Board of Directors

The People Behind Earth Day

GERALD TORRES, Board Chair, Bryant Smith Chair, University of Texas-Austin
Currently the president of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), Professor Torres is a leading figure in critical race theory and an expert in agricultural and environmental law. He taught and served as associate dean at The University of Minnesota Law School, as deputy assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as counsel to then U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.
Prof. Torres is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute. In 2004, he was honored with the Legal Service Award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) for his work to advance the legal rights of Latinos. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard and Stanford Law Schools.

LYNN L. BERGESON, Board Secretary, Managing Director, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.
Lynn L. Bergeson’s Washington, DC law firm concentrates primarily on nanoscale, specialty chemical and pesticide product regulation, domestic and foreign chemical classification and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) product approval. Ms. Bergeson counsels clients on health, safety, science policy, and related legal and regulatory aspects of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act, as well as on nanotechnology and other emerging transformative technologies. Ms. Bergeson serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group, the ISO Technical Committee 229 on Nanotechnologies, and the Converging Technologies Bar Association, where she is Chair of its Environmental, Health, and Safety Committee. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI).
Ms. Bergeson serves on many press and editorial boards, including ELI’s Environmental Law Reporter and Environmental Forum, Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, EPA Administrative Law Reporter, Environmental Quality Management, Chemical Processing Magazine and Pollution Engineering. Ms. Bergeson is a member of The District of Columbia Bar; Bar Association of the District of Columbia; ABA (Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources); Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia; and the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment. Ms. Bergeson is listed in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (2006 and 2007), and The Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2005 and 2006).
Ms. Bergeson is a graduate of Michigan State University (B.A., magna cum laude), and the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, where she was a member of the Law Review.

DENIS HAYES, President, CEO, The Bullitt Foundation
Denis Hayes left his graduate studies at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government to coordinate the first Earth Day in 1970--an event widely credited with launching the modern American environmental movement. Twenty years later, he headed the first International Earth Day, which boasted 200 million participants in 141 countries. Mr. Hayes returned in 2000 to serve as chair of the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, and remained to lead Earth Day Network in coordinating Earth Day activities worldwide.
An environmental lawyer by training, Mr. Hayes has published more than 100 articles, books, and papers on energy and the environment. The Bullitt Foundation is a $100-million environmental foundation located in Seattle.
Since establishing Earth Day, Mr. Hayes headed the federal Solar Energy Research Institute (now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) for President Jimmy Carter (1983-1988) and taught engineering at Stanford University. In 1993, he received the annual Charles Greeley Abbot Award of the American Solar Energy Society, which is named after the prominent solar energy researcher and head of the Smithsonian Institute and given to an individual who makes a significant contribution to the field. In 2000, Mr. Hayes was elected an ASES Fellow.
Mr. Hayes has no shortage of national honors, including the American Institute for Public Service's Jefferson Medal for Greatest Public Service by a U.S. citizen under 35, the Sierra Club’s John Muir Award (1985), Time Magazine’s "Hero of the Planet" (1999), Audubon’s 100 Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century and Look Magazine’s 100 most influential Americans of the 20th Century. He has also received the highest honors awarded by the National Wildlife Federation, the Humane Society, and the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility.
He has served as Director of the Illinois State Energy Office, Senior Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute, Visiting Scholar at the Smithsonian Institution and trustee or director of Stanford University, Greenpeace USA, the World Resources Institute, the American Solar Energy Society, the Federation of American Scientists, the Energy Foundation, the League of Conservation Voters, the Humane Society of the United States, the National Programming Council for Public Television, CERES, and Children Now.

KEN BERLIN, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP
Ken Berlin heads the firm's East Coast and international environmental practice. Mr. Berlin has been involved in a wide range of environmental issues since 1979, when he was section chief in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mr. Berlin has an extensive background in environmental litigation, including representing parties in environmental cleanup issues, in criminal and civil penalty cases, in appeals of administrative decisions, and in arguing cases in federal appeals court. Mr. Berlin has acted as national environmental counsel in the bankruptcies of Owens Corning, IT Group, Inc., US Airways Group, Inc. and Kmart Corporation, and represented National Steel Corporation and Sterling Chemicals, Inc. in resolving environmental issues in their bankruptcies.

DR. PETER BROSS, Clinical Team Leader, Cancer Therapeutics, U.S. FDA Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapy
Peter Bross He has been active in conservation for many years. While in California, he taught snow camping and river kayaking for the Sierra Club and was an active volunteer for Friends of the River, and the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust, contributing to successful efforts to add to the California Wild & Scenic River system. As a volunteer for San Francisco-based Environmental Traveling Companions, he took handicapped and disadvantaged kids on sea kayaking and river trips. Dr. Bross served as a volunteer physician for the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in San Francisco and for the Himalaya Rescue Association in Nepal.
Since returning to Washington DC, Dr. Bross has become active in a number of conservation organizations, including the Environmental Law Institute, Potomac Conservancy, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, American Whitewater, American Rivers, Monocacy Canoe Club, Canoe Cruisers Association, Bethesda Center for Excellence (a whitewater racing club), Anacostia Watershed Society, Friends of the Cheat and Friends of the Gauley River. Dr. Bross is on the Board of Potomac Riverkeeper, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Potomac River and its tributaries, from its headwaters in West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, through citizen action, education, advocacy and enforcement.
Dr. Bross is a graduate of the University of Virginia College and School of Medicine.

MICHAEL CROOKE, independent strategic business consultant, former President and CEO, Patagonia, Inc.
Prior to his current position counseling high-growth businesses, Michael Crooke was CEO of Revolution Living, a group of companies founded on the principle that business success is predicated on a commitment to corporate citizenship, environmental stewardship, product/service quality, and financial strength.
From 1999 to 2005, Mr. Crooke served as chief executive of Patagonia its parent company, Lost Arrow Corporation, the latter post to which he succeeded Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder. Patagonia, a designer and distributor of technical outdoor clothing, is widely known for its commitment to product quality and environmental responsibility.
In addition to EDN, Mr. Crooke serves as a director on the boards of Cate School, (Carpinteria, California) and 1% for the Planet, founded by Mr. Chouinard. He has held director positions on the boards of Patagonia, Santa Barbara Channel Keepers, founded by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Conservation Alliance, the outdoor industry’s environmental grant-giving organization, including one year as Board President.
Mr. Crooke completed a Ph.D. in management--on the role of values in high-performance organizations--from the Claremont Graduate University in May, 2008, and holds a B.S. in Forestry and an MBA from Humboldt State University. In the late 1970’s, Mr. Crooke served as a Navy SEAL with Underwater Team 12 (UDT12) for four years, after successfully graduating from BUDS training (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL).

AVIS GOLD RICHARDS, CEO, Birds Nest Productions
An award-winning producer and creative director, Avis Gold Richards runs a visual media production company dedicated to providing multimedia services for fund raising and increasing awareness and understanding of non-profit organizations. Since founding her company, Ms. Richards has overseen the production of 50 videos promoting promoting various charities that have won more than a dozen Stevie, Telly and Davey awards. Ms. Richards sits on several boards, including HELP USA, R Baby Foundation and the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, and is a senior advisor with the Hopewell Group, a philanthropic advisement firm. She has been an integral, managing member for programs and events at the Westchester Medical Center Children’s Hospital (founder/chair, annual 100K Bike Ride); the Boomer Esiaison Foundation (Game Ball recipient), Lance Armstrong Foundation (Peleton Project); American Cancer Society (Excalibur Award, Gala Event chair, founding member, Gilda’s Club Young Committee Member’s Gala) and Auschwitz Jewish Center (Educational, Bar and Bat Mitzvah Committees). She is a member of the King of David and Lion of Judah for UJA Federation of New York.
Ms. Richards earned a B.S. at the University of Maryland and pursued post-graduate studies at George Washington University and Bank Street College of Education.

DR. JENTAI YANG, President, US-China Association for Environmental Education
Dr. Jentai Yang’s non-profit organization partners with the Global Village of Beijing (GVB) to bring together Chinese and American environmental professionals to promote public awareness through training and media outreach. Working closely with Chinese and American officials, environmental NGOs, local Chinese environmental bureaus and academic institutions as a board member and technical advisor, Dr. Yang introduces the American experience in resource conservation and environmental protection to China and vice versa.
Dr. Yang retired from the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 after a 28-year career where, as Senior Program Director for US/China (including Taiwan) bilateral environmental cooperation, he was widely recognized as an expert on China's environmental issues and a friend who brought the US and China together for a better environment. Prior to joining EPA, he served as Chief of Operations for the State of Maryland’s environmental enforcement and technical assistance programs.
Dr. Yang was born in China and received most of his early education in Taiwan. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas in 1969. He is a registered professional engineer, an accredited environmental chemist and a U.S. patent recipient.

TIA NELSON, Executive Secretary, Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands
Since October 2004, Ms. Nelson has managed approximately 78,000 acres of Trust Lands located in northern Wisconsin, proudly emulating the dedication and love for Nature set by her father, Earth Day founder Senator Gaylord Nelson. The lands under her care include those of the State Trust Fund Loan Program, four Trust Funds valued at over $735 million, and the Original Land Records Program, which includes land survey records dating back to the 1830’s.
Previously with The Nature Conservancy for 17 years, she led their climate change program beginning in 1994, developing forest protection and restoration as a climate change mitigation strategy.
She received The Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Change Leadership Award in 2000 and was appointed by Governor Doyle in April 2007 to co-chair the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming.

LANCELOT BRAUNSTEIN, Banking Technology Manager, Goldman Sachs
Once a scientist working for Hughes at NASA and NOAA, Lance Braunstein now develops and supports Goldman’s Investment and Merchant Banking and Capital Markets Divisions. As Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, Lance managed infrastructure and development organization in Wealth Management.
Lance received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, an MS in Physics from Colorado State University, and a BA in Mathematics from the University of Rochester. He has been an adviser to several technology companies, including Cisco, Collation, Actona and Intruvert. In 2005, Lance was named one of the top technology leaders by Computerworld Magazine. Lance has been a mentor at Morgan Stanley and Stanford University and is a member of the Goldman Sachs Career Development Committee.

JOSH GRUSS, Partner, Gruss & Company
Josh Gruss’ privately owned merchant bank, founded in 1940, represents the financial interests of the Martin D. Gruss family and its partners. The firm is one of the oldest and most experienced participants in U.S. and European arbitrage.
Through Gruss Asset Management, L.P., a Registered Investment Advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Gruss Asset Management LLP, regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the company offers investment advisory services in arbitrage, distressed markets, hedge fund investments, long/short value and event driven investing to high net worth individuals and institutions.
The Gruss family members are active philanthropists. In addition to Earth Day, they are major supporters of Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Park, which is considered one of the best examples of urban land reclamation, located as it is on Hiria Mountain, which was at one time the city’s landfill.

NORA POUILLON, internationally renowned Chef/Owner, Asia Nora and Restaurant Nora
Nora Pouillon is a social entrepreneur and champion of organic cuisine. Born and raised in Austria, she spent several years on a self-sufficient farm, which influenced her understanding of the role of food and its impact on personal and environmental health and well-being.
Restaurant Nora, opened in the heart of Washington, DC in 1979, went on to become, 20 years later, the nation's first certified organic restaurant, a feat since achieved by only two other restaurants. Ms. Pouillon was instrumental in creating the organic certification standards for restaurants, which guarantee that at least 95% of all food served originates from certified organic sources.
Committed to the education of both her colleagues and the general public, Ms. Pouillon became a founding member of the Chefs Collaborative, to educate culinary professionals, over 10 years ago. More recently, she helped support TOG, an organic farmers’ co-op by introducing the farmers to other local chefs, thereby ensuring the livelihood of small farms. Ms. Pouillon also initiated the Fresh Farm Markets, several producer-only farmers' markets in the DC area and, as a Board member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, established an organic internship at her restaurants, receiving five interns each year. Her book, "Cooking with Nora," encourages the public to cook and eat healthily.
Ms. Pouillon sits on the advisory boards of the Washington DC Environmental Film Festival, Foodfit.com, The Center for Mind Body Medicine's "Food as Medicine" program, Rachel's Network, Body & Soul Magazine and the Amazon Conservation Team.
Widely recognized for her pioneering work, Nora has received awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Organic Trade Association, New Hope Natural Media, the American Horticultural Society and the Campaign for Better Health.

RICK RIDGEWAY, Vice President, Environmental Initiatives and Special Media Projects, Patagonia Inc.
Patagonia’s three-part mission statement is: to make the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Rick Ridgeway and his team develop, implement and promote the second two parts of that mission.
To that end, his department oversees the company’s environmental grant-making, internal and external environmental education, and special multi-year environmental projects, including Freedom to Roam, a coalition founded by Patagonia to seek protection for wildlife corridors. Mr. Ridgeway also manages Patagonia Productions, the company’s division that publishes book and produces films.
Before joining Patagonia, Mr. Ridgeway was owner/president of Adventure Photo & Film, building it into the world’s most recognized outdoor stock photo and film agency before selling it in order to focus on his own writing and filmmaking. At the same time, he was active in the outdoor equipment industry, working as consultant for the Kelty Pack Co. for over 20 years.
In addition to his business history, Mr. Ridgeway is recognized as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers and adventurers, and is known to many through his writing, photography and Emmy award-winning filmmaking. He has produced and directed over 30 adventure shows for television, written 40 articles for Outside and National Geographic and many other magazines and six books, including the highly acclaimed Seven Summits, The Shadow of Kilimanjaro and Below Another Sky. Along with three companions, Ridgeway became the first American to summit K2, considered the hardest mountain in the world to climb, and he has done many other significant climbs and explorations on all continents. Rolling Stone magazine called Ridgeway “the real Indiana Jones”, and National Geographic recently honored him with its “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure” award.

Organizations listed for identification purposes only.