Profit & Purpose ’24 – WCA Sustainable Business Conference

Dr. Stephen Hammer was selected as the Founding CEO of The New York Climate Exchange in November of 2023. As CEO, Dr. Hammer will lead a first-of-its-kind collaborative model for accelerating climate change solutions for New York City and beyond.

As one of the world’s leading experts on both local and global climate policy matters, Dr. Hammer brings more than thirty years of experience to this role. Prior to joining The Exchange, Dr. Hammer spent a decade at the World Bank where he served as Senior Policy Advisor on urban scale climate solutions and global climate policy and finance issues. He spearheaded much of the Bank’s early work on urban climate resilience, the modeling of low carbon development, and capacity building, and supported the rollout of efforts to mainstream climate change into all facets of the Bank’s lending operations. As a strategic advisor to senior management, he oversaw many of the Bank’s key climate partnerships with the UNFCCC, the UN Secretary General’s team, and the G20. Dr. Hammer regularly represented the Bank in international for a, most recently supporting the work of the UNFCCC’s Transitional Committee charged with establishing the new global fund on Loss and Damage that was a key outcome at COP27.

Before joining the World Bank, Dr. Hammer was a professor at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), where he taught courses and conducted research on a variety of urban energy and climate policy topics including local energy policymaking, urban energy systems, distributed generation, and the impacts of climate change on local and regional energy networks. Prior to that, he taught climate courses in New York City at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and at the Pratt Institute.

Dr. Hammer co-founded and co-directed the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), an international consortium of researchers interested in climate change from an urban perspective. He was also a member of the Energy Policy Task Force advising then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg on PlaNYC, the City’s long-term growth and sustainability initiative. He is an Advisory Board Member for the American Geophysical Union task force on Ethical Framework for Climate Interventions and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

Dr. Hammer holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, an MPP from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California at Davis. He is thrilled to return to New York, where he previously lived for over 25 years, to spearhead the vision of The Exchange

As Director of Product Sustainability within the Testing & Insights division, Paul Scott oversees the sustainability research and testing program at Consumer Reports. He leads the assessment of environmental impacts associated with consumer products and drives consumer impact via testing data, content, policy, and consumer engagement.

Paul brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in product sustainability, eco-design, innovation and green chemistry and has a strong track record of implementing sustainability and transformation programs that deliver strategy, product development and impact.

Prior to CR, Paul worked at Estee Lauder, creating and operationalizing the green score design tool to integrate sustainability performance metrics into new products. At the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, he focused on engaging engineers in the challenges outlined in United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and launched the first global incubator for hardware start-ups focused on social and environmental impact. Paul’s experience spans the private, nonprofit and policy sectors – including leading US Sustainability for a global flavors company and being on the founding team of the World Bank’s Climate Technology Program as well as the World Bank Liaison and climate lead at the Embassy of Australia in Washington DC.

Paul has a Master of Public Administration in Economic and Energy Policy from Columbia University, a Master of Arts in International Affairs from Manchester University, UK, and a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of Durham, UK.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

I’m passionate about the role that technology and innovation play in driving sustainability. I love to travel, see new places, meet people and listen to new perspectives. When I’m not working, you’ll find me spending time with my young family, watching and playing football (soccer) and trying to learn new things (sailing at time of writing).

Samantha Perlmutter graduated from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2023 with an advanced certificate in Environmental Law. She is admitted to practice law in New York. Sam works in the Sustainability Tax Practice at EY with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers, tax professionals, engineers, and economists to deliver high-quality services and solutions to clients. She focuses on Federal, State & Local Incentives & Tax Credits related to sustainability initiatives and grant funding, including through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. Sam also researches and analyzes the potential impact of environmental tax policies such as the New York Climate Change Superfund Act and the EU Deforestation Regulations on clients.

Every marathon runner is an optimist who knows one simple truth: Good things come to those who work. For avid runner Ivan Giraud, this work ethic not only works on strengthening a runner’s mind and body, but it also translates towards building better, more successful companies. Ivan is a collaborative leader, who challenges everyone to think bigger and strive for more. As CEO of Bel’s North America business, Ivan dives into the trenches with his teams, challenging everyone to think bigger and strive for more. He believes that diverse, talented, inclusive teams that are built on respect and hard work can achieve results and a positive impact in the world. Ivan has over 30 years of experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry with managerial and financial responsibilities for renowned brands such as Nestle, Heinz, and JDE Coffee and is proud to lead the US and Canadian teams at Bel with beloved brands such as GoGo squeeZ, Babybel, The Laughing Cow and Boursin. He is also proud of how Bel’s values drive a unique business model in which we strive for positive results and a positive impact on people and the planet. This has led Bel US to develop a mission-led strategy of offering American family’s Purposeful snacks like GoGo squeeZ and Babybel to help address the gap that 80% of Americans today are not getting enough fruit, veggie, and dairy. Ivan encourages his team to find systemic ways to have a positive impact on people’s snacking habits and how our snacks are made. He joined Materne USA in 2017 leading the Category and Revenue Development before being promoted to General Manager in June 2018 and CEO first of Bel US in Jan of 2022 and then for Bel North America in March of 2024.

Brendan Reilly is an attorney with 20 years of experience as a litigator, arbitrator and in-house counsel. A proud alumni of Elizabeth Haub School of Law (’04), Brendan was a student attorney within the Securities Arbitration Clinic under Professor Jill Gross and mock trial teammate under Professor Joel Seideman. For the first half of his career, Brendan litigated and arbitrated intellectual property matters in Europe and North and South America. Brendan joined PepsiCo’s litigation department in 2012, before transitioning into various legal generalist roles at PepsiCo in support of its business functions, including sales, marketing, and sustainability. As part of his sustainability practice at PepsiCo, Brendan leverages his litigation, trademark and marketing experience to counsel on green advertising and consumer protection, and relies on his deal-making experience to execute transactions in furtherance of PepsiCo’s sustainability journey, such as fleet electrification, water replenishment, and collection and incorporation of recycled materials into product packaging. He currently serves as Senior Legal Director, ESG Disclosures and Reporting, where he focuses on PepsiCo’s voluntary ESG disclosures and preparations for forthcoming mandatory ESG reporting under CSRD, ISSB, SEC Climate Rule and other ESG reporting regulations. Brendan also leads PepsiCo Law Department’s Sustainability Practice Center of Excellence, which is a global practice group of attorneys who are supporting PepsiCo’s numerous sustainability transformation projects around the world. Brendan and his wife Catherine are raising their three children and two dogs in Ossining, NY, where he also volunteers as a youth soccer coach and scout leader.

Elizabeth Gousse Ballotte has more than 15 years of operational and organizational consulting and management experience. Liz specializes in development of DEI/Sustainability assessments and impact program office implementations across all industries and advices clients on environmental, social and governance matters, risk management, and compliance issues. Liz works with organizations on Sustainability/ESG framework development, policies and procedures, internal controls and Board level Sustainability program oversight. Liz has conducted over 500 compliance and due diligence reviews for organizations across the U.S. She has experience working on federal grants/programs including ARPA, FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Irene and Lee. In addition, Liz has served as a Whistleblower Administrator for higher education clients. Her engagements have required her to perform internal control reviews, operational assessments, Board of Director workshops and grant compliance monitoring on a national scale. Liz supports clients in painting a full picture of their organization’s financial, operational and cultural condition and helps implement operational and financial strategies that enhance performance. She has experience in performing operational assessments that evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization by reviewing strategy, policies, technology, people and structure. She is an active member of the consulting industry, combining the areas of private foundation compliance reviews and management consulting. She assists clients in developing compliance programs that meet the demands of federal, state and local regulations and prevent theft and other forms of corruption. Liz has had articles published in The NonProfit Times and the NonProfit PRO. She also has participated in leadership roles on executive forums, workshops and symposiums.

Aharon Kestenbaum is an accomplished sustainability and environmental project manager, currently serving as the Director of Energy and Sustainability at Montefiore Health System. With a proven track record of developing and implementing efficient and sustainable organizational policies, Aharon is known for his data-driven, practical, and innovative approaches to solving complex problems. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environment from Bar-Ilan University. Prior to joining Montefiore, Aharon held leadership positions at Simon Property Group, where he served as Director of Sustainability and Head of Sustainability. His diverse experience also includes roles at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, NYC Department of Education, and the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. Aharon’s expertise in integrating sustainability into healthcare operations and his commitment to addressing climate change make him a valuable asset in the rapidly evolving field of environmental sustainability in healthcare.

Jesse McCormick joined JPMorgan in 2021 and is currently a Vice President at the Center for Carbon Transition (CCT) in the Investment Bank. Before joining JPMorgan Jesse co-founded and helped run the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, a research center focused on the intersection of the energy transition, financial markets and geopolitics. Prior to that Jesse worked on energy and climate policy in Washington, D.C. for the Obama Administration in both the National Economic Council and Council on Environmental Quality. Jesse received his MBA from Columbia University, his MPP from Georgetown University, and his BA (summa cum laude) from Tufts University.

Professor Jason J. Czarnezki is the Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law, and Associate Dean of Environmental Law Programs and Strategic Initiatives, as well as the inaugural Faculty Director of the Sustainable Business Law Hub at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University (New York).

Professor Czarnezki has held academic appointments at Marquette University Law School, DePaul University College of Law, Vermont Law School and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has served as Faculty Director of the U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law, Fulbright Scholar at Sun Yat-sen University in China, and Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, as well as named by the Swedish National Research Council the Olof Palme Visiting Professor at Stockholm University.

Professor Czarnezki specializes in environmental and natural resources law and policy, sustainable business strategies, and food systems policy, with particular expertise in sustainable procurement, ESG criteria, eco-labeling, and life cycle assessment and costing. Professor Czarnezki received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Chicago and his PhD in Environmental Law from Uppsala University in Sweden.

Tamkeen Rasool is a Partner at IBM Consulting, leading the Sustainability Practice in North America. She brings over 16 years of experience as a business strategist, specializing in management consulting, data analytics, and insights. Tamkeen has extensive experience in business strategy, strategic leadership, organization development, and operations within both international and domestic settings. Her specialized expertise lies in sustainability, clean energy, and climate resilience, leveraging data, AI, and advanced analytics to solve complex problems.

She served on a federal ESG Climate Advisory team, assisting government agencies in developing climate-related regulations and policies. Her notable experiences include implementing large-scale strategy projects related to climate inequity, population health and social determinants of health (SDOH), youth unemployment, community engagement assessments, and AI/technology-led digital transformation projects, working with federal and state agencies, and stakeholder coalitions.

Prior to IBM, Tamkeen worked with Accenture, leading several development sector projects. She holds a Master’s in Sustainability from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and has extensive research experience in the public, and state and local markets in the Americas.

Mark Hillhouse is an Executive Director in the Commercial Banking Sustainable Finance & Advisory (SFA) Group at Wells Fargo. Mark helps Commercial Banking clients and prospects develop, finance and discuss their sustainability strategies.  He also has a particular focus on climatetech and other companies that are developing and commercializing innovations that support decarbonization. Mark has been a commercial banker throughout his career but has been engaged with climate technology and sustainability since 2015.

Before joining Wells Fargo, Mark was at HSBC, where he was the US SME for Climatetech, helped develop the bank’s global sustainability strategy, and led the first US Sustainable Finance team. Before HSBC, he relationship management and leadership roles at Comerica and GE Capital and was an officer in the US Air Force. He has an MBA and BA from Santa Clara University and is a graduate of Imperial College London’s Sustainability Leadership Programe.

Michael N. Romita, a dynamic business leader with extensive public policy expertise, was named the President & CEO of the Westchester County Association on March 1, 2020. Romita was a former executive with Castle Oil, a partner at National Public Policy Firm, and a former U.S. Department of Justice litigator.

Romita holds a BS from Tufts University; Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, and Master of Laws from The London School of Economics. Besides his work at Castle Oil and the Department of Justice, he has published numerous articles on business and energy policy. Romita has served on the Boards of many charitable and civic organizations, including the Westchester County Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Board and MINT, a mental health foundation. In addition, he recently co-chaired the County Executive’s Transition Committee on Economic Development

LLM in Global Environmental Law, Pace University, LLB & Post-Graduate Diploma in Environmental Studies, University of Buenos Aires.

Barbara is currently pursuing an SJD in Environmental Law at Haub Law. Before joining the Hub, she worked in both public and the private sectors. She began her legal career specializing in criminal law and working at the Attorney’s General Office in Buenos Aires. She also served as a government legal advisor at the Argentinean Ministry of Culture from 2015-2018. Barbara’s Postgraduate studies focused on sustainable development, while simultaneously gaining experience in the FinTech industry. This culminated in her developing an interest in Sustainable Business Law.

As an SJD Graduate Fellow at the Sustainable Business Law Hub, she conducts research on the intersection between corporate and environmental law, specializing in ESG and climate-related disclosure frameworks. Barbara actively engages in environmental discussions in the media and contributes to a sustainability-focused cooperative. Currently, she’s writing her dissertation on ESG reporting addressing social and environmental justice.

Josh Galperin joined the faculty of Haub Law in July 2021. Prior to joining the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, Josh was on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law since 2018, where he taught Torts, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, and Environmental Law, Policy, and Practice. Josh was a student nominee for the Distinguished Public Service Professor award and a dean’s nominee for the Provost’s Diversity in the Curriculum award. He was also a two-time winner of the Most Valuable Professor award. Prior to Pitt Josh was the Director of the Environmental Protection Clinic, Lecturer in Law, and a Research Scholar at Yale Law School. Josh was also a lecturer and the Environmental Law and Policy Program Director at the Yale School of the Environment (YSE). In addition to directing and teaching the Environmental Protection Clinic, Josh directed the dual law-environment degree program between YSE and Pace, Vermont, and Yale law schools. He was a lead collaborator in the Land Use Collaborative between YSE and Pace. Josh was also the associate director for the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy where he oversaw all operations of the Center including budgeting, fundraising, research, and teaching. Josh received the award for excellence in research, teaching, and service from the YSE graduating class of 2017. Josh is also a visiting professor of law at Yale Law School where he teaches Environmental Law.

Josh’s research and teaching cover environmental law, administrative law, food and agriculture law and policy, property, constitutional law, and tort law. He has published extensively on environmental law, with particular emphasis on the role of non-governmental advocates in the creation and maintenance of environmental law, takings and just compensation, invasive species policy, and private environmental governance. His research in administrative law looks at constitutional democracy and administrative legitimacy with a focus on how governance intuitions influence political power. He has also written about food and agriculture law and policy, particularly where agriculture and food law intersect with environmental policy and administrative law doctrine. His work appears in the Georgetown Law Journal, Villanova Law Review, Arizona State Law Review, the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law, the Stanford Environmental Law Journal, Cambridge University Press, Vermont Law Review, and elsewhere.

Before Yale, Josh worked for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) where he was a policy analyst and research attorney. In that position he established and managed SACE’s coal plant retirement campaign, which was a hybrid legal, grassroots, and analytical effort to catalyze retirement of the Southeast’s oldest, dirtiest, and least efficient coal plants. Before SACE, Josh was a legislative counsel for the Vermont General Assembly where he primarily staffed the House and Senate committees on agriculture. In that role he was involved with a number of bills that eventually became law including Vermont’s farm-to-plate investment program, dairy price stabilization, raw milk and local poultry sales, and creation of the Vermont Grape and Wine Council. Galperin studied law at Vermont Law School where he graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the Vermont Law Review’s senior editorial board. He earned a master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment (then the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies) and a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware.

Lauren leads the U.S. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) team at Linklaters. She has significant experience assisting clients with tracking and complying with existing and incoming U.S. federal and state ESG laws, policies, programs and initiatives. Lauren assists clients with navigating complex environmental permitting, compliance and regulatory issues across all types of projects and transactions, spanning project development, financings, and mergers and acquisitions. Lauren also advises on international environmental and social standards and risk management systems in the context of major energy and infrastructure project financings, such as the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework, IFC Performance Standards on Social & Environmental Sustainability, Equator Principles and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Lauren is Co-Chair of the ABA SEER Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee and an active member of the LGBTQ+ Bar.

Maggie Pahl graduated from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2023 with an advanced certificate in Environmental Law. She is admitted to practice law in New York and her admission to the District of Columbia Bar is pending. After graduating, Maggie served a one-year judicial clerkship for the Honorable Gary Potters in the New Jersey Superior Court, Family Part. Maggie was nominated to join the New York City Bar Association Environmental Law Committee for a three year term, from 2024 to 2026. In September, she will begin her role as an associate in the Public Policy & Regulation Practice Group, Government Section, at Holland and Knight’s DC office where she will specialize in environmental law. Maggie has researched and written on the topics of ESG regulation and Chevron Deference, has been published by the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, and has been accepted for publication in the New York University Law and Business Journal.

Zach graduated from Haub Law’s Environmental Law Program in 2018 and is an associate in Lowenstein Sandler LLP’s Environmental Law & Litigation Group and ESG Practice.  He applies a broad knowledge of and passion for environmental and sustainability matters to help clients navigate complex compliance matters and disputes, including offering counsel in topical areas such as ESG requirements and best practices, environmental justice, and carbon markets.  He also advises sellers, buyers, and borrowers in managing environmental and ESG risks in corporate and real-estate transactions.

Zach helped launch and co-leads Lowenstein’s Sustainability Committee, which works on tracking and reducing the firm’s greenhouse-gas emissions and environmental impacts.  He also leads a firmwide pro bono program that assists transgender and gender-expansive clients in judicial name changes and is a member of the LGBTQ+ Bar and LGBTQ Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Andy recently joined Aon as a Senior Managing Director to lead efforts focusing on physical climate and natural catastrophe analytics and risk transfer in both private and public sector contexts. Before joining Aon, Andy was Chief Actuary of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. He led the team that established the NFIP’s reinsurance and catastrophe bond program and led the development of “Risk Rating 2.0”, a transformation of the NFIP’s rating to incorporate the latest in catastrophe models and actuarial science. He participated in various legislative and administrative reform initiatives of the program throughout his career at FEMA.