Lead The Change

Activism, Leadership & Purpose:

Gilles Mesrobian, Professor & Principal at the Red Queen Group

In addition to his role as a visiting faculty member of Bard College’s MBA in Sustainability Program, Gilles is an affiliate consultant with the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, a Certified Governance Trainer through BoardSource, and on the National Training Faculty for NeighborWorks America.  His credentials include over 30 years senior management experience in the non-profit arena, with over 20 years as an Executive Director. His consulting experience covers a broad range of organizational work in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, including governance training, organizational assessment, leadership development, executive leadership transition, executive search, strategic planning, retreats and trainings.

His interest in sustainability has extended to his consulting where he has worked with numerous organizations in the area of social and environmental justice. He has also facilitated numerous leadership training programs including the the New York Foundation for the Arts Emerging Leaders program, the Support Center’s Trajectory Leadership Program,, as well as the CT Council of Family Service Agency’s yearlong leadership program.

Robert Pasin heads Radio Flyer Inc., the business founded by his grandfather in 1917. Radio Flyer is an iconic brand that holds a special place in people's hearts because it instantly transports them to a happy time — to the best parts of childhood. Robert works with a wonderful group of passionate "Flyers" whose mission is to create products that bring smiles to kids of all ages and to create warm memories that last a lifetime. Company sales have grown significantly because of Robert’s focus on building a highly committed and creative team. The product line has expanded beyond the iconic Little Red Wagon™ to include tricycles, scooters, and other ride-ons featuring innovative, beautiful, playful design. Robert is the Emmy winning producer of the animated short film, Taking Flight.

In June 2021, Robert was named 2021 Top CEO in the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award.  Among chief executives recognized by employees in the U.S., Pasin received an impressive 100 percent approval rating based on the anonymous and voluntary reviews Radio Flyer employees shared on Glassdoor throughout the past year.

Bard MBA’s Jordan Sabine speaks with Robert for this episode of the Impact Report.

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Committed to Clean Money: A Conversation with Joe Sanberg, Co-Founder of Aspiration

Joe Sanberg is a progressive business leader, anti-poverty advocate, and co-founder of Aspiration, a no-fee, socially-conscious financial firm that keeps its customers’ money away from fossil fuels and private prisons.

As a steward of the movement to pass the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families in California, Joe founded CalEITC4Me, one of the state’s largest anti-poverty programs, which has put more than $10 billion back in the pockets of working families. He successfully led the charge to expand eligibility for the program to low-wage, undocumented workers, who had previously been excluded from the tax credit. Then-California Gov. Jerry Brown’s top adviser Nancy McFadden called Joe the “spark” behind the state’s efforts to execute the new program.

Joe also leads Working Hero PAC, a people-powered political organization focused on electing progressive candidates who will fight for affordable housing, good-paying jobs, a sustainable future, and accessible healthcare for all.

Bard MBA’s Johnathan Pham & Stephanie Lavallato speak with Joe for this episode of the Impact Report. 

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Steven M. Rothstein is the founding Managing Director of the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets.  Ceres Accelerator aims to transform the practices and policies that govern capital markets in order to accelerate reduction of the worst financial impacts of the climate crisis and other sustainability threats. Steven’s 40 years of experience will be critical to explore the most effective strategies for the Accelerator to focus on and move capital markets towards climate sustainability.

He has worked at local, state, federal and international levels of government. Steven served on many non-profit and government boards. He has spoken and written extensively and worked with partners in the corporate, non-profit, government and philanthropy sectors.

Bard MBA’s Lucien Harlow-Dion speaks with Steven for this episode of the Impact Report.

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Ramona Ortega is the CEO & Founder of My Money My Future. MMMF is a fintech marketplace helping Black and Latinx millennials save, invest, and build wealth with automated financial guidance and personalized product recommendations. Previously she helped launch Azlo, a small business banking platform as Entrepreneur-In-Residence.  Prior to founding MMMF, Ramona was a Wall Street attorney and worked on complex securities litigation and corporate matters in private practice and at the SEC and U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Ramona is a contributor to TechCrunch and HuffPost and is a sought after speaker and thought leader in Fintech. She has a B.A. from UCLA and a J.D. from Fordham School of Law. She is on the board of Village Capital, Camino Financial and Community Health Council.

My Money My Future is an all-in-one personal finance platform that helps multicultural millennials make better financial decisions by combining education and unique content with personalized product recommendations and financial advice in a seamless experience. MMMF dashboard provides personalized financial action plans to guide users through a range of decisions, including investing, budgeting, saving, and credit.

Series Producer, Katie Ellman speaks with Ramona for this episode of the Impact Report. 

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Brandi has been in the office furniture industry for over twenty years.  On June 12th 2020, she woke up with a mission: to create the first online marketplace for companies to buy and sell their pre-owned office furniture.  Clear Office has digitized the pre-owned office furniture industry and is the first online marketplace where buyers and sellers of used office furniture connect directly.

Bard MBA’s Whitney Smith-Burghes speaks with Brandi for this episode of the Impact Report. 

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Improving the Lives of Pets, Pet Parents & the Planet: A Conversation with Francesca Mahoney of Petco

An accomplished retail leader, Francesca Mahoney leads Petco’s sustainability strategy and works with business leaders across operations, products, and supply chain to advance sustainability and drive strategic growth. She is passionate about creating a better planet for pets and pet parents alike and has been the driving force in Petco’s recent industry-leading commitment to increasing its assortment of sustainable pet products to 50% by the end of 2025. She has also spent more than a decade transforming teams, building brands and leading marketing strategies for renowned companies. Before joining Petco, she worked at Target Corporation for +10 years in a variety of Merchandising and Marketing roles.

Bard MBA Alum Cory Skuldt speaks with Francesca for this episode of the Impact Report.

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• Petco Sustainable Product Shop: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/sustainable-products-shop

Ultrafabrics is reshaping the world of leather-free performance fabrics.  Operating on three continents with over five decades of expertise, Ultrafabrics innovates in sync with emerging customer needs to create versatile solutions for any surface, and for a multitude of industries. Every fabric coming out of their mill is a premium, sustainable and intelligent product that speaks to—and elevates—the senses.

They are dedicated to innovation and sustainability and are always improving to continuously deliver superior performance fabrics.

As a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Nicole Meier utilizes her merchandising background to position Ultrafabrics as the premier animal-free performance fabric across a variety of worldwide sectors. During her tenure, she has introduced educational programs, material donation and community partnerships while overseeing content development and the overall brand experience. Together with a consulting firm, she leads the Ultrafabrics’ sustainability committee and ensures the strategy is integrated throughout the company. 

Bard MBA’s Isobel Modica speaks with Nicole for this episode of the Impact Report.

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Population empowers home and fashion brands to embed an integrated approach to sustainability into their business models, brand strategy and marketing. As consultants they blend the creative and strategic to build authentic narratives, safeguarding against performative marketing and greenwashing.

From widespread extraction and pollution to over-consumption and waste, industries had been reckoning with their impacts on the planet. We were already at a tipping point, when a global pandemic hit. Fashion brands cancelled orders leaving numerous manufacturers and workers unpaid. Not long after, garment workers put their own health and safety at risk making PPE. And in the midst of all this, George Floyd’s murder catalyzed a racial reckoning and a wave of wokewashing. It may not seem like it, but these problems are interconnected.

For this special episode of the Impact Report, Series Producer, Katie Ellman speaks with Population co-founders Lauren Hill and Catherine Tedrow and their co-host of the Unspun podcast series, Danielle Arzaga.

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Gary J. Nix is a strategy executive who earned his stripes as a disruptor, innovator, and predictor in the entertainment, magazine publishing, and marketing industries. Known for merging traditional marketing principles with modern marketing techniques, he has used his in-house and agency experience with Fortune 500 companies to open the brandarchist: strategy as a service. Additionally, his expertise & distinct point-of-view has positioned him as a frequently sought after source in the advertising trades, guest lecturer, as well as a subject matter expert on ethics, culture, and community as a business necessity. Furthermore, his perspective led him to be named a 2020 Innovator by the Advertising Club of New York.

When not tending to his consultancy, he serves as a senior leadership member for 100 Roses from Concrete & The G.R.O.W.T.H. Initiative and a strategic advisor for the communications agency Bold Culture by Streamlined.

Bard MBA’s Olivia Taussig speaks with Gary for this episode of The Impact Report. 

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