Keynote Speakers
Chad Pregracke, CNN Hero and Founder and President of Living Lands & Waters
Chad Pregracke is the internationally named 2013 CNN Hero of the Year, founder, and president of Living Lands & Waters; a nonprofit river cleanup organization, author and professional public speaker. He is proof one person can make a difference.
Best known for starting out as a young man in East Moline, Illinois wanting a cleaner waterway, Chad has become the champion for the Mississippi River. Growing up on its banks, he worked as a commercial shell diver during his early years, experiencing the river from the bottom up. Spending 10 hours a day in the depths and current of the pitch black waters, he crawled nearly 150 miles of the river bottom over six years. Chad saw its beauty and was frustrated by the neglect. At the age of 17, he decided to clean it up. Twenty-six years later, Chad and his Living Lands & Waters crew have organized and led over 1300 community cleanups on 25 rivers in 21 states and removed over 13.2 million pounds of garbage. Chad had an idea that evolved into a movement that has helped to restore one of America’s greatest icons, the Mississippi River.
Much of what is removed from the Mississippi River and other water bodies are plastics, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent trying to dispose of those plastics. When they learned that 43% of all slow-growing hardwood trees were cut down for single use wood pallets, they knew there had to be a better solution.
So, Chad and his wife Tammy, created Green Current Solutions (GCS). GCS makes 100% recycled plastic pallets utilizing a portion of the plastics removed from the rivers and other sources in addition to trying to incorporate other company’s plastic waste streams into their product. GCS is a culmination of Chad and Tammy’s passion for the natural environment and their drive to make change. Companies switching from wood to 100% recycled plastic pallets are not only saving millions of pounds of plastics from our oceans, rivers, landfills, and incinerators, but they are also saving millions of trees from being cut down.
Chad has been recognized by former President, George W. Bush as a national “Point of Light.” He received a standing ovation at the Kennedy Center from all four living former U.S. Presidents for his inspirational message on dreaming big, taking action, persevering, leading and collaborating. Chad’s enthusiasm, sense of humor and passion amplifies his story and entertains audiences. Ultimately, his message inspires people to believe they can make a difference.
Dennis Wilson, VP, ESG
Dennis is the Vice President of Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) for Saint-Gobain in North America, the parent company of CertainTeed and also the Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Circular Economy Solutions, a venture focused on circularity in the built environment.
Dennis joined CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain in 2007 and has since worked in a variety of operational EHS, product stewardship and sustainability roles. Dennis’ teams manage Saint-Gobain North America’s ESG programs as well as process & product sustainability efforts including waste, water, energy, greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy and product life cycle assessments.
Dennis holds a BS in Applied Environmental Health & Safety Sciences (Safety Sciences) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Environmental Protection & Safety Management from St. Joseph’s University, an MBA from LaSalle University, and a certificate in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University.
Prior to his time at CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain, Dennis held a variety of operations, quality, and regulatory positions in the pharmaceutical, and paper and plastics industries. Dennis is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative (HPDC), Circular Philadelphia and ecomedes.
Panelists for Empowering Suppliers to achieve Scope 3 Carbon Goals
Arnaud Brohe, Founder & CEO, Agendi
Arnaud Brohé is a sustainability pioneer and author of the authoritative Handbook of Carbon Accounting (2017). He is a widely-recognized expert in climate strategies and carbon markets. For more than 15 years, Arnaud has led successful and ambitious sustainability and net-zero strategies for clients, including numerous Fortune 500 companies and international institutions.
Arnaud carried out the first carbon audits for the EU Emissions Trading System sites in 2005 and was one of the first consultants to calculate the carbon footprint of complex organizations.
In addition to his role as CEO at Agendi, Arnaud has keynoted at numerous prestigious sustainability events and acts as a lecturer or guest lecturer for several leading universities in Europe and the USA. Arnaud collaborates with G&A Institute to help clients navigate their sustainability journeys, including the vital tasks of addressing their carbon footprint and creating solutions for reducing carbon emissions on a domestic and global basis.
Monica Morano, Product Sustainability Specialist, Sika Corporation
Monica Morano is the Product Sustainability Specialist at Sika Corporation, a global specialty chemicals company.
Since 2022, she has been instrumental in steering her organization towards sustainable product development and demonstrating the environmental impact of those solutions by using the principles of Life Cycle Assessment.
In addition to this, Monica also supports Sika’s decarbonization efforts with a focus on Scope 3 emissions.
Monica received a BS in Public Health from Rutgers University – New Brunswick.
Panelists for Effective Material Takeback Strategies
Tad Radzinski, Co-founder & President of Sustainable Solutions Corporation, and Co-founder and Partner of GreenCircle Certified
Tad Radzinski is a successful business owner and recognized sustainability expert. Formerly the EPA’s Waste Minimization National Expert, Tad has been a trusted advisor for Fortune 500 companies for over 30 years.
Tad is the Co-founder and President of Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC), a sustainable engineering consultancy established in 2001. At SSC, he provides consulting and training for decarbonization strategies across companies in a wide range of industries.
Tad is also Co-founder and Partner of GreenCircle Certified, an unbiased third-party certification company established in 2009. GreenCircle brings visibility and credibility to the sustainability efforts of some of the largest brands in the world including: P&G, 3M, Tide, Gain, Scotch, Post-it, and more.
He is a Co-Host of the Tad Talks Sustainability Podcast, where he explains complex sustainability topics and interviews guests from a variety of sustainable backgrounds and companies including: Subaru, Amazon, Kroger, and more.
Tad was instrumental in the development of Villanova University’s Master of Science Degree in Sustainable Engineering. He was an adjunct professor at Villanova for 18 years where he taught classes including Advanced Life Cycle Assessment and Introduction to Sustainable Product Innovation.
Cassie House, Product Sustainability Manager at Shaw Industries Group
Cassie House is a product sustainability manager at Shaw Industries Group, Inc., the world’s largest carpet manufacturer and global provider of floor coverings.
In this role, Cassie engages with stakeholders throughout Shaw’s value chain, from suppliers, marketing and sales to operations and product development, to help execute Shaw’s sustainability strategy and lead certification efforts for residential and commercial soft surface products.
Additionally, she manages the greenhouse gas emissions accounting across scopes 1, 2, and 3 for the enterprise.
Sriram Gopal, Director, Technology & Environmental Policy, Association of Appliance Manufacturers
Sriram Gopal serves as the policy lead at AHAM for matters related to the Internet of Things and the environment, helping develop policy positions for the home appliance industry in the U.S. and Canada.
His current portfolio includes regulatory issues related to the circular economy, chemicals of concern, plastics, energy efficiency standards, and cybersecurity. Prior experience includes working for a government consulting firm, a clerkship at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and three years at a small environmental NGO.
Sriram holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a law degree, both from the University of Maryland. In his spare time, Sriram enjoys spending time outdoors with his family, playing drums, writing, and rooting for his favorite baseball and basketball teams.
Jennifer Thomas, Chief of Staff, 48forty Solutions
Jennifer Thomas brings over 23 years of leadership experience, beginning with Eaton Corporation plc, where she worked in the electrical group, and progressing through key roles at private equity-owned firms like Binswanger Glass LLC and 48forty Solutions, LLC. As CFO at both companies and now Chief of Staff at 48forty Solutions, the largest recycler of whitewood pallets in the U.S., Jennifer has cultivated extensive expertise in operations, environmental stewardship, and sustainable business outcomes.
Jennifer’s comprehensive understanding of 48forty’s operations is rooted in her hands-on approach. She has traveled extensively to many of the company’s 73 recycling facilities across 33 states, gaining first-hand insights into pallet recycling, material management, and waste wood disposal. This deep operational knowledge has empowered her to lead crucial sustainability initiatives, such as the systematization of environmental metrics and customer allocation of supply chain emissions, positioning 48forty as a leader in aligning operations with sustainability metrics reporting.
A passionate advocate for sustainability, Jennifer remains committed to advancing corporate engagement in responsible business practices. Outside of work, she is dedicated to animal welfare, regularly volunteering at local animal shelters in the communities she has lived
Panelists for Managing Cost of Compliance
Elodie Timmermans, Managing Director, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young LLP
Elodie leads cross-functional teams on environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and nonfinancial reporting services.
She has more than 10 years of experience assisting clients from diverse industries to improve their ESG and sustainability strategy, stakeholder engagement and performance disclosures. She also assists large organizations with designing and implementing sustainability programs.
Elodie joined the EY Netherlands sustainability team in 2008 and transferred to the US in 2013. Her experiences enable her to give clients both global and local perspectives on ESG issues, risks and opportunities.
Megan Maltenfort, VP ESG, Cardinal Health
Megan Maltenfort is the Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) at Cardinal Health. In this role, Megan is responsible for building an enterprise ESG strategy for Cardinal Health and executing on that strategy in collaboration with colleagues across the business. Megan chairs Cardinal Health’s internal ESG Governance Committee where she helps to elevate ESG-related risks and opportunities to leadership. In addition, Megan advises the business on how to effectively manage the evolving ESG expectations and requirements of customers, regulators, investors, employees, and the healthcare industry at large.
Additionally, Megan provides subject matter expertise on Cardinal Health’s evolving reporting and disclosure strategy and supports the development of company-wide programs and goals that advance Cardinal Health’s priority ESG focus areas.
Prior to joining Cardinal Health in 2022, Megan served as Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Campbell Soup Company where she advised on goal setting, led external reporting, and managed stakeholder engagement and ESG-related governance. Megan also held a leadership position in sustainability at Avantor (formerly VWR), a global distributor of laboratory supplies.
Megan is one of the founding members of Philadelphia’s Sustainability Leadership Forum. She received a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in Science, Technology, and Society from Vassar College
Olivia Pfeiffer, ESG Reporting Specialist, FMC Corporation
Olivia Pfeiffer is the ESG Reporting Specialist at FMC Corporation, a global agricultural sciences company dedicated to helping growers produce food, feed, fiber and fuel for an expanding world population while adapting to a changing environment.
In her role, Olivia is highly familiar with the ‘alphabet soup’ of sustainability reporting standards and frameworks. She is responsible for driving global strategy and implementation in the transition to mandatory ESG reporting. This includes the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), SEC and California Climate Disclosure Laws, country-level ISSB adoption, and other new sustainability regulations on the horizon.
Additionally, she leads the coordination and response of FMC’s submissions to major sustainability ratings and rankings, including CDP, S&P CSA, Sustainalytics, and EcoVadis, among others. Olivia is a graduate from Villanova University.