EarthX Women Women in the Environment Virtual Summit

All You Need to Know and Don’t Know Who to Ask How to create, organize and communicate movements that work.

12:00 - 2:30 pm PDT

Speaker Bios

KATHY ELDON | CO-MODERATOR

Founder of Creative Visions Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a graduate of Wellesley College, Kathy has worked as a teacher, journalist, author and film and television producer in England, Africa and the United States. In 1997, Kathy launched Creative Visions Foundation, a global organization that supports "creative activists" who use their creative talents to change the world around them. CV was inspired by the life of Kathy's son, Dan Eldon - artist, adventurer and activist - killed in 1993 while on assignment for Reuters News Agency in Somalia. Since 2004, CV has acted as an incubator, academy and agency for more than 200 projects and productions by artists, filmmakers, playwrights, leaders of social movements on five continents who use media and the arts as vehicles of social change, impacting over 100 million people. Kathy is also the founder of Creative Visions Productions, which has produced award-winning films including Dying to Tell the Story, a TBS special about the front line correspondents hosted by Kathy's daughter Amy Eldon Turteltaub; Soldiers of Peace, a Children's Crusade, a CNN film

profiling the Children's Peace Movement in Colombia, and Global Tribe, a cutting edge PBS series hosted by Amy featuring grass-roots creative activists. One "Global Tribe," an interactive website, inspired the development of Rock Your World, a common core curriculum that engages middle and high school students in local and global issues. Together with Julia Roberts, she exec-produced Extraordinary Moms, a special for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) about the power of mothers to transform the world that featured then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rosie O'Donnell and Christiane Amanpour. After many years of development, The Journey is the Destination, a feature film about Dan, directed by Bronwen Hughes (Harriet the Spy, Forces of Nature, Stander) had a gala premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 and is available on all streaming video on demand platforms (Amazon, iTunes). Kathy is the author of 18 books, including Angel Catcher, Soul Catcher and Love Catcher (Chronicle), a series of popular self-guided journals written with her daughter Amy Eldon Turtelatub that help people negotiate loss and grief, find their purpose and introduce more love in their lives. Kathy edited the acclaimed collection of Dan's journals, The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon (Chronicle), and has also written a variety of popular cookbooks, eating out guides and children's social history books. In 2013, Harper One published her memoir In the Heart of Life. Kathy has been profiled in a number of books, including Arianna Huffington's "On Becoming Fearless," "Those Who Dare: Real People, Real Courage" and "Fearless Women." Kathy was named one of MSN's "10 Amazing Women You Have Never Heard Of," together with Nobel Peace Prize winners Wangari Mathai and Jodi Williams. Kathy was given a Euro-American Women's Council Artemis Goddess Award for her work with young creative activists, and named a Civic Ventures Purpose Prize Fellow. On Nelson Mandela's Birthday in 2013, Kweku and Ndaba Mandela nominated Kathy for the George H.W. Bush "Points of Light" award and in February 2014, Kathy was awarded a grant of $25,000 after being named the winner of the Unite4Humanity's Inspiration Award in the Arts at a ceremony in the presence of President Bill Clinton. Kathy has been featured on countless television and radio programs globally, including several appearances on Oprah and a segment on Oprah's "Producer's Favorites." A popular speaker, she hosts "Caught in the Act," a Huffington Post video blog that features dynamic creative activists. Kathy lives in Malibu with her husband Michael Bedner, next to the Dan Eldon Center for Creative Activism, a vibrant hub for individuals who want to help change their bit of the world. 

XIYE BASTIDA | CO-MODERATOR

Lead Organizer of Fridays For Future, NYXiye is a 17 year old Climate Justice activist and organizer in NYC. As of now, she is the only youth representative at the Administration Committee of People’s Climate Movement-NY, is member of Sunrise Movement Columbia Hub, Extinction Rebellion NY, Fridays For Future, NY-Renews, 350.org and others, to communicate the implications of the existing Climate Crisis, among other issues, like the disproportional impacts on indigenous communities and their ecosystems, on black communities and people of color. She spoke at the World Urban Forum 9 in Malaysia (2018) about the challenges that youth face because of the climate crisis in three different venues and was featured in the official closing video of WUF 9- Malaysia.  In 2018 she received the Spirit of the United Nations Award. She has talked in several panels organized by Sunrise (where Bill McKibben sent a message), Ethical Culture, (both panels with Alexandria Villasenor) and Peoples Climate Movement, discussing about the Green New Deal, the Dirty Buildings Bill and the Climate and Communities Protection Act. She was recognized as the most articulate speaker during the Public Hearing to determine the passing of the Declaration of Climate Crisis in NYC by Council Member Costa Constantinides last Monday June 24th at City Hall (voice audio by WhatsApp). She is being invited to be at the UN this July and in the week of the Culture of Peace in September, and is planning to speak at the Global Citizen Festival with Greta Thunberg and other youth figures.  She has been one of the four organizing leaders of NYC Fridays for Future Strikes March 15, May 3 and May 24. Together with Peoples Climate Movement Admin. Committee, she is planning weekly trainings for students July 25 -September 20, 2020 to give them tools to organize environmental clubs and rallies, connect with council members, write op eds, be more effective on social media and educate themselves on immediate solutions like Drawdown and HERO so that they can demand

immediate energy policy shift from their governments and immediate investment from corporations.

PAT CHANDLER | CO-MODERATOR

CEO of Creative VisionsPat Chandler is the CEO of Creative Visions and brings more than 25 years of business, marketing and media management experience and expertise to the organization.  She comes to Creative Visions from Points of Light where she served on the executive team for eight years holding positions as SVP of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships, Chief External Affairs Officer and Senior Advisor to the CEO. Points of Light is the largest volunteer management organization in the world and has a mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world.

Prior to her tenure with Points of Light, she was Chief Operating Officer of SWI Consulting, Inc., a company that specialized in managing and activating the philanthropy and social influence of athletes and entertainers. Chandler was also President of The Home Depot Foundation and head of Community Affairs for The Home Depot. In these roles, she managed and designed the company’s corporate social responsibility, civic engagement and philanthropy programs.

She served as President and CEO of Chandler Communications, a full-service marketing and public relations firm headquartered in Seattle, for nearly 10 years and was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington, Bastyr University and Seattle Community College’sCenter for Business Development where she taught marketing and public relations courses. Early in her career she also worked in the media as a television producer and print journalist and was managing editor of the True Citizen, a weekly newspaper in Tacoma, Washington. She is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington and holds degrees in Political Science and Urban Planning.

MEGHA KADAKIA | CO-MODERATOR

Head of Impact Media Strategy and Production of Creative Visions, Sundance, Tribeca and Film Independent FellowMegha Kadakia is Head of Impact Media Strategy and Production at CREATIVE VISIONS, where she works with filmmakers and activists to develop, co-produce and finance social entertainment impact media. In addition, she brings a unique blend of business experience, diversity, inclusion, and artistic vision to the world of independent filmmaking through her production company - BLUE VELOCITY PICTURES. Kadakia has produced the fiction features MISS INDIA AMERICA (Hannah Simone, Tiya Sircar), RASPBERRY MAGIC (Bella Thorne, Allison Brie), THE TIGER HUNTER (Danny Pudi, Rizwan Manji, Jon Heder, Karen David, Kevin Pollack), and HUMMINGBIRD (Director Tanuj Chopra and Actress/Producer Sheetal Sheth). Kadakia is in development on a series of fiction features, docuseries and documentaries over the next few years.  Recently, Kadakia co-founded the global media entertainment brand to empower young girls through animation, SUPER AMAZING PRINCESS HEROES. She is the recipient of Sundance’s 2019 Creative Producing Lab, Sundance's 2018-2019 Momentum Fellowship, Cannes' 2012 Producer's Fellow, Film Independent 2011 Producer’s Lab, and the Tribeca All-Access 2010 Program. In 2018, Kadakia presented a TEDX talk on Media and Diversity at UNC Chapel Hill.  Kadakia worked at Disney | ABC, Deloitte Consulting and several film production organizations in the capacity of Business Development and Finance. She received an MBA from Columbia University, Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in BioChemistry and Specialization in Business from UCLA.

ELLEN VAN DEN HONERT | GUEST

Film Director of There is a Place on EarthEllen Honert, a native of the Netherlands, always knew she would be a singer.

She studied piano early on and then jazz voice at the Dutch Conservatory of Music but dropped out because she felt she was losing her personal voice. Cycling home from a Tuck and Patti concert in Amsterdam, she ran into the American musicians on a canal and they invited her to a jazz camp in California. Honert used this opportunity to launch her musical career in the US.

After a stint of gospel singing at Glide Church in San Francisco, Honert joined V Soul, a group of singers from Glide, which toured the Netherlands. In 2006 Ellen teamed up with renowned Bay Area producer Frank Martin, who invited a host of stellar musicians, including Tuck and Patti, to record "Breath of the Soul," Ellen's first CD. This album features six original songs (four co-authored with Martin) and six covers, all arranged by Martin. 

In 2010 her second CD "Hummingville" followed, another successful collaboration with Martin.

ERIKA S. WOOLSEY | MODERATOR

Marine Biologist, Technologist and National Geographic Explorer, Executive Producer of "Immerse," a 360/VR filmErika Woolsey is a marine biologist, designer, VR filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer, visiting scholar at the Stanford University Virtual Human Interaction Lab, and CEO and co-founder of The Hydrous, a nonprofit devoted to translating marine science into public understanding. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she conducted her Ph.D. research with James Cook University on the Great Barrier Reef, earned her master’s of applied science in coastal management from the University of Sydney, and studied biology and art history at Duke University.

SLATER JEWELL-KEMKER | GUEST

Filmmaker and Youth Climate Activist Youngest ever Resident of the prestigious Canadian Film Centre Directors Lab, Slater Jewell-Kemker has been making films since she was six. An award winning filmmaker and climate activist, Slater has been featured by Forbes twice: once for her 12 year documentary feature on the rise of the global youth climate movement YOUTH UNSTOPPABLE, and another for her CFC short film STILL which explores domestic violence and infatuation. STILL premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and was chosen as part of Canada's Top Ten, landing her in Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen Canadian Filmmakers as one of 15 filmmakers under 30 to watch. YOUTH UNSTOPPABLE premiered at Michael Moore's invite only Traverse City Film Festival, going on to screen at over 80 film festivals around the world and garnering thirteen awards. Slater is also an accomplished speaker and frequently is invited to speak on film and climate change panels to represent the voice of youth, in addition to giving filmmaking workshops to teenagers. She is currently in development on her debut fictional feature. She lives in a tiny house on wheels on her farm in Southern Ontario, Canada.

EMMA CARRASCO | GUEST

Senior Vice President of Global Engagement, National Geographic SocietyAs the senior vice president of global engagement at the National Geographic Society, Emma Carrasco leads strategic engagement and outreach efforts with key stakeholders around the world to further the visibility, vision, and impact of the Society. Her responsibilities include the management of the Society’s most strategic partnerships, executive thought leadership, crisis and reputation management, and oversight of the Society’s internal communications function. She is also an executive sponsor for the organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts. 

In addition, Carrasco serves as a liaison with international constituencies and organizations, foreign delegations and dignitaries, like-minded global partners, and others across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. She joined the National Geographic Society in 2016. 

Carrasco’s career spans more than 30 years in strategy, engagement, marketing, branding, media, and communications where she has worked with an array of major national and international brands to grow their market share and revenue, including National Public Radio (NPR), Univision, McDonald’s Corporation, Nortel Networks, and Fleishman Hillard. She serves on the board of Toast Ale, a social enterprise that tackles food waste by turning surplus bread into beer. Carrasco holds a B.A. in communication and media studies from Loyola Marymount University.

KAREN MAURICE-O’LEARY | GUEST

Creative Strategist for Facebook and InstagramKaren Maurice-O’Leary is a specialist in creative ideas that inspire, motivate, evoke compassion and empathy. She works for Facebook's Creative Shop team in North America, providing creative support, community strategies and technical storytelling ideas for brands and agencies.

She’s a storyteller with a passion for AR/VR For Good, a public speaker on all topics from diversity, transformational technology to creating compassionate workplaces. Her personal ‘Home for Bolognese’ story has been adopted and used by advertising agencies and corporate brands across the globe. She has won over 40 advertising industry awards from all corners of the planet, including a Grand Prix in Cannes and a Grand Clio in Miami.

MARLOW BAINES | GUEST

Co-Youth Director of Earth GuardiansMarlow Baines is a 17 year old from Boulder, Colorado and is the Co-Youth Director of Earth Guardians. Born in Seattle, WA and raised in the mountains of Evergreen, CO she has an intrinsic and deep love and appreciation for wild, open spaces and places.

Working closely with Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and Tamara Roske, Marlow has been an integral member of the Earth Guardians National Council, Rising Youth for a Sustainable Earth (RYSE), and is honored to serve as Co-Youth Director alongside Xiuhtezcatl. She previously served as Earth Guardians Global Crew Director, a role in which she actively connected with youth leaders across the globe about their initiatives and resource needs, while providing educational materials and support.

Marlow’s insatiable desire to learn, to deeply understand cultural issues, and to elevate the voices of her peers gives her the energy and the motivation required to balance school work with the work she does organizing at the local, state, national and international levels. As youth representative for Earth Guardians, she has participated on youth organizing committees for Alliance for Climate Education, International Indigenous Youth Council, US Youth Climate Strikes, Fridays for Future, Future Coalition and has collaborated with Zero Hour, Extinction Rebellion, 350.org, Our Children’s Trust, Colorado Rising, and others. Marlow has attended, presented, and helped plan youth programming at conferences across the US including 1% for the Planet, Bioneers (San Rafael, CA), Earth’s Call and Earth X (Aspen, CO), Planet Home (San Francisco, CA), VERGE 2019 (Oakland, CA), and many others. Marlow has presented alongside Bernie Sanders and met with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as one of the diverse coalition of youth demanding climate action from Congress. As part of the effort to bring awareness to the Youth Climate Strikes, Marlow was recently featured alongside 18 youth climate activists in the Facing Extinction campaign by Patagonia.

MANDEEP RAI | MODERATOR

BBC Journalist and Author of Best Seller: The Values CompassDr. Mandeep Rai is a global authority on values, working with companies, institutions, and individuals around the world. She has traveled to more than 150 countries and reported as a broadcast journalist for the BBC World Service and Reuters, among others. She began her

career in private banking at JPMorgan, and later worked for the United Nations, the European Commission, and grassroots NGOs before setting up the UAE’s first media venture capital fund. Mandeep studied philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE), has an MSc in development from the London School of Economics, and completed an MBA at London Business School, with a year at Harvard Business School and MIT. She also holds a PhD in global values.

ISHA SESAY | MODERATOR

BBC, SKY AND CNN International Journalist and Author of Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko HaramIsha Sesay is a British journalist of Sierra Leonean descent. Since 2005 she has worked as an anchor and correspondent for CNN International. Originally based at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and now based in Los Angeles, she hosts the news programs CNN Newsroom Live from Los Angeles. In addition, she was the presenter of the 360 Bulletin on Anderson Cooper 360°. In 2012 Sesay also joined HLN as a co-anchor for Evening Express. She left CNN in 2018 to support her organization, W.E. Can Lead, which works on girls education projects in Africa.

KEHKASHAN BASU | GUEST

Founder and President, Green Hope Foundation, Canadian Youth Activist and National Geographic Young Explorer and Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize Iconic youth leader, global influencer, environmentalist, champion of children’s rights, peace and sustainability campaigner, and passionate advocate of women’s rights, 19-year-old Kehkashan Basu is a trailblazer who has been challenging the status quo and social strictures that impede the progress of future generations. Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize, Basu is a tireless advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals. She is a United Nations Human Rights Champion, the youngest ever global coordinator for the UN Environment Program’s Major Group for Children and Youth, a Climate Reality Leader, a TEDx speaker, and the founder and president of the social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation, which provides young people in 15 countries a networking platform to engage in the sustainable development process. A powerful voice for future generations, Basu has spoken at over 125 UN and other global forums across 25 countries.

ARIELLE MARTINEZ COHEN | GUEST

Youth Activist, Zero Hour Music DirectorArielle Martinez Cohen is an 18-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and activist from Los Angeles, CA. She has been working in the music business since she was nine years old, singing backup vocals for artists such as Imagine Dragons, Frank Ocean, Macklemore, Foster The People and Linda Perry, and appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Conan O’Brien and The Talk, among others. At 13, she started to write her own songs, and at 15, she was selected to attend the Grammy Foundation’s summer camp for Songwriting. In January 2018, her song, “Two Minutes to Midnight” was used by The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in their announcement of the

Doomsday Clock. In March 2018, she sang her song “Why” at the March For Our Lives rally in downtown Los Angeles in front of an estimated 200,000 people. She was then selected by Instagram for their #captureconfidence campaign, featuring teen girls who are using their talents to affect positive change. In May 2018, Arielle was the featured artist in LA Works’ The Power of Women in the Music Industry.  Around this time Arielle also began working with the youth-led climate action group, Zero Hour, and performed at their Climate March in Washington DC in July 2018. In September 2018, she performed as the featured artist at the UN affiliated Youth Creating Global Change concert at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, and spoke at the Pathway to Paris Concert there. In early 2019, she also began working with the Sunrise movement, and as the lead organizer for Youth Climate Strike, Los Angeles. She also became a lead organizer for the Class of 0000 campaign, and spoke at her high school graduation, as valedictorian. As Partnerships Director for Zero Hour, Arielle then helped organize the Youth Climate Summit in Miami, Florida in July 2019. In September 2019, Arielle was selected to attend the United Nations Youth Climate Summit in New York, and was also a speaker at COP25 in Madrid, Spain. Arielle is a student at Brown University, and hopes to use music to create positive social change.