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Alnoba Leadership Awards Teach-in Day

On October 13th, we’ll be bringing together leaders in environmental justice for a free day of learning, inspiration, and connection.

Alnoba’s Leadership Days are a remarkable opportunity – events that gather some of the most powerful voices in the fight to make our planet a better, healthier place for all of us to live. New leaders are given a chance to learn directly from the best. Experienced leaders will be introduced to techniques, processes and experiences that will focus their teams and increase their impact.

All of this will happen in the unique setting of Alnoba, a Passive House Institute-certified gathering space set on 600 acres of forests, fields and a world class outdoor art collection.

Registration for this event is currently by invitation only.

ABOUT THE EVENT

WHERE: Alnoba at 24 Cottage Road, Kensington, NH
WHEN: Wednesday October 13th, 2021 from 9:30AM to 3:00PM

AGENDA:
8:00AM: Optional Art Tour
9:30AM: Registration
10AM: Morning Workshops
11:45AM: Lunch and Special Session: Crisis is a Gift with Alan and Harriet Lewis
1:30PM: Afternoon Workshops

MORNING WORKSHOPS

Keys to Leadership: Pinnacle Model and Goal Alignment
with Danielle Giannone of Pinnacle LTD

At Pinnacle we believe strong leaders make stronger communities. Great leaders always start with what matters most: clear goals, hot issues on top people, and aligned teams. If you aren’t focused there, you’re in the weeds and wasting time. This session will teach participants about:
• The GRPI Model (Goals, Roles, Process and Interpersonal) of team effectiveness, one of the most powerful tools for planning and assessment.
• Effective goal setting and the importance of clarity, focus and commitment and how to apply it within your organization.
• The importance of the key values of emotional maturity, risk taking, open & honest communication within your organization.
• How to utilize the experience and expertise in the room.
Pinnacle is the top resource in New England for nonprofit leadership and team development. Since 1993, we’ve built up a record of proven results with leaders from 70 countries and over 100 teams.

About the presenters

Danielle Giannone is Senior Vice President for Pinnacle Leadership & Team Development. An expert in leadership, team development and coaching, Danielle has spent the last 14 years transforming the performance of many organizations and helping leaders, teams and individuals reach their full potential. She has advised leaders at all levels of an organization and worked with teams on six continents. A skilled facilitator and trainer, Danielle pushes leaders to see the biggest obstacles that stand in their way, dig into the hot issues that hold them back and find the courage to lead effectively.

People Planet Profit
with Fiona Wilson of the UNH Sustainability Institute

Fiona Wilson leads a panel of creative, thoughtful and compassionate business leaders who are determined to harness the power of enterprise to address some of the most pressing issues of our time, while continuing to generate profit. These leaders will share their stories of how they use innovative approaches to achieve their vision of business as a force for good.

About the presenters

Dr. Fiona Wilson is the Director of the Sustainability Institute and UNH’s deputy chief sustainability officer. She is also the Executive Director of the Changemaker Collaborative, which offers innovative pedagogy, applied research, and meaningful engagement opportunities for students and faculty from across the University of New Hampshire in “social innovation” – the application of market-based and cross-sector strategies to develop sustainable, scalable solutions to societal problems. As a joint venture of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and the Carsey School of Public Policy, this interdisciplinary center contributes to the growing field of social innovation by working at the nexus of individual entrepreneurs and business models (traditionally the domain of business schools) with public policy and systemic change (traditionally the domain of policy schools) in their research, teaching, and practice.

Kerem Durdag is an executive leader of people and companies bringing out the best of their talents and aspirations, taking into consideration all stakeholders. He is a massive fan of B-Corps and conscious capitalism and has over 25 years of experience directing world-class teams. Currently he is President and Chief Operating Officer of GWI, a leading ISP/telco in Maine that continues to evolve and focus heavily on fiber optic deployment and rural broadband expansion, He is also Founder and Managing Partner of the Indus Fund, a community-supported microloan program for the immigrant community in Maine. Previously he served as the Entrepreneur-In-Residence for the Maine Technology Institute. With an inherent strong bias towards action, Kerem also serves on several boards and is a member of the Maine angel investing community.

Emily Hall Warren is the Director of Administration at the W.S. Badger Company, a family-owned and family-friendly certified B Corp built around healthy living in the workplace and the community.

As part of Badger’s strategy team, Emily plays a key role in ensuring that the Company continually measures, tracks, and improves its social and environmental impact while living up to its mission of a community-minded business with ethical and charitable principles.

Before Badger, Emily specialized in training and Organizational Advancement for the Claremont Savings Bank and The Timken Company.

Emily has an extensive background in Human Resources (SHRM-SCP) and a master’s degree in Organization and Management from Antioch New England University. She serves as a Trustee of the Trust Funds for the Town of Gilsum and as a Board Member for Keene Chamber of Commerce. As the mother of three active boys, Emily appreciates and embraces the millennial’s goal of a good work-life balance.

Brittany Angelo has worked for five years as the Regional Marketing Manager at ReVision Energy, a mission-driven clean energy company. She believes that environmental justice should be a focus in all that we do as humans, including business and personal practices. She currently resides on the stolen ancestral lands at the cross section of the Pentucket, Pennacook, Abenaki, and Wabanaki People. When she is not working you can find her enjoying nature by skiing, mountain biking, or paddle-boarding!

Solving Big Problems One Drop at a Time
with Doc Hendley of Wine to Water, Janene Yazzie of Sixth World Solutions, and Dr. Tommy Rock of Inclusive Community

The Navajo Nation is the size of Connecticut, and 30-40% of households do not have running water. For many Navajo households, water is their largest expense. The pandemic, severe drought conditions and a legacy of contamination including lead, magnesium, arsenic and even uranium create a perfect storm of need. Doc Hendley of Wine to Water, Janene Yazzie of Sixth Solutions and Dr. Tommy Rock have partnered with the Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation and Grand Circle Foundation to work on solutions to ensure that the Navajo and Hopi people have that most basic human right: access to clean water and, as Doc would put it, “the life and dignity” that goes with it.

About the presenters

Doc Hendley, Founder of Wine To Water, dreamed up the concept while bartending and playing music in nightclubs around Raleigh, NC. In February 2004, Doc held his first fundraiser. And by August, he was living halfway around the globe in Sudan, Africa installing water systems for victims of the government-supported genocide. In 2007, after working two jobs and volunteering his time for three years, Doc launched Wine To Water. Today this global organization’s mission is ‘To support life and dignity for all through the power of clean water.’ W/W both raises funds and executes their programs on the ground. In 2009, Doc was named as a top ten CNN Hero for that year, and the ripples continued to grow. Soon Doc was speaking to packed houses, including two TEDx events and national media outlets. Thousands were inspired by his story and Wine To Water grew from one man’s mission into a movement for clean water.

Janene Yazzie is a powerful Native community activist. She is co-founder and CEO of Sixth World Solutions, which works with Dine’ (Navajo) communities to promote sustainability, environmental justice, and self-governance. She co-founded the first Navajo Nation community-led watershed planning program to assert local control in the sustainable management, restoration, and protection of natural resources. Janene will tell you she was born into this work and has built a career and life doing what she is most passionate about, “helping my people on frontline battle systemic injustice.” And a big piece of her work is to get clean water to her tribe. Her work has earned international recognition. Janene is Sustainable Development Program Coordinator for the International Indian Treaty Council and the council’s representative as co-convenor of the Indigenous Peoples Major Group of the U.N. High-Level Political Forum on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Tommy Rock is a member of the Navajo Nation from Monument Valley, Utah. Many of Tommy’s relatives were involved in uranium mining and the resulting disproportionate health and environmental disparities motivated Tommy to pursue professional endeavors specializing in mitigating impacts of extractive industries on tribal lands. He works to expose the extent of the problem – there are 1,000 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo reservation – and empower his community to make change. Tommy was involved in the DiNEH Project funded under the National Institute of Environmental Health Supplement Grant, and worked at Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Public Water Systems Supervision Program before returning to Northern Arizona University to complete a doctoral degree in the School of Earth Science and Environmental Sustainability. Tommy employs a Native American perspective and multidisciplinary approach to solving complicated issues such as sustainability in the Southwest. His work integrates issues of health, environment, and culture with informed decision-making on tribal lands.

Effective Advocacy for Public Land and How to Work in Politically Explosive Situations: Lessons from Bears Ears
with Josh Ewing

Josh Ewing, who played a key role in efforts to protect Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, will speak on his work with the five tribal nations to ensure their sacred ancestral lands are preserved and Indigenous voices elevated in public lands management. He’ll reflect on lessons learned on how to be an effective public land advocate, ally to Indigenous leaders, and partner with government agencies.

About the presenter

Josh Ewing is an avid climber, hiker, and photographer. He moved to Bluff in 2012 with his partner, Kirsten. Having visited San Juan County for 12 years, every chance they could, the two decided they may as well live where their hearts were. Josh was born and raised in rural western Nebraska, where his family maintains an active cattle ranch. After attending the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Josh began his career as the communications director for Salt Lake City, where he worked on the city’s 2002 Olympics planning and was involved with many environmental and conservation projects. After leaving the Mayor’s Office, Josh worked for nine years as an advertising and government affairs executive. During this time, he helped run several successful high-level political campaigns and provided pro bono public relations work for many conservation organizations. Josh has served on several nonprofit boards. In addition to his leadership at Friends of Cedar Mesa, he also serves as a Captain on the Bluff Volunteer Fire Department and as a nationally licensed EMT.

LUNCH AND SPECIAL SESSION

Crisis is a Gift
with Alan and Harriet Lewis

For more than 50 years Alan and Harriet have worked to develop leaders all across the globe. As leaders of Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle they have lead the company through hundreds of world events including plane crashes, terrorist attacks, earthquakes, mudslides, 9-11, and financial downturns. Each time their business emerged stronger because the Lewis’s believe crisis is a gift and is the best chance you will have to make big change in your organization. They also owe their success to the essential lessons distilled from their five decades of experience they call Ten Keys to Leading Through Crisis. In this interactive session, Alan and Harriet will share stories from their life in international adventure travel and how they triumphed over the worst crisis to hit the travel industry, the global pandemic which stopped their travel operations for more than a year.

About the presenters

Alan Lewis is a social entrepreneur, business leader and philanthropist with a lifelong vision of developing leaders and changing people’s lives. He is the Founder of the Kensington Investment Company and Chairman of Grand Circle Corporation, a company he transformed from losing $2 million a year into a fast-moving global enterprise with gross sales exceeding $600 million. In 1993, he founded Pinnacle Leadership and Team Development, which has trained hundreds of nonprofit and business leaders from more than 60 countries. He is expert at crisis leadership having successfully navigated his companies through more than a hundred world events, natural disasters and other calmaties, including the Gulf War, 9-11, the 2008-09 financial downturn and the COVID 19 pandemic.

Harriet Lewis is Co-Founder of Alnoba and Alnoba’s Pinnacle Leadership Center. Harriet is Chair of the Lewis Family Foundation. An educator, philanthropist and world traveler, she is passionate about helping guide social change and developing gutsy leaders—with a special focus on women and youths. Harriet founded the Next Generation Leaders, a program to provide rising college freshmen from Boston’s Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan neighborhoods with work, service and international travel opportunities to advance their leadership and improve their chances of success in life and college.

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

Keys to Leadership: Pinnacle Model and Goal Alignment
with Danielle Giannone of Pinnacle LTD

At Pinnacle we believe strong leaders make stronger communities. Great leaders always start with what matters most: clear goals, hot issues on top people, and aligned teams. If you aren’t focused there, you’re in the weeds and wasting time. This session will teach participants about:
• The GRPI Model (Goals, Roles, Process and Interpersonal) of team effectiveness, one of the most powerful tools for planning and assessment.
• Effective goal setting and the importance of clarity, focus and commitment and how to apply it within your organization.
• The importance of the key values of emotional maturity, risk taking, open & honest communication within your organization.
• How to utilize the experience and expertise in the room.
Pinnacle is the top resource in New England for nonprofit leadership and team development. Since 1993, we’ve built up a record of proven results with leaders from 70 countries and over 100 teams.

About the presenters

Danielle Giannone is Senior Vice President for Pinnacle Leadership & Team Development. An expert in leadership, team development and coaching, Danielle has spent the last 14 years transforming the performance of many organizations and helping leaders, teams and individuals reach their full potential. She has advised leaders at all levels of an organization and worked with teams on six continents. A skilled facilitator and trainer, Danielle pushes leaders to see the biggest obstacles that stand in their way, dig into the hot issues that hold them back and find the courage to lead effectively.

Danger and Deceit: Holding Big Oil Accountable for Climate Perils
with Brad Campbell, Christopher Kilian and Alex St. Pierre of the Conservation Law Foundation

For decades, scientists for the major oil companies established and confirmed the causal link between their company’s product and potentially catastrophic climate change. Over those same decades, these Big Oil companies spent billions to mislead the public about the risk of climate change and the link to fossil fuels. These same companies continue to operate dozens of facilities in New England and thousands more around the world that are highly vulnerable to climate risk – typically waterfront facilities hosted by communities of color and low income whose homes, businesses, and nearby waters are at high risk a major spill of oil or hazardous substances from more intense rains and storms with the potential to inundate these facilities entirely. This panel discussion will explore how Conservation Law Foundation and allied organizations are using the law and litigation spanning three states against more than a dozen companies to stop unlawful practices, protect communities being at put at risk, and end climate deceit.

About the presenters

Bradley M. Campbell is president of Conservation Law Foundation, which uses the law, science, and markets to achieve a healthy and thriving New England for all. Before leading CLF, his career holding polluters accountable included service as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, as a Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as a senior advisor in the Clinton White House, and as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Christopher Kilian is Vice President of Strategic Litigation. Prior to his work at CLF, Chris spent eight years with the Vermont Natural Resources Council. In 1998, Chris received the Charlie Shaw Conservation Partnership Award from the National Wildlife Federation. He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Rochester and his law degree and Masters in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, cum laude. Chris’ admissions include the State of Vermont, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Federal District Court for the District of Vermont.

Alex St. Pierre is a Staff Attorney on the Strategic Litigation team. Prior to joining CLF, Alex was an Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, representing teens aging out of foster care and parents of children with disabilities. She then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Marcia G. Cooke of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and later to the Honorable James E. Graves, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Alex earned a B.A. from Sonoma State University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Indigenous Women Defenders of the Amazon and Our Climate
with Nara Baré of COIAB, Patricia Gualinga of Fundacion Tiam and Leila Salazar-López of Amazon Watch

As the Amazon rainforest reaches an ecological “tipping point,” Indigenous women are on the frontlines of its defense against increasing threats, including deforestation, industrial extraction, and fires. They are rising up as leaders in a pan-Amazon and global movement to protect the Amazon and our climate and are calling upon all of us to show our solidarity. Join this workshop to hear directly from Amazon women defenders and allies including: Patricia Gualinga (Kichwa from Sarayaku, Ecuador), Nara Baré (Baré, Brazil), and Leila Salazar-López (Chicana-Latina, Executive Director of Amazon Watch).

About the presenters

Francinara Soares Martins Baré (Nara Baré) is Federation Coordinator, Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations from the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), one of the largest indigenous organizations in South America. She represents 75 organizations, 160 peoples, and more than 400,000 indigenous peoples in nine states. She leads at a critical point when indigenous peoples and the Amazon face immense threats, including the current government’s aggressive campaign to open the Amazon to exploitation. Her work takes place in a dangerous environment, where indigenous peoples are menaced, persecuted, and killed. Nara ceaselessly advocates for the recognition and enforcement of the rights of indigenous peoples and highlighting the importance of indigenous peoples for the survival of the Amazon: “… if there are no more indigenous peoples in the Amazon, the Amazon will die with us.”

Patricia Gualinga is President, Fundacion Tiam. Patricia has worked for decades as a vital, internationally-recognized voice against oil extraction and destruction of the Amazon Rainforest. Patricia is an Indigenous rights defender of the Pueblo Kichwa de Sarayaku (Kichwa People of Sarayaku), an Indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In 2012, Patricia was one of the representatives in a case presented to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in which the government was found guilty of rights violations and of authorizing oil exploration and militarization of Sarayaku lands without consulting the community. It was an all too rare victory for Indigenous tribes. Patricia describes recent times as “apocalyptic” for her village of 1350 people. The confluence of a massive oil spill, the pandemic and historical flooding have devastated her community. Yet despite everything, she persists and still holds hope because as she says, “there is so much to protect.”

Leila Salazar-López is a mother; proud Chicana-Latina woman; and passionate defender of Mother Earth, the Amazon, Indigenous rights and climate justice. Since 2015 she has served as the Executive Director of Amazon Watch, leading the organization in its work to protect and defend the bio-cultural and climate integrity of the Amazon rainforest by advancing Indigenous peoples’ rights, territories, and solutions. For 20+ years Leila has worked to defend the world’s rainforests, human rights, and climate through grassroots organizing and international advocacy campaigns at Amazon Watch, Rainforest Action Network and Global Exchange. She serves on the Governing Council of the Amazon Emergency Fund, is a Greenpeace Voting Member and a Global Fund for Women Advisor for Latin America. In April 2019, she was acknowledged in Make its Better Media’s “17 Bay Area Environmentalists Making a Difference.”

Innovating for our Green Future
with Steph Spiers of Solstice

Steph Spiers, Co-Founder of Solstice and the 2019 Alnoba Emerging Environmental Entrepreneur shares how her innovative work radically improves access to clean energy. Connecting communities to shared solar gardens, her organization uses cool technology, unique financing models and community engagement to provide cleaner, more efficient energy, lower costs and create green jobs for vulnerable populations.

About the presenters

Steph Speirs cofounded and runs Solstice, a social enterprise dedicated to radically expanding the number of American households who can take advantage of clean energy using community-shared solar farms. Solstice’s financial and policy tools, including their unique EnergyScore underwriting metric, open scalable paths to inclusion for renters, low-credit households, and other Americans that have been left out of the clean energy transition. Their community organizing techniques and technology platform further make it easy for everyday Americans to access clean energy for the first time. In short, she is trying to disrupt the marketplace and by proving that the risk companies perceive regarding low income consumers ability to pay their utility bills is wrong.