David Blake is the Founder and President of the InsMed Insurance Agency, Inc., an independent insurance organization dedicated to identifying, introducing and supporting income protection offerings provided by healthcare institutions and medical schools to their healthcare professionals. David’s philanthropic efforts include creating collaborative initiatives between charities that addresses food insecurities, global hunger, and culinary charities that create a path for refugees, victims of human trafficking and formerly incarcerated people to find meaningful employment.
Olivier Delille works for Macquarie Bank providing hedging solutions for corporate clients and financial sponsors. Prior to Macquarie, Olivier worked for Santander Bank’s corporate sales team facilitating the structuring and hedging of cross-border acquisitions into Latin America. Olivier Delille started his career working for the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) in Washington, DC, focusing on expanding access to property in Mexico and Peru. While at IADB, Olivier led the issuance of IADB’s first poverty reduction bond sold to Japanese impact driven retail investors.
Director of Food Programs, Google
Linda is the Director of Food Programs at Google, responsible for services in the Americas. As a leader in the food business and with over 13 years at Google, Linda’s expertise in strategic initiatives and operations has helped advance food programming and educational efforts. Sustainability is at the core of these efforts with plant forward as well as waste and plastic reduction all passions of hers. In addition, Linda is a community volunteer and also a certified business coach committed to helping young women enter and grow their careers in the business world. A proud Mom of three grown daughters, Linda spends most of her free time biking, skiing and exploring the mountains with her dogs Mogul and Moose.
Ana Cristina Garcia is Senior Director of Community Engagement and Health Equity at Memorial Sloan Kettering. An expert in community health improvement, her work has included policy research and advocacy, and coalition development to create healthy environments. She has worked for public and private sector organizations, including NewYork-Presbyterian, the New York Academy of Medicine, the Vermont Department of Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She’s a proud Cuban-American, New Yorker, and mom.
David is the founding head of school at the Academy of Thought and Industry in the East Village of Manhattan, NY. For more than 20 years, David has been an educator in New York City and New England. His work with young people has always focused on empowering them to improve their world and the lives of those around them. David has held a number of interesting and varied jobs over the years. He was a carpenter and contractor in Western Massachusetts where he ran a world renowned artist’s studio. David has worked in blue collar, white collar, and prior to his returning to New York, in a “new collar” role as the President of the Center for Technology and Workforce Solutions – a Washington DC based think tank focused on technology workforce issues. He currently resides in the Lower East Side with his wife, also an accomplished educator.
Lauren Jia is currently a Managing Director at Macquarie Bank. Having worked at several bulge bracket investment banks, she brings 10 years of financial expertise to Green Bronx Machine. Lauren is passionate about equal access to education and youth development. She currently also serves on the Corporate Leadership Council of the Young Women Leadership Network, and actively mentors with Big Brother Big Sister. She received both her MA and BA degrees in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Chairman and Editor, GreenBiz Group Inc.
For 30 years, Joel Makower has been a well-respected voice on business, sustainability, and innovation. As an award-winning writer, speaker, and strategist on corporate sustainability practices and clean technology, he has helped both large and small companies align sustainability and clean technology with business success. Joel is chairman and executive editor of GreenBiz Group Inc., creator of GreenBiz.com as well as research reports and events on the corporate sustainability strategy and trends. He hosts the annual GreenBiz, GreenFin,
Circularity and VERGE conferences, and is principal author of the annual State of Green Business report. A former nationally syndicated columnist, Joel is author of more than a dozen books. Along with Mark Mykleby and Patrick Doherty, Joel is co-author of The New Grand Strategy: Restoring America’s Prosperity, Security and Sustainability in the 21st Century (St. Martin’s Press, 2016), about a business and investment strategy for America, born at the Pentagon, that embeds sustainability as a national strategic imperative. Eartha S. Petersen-Farngalo is a business leader and passionate ‘doer.’ Her professional experiences include Sales, Corporate Communications, and Training & Development roles at AT&T and at Google (and an internship with President Clinton!). Today, she develops global sales enablement strategies at Google and is the founder of The Career Fairy, a career coaching firm for millennials. She holds a B.A. in Speech Communication from Morgan State University. Committed to being an active part of her community, Eartha has served a Big Sister in Big Brothers, Big Sisters and as an active member of the Junior League of Atlanta – where she spent several years after college – and now of Brooklyn. Eartha was born and raised on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, by a local and New Yorker (Bronx native!), who ventured down on vacation, fell in love, and never left! She recently moved back east from the Silicon Valley (California), settling in Brooklyn with her husband, Zuri.
Outside of work you can find her on her yoga mat, with a good book, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or trotting the globe (she’s been to almost 20 countries). She brings to the GBM Board her razor-sharp execution skills and expertise building communication strategies. Perhaps most importantly, she brings her passion for good food, focus on healthful living, and fervor for empowering youth (and communities) through education.
Dr. Charles Pohl, a professor of pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical of Thomas Jefferson University, is the vice provost of student affairs for the university and a vice dean of the medical college. In his role, he oversees all student life and engagement activities as well as academic, personal, and career counseling for ~8,000 students. He has been instrumental in several initiatives, including the health & humanities initiative, international medical educational exchanges, and the implementation of the Student Personal Counseling Center. His commitment to professionalism and humanism among learners is reflected by his implementation and oversight of the Jefferson chapter of the Gold Humanism Honorary Society (GHHS), his position as past chair of the national GHHS Advisory Council and his development of the Applied Arts Program in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He also brings a perspective to education from his interest and experience in the hidden curriculum and general pediatrics, which has resulted in numerous national presentations, peer-reviewed publications, a book on medical professionalism, and inductions to both The Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. In addition, he is currently serving on the national Group of Student Affairs (GSA) Committee on Student Affairs and, more recently, elected as vice chair of GSA for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Rachel is a longtime supporter of Green Bronx Machine and other initiatives to promote sustainable food systems and help urban communities thrive. She is currently a Director of Corporate Responsibility at Sodexo where she is focused on scaling innovation and promoting brand leadership in sustainability, wellness, and inclusion. In this role she has improved quality of life for schools, businesses, hospitals, and cultural destinations. She created and leads Sodexo’s five-year commitment to the Partnership for a Healthier America, positioning Sodexo as PHA’s first Partner of the Year in 2016. She also serves as an advisor to the Better Buying Lab, a multi-stakeholder initiative to drive more sustainable and healthier diets. In previous roles, she managed Summit Fund grants to grassroots organizations restoring the Anacostia River and surrounding neighborhoods, supported an innovative partnership to promote both sustainable agriculture and food security with the Capital Area Community Foodbank, and promoted inner-city economic development in Boston with the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. She lives with her husband and two children in an award-winning green building in the Washington, DC metro area where she enjoys local food adventures and nature walks in Rock Creek National Park.
