Experience

Buckminster Fuller Institute

• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Executive Director

  • Dec 2022 - Present

  Buckminster Fuller Institute is dedicated to the realization of R. Buckminster Fuller’s vision of a world that works for 100% of humanity without ecological offense or disadvantage of anyone, by means of a design science revolution. As Executive Director, I am working support our efforts to advance design science for systems change; build commons for critical planetary solutions; and develop new sources of non-extractive capital for regenerative enterprises. Buckminster Fuller Institute is dedicated to the realization of R. Buckminster Fuller’s vision of a world that works for 100% of humanity without ecological offense or disadvantage of anyone, by means of a design science revolution. As Executive Director, I am working support our efforts to advance design science for systems change; build commons for critical planetary solutions; and develop new sources of non-extractive capital for regenerative enterprises.



Amazon Sacred Headwaters

• Civic and Social Organizations

• Global Commission Member

  • 2020 - Present

  Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative is working to protect indigenous territories in a rainforest region in Peru and Ecuador with 86 million acres holding 3.8 billion metric tons of carbon. Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative is working to protect indigenous territories in a rainforest region in Peru and Ecuador with 86 million acres holding 3.8 billion metric tons of carbon.



element6 Dynamics

• United States
• Paper and Forest Product Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• EVP and Chief Scientist

  • 2021 - 2022

  element6 Dynamics provides nature-based solutions to industry that accelerate the regeneration of the planet by addressing its serious carbon imbalance. As Chief Scientist, I led the Innovation and R&D Group in developing new products, processes, and systems. element6 Dynamics provides nature-based solutions to industry that accelerate the regeneration of the planet by addressing its serious carbon imbalance. As Chief Scientist, I led the Innovation and R&D Group in developing new products, processes, and systems.



1000 Landscapes For 1 Billion People

• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Advisor

  • 2020 - 2021

  Member of Finance Design Team and consultant on Integrated Landscape Investment Models. Member of Finance Design Team and consultant on Integrated Landscape Investment Models.



Common Earth

• Renewable Energy Semiconductor Manufacturing

• Core Team

  • 2019 - 2021

  Member of Core Team for Common Earth, the designated NGO advisor to the Commonwealth of Nations for regenerative development. Member of Core Team for Common Earth, the designated NGO advisor to the Commonwealth of Nations for regenerative development.



Costa Rica Regenerativa

• Costa Rica
• Renewables & Environment
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Advisor

  • 2018 - 2021

  Participated in launch event and continued to serve as a strategic advisor for a national regeneration initiative in Costa Rica. Participated in launch event and continued to serve as a strategic advisor for a national regeneration initiative in Costa Rica.



Capital Institute

• United States
• Think Tanks
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Regenerative Development

  • 2017 - 2020

  The Capital Institute is working to explore, articulate, catalyze, and scale the emergence of regenerative economies around the world, all unique to culture and place. A regenerative economy learns continuously while renewing communities and ecosystems and systematically investing in the very roots of whole systems health. As Director of Regenerative Development, I was the Founding Convener for the Regenerative Communities Network, which includes 14 bioregions on 4 continents working to create place-sourced regenerative economies. Show less



Smart Cities Council

• United States
• Professional Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Scientist

  • 2015 - 2017

  I served as Chief Scientist for the Smart Cities Council, the world’s premier consortium of smart cities practitioners and experts which included 125+ members employing 1.5 million+ people and generating $2.7 trillion+ in annual revenues. In this role, I developed knowledge frameworks and tools supporting the integration of smart technologies (e.g. sensors and instrumentation, networks, software, computing resources) with urban sustainability and resilience. I conducted workshops and delivered follow on action plans for cities and states across North America, in India, and China to advance smart cities, sustainability, and resilience. Show less



Autopoiesis LLC

• United States
• Environmental Services

• Partner and Co-Founder

  • 2005 - 2014

  Autopoiesis LLC applies nature's own forms of self-organization and design - the science of living systems - to enhance resilience and deliver innovative solutions. Autopoietic systems are generative. We use design thinking, model whole systems, and activate mission-aligned capital to create regenerative economics at a variety of scales. Autopoiesis LLC has sourced, structured, and secured close to $100 million in grants, commercial and below-market loans, federal tax credits, and other sustainable financing. Representative clients include GE Capital, Vulcan Inc., International Living Future Institute, Skanska USA, the US Forest Service, Conservation Biology Institute, Earth Economics, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Show less



Presidio Graduate School

• United States
• Higher Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Faculty

  • 2012 - 2013

  Designed, taught, and created internship opportunities for a new one-year sequence on regenerative economics for the Bainbridge Graduate Institute's (now Presido Graduate School) highly regarded Sustainable MBA program. This sequence integrated design thinking, whole systems modeling, and the application of resilience and regeneration to entrepreneurship. Designed, taught, and created internship opportunities for a new one-year sequence on regenerative economics for the Bainbridge Graduate Institute's (now Presido Graduate School) highly regarded Sustainable MBA program. This sequence integrated design thinking, whole systems modeling, and the application of resilience and regeneration to entrepreneurship.



The Economics of Change

• Research Services

• Co-Leader

  • 2011 - 2012

  Co-led a global initiative to map, model, and measure the social and ecological value layers associated with the built environment in order to transform real estate valuation, investment, and development. Received funding from the MacArthur Foundation and Bullitt Foundation to engage a multidisciplinary team of real estate developers, appraisers, ecological economists, and complex systems experts and produced several white papers. Co-led a global initiative to map, model, and measure the social and ecological value layers associated with the built environment in order to transform real estate valuation, investment, and development. Received funding from the MacArthur Foundation and Bullitt Foundation to engage a multidisciplinary team of real estate developers, appraisers, ecological economists, and complex systems experts and produced several white papers.



TopQuadrant

• Software Development
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Resource Economist

  • 2009 - 2010

  As a member of the Renomics launch team, conducted research, built systems models for, and developed business opportunities around integrated sustainable infrastructure and EcoDistricts. On the strength of its innovative approach, the firm was acquired by a leading semantic web company TopQuadrant. As a member of the Renomics launch team, conducted research, built systems models for, and developed business opportunities around integrated sustainable infrastructure and EcoDistricts. On the strength of its innovative approach, the firm was acquired by a leading semantic web company TopQuadrant.



United Fund Advisors

• United States
• Financial Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Transaction Manager

  • Jan 2003 - Dec 2004

  Served as a Transaction Manager and founding team member with Portland Family of Funds, an innovative sustainable community investment fund. Played a key role in its successful effort to obtain four allocations of federal New Markets Tax Credits totaling $245+ million for the Portland Development Commission, Sage Development, Gerding Edlen, and Ecotrust to deploy on green real estate development and ecological forestry projects. Starting in 2003, Portland Family of Funds and its affiliate, United Fund Advisors, have together closed $5+ billion in transactions creating over 20,000 jobs. Show less



Ecotrust

• United States
• Environmental Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Conservation Economy Research Director

  • 1998 - 2002

  I led the development of the Reliable Prosperity framework for a regenerative bioregion. This framework provides an open source, fractal integration of patterns of natural, social, and economic capital, and has been used internationally for strategic planning purposes. Contributed to management team and organizational strategy I led the development of the Reliable Prosperity framework for a regenerative bioregion. This framework provides an open source, fractal integration of patterns of natural, social, and economic capital, and has been used internationally for strategic planning purposes. Contributed to management team and organizational strategy



Naropa University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Core Faculty

  • 1996 - 1999

  Developed and taught courses in sustainability and complex systems. Developed and taught courses in sustainability and complex systems.



Farallones Institute

• Co-Author of Ecological Design

  • 1992 - 1996

  As a Research Fellow, served as co-author with Sim Van der Ryn of Ecological Design (Island Press, 1996, Tenth Anniversary Second Edition 2007), addressing the whole systems integration of ecology and architecture, land-use planning, and product design. Ecological Design has been translated into 3 languages and received 1,500+ citations while being used as a textbook in dozens of courses internationally. As a Research Fellow, served as co-author with Sim Van der Ryn of Ecological Design (Island Press, 1996, Tenth Anniversary Second Edition 2007), addressing the whole systems integration of ecology and architecture, land-use planning, and product design. Ecological Design has been translated into 3 languages and received 1,500+ citations while being used as a textbook in dozens of courses internationally.