Inside the Activists’ Studio SF
Panelist Bios
Josh Becker started his career in the Clean Energy area in 1991. From Williams College he went to work for ICF-Kaiser International, a DC-based environmental consulting and engineering firm. There he helped launch the first Clean Air Marketplace conference back in 1992 and consulted on energy strategy for companies like General Electric. After working on Capitol Hill as a Press Secretary for a Congresswoman on the Energy and Commerce Committee, he started his first Internet company in 1994 when he co-founded IntraACTIVE, a pioneering groupware company. He was also one of the first employees at EarthWeb Inc, which went public in 1998. After joint degrees from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, Becker joined Brentwood Venture Capital and then joined Brentwood's technology partners in 1999 in founding Redpoint Ventures (www.Redpoint.com). At Redpoint he brought in investments like BigBand Networks (NASDAQ:BBND) and served as a board observer for BigBand, Esurance, and ViaFone. Becker is an Advisor to Energy Unlimited, a pioneering wind energy company. He is Co-Founder of the Freedom Prize Foundation (www.freedomprize.org), which will soon be giving out $5M in prizes with DOE to encourage deployment of clean energy technologies and Co-Founder of SmartTransportation.org. Becker is the Founder and Chair of The Full Circle Fund, (www.fullcirclefund.org), an alliance of emerging business leaders who help solve public problems through engaged philanthropy and public policy advocacy. He serves on the National Board of Directors for One Economy (www.one-economy.com) and serves on the Board of Trustees for the newest campus in the University of California System, The University of California at Merced. Becker was recently named as one of the Top 40/under 40 people to watch in Silicon Valley by the San Jose Business Journal. He also was selected to be part of the SV100, a group of the 100 Most Influential People in Silicon Valley.
Ahri Golden is an award-winning independent public radio producer, community event organizer, and mother. Recently named one of San Francisco's 7x7 "Hot 20 Under 40," Golden co-founded Thin Air Media in 2005 with Tania Ketenjian. In 2008, Golden and Ketenjian co-produced BORN, a public radio documentary about the postpartum experience in American life. Before producing BORN, the duo produced BIRTH (2007), a public radio documentary about the practices and perceptions of birth in America and THE BIRTH TOUR (2006-2009), a nationwide event where people come together to talk about birth. Golden served as co-executive producer of Shades of Gray (2004), a public radio documentary about abortion in America and was awarded the NFCB 2004 Golden Reel Award for Best National Documentary. Golden started in radio as a reporter and producer for KANU, the NPR affiliate in Lawrence, Kansas in 1997. She moved to San Francisco to associate produce Public Radio International's Beyond Computers, a weekly high-tech news and information program. Shortly thereafter, Golden was promoted to the role of senior producer. From there she went on to serve as senior producer of Beta Project, an audio compilation of women's stories about abortion before it was legalized in the landmark case of Roe vs. Wade. It was this work that inspired Shades of Gray. Golden works from home and lives with her husband and their son in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Ari Derfel is an entrepreneur, activist, organic chef, mountain guide & public speaker. As a meditation experiment, he saved every single piece of trash & recycling he created during 2007 so that he could see his impact on the planet firsthand. He kept it in the kitchen and living room of his house. The story received worldwide attention and he has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ABC, CBC, NBC, the Discovery Channel & newspapers & radio worldwide. His academic career includes the University of Wisconsin, Harvard, Georgetown, UCLA & Cambridge. In 2001 he and his business partner, Eric Fenster, founded Back to Earth Organic Catering, the first organic catering company in the US. They also operate Back to Earth Outdoors, a company that provides wilderness leadership opportunities for inner city youth, and yoga backpacking retreats for adults. Currently he is building Terrain, an all organic restaurant that will open in Berkeley, California at the David Brower Center in the fall of 2009. Through their leadership, Back to Earth has positioned itself at the forefront of "greening" the event industry by supporting local organic farmers, educating people about responsible food choices, utilizing green transportation alternatives, designing progressive employment programs, and forging the path of sustainable, conscious business practices.
Joanna Levitt is the Co-Director of International Accountability Project (IAP), a San-Francisco based organization that works to promote human rights and environmental justice in international development. Joanna's work with IAP is fueled by her life-long passion to connect efforts to heal our planet with work for justice in our human communities. Before joining IAP in 2006, Joanna worked with the Centro de Derechos Economicos y Sociales in Ecuador, and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in Washington, DC. She is a Bay Area native, and also spends time in Asia and South America for her work with IAP. Joanna is honored to be collaborating with the AJWS community, as she believes that effective activism requires not only sound strategy, but also strength of spirit.
Adrienne Fitch-Frankel, as Global Exchange's Fair Trade Campaign Director, reaches out to chocolate lovers and chocolate makers alike to help create a world in which we are all free to enjoy guilt-free chocolate. Adrienne also campaigns for conflict-free diamonds and was part of the Global Exchange-coordinated coalition for sweat-free legislation in San Francisco. Adrienne has engaged in advocacy toward both corporations and government to create a flourishing international economy at home and abroad that is truly the catalyst for promoting democracy and human rights, protecting the environment, securing peace, and ending poverty. Adrienne has worked for diverse human rights and environmental advocacy organizations, as well as leaders in the field of green business such as Co-op America and Calvert Group. Her area of expertise is the impact of commodities, both extractive and agricultural, on local communities, particularly indigenous people. Adrienne has studied at Oxford University's Refugee Studies Programme, UC Davis Martin Luther King Hall School of Law, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where her Fields of Study were Development Economics and Environmental Policy. Adrienne is also the co-host of Terra Verde, the weekly environmental radio program on KPFA in Northern California.
