BOARD OF DIRECTORS

---

Ashanti Davis is a Visual Artist, Thinker, Social Justice Advocate, and Arts and Culture Innovator who believes in the power of art, curiosity, and creativity to create meaningful change. She has led interdisciplinary teams in the development of unique STE(A)M experiences and exhibitions and has co-instigated and chaired internal groups for Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Accessibility. She is the Community Experiences Designer for Pueblo LLC and the co-founder and Executive Director for The Unless Society. In her art practice, she is undertaking a new body of work focused on her journey of spiritual decolonization through mixed media painting, sculpture, and community engagement.

As a social scientist in the action-oriented field of community & regional planning, an engaged neighbor, living-systems facilitator, I am committed to facilitating research and action that enhances our capacity to co-create sustainable, resilient, and regenerative communities accessible to all, now and in the future. 

"My work and play in the world is to help people imagine past what they think is possible. I am a cultural mythologist, a creator, a conjurer and quiet revolutionary and work to help people bring their most beloved wild ideas to life as a coach, speaker, and cheerleader. I've worked with hundreds of organizations and individuals as they have looked to re-invent their projects, processes, and dreams. Live, online, on the radio, and in print. I am so lucky to have the most extraordinary launching pad, a Catskills retreat center called Spillian: A Place to Revel. We offer public and private events to mark moments of deep imagination and celebration in people's lives.

An invitation... Want to kindle your wild idea to life? Send me a message with an “I’m in” for weekly sparks to get you going. Let’s set the world on fire."

Shannon is with Regenesis, a world leader in the field of regenerative development - an approach to land use, community development, and the built environment that has defined the leading edge of sustainability practice for more than two decades. Shannon also lends critical leadership in the discussion of the intersection of regenerative thinking and practice with social equity. 

Shannon is with Generation180, a nonprofit leader shifting how we respond to climate change. She is a community organizer committed to transforming the way we interact with each other and the natural world. She volunteers with Regenr8, a group of regenerative practitioners seeking to effect positive change in alignment with healthy living systems and vibrant communities in central Pennsylvania.   

Board Treasurer

John is cofounder of DBC Partners, LLC, which focuses on supporting BIPOC developers and projects in underserved neighborhoods that have significant upside to the communities.

Marcus Sheffer promotes the application of a living systems, regenerative approach to projects and organizations. After 12 years at the Pennsylvania Energy Office, he founded Energy Opportunities in 1993 to provide technical consulting services on all manner of building energy issues, renewable energy systems, the environmental impacts of human enterprises. Marcus is also a partner in 7group, a multi-disciplinary team of professionals developing the capacity of your project and organization to affect how humans regenerate life through building. 

As a founding partner of 7group, John helped develop the company as an internationally recognized multi-disciplinary consulting firm focused on integrative design and regenerative practice. As an architect, he has focused exclusively on sustainability since 1996. He co-authored The Integrative Design Guide to Green Building, a seminal book published by Wiley in 2009, and he has curated integrative/regenerative development workshops in 35 states and 14 countries.

Founder and Board Secretary

Erik is a systems analyst focusing on resource management in urban and natural systems. He uses modeling to inform infrastructure planning. Erik specializes in leading multidisciplinary applied research projects and is the principal architect for the Artes model of urban water resources management in Los Angeles County. He is director of the California Institute for Water Resources. 

Lauren's work focuses on creating the conditions within and between people that enable us to shift perspectives, collaborate in meaningful ways, and unlock new thinking in service to a better future for all. Primary client parters include Rockefeller Foundation, Ashoka, Volgenau Foundation, and Arizona State University. 

Felipe Tavares is environmental engineer and consultant in regenerative development. Grounded in the systemic view of life and regenerative thinking, he works for the evolution of sustainability towards integration with the intelligence of living systems.

Felipe is co-founder of the Institute for Regenerative Development (IDR); author of the book The Call to Regenerative Leadership (2019, Editora Bambual); co-initiator of Pólen, a local ecological currency; and co-creator of the Uberlândia Heirloom Seeds Exchange Festival.

Founder and Board Member Emeritus

Glenna has a deep background in corporate process improvement, and has a successful interior design firm. Sustainability Nexus is founded upon some of the concepts of her masters thesis.