Stefan is a true innovator demonstrating business acumen in environmental business and sustainability since 1987. He is an expert in teaching and coaching green businesses in three major areas: 1) innovating powerful green business models, 2) crafting and implementing marketing and positioning strategies for bringing green to mainstream, and 3) creating a consistently profitable and sustainable business.

Some of Stefan’s accomplishments:

• Developed green intrapreneurship strategy for General Motors that was included in their final bailout plan presented to Congress in December, 2008
• Business coaching a variety of businesses with programs having reached almost 2,000 business innovators in 13 countries
• Teaching landmark courses on green entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship at Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation
• Teaching courses for small businesses at the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), a leading non-profit in NYC for small business development
• Certified facilitator and “green” advisor for the Kauffman Foundation, the world’s largest non-profit entrepreneurial training organization.
• Pioneered green retailing, growing it to one of the largest green retail companies in the US, selling over 3,500 different products screening for their environmental impact.
• Guest speaker / panelist on topics ranging from how to start a green company to Corporate Sustainability to “greening” the music industry
• Advisor and/or presenter at NYU/PolyTech’s ACRE, Green Spaces, Green Drinks NYC and Pratt Institute’s green incubators in New York City
• Co-founder of Manhattan Chamber of Commerce’s Green Finance Subcommittee
• In mid-90’s Director of the Board for the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment (BCUE), a large urban environmental education non-profit
• In 1990, co-founded the first council for sustainable businesses in New York City
• In 1986 launched One Earth, an environmental education non-profit for early adoption of intensive recycling programs in NYC

Erica Grigg is a passionate environmentalist, Founder and CEO of Carbon Outreach, social media expert and holds a Master of Business.

Erica has always had a heart for the environment. At age sixteen she started a local recycling enterprise—short lived due to poor marketing, but later fuelling her passion for making others’ green marketing efforts successful.

In 2007, after working alongside numerous green businesses which couldn’t reach their full potential due to poor marketing, Erica founded Carbon Outreach to provide marketing and PR—solely to green companies. Erica was so passionate about the green economy, she didn’t waste time working with companies not making positive impacts in the green economy.

Since its inception, Carbon Outreach has launched creative and engaging marketing and PR campaigns for clients from the US, Europe and Canada. Erica passionately believes creative and innovative marketing and PR are essential for green businesses to scale up and that is why she is so existed to be part of the green entrepreneur summit.

Erica received a Bachelor’s in International Relations from DePaul University and Master’s of Economics from University College London.

Susan (@susanmcp1) is a connector and active cause marketer. She is member of the board of Bpeace, a nonprofit dedicated to providing pro-bono consulting to women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Rwanda, Bosnia and El Salvador. She also is a member of Echoing Green’s Social Investment Council, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the New York Leadership team for 85 Broads. Additionally, she serves on the advisor to JANERA and The OpEd Project and provides marketing and outreach support to Fabien Cousteau's Plant A Fish organization. Professionally, Susan is now a SVP with Fenton and previously worked at PR Newswire for 14+ years in CSR, business development and marketing roles. She resides in Brooklyn and can be found many summer evenings blogging, tweeting and volunteering from her roof deck garden.

As the President of Get Storied, Michael advises businesses, nonprofits and entrepreneurs how to get others to believe their story. He also delivers keynotes and learning programs for groups in the business of "change". He teachs 'Brand Storytelling' at the business school level and offers a range of training programs, from one-day workshops, month-long telecourses and six month executive education.

With a background in cultural anthropology, Michael was previously a social entrepreneur; co-founding and leading two innovative nonprofits. His work and ideas have been featured in Fast Company, Brandweek, and Storytelling Magazine. Visit www.getstoried.com to learn more or www.believemethebook.com to download a free pdf version of his storytelling manifesto.

Mr. Neumann is the current Managing Director of the Hudson Valley Center for Innovation (HVCFI), a business accelerator which he co-founded in 2005 along with the Hudson Valley Technology Development Center. Mr. Neumann conceived of the HVCFI’s unique business proposition to assist regional entrepreneurs by accelerating the development and commercialization of their products and services through the support of a national team of Executive Mentors, cultivated business professionals and global business contacts. As HVCFI’s Managing Director, Mr. Neumann formed the Board of Directors, chairs the multi-disciplined Board of Advisors and was responsible for creating the HVCFI Cleantech Acceleration Program (CAP) in 2007 and the WindPower Initiative (WPI) in March of 2009.

Marissa Feinberg is Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Green Spaces. She is also Executive Director of Green Leaders Global, and has a life-long work history dedicated to the betterment of society and culture. Previously, Marissa did Partnership Development for Felissimo's sustainable design initiatives, building membership to 350 organizations globally. Marissa also worked for the General Electric Foundation, publicizing its community initiatives worldwide.

Marissa has degrees in public relations and marketing from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Through her commitment to cultural iniatives, Marissa also worked in journalism as Managing Editor of Focus Magazine. She has also worked in publishing for Random House and The Princeton Review. During her free time, Marissa dedicates herself to causes and the arts. She is part of Fashion Delivers' Associate Board and has acted in off-Broadway, tv and independent films. Follow her on Twitter @marissafeinberg!

Since September 2009 Mr. Saposnick has been affiliated as a mentor with the Hudson Valley Center for Innovation, a business incubator whose mission is economic development, education, and training in New York State and focused in the Hudson Valley. For the previous year and half has been working for and reporting directly to the Deputy Chief Operating Officer of The City University of New York as well as the University’s Sustainability Officer, who is also the Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Energy and the University’s Task Force on Sustainability. In July 2008. Mr. Saposnick was appointed the Managing Director of The CUNY Sustainability Business and Technology Incubator, SustainableWorks NYC. His charge was to oversee the protocol, administration of the Incubator and conduct due diligence for proposed virtual incubator members. Additionally, he was helping to coordinate the construction of the $15 million Incubator’s applied research and technology facility that will house the incubator’s resident members, while helping to incubate and accelerate virtual member companies that have a sustainable mission.

David Kistner formed Green Apple Cleaners when his wife was pregnant with their twin boys. As first time parents they read many books and articles about pregnancy and infant care. Several guides warned that pregnant women should avoid dry cleaning because of the harmful, often toxic chemicals — including Perchloroethylene or “perc” hydrocarbon and silicone — used by 99% of cleaners. With three years of research and careful assembly of the startup team, Green Apple Cleaners launched in Oct 2006 to capitalize on the opportunity within the NYC dry cleaning market to offer an eco-friendly alternative using clean efficient CO2 and water as opposed to traditional dry cleaning methods which are carcinogenic and ground water contaminants.

After an acquisition and retrofit of an existing dry cleaning plant in 2006, Green Apple Cleaners (under Kistner’s branding eye and continuous environmental initiatives and innovations) has grown from a single store / plant into a large multi-state operation serving over 10,000 customers in over 800 building in NYC through a combination of a fleet of the most fuel efficient delivery vehicles (including the industries first pedal trike) servicing 7 daily routes, 3 NYC store fronts and 2 NJ store fronts.

Ron joined Action in April 2007 after a twenty-year career as an attorney representing various sectors of the business community and, in particular, many in the solid waste and recycling industry. Immediately before joining Action, he served as General Counsel to Interstate Waste Services. Ron received his undergraduate degree, in Finance, from New York University and his JD, from Suffolk University in Boston, MA. Presently, Ron is Vice Chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Solid Waste Management Association. He also sits on the Green Business Committee of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

For 11 years Franklin has worked with green tech companies as Technology Program Director for the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation of New York. He is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of new programs to assist growing high-technology firms in NYC.

Franklin works one-on-one with CEOs of high tech companies, providing technical assistance in the areas of business plan development, access to capital from private and public sources, R&D assistance, technology transfer commercialization opportunities and strategic partnerships.

Mr. Madison works with many associations and groups including: SJF Advisory Services Board a non-profit organization which provides entrepreneurial, workforce, sustainability assistance services to SJF Ventures Fund prospect and portfolio companies; Board of Directors for the Institute of Play a new Middle School devoted to technology that is scheduled to open in Fall 2009; Member of the MIT Enterprise Forum NYC Chapter; Secy/Treasurer of Games 4Change, Inc., the NYC Chapter of the Serious Games Initiative whose charter is to help forge productive links between the electronic game industry and projects involving the use of games in education, training, health, and public policy.

In 2001 Madison was named one of Crain’s Tech 100, a listing of the Top 100 individuals in technology in New York City as chosen by Crain’s NY Business. And he has served on Mayor Bloomberg’s Telecommunications Policy Advisory Group administered by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Madison is also a founder of NYCSeed a NYC based venture capital fund for early stage software companies in NYC.

Colleen Gibney brings transformational change to companies launching innovative cleantech products.

In her role as Technology Project Manager for The Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), Colleen helps companies to grow and create jobs in New York State. She currently serves as the NYSTAR-sponsored SBIR Specialist for NYC, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley, and is a certified facilitator of The Marion Edelman Kauffman Foundation’s FastTrac® Tech Venture entrepreneurship training program. Colleen provides consulting services for technology firms and advanced manufacturers in NYC seeking R&D funding, lean and sustainable new product development processes, export, and collaborative university partnerships. Prior to working at ITAC, Colleen served as Project Manager for the CUNY Institute for Software Design and Development (CISDD), where she managed CISDD’s two-year, $598K NSF Partnerships for Innovation grant, and as a Project Manager in the tech industry.