a servant leader. My presence changes systems because I bring out the best in people. I love working with Founders, Managers, and blended leaders equally. Are you a builder? Let’s see what we can build together.
- Lead circularity and zero waste transformations for global clients across technology, aviation, and public-sector portfolios. - Directed design and execution of data center circularity programs, integrating materials recovery, vendor engagement, and site-level operations. - Led forecasting, business case development, and client support for budget approvals; oversaw site-level implementation of the Air Filters Recycling program. - Managing Office Zero Waste strategies across multi-site client portfolios. - Developed and advised on strategic procurement approaches to achieve Zero Waste goals for a county-level government. - Strengthened reporting, assurance, and data management systems by identifying gaps and improving QA/QC processes. - Advanced airline circularity initiatives through procurement RFP development. - Supported methodology development to increase recycled content across devices and materials. - Managing sustainability project teams, identifying skilled people and supporting their growth through coaching, and professional development opportunities. - Identifying and promoting great ideas, outcomes, and actions from teams.
External Partnerships, Fundraising, Vision keeper, Strategy development.
Summary: Project management, fundraising, managing budgets, and schedules to build capacity through a co-learning platform with 100,000 people by enlisting 400 experts. I also perform annual financial and data analyses for reporting to advisors and community. Created an engaged global community to enhance capacity building and training through a website, blogs, and social media by coordinating researchers, community builders, and journalists. Services: • Reduced the cost to access high-quality expertise by 65% in a European Union funded project by developing online capacity building content on innovative and cost-efficient best practices to the solid waste sector in Cyprus at a Waste Prevention & Recycling Forum. Content was created through structured & targeted interviews with experts, which were conducted and edited to suit the audience. • Set up T. D. & Pushpom James Waste Management Grant for viability gap funding for waste management organizations in India. Managed the entire process from developing selection criterion, analyzing and finalizing recipient. Developed and monitoring funds transfer mechanism based on a results-based financing framework. Co-founder • Created long-term partnerships for free online training with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) • Disseminated knowledge to 60,000 people as a curator and moderator of global dialogues on waste. • Published high-quality educational resources by enlisting 140 experts in online panel discussions. • Created an engaged global community to enhance capacity building and training through website, blogs and social media by coordinating researchers, community builders and journalists.
Global strategy for inventory disposal and management. Global zero waste program and goals implementation within operations, buildings and grocery stores.
Recognized internally as a motivated leader who strives to get results: - Driving 100% landfill diversion by 2022 across 80 factories and 60 offices and distribution centers worldwide. Developed and implementing a Last Mile Strategy to prioritize and support sites through alignment with leadership and cross-functional teams and technical and administrative resources. - Supporting the strategy and launching of a new goal to reduce KC's Plastics Footprint by 50% by 2030 through decision-making tools and subject matter expertise in Circular Economy and Waste. - Creating a reverse logistics supply chain connection to improve livelihood of recyclers, increase recycled content usage within KC, and create complete material flow loops to improve overall environmental performance. - Built top-down and bottom-up alignment by distilling data reported in a 12x15 matrix for 20+ waste categories from 80 factories, and numerous offices and warehouses into actionable one-page Sankey Charts and Sustainability Ladders. - Established my role as an SME by empowering sites around the world to act through white papers, training and guidance documents, and processes to share best practices. Achieved results by using a suite of tools like customer service, collaborative analysis and decision making for financing projects, direct and indirect influence to plug communication and alignment gaps, escalations, and defining scope, timelines, and boundaries. - Conceptualized, designed, and implementing a company-wide solution to measure and manage our material flows by collecting key sustainability data for every raw material, product, and packaging purchased and sold. Leveraged the expertise, resources, and influence of cross-functional teams of 3, 10, and 20 people. - Led KC’s relationship with SAP on their Circular Economy Advisory Council to guide their Responsible Design and Production module MVP; - Engaged external partners to source socially responsible materials into supply chain.
Coordinating with World Bank’s local team in Ethiopia to alleviate poverty by catalyzing entrepreneurship in the local recycling and waste management sector. Gap analysis through field research and stakeholder interviews to develop curriculum, conduct training for micro and small enterprises and city managers, and provide a plan of action to government authorities.