Asha Singhal is the communications Manager for the Design for Transformation project at The Biomimicry Institute. She is a biomimicry practitioner, architect, designer, and researcher dedicated to crafting regenerative environments. Through her work, Asha focuses on narrative change as a powerful tool to shift cultural paradigms, moving beyond isolated solutions to address systemic challenges. Integrating biology, architecture, art and technology, she weaves pragmatic narratives of hope inspired by nature. Prior to her work with the Biomimicry Institute, she has been involved in several initiatives to bridge nature-positive futures with reality such as The Ray Highway, Perennial Tx and Born Global Foundation to name a few. Asha is also the Co-Director & Co-Founder of the Futuring Collective, an initiative that helps teams imagine and communicate hopeful futures. She has served as the Executive Design Lead at Biomimicry Frontiers and Research Advisor of Sustainability at Biomimicry Academy. With an international portfolio spanning diverse projects, she advocates for a world where our systems not only harmonize with nature but also shape a possible and regenerative tomorrow.

John Warner is one of the founders of the field of green chemistry. He wrote the book that provides the definition and 12 principles of green chemistry with Paul Anastas in 1998. As an industrial chemist, he has over 360 patents and has worked with hundreds of companies worldwide and serves on the sustainability advisory boards of several multinational companies. He received the Perkin Medal in 2014 from The Society of Industrial Chemistry. As an educator, he was a tenured full professor of chemistry and a tenured full professor of plastics engineering at the University of Massachusetts where he started the world’s first PhD program in Green Chemistry. He has over 120 publications in synthetic methodologies, noncovalent derivatization, polymer photochemistry and metal oxide semiconductors. In 2004 he received the Presidential Award for excellence in science mentoring (PAESMEM) from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and in 2022 he received the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal from the German Chemical Society. In 2007 he cofounded Beyond Benign, a nonprofit green chemistry education organization with Dr. Amy Cannon.

Jon Smieja works to accelerate the transition from a linear to a circular economy. He is the Vice President and Senior Analyst on the circular economy at GreenBiz Group, where he leads the company’s circularity strategy, programs, and partnerships.

Dr. Lyla June Johnston (aka Lyla June) is an Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective, and ecological healing. She blends her study of Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives and solutions. Her doctoral research focused on the ways in which pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped large regions of Turtle Island (aka the Americas) to produce abundant food systems for humans and non-humans.

Phoebe Yu is Head of Client Success at Replenysh.

William McDonough is a globally recognized leader in sustainable design and development. He co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (2002), widely recognized as a seminal text of both the sustainability and the Circular Economy design movements. McDonough is an architect, designer and has advised leaders from companies such as Ford Motor Company, Ralph Lauren, Gap, Google, Herman Miller, Hero MotoCorp, Proctor & Gamble, Starbucks, Unilever and Walmart. Through McDonough’s firm, MBDC, he created the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program. Cradle to Cradle Certified® is an independent, science-based, third-party, multi-attribute product standard recognized by the world’s leading retailers, including Amazon, Home Depot, Walgreens and Walmart.

Aly is an Investor on the Closed Loop Ventures Group team –– the seed and pre-seed investment division of Closed Loop Partners focused on catalyzing innovations in the circular economy. She leads sourcing, diligence, transactions and portfolio management. Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Aly was an Engagement Manager in McKinsey & Company’s Sustainability and Energy practices. She has deep expertise in cross-value chain innovations and cutting–edge technologies supporting circular business models in advanced manufacturing, textiles, building products and consumer goods. Aly has supported companies ranging from early- and growth-stage startups to Fortune 50 enterprises with a focus on operations, investment and top-of-house strategy.

Andy Ruben is the founder and executive chairman of Trove, the market leader in branded resale and trade-in for world-class brands and retailers such as Canada Goose, lululemon, Patagonia, REI, Levi’s, Arc’teryx, Allbirds, and more. Ruben has spent more than two decades pioneering change across retail, consumer products, and sustainability.

Bryan Lewis leads the Emerging Leaders program at GreenBiz.org, which elevates, cultivates and supports the next generation of Black, Indigenous and other leaders of color (BIPOC) in the climate community. Prior to joining GreenBiz, Bryan served as Executive Director of EcoWorks Detroit where he led climate and energy education, building decarbonization, and local community organizing initiatives. He has a background in youth mentorship and career development and currently leads a network of emerging clean energy leaders in Michigan.

Curran Hughes started his career in agriculture and food production, where he saw firsthand how plastics negatively impact both the environment and human health. Wanting to be part of the solution, he co-founded Renegade Plastics—a company on a mission to transform the plastic-coated fabric industry from a wasteful, linear model into a circular one. From billboards and sports equipment to upholstery and farming, these often-overlooked materials are a major contributor to the plastic waste crisis. By advancing circular, sustainable, and health-conscious innovations., Curran and the Renegade team are proving that durable, versatile fabrics don’t have to come at the planet’s expense.

Deanna Bratter is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Crocs, Inc., where she leads the company’s journey toward achieving net zero by 2040. Since joining in 2022, she has championed a holistic approach to sustainability, advancing circularity, environmental and social responsibility, and corporate governance initiatives that reflect Crocs’ commitment to Create a More Comfortable World for All. As a mother, Deanna is driven by the belief that the actions we take today shape the world we leave for future generations, infusing her work with a sense of pragmatic activism and responsibility to build a more sustainable future.

Dr. Ginger Rothrock is Senior Investment Director at HG Ventures, the corporate venture arm of The Heritage Group. She invests in early- to growth-stage companies developing advanced materials and systems for the circular economy, energy, water, specialty chemicals, and transportation infrastructure. Before joining HG Ventures, Ginger was Vice President of Technology and Commercialization at RTI International, where she led the commercialization of a $1 billion R&D portfolio and mentored scientific innovators. A scientist and serial entrepreneur herself, Ginger understands firsthand the challenges founders face—bringing both technical expertise and business insight to support transformative startups.

Jake Mitchell manages the Accelerate program at GreenBiz, which includes searching and selecting startups to participate in VERGE programming. He also collaborates on event design, strategy, and content to grow GreenBiz’s innovation ecosystem. Prior to GreenBiz, Jake worked across various industries including film & podcast production, sales & marketing for early stage startups, and non profits in renewable energy and economic development. Currently, Jake is pursuing his MBA in Sustainability at Bard College. Outside of work, you can find him in the woods playing disc golf, upside down in a handstand, or following the whims of his golden retriever.

John Williams is the Owner of WasteWell/Bennett Compost.

A materials scientist and serial entrepreneur, Rey has co-founded, commercialized, and scaled numerous companies focused on bio-based and chemically recycled polymers. Rey led the team that created and developed the materials used in the world’s first recyclable wind blade, is an advisor to and investor in several sustainable materials startups, and on several boards.