Meghan Popcun (she/her) serves as the Assistant Director of Sustainability and Communications at the University at Albany. In this role, Meghan oversees engagement, communication, and waste reduction initiatives. Meghan joined the Office of Sustainability in July of 2025 after working for ten years in Student Affairs managing Orientation and new student programs. Meghan has supported sustainability efforts throughout her career and volunteers for waste reduction initiatives in New York’s Capital Region. Meghan earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration from the University at Albany.

Meghan Popcun (she/her) serves as the Assistant Director of Sustainability and Communications at the University at Albany. In this role, Meghan oversees engagement, communication, and waste reduction initiatives. Meghan joined the Office of Sustainab... Show more

As Senior Sustainability Manager, Caroline oversees the development of strategic outreach and engagement programs and communication campaigns to increase visibility of Temple’s climate commitment, improve literacy on critical sustainability and environmental justice issues, and build the capacity of the students, staff, and faculty to support the university's sustainability efforts. She coordinates and facilitates the implementation of the university's climate action plan and campus sustainability initiatives and assists in institutional reporting.

Prior to joining the Office of Sustainability, Caroline worked as an electoral and advocacy organizer and political campaign strategist, most recently serving as the Pennsylvania State Director of Defend Our Future, the campus climate action organizing project of the Environmental Defense Fund. Caroline graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Sociology and a B.A. in American Studies in 2014.

In 2023, Caroline earned a Master of Arts in Urban Bioethics from Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Her thesis investigated the role of university health systems in climate action planning processes, and she has general research interests in organizational ethics, critical urban studies, spatial justice, environmental health equity, and climate embodiment.

As Senior Sustainability Manager, Caroline oversees the development of strategic outreach and engagement programs and communication campaigns to increase visibility of Temple’s climate commitment, improve literacy on critical sustainability and envir... Show more

Drawing from a scientific background and over 20 years of experience in higher education and sustainability as an educator, researcher, and staff member, Daita has a profound interest in education programs that foster improved human connections, communication, and learning on a broad scale. In her current role as a Senior Education Manager, she is responsible for developing, innovating and advancing AASHE’s education vision and strategy, overseeing professional learning initiatives encompassing virtual and in-person workshops, webinars, and other educational programs. Prior to joining AASHE, Daita was the first Interim Sustainability Coordinator for the University of Hawai‘i System, and also taught courses and integrated sustainability in the curriculum at the University of Hawai‘i. Daita is a LEED Green Associate, an ISSP Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP), and holds a BS degree in Molecular Biology and Biosciences from the University of Bucharest, Romania and MA, MPhil and PhD degrees in Biological Sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Drawing from a scientific background and over 20 years of experience in higher education and sustainability as an educator, researcher, and staff member, Daita has a profound interest in education programs that foster improved human connections, comm... Show more

Michael is the co-founder of Fable, a food company transforming humble mushrooms into extraordinary whole food, center of plate proteins — starting with pulled shiitake and shiitake-infused meat blends. Since launching, Fable has grown from a single retail product into a business spanning foodservice and retail partnerships across Australia, the UK, Europe and North America.

The idea for Fable took root while Michael was living on a 41-acre property, growing much of his own food and eating a minimally processed, whole-foods diet. That firsthand experience of what real, simple food could taste like made him want to bring the same quality and integrity to develop delicious, mainstream, whole food, mushroom based proteins.

2 years ago Michael moved from Australia to the US to lead the companies expansion into North America. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his two children.

Michael is the co-founder of Fable, a food company transforming humble mushrooms into extraordinary whole food, center of plate proteins — starting with pulled shiitake and shiitake-infused meat blends. Since launching, Fable has grown from a single ... Show more

Michelle Eberle is a consultant and trainer at the Massachusetts Library System, where she facilitates strategic planning, designs and delivers professional development, and highlights the innovative work of library members. A founding member and leadership team member of the Blue Marble Librarians, Michelle is passionate about advancing sustainability in libraries. She holds a master’s degree from Simmons University School of Library and Information Science and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Sacred Heart University, along with certifications in consulting and training/facilitation from the Association for Talent Development (ATD). Her specializations include community engagement, leadership, program development, public health, and sustainability.

Michelle Eberle is a consultant and trainer at the Massachusetts Library System, where she facilitates strategic planning, designs and delivers professional development, and highlights the innovative work of library members. A founding member and lea... Show more

Tim Sumner is a Project Manager with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. in their Springfield, Illinois, headquarters. He has worked in the Water Resources Business Unit since graduating from Bradley University in 1991 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. His work includes planning, assessment, modeling, and design of water, wastewater and storm water system maintenance, renewal and improvement projects. Tim is a Licensed PE in Illinois and Indiana, as well as a Certified Floodplain Manager and Certified Stormwater Manager.

Tim Sumner is a Project Manager with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. in their Springfield, Illinois, headquarters. He has worked in the Water Resources Business Unit since graduating from Bradley University in 1991 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. ... Show more

Student an der Hochschule München und seit März 2025 als studentische Hilfskraft im Studentischen Green Office der Hochschule München tätig

Student an der Hochschule München und seit März 2025 als studentische Hilfskraft im Studentischen Green Office der Hochschule München tätig Show more

Akesire Abdurrahmon is a dedicated and ambitious final-year student at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), specializing in Applied Geophysics. With a strong passion for geophysical exploration especially in the energy and mineral exploration, he has developed expertise in integrating magnetic, gravity, radiometric and vertical electrical sounding (VES) data for subsurface analysis using software like ArcGIS, Oasis Montaj, WinResist, and most importantly, his knowledge on python in application of Data Science in various Geophysical Investigations. His academic journey has been marked by excellence in research, particularly in the application of geophysical techniques for energy and mineral exploration in Nigeria.

He has actively participated in several fieldwork, geophysical data acquisition, analysis and interpretation, enhancing his practical knowledge in the discipline. His current research focuses on evaluating iron ore deposits in Calabar, Southern Nigeria, analyses of petroleum potential in some selected areas in Ondo State (a potential green field for oil and gas) utilizing geophysical methods to support economic and industrial development. He also has a lined up research work on application of geophysical methods to analyze geothermal potential zones in some selected areas in Nigeria.

Beyond academics, he is a proactive problem solver, a leader and a keen learner, with aspirations to contribute significantly to the energy industry through innovative exploration techniques and sustainable energy management.

Akesire Abdurrahmon is a dedicated and ambitious final-year student at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), specializing in Applied Geophysics. With a strong passion for geophysical exploration especially in the energy and mineral expl... Show more

Josh Adlerman is the Academic Manager at Greener by Default, a non-profit that uses behavioral science to help organizations serve more sustainable, inclusive, and healthy food. Before Greener by Default, Josh worked in food systems program development at Food Policy Pathways, and spent 6 years working in higher education in both operations and student leadership development. Josh holds a Master of Education in College Student Affairs from Rutgers University.

Josh Adlerman is the Academic Manager at Greener by Default, a non-profit that uses behavioral science to help organizations serve more sustainable, inclusive, and healthy food. Before Greener by Default, Josh worked in food systems program developme... Show more

Nico Rikken has a track record in maximizing the potential of Free and Open Source Software in the energy sector and in the Netherlands. As Open Source Ambassador at grid operator Alliander he helps make open source project participation successful and ensure control over the company software supply chain. As Country Coordinator for the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) he has successfully influenced policy to ensure the rights of open source software users and developers.

Nico Rikken has a track record in maximizing the potential of Free and Open Source Software in the energy sector and in the Netherlands. As Open Source Ambassador at grid operator Alliander he helps make open source project participation successful a... Show more

Abhishek Ghosh is a Data Scientist and Applied AI practitioner specializing in computer vision, machine learning, insurance risk, infrastructure safety, and production AI systems. With six years of experience building and deploying machine learning solutions, beginning with his wildfire research in 2020, he has worked across insurance, environmental risk detection, infrastructure monitoring, and enterprise technology.
In his current role with a Berkshire Hathaway owned insurance company, Abhishek designs and deploys AI systems that support underwriting, underreporting detection, document intelligence, and risk identification. His work includes production ML pipelines, image classification, automated underwriting workflows, LLM-powered property risk analysis, and computer vision systems that analyze business and property characteristics. He has developed solutions using technologies including Azure Cognitive Vision, EfficientNet, XGBoost, and other machine learning frameworks.
Abhishek also brings significant experience in applied computer vision for public safety. His wildfire detection work focused on identifying smoke from real-time camera imagery and distinguishing smoke from clouds, fog, and environmental noise while minimizing false positives. His contributions to AI-powered wildfire detection were recognized in a published technical article by Roboflow leadership. He has also developed infrastructure risk models using drone imagery to identify vegetation-obscured utility assets and support large-scale inspection workflows.
Earlier in his career, Abhishek worked with Accenture on Duck Creek insurance platform implementations, gaining experience in enterprise insurance systems, underwriting, claims, data analysis, and system integration.
He holds a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University and a bachelor's degree from KIIT University.

Abhishek Ghosh is a Data Scientist and Applied AI practitioner specializing in computer vision, machine learning, insurance risk, infrastructure safety, and production AI systems. With six years of experience building and deploying machine learning s... Show more

Professor Ashenmiller is an environmental economist at Occidental College. She is the faculty advisor to the Touchdown Thrift, Occidental’s student-led campus thrift shop. Her research focuses on individual and household recycling behavior as well as climate adaptation policy and how to quantify the value of the non-market benefits of nature-based interventions.

Professor Ashenmiller is an environmental economist at Occidental College. She is the faculty advisor to the Touchdown Thrift, Occidental’s student-led campus thrift shop. Her research focuses on individual and household recycling behavior as well ... Show more

Michelle Harrod is celebrating her 20th year in the Water industry, with a career spanning water quality and water distribution system management to wastewater inflow and infiltration assessment and mitigation. Michelle earned her B.S. degree in Computer Science from North Central College and since then has sought to leverage technology to improve the safety, security, and useful life of our precious water and wastewater assets.

Michelle Harrod is celebrating her 20th year in the Water industry, with a career spanning water quality and water distribution system management to wastewater inflow and infiltration assessment and mitigation. Michelle earned her B.S. degree in Comp... Show more

As an independent and committed product designer, I explore new design practices to put my knowledge at the service of a more desirable future for the environment, society and individuals.

As an independent and committed product designer, I explore new design practices to put my knowledge at the service of a more desirable future for the environment, society and individuals. Show more

Karin L. Burns has spent two decades building and reshaping organizations at the intersection of energy, finance, and technology. Her career blends operating leadership with substantial investment and corporate finance work across energy and climate markets, and it has consistently produced measurable results.

She began in global finance, holding positions at JPMorgan Chase, GE Equity, i2i Capital, Gulf Capital, and Ambata Capital Partners. There she led investment banking, private equity, and advisory transactions across both mature industries and early-stage climate technologies, including a $1.1 billion cross-border sell-side deal and the sale of an electric vehicle company to a Fortune 500 buyer.

That grounding in capital led her into operating roles. As CEO of Build It Green, she returned the organization to profitability for four straight years, doubled revenue, and cut turnover in half. She later expanded her scope at Franklin Energy, running programs across six states before moving into national corporate development and M&A. As Executive Director of Code REDD, she led forest-conservation strategy and launched the Stand for Trees campaign, a platform that brought voluntary carbon credits to the public.

Today Karin leads one of California's largest community choice clean-energy providers, serving nearly 1 million customer accounts across the San Diego region. Under her leadership, annual revenue has climbed from under $350 million to more than $1 billion, and she has championed a plan to reach 100% clean and renewable power by 2035.

Karin earned a Master in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School and an MBA in International Finance from Edinburgh Business School, and holds a BA from Duke University. She lives in California with her husband and two sons.

Karin L. Burns has spent two decades building and reshaping organizations at the intersection of energy, finance, and technology. Her career blends operating leadership with substantial investment and corporate finance work across energy and climate ... Show more

Dana Ripper is a wildlife ecologist who focuses on conservation through ecosystem health. She holds an MS from Arkansas State University and has worked on wildlife research projects across the United States and, once long ago, in Ontario. In 2010, Dana co-founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife conservation through science, education, and advocacy. After more than 15 years in nonprofit leadership, Dana now works independently as an ecology-focused policy analyst and project coordinator. Her energies focus on building collaborative relationships to address the conservation connections between wildlife, environmental health, public policy, and community action. A main focus is reducing plastic pollution at its source via systemic change. Dana is a certified presenter with the Beyond Plastics Speakers Bureau.

Dana Ripper is a wildlife ecologist who focuses on conservation through ecosystem health. She holds an MS from Arkansas State University and has worked on wildlife research projects across the United States and, once long ago, in Ontario. In 2010, Da... Show more

Growing up in Muskoka on the unceded traditional territories of the Anishnabeg, Objibway and Chippewas, Autumn developed a deep love and appreciation for the natural world. From a young age, she knew she wanted to act as a voice for nature and positive change. After moving to Ottawa, they realized the urgent need to reimagine how urban and built environments can become a gateway to nature advocacy and protection, even within downtown cores.

Autumn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation Biology from The University of Ottawa, where she was active in campus-wide animal rights and welfare organizing and a Master's Degree from Trent University in Bioenvironmental Monitoring and Assessment. Autumn also volunteers with Safe Wings Ottawa monitoring for bird-window collisions and triaging cases for their Emergency Avian Hotline. Autumn is currently the lead Organizer for Nature Canada's Bird Friendly City Certification Program and World Migratory Bird Day.

Growing up in Muskoka on the unceded traditional territories of the Anishnabeg, Objibway and Chippewas, Autumn developed a deep love and appreciation for the natural world. From a young age, she knew she wanted to act as a voice for nature and positi... Show more

Pruthvithej is a Lead Engineer at Oracle, specializing in scalable cloud-native systems. He focuses on enabling agentic workflows with large language models and robust transaction orchestration. With expertise in Kubernetes, distributed systems, and AI integration, he bridges enterprise reliability with cutting-edge AI. He actively contributes to open-source projects and cloud architecture initiatives at Oracle.

Pruthvithej is a Lead Engineer at Oracle, specializing in scalable cloud-native systems. He focuses on enabling agentic workflows with large language models and robust transaction orchestration. With expertise in Kubernetes, distributed systems, and ... Show more

tba

tba Show more

I am from Accra, Ghana. I'm passionate about, internet governance, e-governance, and green tech, among others.

I am from Accra, Ghana. I'm passionate about, internet governance, e-governance, and green tech, among others. Show more

Adam Grzanka is a Polish television presenter, comedian, event host and writer based in Kraków. He is known for hosting programs including “Dwie Stolice” and “1200 Muzeów,” as well as for his stand-up performances and cultural projects connected with Nowa Huta. His work combines humor, improvisation and positive audience interaction.

Adam Grzanka is a Polish television presenter, comedian, event host and writer based in Kraków. He is known for hosting programs including “Dwie Stolice” and “1200 Muzeów,” as well as for his stand-up performances and cultural projects connected with... Show more

Florence is all about making the digital world work for everyone, especially where technology, disability, and gender intersect.

Florence is all about making the digital world work for everyone, especially where technology, disability, and gender intersect. Show more

Data Scientist

Data Scientist Show more

Nick Davitashvili is a Principal Architect at Aviatrix.

He started in network engineering, moved into cloud architecture via edge infrastructure for autonomous vehicles and deep learning for transportation systems, and has operated in the multi-cloud area code ever since. He has given a TEDx talk on technology and environmental advocacy and contributed to Packet Pushers and other technical media.

At Aviatrix, he has shipped a public MCP server for network operations and maintains open-source Obot blueprints for agentic AI workloads. The attack scenario in this talk came directly from that work: securing AI agent deployments in production cloud environments, then discovering that Kubernetes NetworkPolicy cannot see what MCP tools are doing.

Georgian-born, Edinburgh-based. First KCD talk.

Nick Davitashvili is a Principal Architect at Aviatrix. He started in network engineering, moved into cloud architecture via edge infrastructure for autonomous vehicles and deep learning for transportation systems, and has operated in the multi-cl... Show more

Ishita Daga is a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Tesla, building enterprise AI systems that combine semantic retrieval, metadata infrastructure, and business-aware reasoning to make analytics agents reliable in production.
Previously, she was an AI Scientist at Covera Health, where she built multimodal and weakly supervised ML systems for radiology intelligence. Her interests include deep tech and climate tech, enterprise agent architectures, and operational AI systems.

Ishita Daga is a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Tesla, building enterprise AI systems that combine semantic retrieval, metadata infrastructure, and business-aware reasoning to make analytics agents reliable in production. Previously, she was a... Show more

Samuel Amoakoh is an AI and Automation Expert specializing in Microsoft Power Automate, M365 Copilot, and Copilot Studio. He helps organizations modernize their operations by designing intelligent workflows, building custom copilots, and creating automation systems that reduce manual work and improve enterprise efficiency.

He believes that any task that is repetitive is a candidate for automation, a principle that guides his work across financial services, operations, and enterprise transformation. Samuel focuses on practical, real‑world applications of AI, building solutions that get work done rather than just demonstrating concepts.

With a strong blend of technical expertise and business understanding, he empowers teams to adopt AI confidently, automate the boring stuff, and unlock new levels of productivity through the Microsoft ecosystem.

Samuel Amoakoh is an AI and Automation Expert specializing in Microsoft Power Automate, M365 Copilot, and Copilot Studio. He helps organizations modernize their operations by designing intelligent workflows, building custom copilots, and creating aut... Show more

I am a Marketing and Digital Strategy professional with over seven years of experience in banking, sales, and digital marketing. I specializes in customer engagement, brand growth, and leveraging digital tools to drive business results.

I have worked with organizations such as the Institute of Environmental Assessment (IOEA),First Atlantic Bank as a sales and leading digital campaigns and managing client relationships.

I am passionate about empowering individuals and businesses especially women through digital skills, sustainability, and professional development. I facilitate for She Rise Technology on most of their training sessions.

I am a Marketing and Digital Strategy professional with over seven years of experience in banking, sales, and digital marketing. I specializes in customer engagement, brand growth, and leveraging digital tools to drive business results. I have wor... Show more

Yari, also known as Iaroslav Tugai or Ярослав Тугай, is the founder of AF SCOOTERS, an electric scooter shop and repair workshop with locations in Castellón de la Plana and Borriana, Spain.

Since March 2017, AF SCOOTERS has specialised in electric scooter repairs, custom-made lithium batteries speed an autonomy and the sale of scooters, batteries, spare parts and accessories throughout Spain and the European Union.

Yari shares practical knowledge about electric mobility, specialised workshop management, scooter repairs, range extension and lithium battery manufacturing according to the vehicle model, voltage and configuration.

Yari is also known like a founder of ANNANAS which is an international barbershop in Valencia specializing in men’s haircuts, fades, beard shaping and styling, as well as other grooming services. ANNANAS has two locations, ANNANAS Alfahuir and ANNANAS Blasco Ibáñez, serving local and international clients in Ukrainian, Spanish, English and Russian. The first ANNANAS barbershop has been operating in Valencia since 2021.

Yari, also known as Iaroslav Tugai or Ярослав Тугай, is the founder of AF SCOOTERS, an electric scooter shop and repair workshop with locations in Castellón de la Plana and Borriana, Spain. Since March 2017, AF SCOOTERS has specialised in electric... Show more

I am a Principal of Student Programs at Shasta County Office of Education, specializing in special education and school leadership. With 13 years of experience, I have dedicated my career to supporting students who are outside of the educational box.

Currently, I lead a team at Excel Academy, a regional special education placement program, where we focus on supporting students with high needs and creating space for them to thrive. We are thrilled to share our insights on Designing From the Fringe at this year's Women in School Leadership Forum.

I am a Principal of Student Programs at Shasta County Office of Education, specializing in special education and school leadership. With 13 years of experience, I have dedicated my career to supporting students who are outside of the educational box.... Show more

A dynamic educator and researcher with 20 years of experience, Dr. Shanthi Iyer is a model of academic excellence and professional dedication. She has held leadership positions at GEMS Education in the past and currently serves as Vice Principal at The Oxford School (LEAMS Education). She is also a school governor in four different schools. Dr. Iyer has published a number of works in the field and is an avid environmentalist and sustainability researcher. She is well-known for inspiring teams with trust, positivity, and inclusivity through her collaborative and empathetic leadership style. Dr. Iyer continues to have a significant influence on the quality of teaching and learning because of her extensive knowledge of curriculum design, assessment, and educational leadership.

A dynamic educator and researcher with 20 years of experience, Dr. Shanthi Iyer is a model of academic excellence and professional dedication. She has held leadership positions at GEMS Education in the past and currently serves as Vice Principal at T... Show more