Major Sponsors

Josh Mailman

Chuck Dell

Sponsors

The Acacia Fund

Ader B. Gandi Charitable Fund

WJF Mentor List: A - B

This list is alphabetical by last name:
(A - B) / (C - D) / (E - F) / (G - I) / (J - K) / (L - M) / (N - P) / (Q - R) / (S) / (T - V) / (W - Z)

The core of the William James Foundation is our network of volunteer mentors who have built, managed, invested in, or advised multiple bottom line companies. Our programs (Sustainable Business Plan Competition, Mentor Network, Green Grab) represent different ways in which we engage with these volunteers. 

These individuals vary widely in background, but usually come from one of five categories:

• Successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, and others who have started or managed sustainable businesses.
• Recent entrepreneurs who are still "in the thick of it" and provide bleeding edge perspective.
• Banker, Investors, Management Consultants, Economic Development Professionals, and others who have experience evaluating sustainable businesses.
• Subject matter experts.
• Professionals in product design, marketing, team development, accounting, designing legal structures for new firms, and other aspects of business plans.

We bring together teams of advisors from different backgrounds to provide the best combined feedback to our entrepreneurs. Apperance on this list does not imply that the individual will be available as mentor going forward, and any organizational affiliations are solely for identification purposes. To learn more about being a reading judge, click here. 

Ted Adams
Mr. Adams is a marketing and communications professional with over 15 years of brand development, social marketing campaigning, and public-private partnership building. He holds an MBA and am a returned Peace Corps Volunteer who has had the privilege of working with internationally known corporate brands as well as helping scale and develop local and national non-profits.

David Addison
Mr. Addison works at Virgin where he manages the Virgin Earth Challenge and collaborates with colleagues on some of Virgin’s People and Planet activities. His undergraduate studies in Georgaphy (BSc, first-class) focused on earth system science, especially environmental and climatic change, alongside environmental economics, biodiversity, ecology and global development. He also holds an MSc in Environmental Technology, specialising in Energy Policy, from Imperial College London.

Troy Adkins
Mr. Adkins is a director of membership for an international environmental organization.

Nina Alastruey
Ms. Alastruey is an entrepreneur with background in marketing and sales.

Craig Albert
Mr. Albert is a lawyer in New York City and a former law professor. He has advised and taught on issues of corporate governance, finance, and intellectual property. He is also a seasoned commercial litigator.

Mark Albion
Dr. Albion was a student and professor at Harvard for 20 years, after which he co-founded six organizations, including Net Impact. Most recently, he served in the Office of the President at Babson College, helping to integrate social values into the college. He has made over 600 speaking visits to business schools and written seven books. In 2010, Dr. Albion became the first social entrepreneur to receive the distinguished national entrepreneur of the year award, presented at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. His articles, books and award-winning short film can be found at www.makingalife.com and www.more-than-money.com.

Leah Allen
Ms. Allen is a commercial attorney who has worked with social ventures, nonprofits, and start-ups across a variety of industries, including technology, green, and retail industries.

Lauri Alpern
Ms. Alpern, of Open Door Advisors, Inc., advises social entrepreneurs on how to successfully navigate the challenges and opportunities inherent in triple-bottom line ventures.

Sarah Alvarez
Ms. Alvarez is a JD/MPH with significant experience supporting social enterprises. She is a past prize winner in the William James Foundation's business plan competition. She currently works as a journalist.

Rich Ambrose
Mr. Ambrose has invested over $60 million in emerging markets private equity and venture capital and has launched two companies.

Seth Appel
Mr. Appel is a Solution Architect for Accenture. Earlier in his career he has worked as a Director of BPO Operations for Pfizer, the Director of Training for OfficeTiger, and the Director of Service Programs for American Jewish World Service. He has an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Mitra Ardron
Mr. Ardron supports cleantech innovators who work in, or focused on developing countries. He has started or built several cleantech companies.

Allie Armitage
Ms. Armitage is co-founder and marketing director for weBike, a company that offers simple, affordable station-less bike sharing for college campuses. She also works at the Entrepreneur's Organization managing Mentorship programs, and is active in various entrepreneurial groups in DC, such as Sandbox & the Hub.

Roslyn Ashford
Ms. Ashford has been a small business owner for over 6 years.

Deepa Ayesha Sanyal
Deepa Sanyal is a principal at DS Consulting, an international consulting firm offering professional consulting in Sustainable Planning and Development. DS Consulting is based in North Carolina, USA. Deepa lives and works in the United States and in India.

Rupert Ayton
Mr. Ayton is the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of a nationwide public charity. He has 30 years of investment and financial management experience that includes social finance. He has taught and lectured at the university level and has published groundbreaking research in the social finance sector.

Terry Babcock-Lumish
Ms. Babcock-Lumish founded Islay Consulting LLC to meet the needs of innovative clients committed to effecting positive change, from local to global. Terry’s research interests involve decision-making in financial innovation at the intersection of science, technology, and society, with implications for private and social entrepreneurship alike. She has worked in local, state, and federal government.

Gregg Bagni
Mr. Bagni has experience in brand, market and product development, with a deep understanding of the “enthusiast” mindset. Have recently worked on projects in the outdoor, bike, natural foods, green automotive categories.

Zubaida Bai
Zubaida Bai is widely regarded as an expert and a leader in the field of engineering design for low-cost health products customized for the developing world. Zubaida's work at the bottom of the pyramid demonstrates her passion for empowering underserved women, and has led her to be selected as the TED India fellow for 2009 and the Maternal Health fellow for 2010-2011 by Ashoka, Echoing Green 2012 among many others. She has a Master's in Engineering (product development and design) and an MBA (social and sustainable enterprises).

Ross Baird
Mr. Baird is the Executive Director of Village Capital, an initiative that uses peer support to build world-changing enterprises worldwide. Village Capital has launched fifteen programs on five continents worldwide, supporting over 250 enterprises; enterprises; entrepreneurs themselves have allocated over $2 million from partner investors through programs. Ross also serves as a faculty member at the Monterey Institute for International Studies, where he helps lead the Frontier Market Scouts program, the nation's top initiative for young professionals interested in careers in impact investing. Prior to starting Village Capital, Ross served as an Investment Analyst with First Light Ventures, where he helped build a 20-enterprise portfolio over the past three years. He also has on-the-ground experience in Hyderabad, India, with the Indian School Finance Company.

Brian Baker
Mr. Baker is the Executive Director for Entrepreneurship at the University of Mary Washington Center for Economic Development. He manages an incubation program, student and faculty project engagement program, the Virginia Business Incubation Association, and a Small Business Development Center that provides consulting, management training, and strategic research.

Anita Balachandra
Ms. Balachandra, Senior Vice President, TechVision21, a consulting company whose clients are largely technology developers spanning a number of industry sectors – biopower, nanomaterials, ocean thermal energy conversion, solar (PV, CPV, solar thermal), energy storage, IC engines. TechVision21 helps them navigate the federal labyrinth.

Ed Barker
Mr. Barker is a former director of corporate partnerships for an environmental research organization, a former business consultant to social enterprises, and the director of a nonprofit environmental education organization.

Christian Bartley
Mr. Bartley's area of expertise is global strategy. He has lead / participated in the various aspects of entrepreneurship, from launching ventures, to building and selling them, to working on both sides of acquisition deals. His education includes graduate degrees in engineering and business. Through one of his current projects he is heavily involved in the water technology sector, liaising with companies, investors, and NGO's. He helped get one of the 14 official UN Global Compact Cities its designation for its work in fresh water research. He has traveled the globe working in water issues, and connects with such companies as GE Water, Siemens, Veolia, and NGOs as UNESCO, OECD, IWA, and AWS to mention a few.

Kira Bates
Ms. Bates is a Principal and Founder of MacKenzie Public Relations, Kira Bates directs public relations and strategic marketing campaigns for core clients. In addition to overseeing business development, Kira provides clients with branding solutions that include public relations, social media, crisis communications, copywriting, and event marketing. Prior to launching MacKenzie PR in Washington, DC, Kira worked in the fashion industry in NYC. Kira managed public relations campaigns for high end fashion clients that include Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, and Halston, along with the premiere fashion boutique Intermix. Her experience overseeing the press and marketing for these clients, as well as understanding the amount of work that goes into producing fashion lines shown in NYC, Milan, and Paris, provides her with a unique understanding of the fashion industry.

Matt Bauer
Mr. Bauer is the founder of multiple non-profits as well as co-founder and president of a sustainably run telecom company.

Sarah Bellos
Ms. Bellos runs a textile dyeing service using all natural dyes and provides dye services to individuals and fashion designers. She started and sits on the board of an urban farm and has managed a local farmers market. She is starting a natural dye grower cooperative.

Lauren Bender
Ms. Bender is an angel investor focusing on ventures that promote sustainability. She has advised numerous start-ups on strategy, product development, partnerships and fund-raising, and was the co-founder of a venture-backed Silicon Valley start-up. Her prior experience is in financial services product development and strategy, and she currently co-manages a niche investment fund. She is on the board of a social enterprise based in Senegal, and is part of a team starting a sustainable farm in the New York City vicinity.

Jeremy Berke
Mr. Berke is a sales and marketing consultant, a past participant in the William James Foundation competition with a business plan for hand-crafted, renewable-sourced candles made in Latin America and distributed in the US.

Greg Berry
Mr. Berry is a serial entrepreneur in IT, web and social enterprise with a sincere passion for cycling, both as recreation and transportation. He has also previously advised bike-sharing companies in Colorado.

Rajasvini Bhansali
Rajasvini Bhansali has over 15 years of experience working with non-governmental and civil society organizations in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Sunny Bhattacharjee
Mr. Bhattacharjee is a founder director of Technable Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a social enterprise working in education and skills development in India, for over 10 years. Prior to Technable, Sunny had 15 years of corporate experience in ICT in companies like Nortel, MCI, as well as, with start ups in USA. He founded two ICT ventures in USA before starting Technable. Sunny holds an MS in Computer Science and a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

Martin Bihl
Mr. Bihl grew up in advertising; his father, grandfather and many aunts and uncles were in the business. He has worked at award-winning agencies across the country and sine 2004 has provided direct advice and support to agencies and Fortune 500 clients around the world. Mr. Bihl is a frequent contributor to industry publications globally, and teaches marketing and advertising in the Philadelphia area.

Brandon Bloch
Mr. Bloch is a Video Producer and Social Media Specialist at the U.S. Department of State, where he produces videos about climate and energy efficiency.

Hugh Blodget
Mr. Blodget is a Management Consultant in financial services, helping clients resolve strategic and operational issues. He has a BS in Operations Research & Engineering, as well as MBA (Yale SOM) and Master of Architecture (Yale School of Architecture) degrees. He also designs and build wood furniture and have worked in green construction.

Larry Bohlen
Mr. Bohlen is an engineer, eco-entrepreneur and environmental advocate with a focus on food and agriculture. He is the founder of NaturalCheck, a food safety testing company, and Green Leaf Gold, a green mining company.

Wendy Bolger
Ms. Bolger is a consultant working with mission-driven organizations to help meet their strategic and funding needs. She has a background as an intra-preneur in both the business and nonprofit worlds.

Erin Boyd
Ms. Boyd is a public health professional with twelve years of experience in Asia and Africa working for NGOs and UN agencies.

Lee Boyle
Mr. Boyle is a commercial lender for a community bank and a former board member of Sustainable Business Network of Washington.

Caroline Bressan
Ms. Bressan is an investment officer at Calvert Foundation. Her main focus is on investments in Latin America working in microfinance, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, water/sanitation, and Base of the Pyramid investments.

David Brindley
Mr. Brindley has a background in bioprocess engineering and now holds a joint post at a major business school and a translational stem cell research facility. He has a strong interest in all aspects of biotechnology, including renewable energy.

Khadijah Britton
Ms. Britton, JD, is founder of BetterBio, a Massachusetts-registered nonprofit and fiscally sponsored project of the 501(c)(3) Fractured Atlas whose mission is to empower journalism that reinforces the intimate connection between life and science. Khadijah also serves as Chief Communications Officer for the Open Science Alliance and 2011 Open Science Summit, as well as Science Communication Editor for Double X Science. She has a long history of analyzing medical device, biologic, biofuel and green tech companies.

Lynn Broadbent
Ms. Broadbent is the Fellowship Director of RSA United States, a non profit committed to social progress and 21st Century Enlightenment.

Beth Brockland
Ms. Brockland has ten years of experience in nonprofit management, community organizing, public policy and international development.

Allen Bromberger
Mr. Bromberger is a partner with the NYC-based law firm of Perlman & Perlman, LLP, where he specializes in representing mission-oriented businesses and charities in a wide variety of business law matters and transactions.

Binta Brown
"Ms. Brown is a partner in the corporate practice of the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She advises general counsel and other senior management officials of Fortune 100 companies with respect to corporate governance matters and other special situations, in addition to providing general corporate advice to early- and growth-stage businesses. Ms. Brown's pro bono practice has included advocating on behalf of women and girls and other human rights matters throughout the world. She was named as one of the 2012 ""40 under 40"" business leaders by Fortune Magazine, one of the 2011 ""40 Under 40"" professionals in Crain's New York Business, has been recognized by that National Organization for Women as a ""Woman of Power and Influence"", and in 2012 the World Economic Forum honored her as a Young Global Leader. In addition to her corporate practice she is an angel investor and sits on several boards, including Barnard College and Human Rights First."

Christina Browne
Ms. Browne recently graduated from business school and works at a social venture fund. Prior to business school, she worked at an investment bank and later for a microfinance organization.

Michael Brownrigg
Mr. Brownrigg has been in venture capital for 15 years, 12 years as a Managing Partner at ChinaVest investing in logistics, manufacturing, services and IT in China, and for the last three years as a Founding Partner of Total Impact Advisors (TIA), a merchant bank for social entrepreneurs. In the course of these related careers, he has read hundreds and helped craft dozens of early stage business plans. TIA has looked at green energy, water, agriculture, recycling and many other social ventures.

Lopa Brunjes
Ms. Brunjes is an entrepreneur deeply engaged in the biochar industry for over five years, and has also worked with and advised environmental, impact investing, and social entrepreneur organizations.

Manuel Bueno
Mr. Bueno is an Investment Officer at the Grassroots Business Fun where he leads pipeline sourcing, due diligence and supervision of SME investments in the US, South America, East Africa, India, and Indonesia.

Denise Bump
Ms. Bump is a financial advisor with 11 years experience in investments, financial planning, and insurance. She also owns a financial planning franchise.

Cameron Burgess
Mr. Burgess has been founding, catalyzing & commercializing sustainable ventures for more than fifteen years, and is responsible for many marketplace 'firsts' in Australia.