Speakers & Sessions
Kellen (Kel) Moody
Alluvium Gatherings & B Lab U.S. & Canada
Keynote Session
Why We Gather: The Power of Intentional Convening
Gathering has been a key part of life and cultures since the beginning of humanity. Having shared experiences builds trust, sense of belonging, and momentum around a collective purpose. However, gatherings are only powerful when the people there are fully present and clear about their intentions and roles within the experience. Kel will share why gathering with intention is vital to the success of the movements and how we can all fell more reciprocity when we show up with clarity and purpose.
About Speaker
Kellen (Kel) Moody (they/them) is a community cultivator and placemaker. As founder of Alluvium Gatherings, they create and uplift movements through the design, planning, and implementation of gatherings. They have a passion for convening communities and leading teams to create meaningful experiences.
Amelia Ahl
The Builder Fund & Hypha Collective
Keynote Session
A Rally Cry for Collective Action
In times of uncertainty and fragmentation, collective action is an act of resistance. This keynote calls on business leaders to move beyond individualism and competition toward trust, participation, and shared purpose. B Corps demonstrate that cooperation isn’t idealism—it’s impact in action. Together, we’ll explore how listening, grieving, and rebuilding in community can strengthen our collective resilience. The future isn’t written for us—it’s built by us, through the actions we take together today.
About Speaker
Amelia Ahl is the Director of Impact Management and Measurement at Builders, where she oversees impact reporting, B Corp Certification, and the tracking of key performance indicators across the portfolio. After earning a degree in International Studies and Global Security from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Amelia worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Washington, D.C. and then at the Traditional Medicinals Foundation, where she supported community engagement in the company’s supply chain in Rajasthan, India. Her focus on sustainable and regenerative business models that support the health of people and the planet led her to pursue an MBA in sustainability from Presidio Graduate School. She is also a graduate of Lift Economy’s Next Economy MBA program, which fosters a community of people building systems that benefit all life. Amelia lives on unceded Huichin Ohlone land in Oakland, CA where she is an avid cook and a proud member of her community garden.
Paul Lightfoot
General Manager of Patagonia Provisions
Keynote Session
Regeneration is Our Job: How Business Can Heal Climate and Community Through Food
In a world on fire, food holds surprising power to cool the planet and restore ecosystems. Patagonia Provisions is showing how a business rooted in regeneration—not just sustainability—can drive real climate impact, nourish people, and revive rural communities. In this keynote, Paul Lightfoot will share hard-won lessons and hopeful momentum from building a food business designed to work with nature, not against it. You’ll leave with a vision of what’s possible when purpose and product are one and the same.
About Speaker
Paul Lightfoot is the General Manager of Patagonia Provisions, the food business of Patagonia, responsible for the leadership and management of the food business of Patagonia. Patagonia Provisions brings to market foods that help fight the environmental crises. Paul is the chair of the board of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, the non-profit that administers Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™). Paul is the founder, and was the long-time CEO of of BrightFarms, which builds and operates high-tech greenhouse farms to eliminate time, distance and costs from their produce supply chain.
Dr. Kimberly McGlonn
Build It Boldly
Keynote Session
The True Cost of Conformity
In this powerful keynote, explore why the traditional path in business, marked by playing it safe and prioritizing profit over purpose, is no longer enough. Drawing from personal experience and industry-shifting examples, Dr. Kimberly McGlonn challenges audiences to reject outdated norms and embrace bold, rebellious business models centered on leadership reimagined, sustainability, and storytelling. Through her “10 Conventions of Daring Leadership” framework, she equips entrepreneurs and leaders with actionable strategies to build movements—not just businesses—and highlights why the future belongs to those daring enough to disrupt the status quo and to reject notions of conformity.
About Speaker
Dr. Kimberly McGlonn is a bold voice in the movement to build better businesses and leadership practices — ones rooted in equity, sustainability, and care. As the founder of Grant Blvd, the first Black woman-owned B Corp in the U.S. fashion industry, Kimberly has redefined what ethical entrepreneurship can look like, turning vision into measurable impact. Her latest venture, Build It Boldly, expands that legacy, offering a roadmap for leaders who want to move beyond good intentions toward exceptionally designed businesses and lives. A sought-after keynote speaker, Kimberly shares her Ten Conventions of Daring Leadership with audiences nationwide, inspiring individuals and organizations to align their work with purpose and possibility. Her voice has been featured by Fast Company, Essence, Vogue, and Inc. Magazine, and her work has been supported by institutions like Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD Foundation and Visa’s She’s Next initiative. In 2023 & 2024, she was named “150 Most Influential Philadelphians” by Philadelphia Magazine. Across sectors, Kimberly inspires diverse audiences with optimism and agency.
Deb McNamara
ClimateVoice
Breakout Session #1 — Collective Action Track
Why Companies Should Lobby for Climate and How Business Leaders Can Help
Join ClimateVoice for a dynamic conversation about the current U.S. policy landscape and how companies, business leaders, sustainability professionals and employees can speak up to raise the bar on corporate leadership and promote strong climate policy advocacy. One of the biggest and highest leverage opportunities to reduce emissions at speed and scale is the adoption of strong binding public policy by governments at all levels. While each individual company has unique abilities to help mitigate climate change, every company has the ability to influence public policy. Companies must step up to address fossil-fuel interests and large cross-sector trade associations that continue to inhibit progress on climate policy. Participants will identify obstruction by trade associations, and explore advocacy techniques to influence corporate leadership and shape more positive trade group advocacy.
About Speaker
Deborah McNamara is the executive director of ClimateVoice, a nonprofit working to leverage the power of corporate influence to win crucial policy battles. She has worked for social change and environmental protection focused non-profits for over 20 years, most recently leading campaigns to fight pollution, protect public health, and enable strong local climate policy in Colorado. She also brings 12+ years of experience implementing cross-sector sustainability education and engagement programs, including in the corporate sustainability and employee engagement sphere. She studied Environmental Policy and Philosophy at Boston University and received a Master’s degree in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University.
Carlyn Cunningham
Climate Positive Consulting
Breakout Session #1 — Climate Action Track
Roundtable: Exploring the Climate Action Section of the New B Corp Standard
Join this discussion-based roundtable to explore the new Climate Action section of the B Corp Standard, released earlier this year. Facilitated by Carlyn Cunningham of Climate Positive Consulting, this conversation invites participants to share questions, insights, and experiences around how B Corps can lead the way in climate responsibility.
We’ll unpack the section’s three core requirements—measure emissions, commit to reduce them, and implement a plan—and discuss what these steps look like in practice for businesses of all sizes. Together, we’ll explore how measurement guides effective action, helps prioritize impact, and demonstrates the business value of climate leadership.
Whether you’re deep into your B Corp journey or just beginning to engage with the new standard, come ready to listen, learn, and contribute.
About Speaker
Carlyn Cunningham is a Climate Consultant with Climate Positive Consulting, where she helps organizations decarbonize through greenhouse gas accounting, reporting, and strategic reduction planning. Her experience spans consulting, venture, and field implementation. She led Claremont Sustainability Consulting, a student-run firm at the Claremont Colleges that guided companies in developing and implementing climate-conscious strategies; worked with Echo River Capital to evaluate early-stage climate-tech startups; and contributed to the Cape Eleuthera Institute in The Bahamas, helping expand renewable energy and freshwater systems to build local resilience. Carlyn studied Environment, Economics, and Politics at Scripps College and is passionate about linking climate action with innovation and community-driven impact.
Ryan Honeyman
LIFT Economy
Co-Author, “The B Corp Handbook”
Kevin Bayuk
LIFT Economy
Breakout Session #1 — New Standards Track
Exploring Alternative Ownership: Tools for B Corps and Beyond
What if ownership structures could actually reflect the values of justice, regeneration, and shared prosperity? In this interactive session, Ryan Honeyman and Kevin Bayuk from LIFT Economy (a worker-owned coop) invite participants to explore the edges and opportunities of alternative ownership—from employee ownership and steward ownership to land trusts, perpetual purpose trusts, and beyond. Using Open Space Technology, this session will create space for emergent conversations driven by the interests and questions of the group. Whether you're experimenting with new models, wrestling with the limits of traditional ownership, or just curious where to begin, you'll help shape a collaborative dialogue about broad based ownership. Come ready to share, learn, and imagine what’s possible when we reimagine ownership to serve the benefit of all life.
About Speakers
Ryan Honeyman is a Partner and worker-owner at LIFT Economy and coauthor of "The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good" and "The Next Economy MBA: Redesigning Business for the Benefit of All Life". He has helped over 100 companies—including Patagonia, Allbirds, Ben & Jerry’s, King Arthur Flour, and Thrive Market—achieve B Corp certification, recertification, and deeper impact from their certification. Ryan coaches social impact leaders in combining inner transformation with strategic rigor. He cohosts the "Next Economy Now" and "Beyond the B' podcasts, sharing transformations in business models and the B Corp movement. Kevin Bayuk is a co‑founder and partner at LIFT Economy whose work merges permaculture design, cooperative structures, and regenerative finance to build enterprises that serve people and planet in harmony. With nearly a decade of experience founding and scaling technology ventures, he shifted toward eco‑systemic design—leading him to roles such as Senior Financial Fellow at Project Drawdown and impact investment strategist for Riverstyx Foundation. Kevin also teaches regenerative design, and has helped numerous social enterprises create ownership, culture, and financial models that foster resilience and democratic stewardship.
Kevin Bayuk is a co‑founder and partner at LIFT Economy whose work merges permaculture design, cooperative structures, and regenerative finance to build enterprises that serve people and planet in harmony. With nearly a decade of experience founding and scaling technology ventures, he shifted toward eco‑systemic design—leading him to roles such as Senior Financial Fellow at Project Drawdown and impact investment strategist for Riverstyx Foundation. Kevin also teaches regenerative design, and has helped numerous social enterprises create ownership, culture, and financial models that foster resilience and democratic stewardship.
Brenda Kahler
Armanino
Breakout Session #1 — Beyond the B Track
Leading with Values During Uncertain Times
Being a B Corp is an extension of Armanino's purpose, values, and anchors and helps define how we show up and engage with our clients, communities, and each other. In this session we will share how we leverage 100+ people on committees throughout the firm to execute programs and volunteer opportunities that mobilize, educate, and constantly re-engage our staff with activities that help us make a positive impact on our communities, our clients, and our people.
About Speaker
Brenda Kahler is a Senior Director at Armanino and co-chairs the "B-Team". She is a member of the nonprofit and education leadership team and leads the Industry Strategy team at the firm. With over 25 years of accounting experience in both public accounting and industry (nonprofit), she especially enjoys sharing the mission of being a B-Corp. She is a frequent speaker at nonprofit, accounting, and technology events. Outside of work, Brenda enjoys making art, catering for music festivals, and exploring the world's culinary delights and best scuba spots.
Andrea Prebys-Williams
Fireweed Consulting
Breakout Session #1 — Wellness Track
Finding Your Path in the Ecosystem
Finding Your Path is an interactive practice lab for individuals navigating uncertainty in their roles and seeking clarity on how they fit within the broader movement ecosystem. Through mindfulness, journaling, and partner reflection, participants will engage the guiding question: How can I better understand and use my gifts to help build the movement infrastructure we need? Rather than a lecture, this session creates space for grounding, self-discovery, and shared connection, supporting participants to lead with greater clarity, intention, and care in times of change.
About Speaker
Andrea Prebys-Williams (she/her) is the founder of Fireweed Consulting, LLC a practice dedicated to helping social change leaders and organizations build cultures rooted in trust, clarity, and shared power. With 20 years of experience in leadership development, organizing, teaching, and consulting, Andrea brings a justice-centered and practical approach to leadership and organizational development. She has coached emerging and senior leaders, taught graduate-level courses, and facilitated high-impact workshops on feedback, power dynamics, and conflict transformation. Her work centers the belief that how we work together matters. Andrea lives on unceded Ohlone land in Oakland, CA with her partner and kiddo.
Elizabeth Doty
Third Side Strategies
Breakout Session #2 — Climate Action Track
Tools for developing your Responsible Lobbying Policy: Demystifying GACA 1
The new B Corp standards require companies to engage in responsible, strategic policy advocacy in line with their impact and sustainability goals. In this session with Elizabeth Doty from Third Side Strategies and Darnell Grisby of Beneficial State Foundation, you will explore prepare to develop your Responsible Lobbying Policy as part of GACA 1. We will explore the key elements and the decisions it should help you make -- then review 1-2 tangible examples and explore you how might adapt them. Come away from this session with tangible tools, next steps, and resources to help you implement GACA 1.
About Speakers
Elizabeth Doty leads Third Side Strategies, a non-profit think tank and advisory firm that helps companies strengthen the governance of their public affairs, to reduce risk and enable long-term value for business and society. Previously, she led the non-partisan Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce at the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan, which created the Erb Principles for Corporate Political Responsibility. She also serves as faculty with Ross Executive Education, taught at Presidio Graduate School of Business and conducted research as a Lab Fellow with the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. Elizabeth was a manager in the hotel and restaurant industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the past 30 years, her consultancy has helped leading companies align across functions and keep their promises and commitments.
Jonathan Storper is a seasoned corporate transactions attorney and Partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP, where he has led both the Corporate, Securities & Tax Department and the Sustainable Business Practice Group. With a distinguished track record advising boards and executive teams, Jonathan brings deep expertise in governance, strategic growth, and mission-aligned business models. He has served on multiple Boards of Directors and was honored as a California Attorney of the Year for his pioneering leadership in drafting and championing California’s benefit corporation legislation—the first legal framework in the U.S. to embed social and environmental accountability into corporate governance. This legislation has since been adopted in 36 states and several countries. Jonathan advises both for-profit and nonprofit organizations on corporate and other strategic transactions, governance, fiduciary duties, and intellectual property matters. His practice spans entity formation, financing, mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts and licensing, e-commerce, and technology law, and other business related work. He is also a recognized California Super Lawyer and a trusted advisor to directors and trustees navigating complex legal and strategic decisions. A passionate advocate for a more just and sustainable economy, Jonathan chaired the legal working group that developed California’s benefit corporation law and helped position Hanson Bridgett as the first law firm to become a certified B Corporation. Under his leadership, the firm earned the Real Leaders Top 100 Impact Companies Award, and Jonathan has been repeatedly named to the MO 100 Top Impact CEO list.
Renaud des Rosiers is Director of Sustainability at Amy's Kitchen where he drives resource efficiency, renewable energy procurement, and waste reduction in company operations while partnering with stakeholders across the retail food and ag value chain to optimize complex environmental systems. He also leads the company’s long term packaging transformation work focused on designing, qualifying, and commercializing functional, renewable packaging for Amy’s products while advocating for an effective regulatory landscape that facilitates the transition to a biobased circular economy for consumer packaged goods.
Darnell Grisby currently serves as a Senior Fellow for Economic Mobility. He is a national thought leader in transportation policy and the mobility justice movement. He has deep expertise in transportation policy and funding, anti-racist initiatives, housing affordability, transit-oriented development, and the intersection of transportation and housing finance. Darnell was recently appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to serve a four-year term on the California Transportation Commission, which programs and allocates funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail, transit, and active transportation improvements throughout California. Darnell is the former Director of Policy Development for the American Public Transportation Association, policy lead for a national smart-growth think tank, and a senior advisor in the California Legislature. He is the former Executive Director at TransForm, a leading advocate for equitable, sustainable transportation and land use policy in California. Darnell has been quoted or featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and Bloomberg. He has degrees from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and UCLA.
Jonathan Storper
Hanson Bridgett
Renaud de Rosier
Amy’s Kitchen
Darnell Grisby
Beneficial State Foundation
Kylie Nealis
B Lab U.S. & Canada
Paul Moinester
Topo Finance
Breakout Sessions #2 & #3 — Climate Action Track
Climate Action Centered in Justice & Equity — B Corps Paving the Path Forward
Come to learn more about the Climate Action, Collective Action and Environmental Stewardship & Circularity Impact Topics of the new B Corp standards and how we as B Corps can collectively work to curb the climate crisis while advancing justice and equity. The new standards for B Corp Certification released in early 2025, place a sharper focus on climate action. It’s more important than ever for B Corps and all companies to understand their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and take meaningful steps toward reduction.
About Speakers
Kylie Nealis brings nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to B Lab U.S. & Canada (B Lab USCA). Her experience ranges from community organizing and engagement, local policy advocacy, program development, volunteer management, strategic partnerships and marketing & communications. Prior to coming to B Lab U.S. & Canada, she was at Fair Trade USA for 7 years where she led their national advocacy program, Fair Trade Campaigns, and consumer marketing efforts. In her current role as Senior Program Manager for Climate Justice, she leads a business focused program around climate justice that uplifts and learns from frontline communities most impacted by climate change. She also leads B Lab USCA's Business Climate Finance programming. Kylie thrives on collaborating, shifting power, and elevating the intersectionality between issues and movements. She lives in Oakland with her husband and five year old daughter.
Paul Moinester is the founder and executive director of Topo Finance, a nonprofit helping organizations unlock one of their most powerful, overlooked climate levers: financial management. His pioneering discovery that many leading companies’ banking and investment activities produce more emissions than all their operations combined helped launch a new field in finance and sustainability. In 2024 alone, Paul and the Topo team engaged with organizations holding more than a half-trillion dollars in cash and investments. A proven systems thinker and reformer, Paul has spent two decades creating and implementing solutions to systemic problems driving the environmental crisis, from Congress to Alaska to Wall Street.
Jennifer Harrity
Sensiba LLP
Governance Chair, B Local Bay Area
Grant Foad
Sensiba LLP
Breakout Session #2 — New Standards Track
Unpacking the New Standards
The new B Corp Standards are here — and they fundamentally reshape what it means to be a leading force for good in business. This session will take you on a guided tour through each of the core areas in the updated framework, exploring how the new requirements shift expectations for certified companies and why these changes matter. Along the way, you’ll gain a clear picture of the major themes running across the standards, learn how they reflect the evolving role of business in society, and discover the top three steps you can begin taking today to set your organization up for success. You’ll leave with a high-level understanding of the new terrain and the confidence to start mapping your path forward.
About Speakers
With more than 25 years of business and marketing experience, Jennifer Harrity serves as the ESG & Sustainability Director at Sensiba LLP. In this role, she oversees the firm’s internal sustainability initiatives and reporting, and she also founded Sensiba’s Sustainability and ESG practice, where she helps clients pursue holistic sustainable business transformations. Her areas of expertise include B Corp certification, EcoVadis assessments, DEI consulting, and impact reporting. She is also a member of WeTheChange, and serves as governance chair on the B Local Bay Area board of directors.
Grant Foad is a Sustainability Analyst at Sensiba LLP and the former Consulting Director at Everoot. Grant brings years of experience in sustainability, ranging from a variety of differing industries such as construction and food science. In his role at Sensiba, Grant focuses his time operating as a fractional CSO and consulting on B Corp, CDP, SBTN, SBTi, and other leading reporting and certification frameworks. Passionate about ethical and regenerative business practices, Grant helps translate complex sustainability metrics into clear narratives and actionable roadmaps. He brings strong analytical skills and a systems thinking mindset to ensure organizations not only track progress but build resilient, purpose-driven business models.
Jonathan Will
GadellNet
Anthony Lee
Heroic Voice Academy
Steve Fox
Every Man Jack
Shamini Dhana
Dhana Inc.
Breakout Session #2 — Beyond the B Track
How to Leverage AI to Maximize Your Mission Securely and Ethically
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we work, but for mission-driven companies, adopting AI requires thoughtful consideration. This session explores how B Corps and values-driven businesses can integrate AI tools in ways that are both secure and ethical—supporting their mission rather than compromising it.
We’ll look at key considerations when evaluating AI adoption, from data security to bias and transparency. You’ll walk away with practical tips for using AI to streamline operations so your team can focus on what matters most: being human. And whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or already experimenting and ready to refine your approach, we’ll share resources and strategies tailored to every stage of the journey.
About Speaker
Jonathan Will is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for GadellNet, a B Corp. He is a Network Co-leader for B2B B Corp US & CAN and a Board member of B Local CO. He's moderated a panel on Ethical AI for BLD MW and has been a judge for CU Boulder Case Competition on how to power AI sustainability.
Anthony Lee believes the capacity of your mission is defined by the capacity of your voice. As an executive communications coach at the Heroic Voice Academy, Anthony prepares global impact leaders for their most important presentations. His coaching skills are developed from the world of event production: managing green rooms, working in the A/V booth, and serving on speaker security teams. The executives he has coached have used their voices as instruments of change at major industry conferences including TED AI, TEDx, SXSW, Transform, DisruptHR, AI Med, JP Morgan Healthcare, ViVE Healthcare, Databricks Data + AI, and RSA Data Security. Anthony is an the author of a forthcoming book for leadership teams who want to learn how to better communicate trust, create connection, and build relationships.
Steve Fox has more than 30 years of experience helping companies operate more efficiently. He is currently the CFO for Every Man Jack. Prior to this role he was CFO for EO Products and was the President of Start to Finish, a subsidiary of Trek Bicycle. Steve also spent four years in international operations for Premark International and Fortune Brands. He began his career at Ernst and Young in Chicago. Fox graduated from Northern Illinois University with an Accounting BS and a CPA. He has volunteered extensively as Treasurer for the San Rafael Chamber, the Marin Economic Forum, the Marin Council for the Arts, the Nepal Youth Foundation and The Center for V olunteer and Non-Profit Leadership. Fox has traveled to over 80 countries and has performed volunteer work in Kenya, Guatemala, Thailand, Paraguay, Costa Rica and the Philippines. In 2015, Fox was awarded CFO of the year by the North Bay Business Journal.
Shamini Dhana is a visionary at the intersection of fashion, technology, and sustainability. As the Founder and CEO of Dhana Inc. and the creator of D/Sphere, an AI-powered platform transforming the fashion industry through circularity and co-creation, she brings a uniquely integrative perspective to the table.
Nicole Farkouh
CultureWonk
Breakout Session #2 — Wellness Track
Self Regulation 101
In this session we’ll blend a bit of theory with a whole lot of practical application, giving you hands-on techniques to manage stress, maintain focus, and lead with resilience. Whether you’re navigating the complexities of running a mission-driven business or just looking to stay grounded, this session will equip you with practical self-regulation tools to take back to your work and personal life. Come ready to learn, practice, and strengthen your leadership from the inside out!
About Speaker
Founder of B Corp–certified CultureWonk, Nicole Farkouh is a sought-after facilitator and culture strategist who helps organizations unlock human potential to drive performance. She blends systems thinking with relational intelligence to move teams through conflict, build alignment, and accelerate results. With over 65 organizations and hundreds of change-makers served across the public, nonprofit, and social impact sectors, Nicole transforms culture from a buzzword into a strategic advantage—reducing friction, building trust, and strengthening performance., .
Alex Bede
Grove Collaborative
Breakout Session #3 — Collective Action Track
From Mission to Movement: How B Corps Can Set New Standards on Emerging Issues
The B Corp community thrives when businesses align their values with bold action. But driving systemic change requires going beyond operations — it means setting new standards that reshape industries. At Grove Collaborative, we are applying this approach to microplastics: a growing health and environmental threat that is often missing from sustainability frameworks. Grove has become a thought leader by: advocating and supporting policy action with partners like 5 Gyres, conducting consumer research and working with expert Wellness advisors to close the knowledge gap and build education campaigns, forming partnerships to fund recovery of plastic waste and advancing circular design. This session will show how B Corps can take a similar approach — choosing an issue aligned with their mission and values, then weaving advocacy, education, partnerships, and innovation to set new standards for business leadership.
About Speaker
Alex Bede is the Director of Sustainability for Grove Collaborative, the leading brand and e-commerce platform for safe and sustainable home and personal care products. Grove is proud to be a B Corporation and the world’s first plastic neutral retailer. Alex has spent 7 years at Grove working towards their mission to transform the consumer products industry into a force for human and environmental health. At Grove, Alex manages Grove’s sustainability program, including its Beyond Plastic™ initiative, which aims to transition their product offerings with less plastic waste. Alex also manages Grove’s carbon strategy, sustainability reporting, and corporate giving. Alex holds a degree in Business Administration from University of Washington and previously has worked for other retail companies, such as New Balance. In her free time, Alex enjoys being outdoors in the Bay Area with her husband, kids and dog, spending time with her larger extended family, and exploring new cities and countries one meal at a time.
Sara Blenkhorn
Leverage Lab & Eileen Fisher
Breakout Session #3 — New Standards Track
Building B Corp Innovation Labs: From Competition to Collaboration in the New Impact Economy
Most sustainability problems are systemic, yet too often, businesses attempt to address them in isolation. In this fast-paced, practical workshop, participants will learn how to:
Identify the real root causes behind persistent issues
Map their system and ensure the right stakeholders are involved
Utilize communication and leadership tools that build trust, surface tensions, and unlock effective collaboration
This session is designed for B Corps that are ready for Collective Action. If you are past the discussion phase and prepared to take action, join us. You will leave with some tools that can be implemented right away.
About Speaker
Sara Blenkhorn is a leading social innovation lab expert who recently served as Interim Managing Director of Social Venture Network, transforming a 600+ member social enterprise coalition. She founded Western Canada's first circular economy innovation lab, facilitating collaboration between competitors H&M, Lululemon, Arc'teryx, Value Village, Salvation Army, waste haulers, and policy makers - work that created a collaborative White Paper influencing provincial policy and generated $500K funding.
Susan Griffin-Black
EO Products
Breakout Session #3 — Beyond the B Track-A
Beyond Sustainability: Why Responsible Business is the Future of B Corps
After 30 years building EO Products as a family-owned B Corp, we've learned that sustainability isn't enough. This presentation explores the evolution from "sustainable business" (focused on environmental metrics) to "responsible business" (encompassing people, planet, and profit). Drawing from our zero-waste manufacturing, employee-first culture, and "one degree of difference" philosophy, we'll share practical frameworks for creating businesses that prioritize human relationships alongside environmental stewardship. Attendees will learn how to implement regenerative leadership practices, move beyond corporate conditioning, and build companies where values drive decisions, not just outcomes.
About Speaker
Susan Griffin-Black is a Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of EO Products, a 30-year-old family-owned B Corp manufacturing essential oil-based personal care products. As pioneers in the clean personal care movement, they've built one of the industry's first zero-waste manufacturing facilities, achieving 92% waste diversion from landfills while maintaining 91% post-consumer recycled packaging. Susan, a former fashion designer turned sustainability advocate, discovered essential oils in a London apothecary and transformed that inspiration into a business philosophy centered on "creating a company we wanted to work for." A Zen Buddhist practitioner for 30+ years, she brings mindful leadership to business decisions. Together, with her co-founder, Brad, they’ve proven that businesses can prioritize people and planet without sacrificing profitability.
Michelle Hirons
HigherRing
Maiya Holliday
Mangrove
Sandra Stewart
Thinkshift Communications
Hannah Sandmeyer
Up & Over Advisors
Breakout Session #3 — Beyond the B Track-B
Redefining Interdependence to Drive Impact: Insights from Women CEOs
How can we do better together? In pretty much every way! Get inspired by stories, strategies and big ideas from this panel of B Corp founders and WeTheChange leaders—and move the work forward by contributing your own insights. We’ll run the gamut of collaboration strategies, from steps you can take right now to add impact in your company’s services supply chain, to growth through partnerships, to collective actions that build power and resilience for all of us and our movement. Come ready to share your own successes and good tries, lessons learned, and collaboration ideas you want to bring to life.
About Speakers
Michelle Hirons is the CEO of HigherRing, a B Corp and 1% for the Planet member specializing in ethical outsourced operations support, including expert customer support, ecommerce & wholesale operations, sales & marketing operations, executive assistance and bookkeeping & financial operations support. Michelle has over 25 years of experience in big retail and start-ups and is closely involved with all of HigherRing's client engagements to collaborate with each on best practices for processes and systems. She is passionate about using business as a force for good and advocates for sustainable labor and climate solutions with the elected officials in the 22 states where they hire. She is the former membership chair of the nonprofit, WeTheChange, the current co-engagement chair of B Local Bay Area and the proud mama of two college kids and one bouncy labradoodle.
Maiya Holliday is a creative leader and collaborator who crafts digital solutions to augment the impact of changemakers. In 2009 she founded Mangrove with the goal of building websites that help people do good in this world. Maiya aligns people toward actionable goals that help articulate and communicate their organization’s purpose and impact on the web, with people, planet, purpose and equity at the core. She has led over 200 website projects for changemakers and purpose-driven organizations. Maiya led Mangrove to become a Certified B Corp in 2016 and has since championed the cause of socially and environmentally conscious businesses deepening their impact.
Sandra Stewart is CEO and co-founder of San Francisco-based Thinkshift Communications, an award-winning B Corp PR firm focused on accelerating social and environmental innovation. Through savvy communications strategies, thought leadership, messaging and media outreach, the firm builds brand value, fuels growth and advances mission goals for impact-driven enterprises, climate tech companies and advocacy nonprofits. Sandra also is secretary of the board of San Francisco Baykeeper and communications lead for WeTheChange, a community of purpose-driven women business leaders.
Hannah Sandmeyer is the Founder & CEO of Up & Over Advisors, the world’s first and only Certified B Corp buy-side M&A sourcing agency. She has sourced over $600M in private acquisitions and helps mission-driven and employee-owned companies leverage off-market strategies to accelerate and deepen their impact through growth. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Hannah co-hosts the podcast Ethical Exits and is passionate about democratizing access to M&A as a force for good. Based in Portland, Oregon, she is an avid cyclist raising a pre-teen and a chicken named Greta who thinks she is a dog.