Bena Burda is the founder and owner of Clean Clothes, Inc. and Maggie's Organics, a company that makes cotton and wool socks, men's and women's clothes, and baby apparel, all from organic fibers.
Burda's organic career began with Eden Foods in 1978. As the company's sales manager, she helped introduce the first certified organic soymilk in the United States. Later, when she was sales manager for Bearito's Brand Organic Tortilla Chips, and the company began rotating organic cotton with its corn crops, Burda began experimenting with the cotton. In 1992 she and financial partner Jennifer Mueller co-founded Maggie's Organics, and in 1997 Burda bought out the company from Mueller to create Maggie's Organics/Clean Clothes.
Bena Burda has a background in organic agriculture, and received the 2003 Organic Leadership award from the Organic Trade Association.
Ashleigh Smith is the founder of Make It Happen. The mission of Make It Happen (MIH) is to provide educational and therapeutic mateirals for children with autism and special needs.
Ashleigh Smith is expected to graduate Cornell University in 2007.
Wendy Brawer is Green Map System's Founder and Director. She has been an eco-designer, public educator and consultant since 1990. Brawer created the first Green Apple Map of New York City in 1992 and published the 5th citywide edition in 2006. Wendy initiated the global Green Map System in 1995 and leads its development. She is founder of a small eco-design firm, Modern World Design, focused on energy generation and waste reduction. She has taught at NYU, Cooper Union and presented at more than 25 universities and conferences. Recognition includes Woman of Earth/Terre de Femmes (Yves Rocher Foundation 2005), Designer in Residence, (Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum 1997) and a Sea Change Award (Gaea Foundation 2003). To learn more about Wendy Brawer, please visit her website.
Catherine Khan works at L'Oreal and is currently the Marketing Manager for the Garnier Nutritioniste product line.
Prior to her position at L'Oreal, she worked for four years with Andersen Consulting (Accenture).
Catherine Khan received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Laurie Halloran is the President and Founder of Halloran Consulting Group.
During her 18 years in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, Halloran has achieved increasing levels of responsibility in biopharmaceutical management and education--including administration, product development and international operations. She established and developed Worldwide Training capabilities within Clinical Operations at PAREXEL International Corporation during the 10 years of the company's rapid growth into a leading international Contract Research Organization. In addition, she also established clinical operations at OXiGENE, a virtual pharmaceutical company. and led the clinical management the company, ultimately successfully partnering with an international pharmaceutical company to continue the program. She established US clinical operations and data management at Antigenics and expanded the clinical operations to manage numerous development programs in all phases of research, including large global phase III programs in oncology. Under her leadership, the team fully integrated the clinical research components of two corporate acquisitions. She now works with emerging companies ensuring their clinical research programs start and run effectively and efficiently. She is also sought for her expertise and guidance in creating and improving organizational effectiveness by larger biopharmaceutical clients.
Susan Ward is the founder and CSO of ThoughtLynx, a start-up software company providing dynamic knowledge content applications to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Previously, Ward was EVP at Infinity Pharmaceuticals and Senior Vice President of Strategy and Productivity at Millenium Pharmaceutical, Inc. She started her professional career at Sterling Drug where she held a number of positions of increasing responsibility before joining Wyeth Research as head of their UK facility, and subsequently became VP Project and Portfolio Management, responsible for Wyeth's drug development portfolio. Susan Ward earned her Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees in Pharmacology from the University of Manchester, UK. and was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota.
Leslie Ackerman is a Business Educator at the Alternatives Federal Credit Union based in Ithaca, New York. The is the director of "Business CENTS" which is a small business development program offering a "how to" business training course, seminars, one-on-one business counseling and marketing support for people interested in starting or expanding a business.
Shelley Rosen is CEO and Founder of Airlift Ideas, Inc. Airlift Ideas is based in Chicago and specializes in creating brand vitality by assisting companies in developing business-building ideas. Rosen's has over 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing, on both the client and agency sides. As an executive at McDonald's Corp., she directed major efforts in the areas of new business development, brand leadership and issues management. She most recently led the global strategy for McDonald's on the Balanced Lifestyles issue bringing over $500 million in new business and repositioned the brand. This led to the introduction of new menu items globally, building alliances with advocates in the U.S. government and leading scientists and expert doctors around the world. Prior to this role, Shelley was responsible for new business invention and brand positioning reporting to the CEO of McDonald's. In addition to working for Fortune 50 brands for leading advertising agencies like, Leo Burnett, Young and Rubicam and Foote, Cone and Belding she has also managed accounts for blue chip companies. Her client experience ranges from emerging to established brands and companies including; Frito-Lay, Pepsi-Cola, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Chevron Oil. Shelley Rosen holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Michigan.
Helen Lockhart is the Chair of the Wolf Greenfield & Sacks' Biotechnology Practice Group. Her practice involves securing and enforcing domestic and international intellectual property rights. She counsels a variety of clients, including universities, smaller and mid-sized companies, start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Lockhart has broad experience in prosecuting biotechnology patents relating to human gene therapy, improved immune response modulators, drug delivery, catalytic molecules, antibodies, fluorescence based micro- and nano-analysis, cell culture, mass spectrometry, nucleic acid sequencing, polymer-based and biological-based drug delivery systems, antisense nucleic acid therapeutics, newly discovered genes for diagnostic and therapeutic uses, peptides, small molecule mimetics, combinatorial libraries and drug screening assays.
Her doctoral research focused on the regulation of cellular growth and differentiation through signal transduction mechanisms.
Lockhart is admitted to Massachusetts Bar and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston Patent Law Association, and Boston Bar Association. Helen has been named in Boston Magazine as one of Massachusetts' "Super Lawyers" in the field of intellectual property.
Helen Lockhart received her BS in Biochemistry from University of California, Riverside. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Boston University and her law degree from Suffolk University Law School.