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Bioneers StaffMeet the people who work for Bioneers Co-CEO & Founder
Kenny Ausubel is an award-winning social entrepreneur, author, journalist and filmmaker. He is the Co-CEO & Founder of Bioneers, a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to disseminating practical and visionary solutions for restoring Earth’s imperiled ecosystems and healing our human communities. He launched the annual Bioneers Conference in 1990 with his producing partner and wife Nina Simons, Bioneers co-executive director. Kenny serves as executive producer of the Bioneers plenary series airing on Free Speech TV and Link TV. He acted as a central advisor to Leonardo DiCaprio's feature documentary, The 11th Hour, and appears in the film. Kenny co-founded the national company Seeds of Change in 1989 and served as CEO until 1994 to restore “backyard biodiversity” into the food web through marketing organic, biodiverse heirloom seeds to gardeners. Kenny has written three books and edited two volumes of the Bioneers book series. For the past four years, Kenny has served as executive producer and principal writer of the award-winning radio series, Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature. Since the 1970s, Kenny has published articles on topics ranging from alternative medicine and environmental health to social justice and politics. His writings have been published most recently in online media including the Huffington Post, Orion and Alternet and in magazines such as Utne, Explore, Alternative Therapies and Tikkun.
Co-CEO & Co-Founder
Nina Simons is a social entrepreneur and Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Bioneers. Previously, she served as president of Seeds of Change and as director of strategic marketing for Odwalla. In addition to advancing practical social and environmental strategies, Nina has an enduring interest in the leadership of women and girls, which has long been reflected in Bioneers’ conference programming and media. She co-teaches Cultivating Women's Leadership, a five-day intensive forum for women entrepreneurs, donor activists and other nonprofit practitioners. In 2002, Nina produced a retreat for diverse women leaders called UnReasonable Women for the Earth, to envision a broad progressive women’s movement with environmental restoration at its heart. The gathering served as an incubator, resulting in the formation of CodePink: Women for Peace. Together with her husband and partner Kenny Ausubel, Nina was named an Utne Reader “Visionary” in 1996. They received the Robert Rodale Award in 2003 for their work in bringing the emergent field of Ecological Medicine to public awareness. Kenny and Nina received the Green Cross Millennium Award for Community Environmental Leadership in 2006. Nina serves on the board of the David Brower Center.
Vice-President for Advancement
Peter Mattair joined Bioneers in 2003. From 1991 to 2003, he served as the program officer first and then the executive director of a national foundation making grants to protect and encourage traditional arts. He went into that body of work inspired by his experiences as director of the Music of the Americas program at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, where he was also development director. Peter started his career as a publicist with Paramount Pictures in New York City, where he was privileged to assist the studio historian. He was an early volunteer with Gay Men's Health Crisis, New York’s and the world's first AIDS education, service and advocacy organization. Peter has served on the Santa Fe Arts Commission and as a board member of the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers, which he helped to found. He feels deeply honored to have been president of the board of Many Mothers, an organization in Santa Fe providing support to any family with a newborn child. He currently serves on the advisory council of Art for Healing, placing donated works of art in medical, healing and hospice facilities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Managing Director
Roberto Aponte joined Bioneers full-time in 2007 as Director of Events and Program Management, but he first worked with us in 2002 as a freelance conference planner. Over the years, he has become an integral part of the Bioneers family. Those who work with Roberto know him for his positive presence, open and soothing communication style and grace under pressure. Prior to joining Bioneers full-time, Roberto had an impressive background in large-scale event production. For 12 years he worked for the Marriott Corporation where he developed many of his technical and management skills along with his strong business acumen. Subsequently, as an independent contractor, his unusual combination of production skills and talent for human relations converged to create a niche for large-scale technology-related events. Roberto’s stellar reputation in the event business has grown as a result of his high quality work ethic and the measurable results he has acheived while working directly with many of the key CEOs in the high-tech sector including Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Larry Ellison. Roberto has a Master of Arts in Business from the California Institute of Integral Studies which focused on bringing environmental sustainability and a social justice lens to the practice of business. Roberto’s thesis explored the presence of spirit in the workplace and how business, when conducted consciously, can propel the changes necessary during these precarious times. Roberto’s passion for the intersection and integration of these issues make him a natural fit for his new role as Managing Director with Bioneers. Roberto was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut as the son of first-generation Puerto Rican immigrants. Despite being raised in harsh inner city conditions, his early experiences with nature showed him that the solutions to our man-made problems could be right-at-hand. He was a recipient of several outreach programs for underprivileged youth and is a living testament to the power of mentoring and socially progressive programs.
Food & Farming Director
Arty Mangan joined Bioneers in 1998 as the Project Manager for the Restorative Development Initiative, which produced “Wisdom at the End of Hoe” ecological agricultural workshops. He collaborated with John Mohawk and the Iroquois White Corn Project and worked with The Federation of Southern Cooperatives and African American farmers in Mississippi and Alabama. He is a board member of the Ecological Farming Association, and was a member of the Santa Cruz GE Subcommittee that led to a Precautionary Moratorium on growing genetically engineered crops in Santa Cruz County. Arty has worked with farmers and agriculture since 1978 as a partner in Live Juice, a fresh, local, organic apple juice company in Santa Cruz. In 1986, he joined Odwalla and was in charge of fruit sourcing, working with farmers in the US, Mexico and Costa Rica.
Comptroller
Jeffrey Vasterling joined Bioneers in 2000. He spent his youth in the Midwest and has an education in Anthropology and Psychology. He has previously worked as a professional in the healing arts and as an office manager in a small doctor's office.
Moonrise - Women's Leadership Program Manager
Jennifer Gardner joined Bioneers as an Moonrise - Women's Leadership Program Manager in 2010. Her background includes work in the profit, non-profit, political and government sectors and has ranged from database management to teaching in prisons, and from Occupational Therapy in schools to grant writing. She most recently served as the comptroller for the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico. Jennifer loves to garden and has a productive urban garden and happy chickens. She and her dog Toad have been a registered Delta society pet partner team visiting senior centers, schools and prisons for almost a decade. Jennifer is a trainer for the New Mexico Animal Humane Association’s pet partner registration process (training the humans, not the dogs). Jennifer is interested in the exploration, and experience, of how it is all the same work--that a prison guard falling in love with a dog, a sexual assault prevention program with young men, and preserving a critical riparian area are all parts of the same gesture.
Conference Associate Producer
JP Harpignies has been with Bioneers since 1990. He was formerly a program director at the New York Open Center and founder/co-producer of the Eco-Metropolis conference in NYC. JP is a consultant, conference producer, copy-editor and writer. JP is the author of three books: Political Ecosystems, Double Helix Hubris, and most recently, Delusions of Normality, as well as the editor of the collection, Visionary Plant Consciousness and associate editor of the first two Bioneers books: Ecological Medicine and Nature's Operating Instructions. JP also taught t'ai chi chuan in Brooklyn, NY for nearly 25 years.
Executive Assistant
Pritpal is the creator of the transformational program, Excel and Celebrate, A Sacred Circle of Women; a Personal and Professional Spiritual Coach, Sat Nam Rasayan Yogic Healer, Certified Pilates Instructor and Lead Trainer of Kundalini Yoga and an E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance.
Media Project Manager
Aaron Leventman moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico from Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he worked in town promotion. Previously, he worked as an assistant publicist on an independent feature film in New York City. In Santa Fe, Aaron has worked for their Film Center as a film curator and events planner. He was also Assistant Program and Outreach Coordinator for the NM Alliance for Children with Traumatic Stress and has been a volunteer for GMHC in New York and the Human Rights Alliance in Santa Fe. He recently worked for the Sundance Film Festival and is also a published playwright and actor, appearing in many theatrical productions.
Web Content Manager
Esther Lombardi joined Bioneers in 2008. Over the last 15 years, she has used her technical knowledge and writing skills to help organizations develop a voice and presence on the web. Esther earned her master's degree from California State University, Sacramento (she also completed coursework from the University of Oregon). She has a background in English, Journalism and Web Technology. She's a writer, avid reader, blogger, book nut, editor, and geek. She is blessed with an extraordinary 6-year-old fighter (cancer) and a 15-month-old--both boys. When she's not creating web pages, writing, or reading, she's outside.
Indigeneity Program Manager
Cara McCoy joined Bioneers in 2011. She is a recognized Tribal leader and Tribal member of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, where she served for many years as a Council Member and Cultural Center Executive Director. She is a Native American professional with a background in creative planning and development, art direction, administration, outreach and execution of multiple marketing plan initiatives for “hard-to-reach” audiences. Recently, Cara collaborated with The Cultural Conservancy in funding, editing, and producing the short documentary, The Old Woman Mountains, featuring the Tribe’s traditional funeral rite singers. Cara has a degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Houston, as well as degrees in documentary and commercial photography from the Institute of American Indian Arts and Oklahoma State University. She has also studied Native art, cultural anthropology, new media, documentary photography, and graphic design. Cara’s passions are desert conservation and cultural resource management.
Development & Membership Manager
Shannon Laliberte Parks joined Bioneers in 2011 as the Development and Membership Manager. She earned her BA degree in Religious Studies with an emphasis in Hinduism and Buddhism from the University of New Mexico and her MA in Activism and Social Change from the New College of California. She has worked side-by-side with some of the most amazing social-profit organizations throughout the country, including SAGE Council, Seva Foundation, Healthcare for the Homeless, Tibetan Aid Project, Oakland Institute, Circle of Life, Women’s Earth Alliance, Rainforest Action Network, and San Francisco Women Against Rape as a Rape Crisis Counselor. While in college she was involved with the UNM African American Studies Mentorship Program working with elementary school children. She is also a member of D2K, an organization dedicated to skill sharing and inspiration for those working in the diversity and anti-oppression fields. Recently, Shannon moved back home to New Mexico with her husband and two sweet kitties.
Systems Administrator
Zevin Polzin joined Bioneers in 2011 as technical support/systems administrator. He holds a M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College and a B.A. from Bennington College. Zevin is also a multimedia artist currently working with the Santa Fe artist collective Meow Wolf, a software developer specializing in agent-based modeling and musical interfaces for the elderly and disabled, and a musician. Education Program Manager
Shana Rappaport joined Bioneers in 2010 as the Education for Action Program Manager. Shana earned a Master’s degree in Communication Management, emphasizing her studies on sustainability and social change, from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication. During her time at USC, Shana was actively involved as a leader of numerous campus organizations and initiatives, including being instrumental in motivating USC to establish their first Office of Sustainability. Through her role with Bioneers, Shana is now working to drive much larger-scale transformations in formal education by spearheading the development of Bioneers’ first formal education program. Committed to building a strong foundation for the program, Shana is actively forging and deepening partnerships with some of the leading groups in the field, and working to make Bioneers’ educational media content increasingly accessible for teachers and students. Shana views education as one of the most powerful tools we have for realizing our dream of a sustainable future, and is thrilled to be working towards it with Bioneers.
Special Project CoordinatorSarah Skenazy joined Bioneers in 2011 as the Special Project Coordinator. Her professional background is in project management, writing, and editing. She has studied at Oxford University and Sarah Lawrence College, where she earned a degree in liberal arts with a concentration in the philosophy of science and religion. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
DNM Program Manager
Nikki Spangenburg joined Bioneers in 2008 to act as the coordinator for the Dreaming New Mexico Project, which has since received such acclaim and international recognition. With a Bachelor's in Business Administration, she has been working in project and event management for more than 15 years. She lives in Santa Fe with her husband and two children.
Administration Manager
Sue Talkington has worked for Bioneers since 2006. She was born and raised in Texas. Sue has a BS in Computer Information Systems and an MA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. When she joined Bioneers, she brought 12 years of professional experience in computer applications development and complex systems management for the banking and finance industry to Bioneers. Her proficiency in multiple computer languages, databases, operating systems and applications have all been of great use to the team. Sue currently manages Bioneers’ administrative team, the online Store, and the office. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her daughter. She enjoys singing, hiking and cooking in her spare time.
Program Manager
Kelli Webster began working with Bioneers in 1998. Previously, she worked at EcoWorks Multimedia (a nonprofit project of the Tides Center) as assistant to the director, where she was responsible for office management, managing an organizational outreach program, supervising staff and intern schedules and editing of manuscripts. As a Project Manager, Kelli works with the programming team for the Bioneers Conference. She is the communications liaison with the scheduled speakers, and she coordinates the work-exchange program. Kelli is a certified dog trainer, and lives in Portland, Oregon.
Sponsorship & Conference Exhibitor Manager
Ginger Williams has been with Bioneers since 2007. She previously lived in New York, Massachusetts and Australia before venturing to New Mexico. Her spirit moves her to help other people. She formerly worked for the Olympics, then in the health and fitness industry--bringing joy to others through play and sport. As a rock climber, Ginger prefers to be amongst the mountains--she now strives to help protect and preserve the outdoors that challenge her to climb beyond her limitations. She lives with her dog Telulah, husband Garrett, and son Ephraim in Santa Fe--she enjoys walking with them to work each morning along the Santa Fe River. Document Actions |
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