Our Team

Christian Dietrich has worked in 24 African countries since the late 1990s primarily investigating the trafficking of illicit natural resources, products of endangered wildlife, and weapons.

Mr. Dietrich assisted the United for Wildlife Transportation Taskforce (headed by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry) as a pro bono technical advisor. He also has served as a consultant for the United States Agency for International Development (Wildlife Asia), and Vulcan Inc of philanthropist Paul Allen. Prior to this Mr. Dietrich worked as a Criminal Intelligence Officer with INTERPOL, providing investigative and analytical support as well as training to East and Southern African law enforcement agencies concerning wildlife crime.

Previously Mr. Dietrich served for eleven mandates with the United Nations Security Council Panels of Experts concerning Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Sudan, investigating arms embargo violations and illicit natural resource exploitation. These Panels reported directly to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committees and required substantive field work in conflict zones to document illicit weapons shipments to non-state armed groups, trace the assets of sanctioned individuals, and establish links between natural resource extraction and conflict financing.

Furthering a family legacy in philanthropy, Christian Dietrich serves as a director and member of the Dietrich American Foundation, and advises private philanthropists and non-governmental organizations on methods to address international wildlife trafficking and environmental issues.

Yael Jekogian is a hands-on advocate and leader in the women’s rights movement, has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, and is an accomplished environmental engineer. Yael is currently the Managing Director of WINGS WorldQuest, a nonprofit organization that recognizes and supports an international community of extraordinary women in science and exploration.

Yael has served as a board member, director of development, consultant and volunteer for many nonprofits including Women’s Campaign Fund, Women’s Way, New York Women’s Foundation, and Transport Group Theatre Company. Prior
to her career in nonprofit management, she designed municipal and hazardous waste landfills, and implemented remedies for soil and groundwater contamination at Superfund and brownfield sites. She has a MS and BS in Civil Engineering from Drexel University, lives in New York City, and enjoys exploring the world with her husband and two daughters who are making their own discoveries along the way.

As the Co-founder and CEO of Dropel Fabrics, Sim is contributing to a technology revolution in natural fabrics with Dropel-branded, performance-based natural cotton fibers. Dropel’s mission is to leverage material science and textile engineering to create high-performance fabrics that improve sustainability in the textile supply chain and push the boundaries innovation.

He works with fashion and sports brands that see sustainability and innovation in their future. A voice at the intersection of fashion and technology. Sim and Dropel have been featured in TIME, Fashion for Good, The New York Times, Forbes, WWD, Mashable, Bustle and others.

Gabriel Brodbar spent 13 years as the founder and Executive Director of the NYU Reynolds Program in Social Entrepreneurship at New York University, later renamed the NYU Social Entrepreneurship Program. As the first cross-university initiative of its kind, the program worked with students, faculty, and interested parties from NYU and around the world interested in realizing pattern breaking change of social importance in sustainable and scalable ways. The program created and brought significant social entrepreneurial resources to the field, including the “Social Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century” Speaker Series, several social venture business plan competitions, new undergraduate and graduate classes in social entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining NYU, he was the former founding Director of the Office of Housing Policy and Development at the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, where he developed and implemented a data-based method of policy analysis that led to a fundamental change in New York City’s housing policy for children, families and young adults involved in the child welfare system.

Gabriel is a founding member of the Child Welfare League of America’s National Homelessness Advisory Panel, a Teach For America alumnus (‘91), holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from the CUNY Hunter College School of Social

He now is the Founder and President of Catskill Carriage (www.catskillcarriage.com), the first and only regularly scheduled and bespoke luxury transportation provider supporting the economic development and environmental health of New York’s Catskill Region.

Leo is the founder and CEO of Sourcemap, the supply chain transparency company, and an advocate for ethical business practices. Sourcemap helps companies and consumers find out where things come from through the world’s first supplier social network. Hundreds of thousands of factories and farms are mapped in Sourcemap, helping leading companies such as Mars and Eileen Fisher keep tabs on environmental and social performance and avoid risks.

Leo developed Sourcemap as part of his Ph.D. at the MIT Media Lab, where he is retained as a visiting scientist. He has been named among the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by Ethisphere, and among America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs by Bloomberg Businessweek.

Hilary Jochmans is president of Jochmans Consulting, LLC, a boutique government affairs practice.  She works with clients to determine their policy goals in Washington and New York and to craft an appropriate and effective advocacy plan at the state and federal levels.  She focuses her business on policy areas important to New York, including financial services, technology, economic development and fashion. Hilary has over 15 years of political and government experience in Washington and New York.  

Most recently before founding the company, Hilary was the Director of the New York State Governor’s Office in Washington for both Andrew Cuomo and David Paterson, and the Deputy Director for Eliot Spitzer. In that capacity, she served as the Governor’s chief liaison with Congressional leadership, the NY Congressional delegation and federal agencies.  In addition, she worked to develop and execute the Governor’s federal agenda and lobbying strategy to advance the priorities of the state. Hilary also spent 11 years on Capitol Hill working for Senator Tom Carper of Delaware and for Congressman Gary Ackerman of New York. A native New Yorker, Hilary holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School. She is admitted to the US Supreme Court Bar and the New York State Bar.

Rachel counsels clients on business formation and compliance, employment law, sustainability, and intellectual property, as well as providing representation in civil litigation. An inaugural graduate Fordham Law School’s Fashion Law LL. M. program, Rachel brings a rich background in public service and personal representation to her work with fashion and related industry clients. Her extensive litigation experience enhances Rachel’s ability to draft industry clients. Her extensive litigation experience enhances Rachel’s ability to draft transactional documents that minimize risk and address the finer points of the deal. Rachel is an adjunct professor of law at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, CUNY, and regularly speaks on sustainability and ethical business practices within the fashion industry.

Jenifer is Director of individual philanthropy and Major Gifts at Fair Trade USA. She has 20 years of both corporate and nonprofit philanthropy experience.  She is enthusiastic about sustainable fashion and the positive impact on the world, its people and the environment.

Working with local and national nonprofits, Jenifer has led Development planning, donor strategy, and fundraising campaigns in education, environmental, and cultural organizations.

Most recently as Director of Development for bay.org, she oversaw fundraising for its six divisions including Aquarium of the Bay and The Bay Institute.  At San Francisco Parks Trust, she was Director of Corporate and Foundation Development creating a new division of Institutional Giving for San Francisco Recreation and Parks.  Jenifer has a strong background in capital campaigns having designed and led research, strategic planning and donor stewardship programs for UC Berkeley’s New Century and Law School Campaigns, KQED’s $70M Campaign and California Academy of Sciences $470M Capital Campaign.  A UC Berkeley graduate with a BA in English Literature, she continues her education studying Business Management and Fundraising Leadership. Jenifer lives in the East Bay with her husband and three rescue dogs. In her spare time, she pursues her passion for healthy living and a healthy world by participating in outdoor activities and volunteering for several Bay Area nonprofits.

Ed Kavishe is the founder and owner of Fashion Wire Press, an online portal to the best fashion shows around the world. He photographed thousands of the best fashion shows worldwide such as Gucci, Valentino, Balmain, Versace, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Lanvin Chanel…you name it, he was there, front row. A genuine global citizen and constant globetrotter, you will find him crisscrossing the globe all year long. With his network of fashion industry leaders, Ed has his finger on the pulse of fashion and innovation and is always one step ahead when it comes to styles, trends and technology.

Ed quietly retired from fashion photography and street style to evolve into a multitude of personal projects each one as unique as they are successful. You will find him in Portugal designing sneakers and leather goods, in Paris consulting on menswear collections and in Tanzania investing in tech start-ups geared towards providing clean water and building wells for water conservation. All of this he does with impeccable style.

Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs is a designer and organizer. She is the co-founder and designer of Tabii Just, a zero waste womenswear clothing label that is made ethically in Brooklyn from excess fabric. She is an advocate for fair working conditions for garment workers as well as ethical fashion. Tabitha has been featured on MTV, in MarketWatch, Al Jazeera and WWD  for her work with Tabii Just. Tabitha also co-founded LIVARI Clothing, an ethical clothing label that launched during Fashion Week Fall 2017 to rave reviews. LIVARI Clothing has been featured in WWD, NowThis, LA Times, Forbes, Nylon, Bustle, NY1, Huffington Post, Nylon, Sourcing Journal among others. She has held talks about the intersection of art and activism at several educational institutions including Gettysburg College, George Washington University and DePauw University, to name a few. Tabitha has also been a panelist about the topic of sustainable fashion at the Sustainable Textile Summit, NY & NJ Minority Supplier Development Council Sustainability Summit, the Women’s Convention, Go Green Convention and more. She is one of the women who spearheaded the organization of the Women’s March On Washington on January 21st, 2017, helping organize the largest demonstration in response to an election in U.S. history. She is the Director of Community Engagement at Women’s March. Tabitha has led and been an adult ally to several youth initiatives through her work with Youth EMPOWER, the youth arm of Women’s March. She supported the 15 members of the Youth EMPOWER team in leading the Enough! National School Walkouts that saw 1.6 million students walk out of schools demanding sensible gun relations. Tabitha consulted with Penguin on the kids book, Little Activists, released in Fall 2017. Together with 24 other Women’s March organizers, Tabitha was recognized as one of Glamour Magazine’s 2017 Women of the Year. She has been featured in the book, 200 Women Who Will Change The Way You See The World and was named one of 100 Women Who Stood Up To Trump In His First 100 Days.

Sonia Park works at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) where she leads the City’s fashion programming as Assistant Vice President on the Industry Innovation Team.  NYCEDC supports fashion through education, technology and real estate development programming. Prior to coming to NYCEDC, Sonia worked in the fashion industry for 18 years focusing on product development, production and supply chain operations. Her experience in larger corporations like Polo Jeans Co., Liz Claiborne, and Cole Haan provided a great foundation for working with smaller brands and startups where she was responsible for strategizing, building the right relationships, as well as setting up supply chain channels.

Melody Serafino is a writer and media relations professional who understands the importance of telling a good story — from both sides of the page. After nine years on the agency side, and as a freelance reporter for Time Out New York, she co-founded No. 29, a full-service communications agency that elevates and gives voice to brands that create impact. With more than a decade in PR, Melody has overseen major media relations and thought leadership campaigns for non-profits, startups, artists, filmmakers, and brands including the Sundance Institute, TEDx, H&M’s sustainability efforts, and the United Nations premiere of artist Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s film HUMAN.

Melody has worked with reporters across a range of countries, outlets and beats – from arts and technology to sustainability and fashion. She has been invited to speak about the power of PR and storytelling at the TEDx Summit in Doha, Qatar, and the International Conference on Family Planning Youth Pre-Conference in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. She serves on the Fairfield University Alumni Board and is co-president of the Rising Leaders Council for New York Cares, a non-profit organization that engages 60,000+ volunteers every year to help New Yorkers in need. She has also taught “Writing Across Media” at NYU. An avid global traveler, Melody can be found riding the Trans-Siberian railway through the steppes of Mongolia, camping with lions in the Serengeti Plains, and teaching junior high students in Ho, Ghana.

L. Hunter Lovins is the President and Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions(NCS), a non-profit formed in 2002 in Longmont, CO. A renowned author and champion of sustainable development for over 35 years, Hunter has consulted on business, economic development, sustainable agriculture, energy, water, security, and climate policies for scores of governments, communities, and companies worldwide. Within the United States, she has consulted for heads of state, departments of defense, energy agencies and hundreds of state and local agencies.

Hunter has co‐authored fifteen books and hundreds of articles, and was featured in the award‐winning film, Lovins On the Soft Path. Her best‐known book, Natural Capitalism, Won the Shingo Prize. It has been translated into a more than three dozen languages and summarized in Harvard Business Review. Its sequel, The Way Out: Kickstarting Capitalism To Save Our Economic Ass, won the Atlas Award. Her latest, Creating a Lean and Green Business System again won the Shingo Prize. Watch for her forthcoming book, A Finer Future.

Hunter has taught at numerous universities around the world. Currently a founding professor of Sustainable Management at Bard MBA, she was named a Master at the Chinese De Tao Academy, where she helped launch the Institute for Green Investment in Shanghai. She is a Fellow of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at Case Western University

Lovins has consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide, including International Finance Corporation, Unilever, Walmart, the United Nations and Royal Dutch Shell, as well as such sustainability champions as Interface, Patagonia and Clif Bar.

Hunter lectures regularly to audiences around the globe, and has briefed senior officials in more than 30 countries. She has worked in economic development from Afghanistan to New Zealand, and served the King of Bhutan on his International Expert Working Group, charged with reinventing the global economy. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome, the steering committee of the Alliance for Sustainability And Prosperity, and Capital Institute’sAdvisory Board. A founding mentor of the Unreasonable Institute, Hunter teaches entrepreneurship and coaches social enterprises around the world.

Amber is the co-founder of Noir Tribe Media, a Los Angeles-based storytelling studio, which creates fashion and lifestyle visual content for sustainable and ethical brands. Her work has been featured on Vogue Italia, Vogue México, ELLE México, NYLON Español, Harper’s Bazaar Bulgaria, Harper’s Bazaar Brasil, and Glamour. Clients include The Museum at FIT, The Women’s March on Washington, Remode/Fashion Forward Now, Sana Jardin, and Fashion Revolution USA. Her series ETHETICS (ethics+aethetics) explores the crucial balance of style and substance and has won awards at fashion film festivals around the world. She is also on the jury for the upcoming Los Angeles Fashion Film Festival, themed “Sustainability”.  Amber is committed to extending the conversation about ethics and sustainability in fashion and lifestyle to consider video production and the marketing process.