Team
M.R. Rangaswami
Founder
M.R. Rangaswami is an entrepreneur, investor, corporate eco-strategy expert, community builder and philanthropist. Recognized as a software business expert, he participated in the rapid expansion of the Silicon Valley software industry during his tenure as an executive at both large and small software companies. In 1997, he co-founded Sand Hill Group, one of the earliest “angel” investment firms, and was profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. He was named to the Forbes “Midas” list of investors and also recognized by CRN as one of the Top 25 Technology Executives. He also hosts the Enterprise Retreat for the top 100 leaders in technology. In 2012 M.R. founded Indiaspora, a non-profit organization to unite the Indian Diaspora and to transform their success into meaningful impact in India and on the global stage. M.R. is a board member of the Kaliash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation, The Nudge Foundation and the WISH Foundation. He received the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) “Influential Leaders” award in 2015 and the US-China Educational Trust (US-CET) inaugural “Asians in America” award in 2016. In 2020 he was the recipient of the “Global service” award from the Canada-India Business Council.
P.J. Simmons
Co-Founder and Chair
P.J. has worked for three decades as a trusted sustainability analyst, strategist, and bridge-builder. After serving as a researcher on environmental affairs at the National Security Council (1993-1994), he founded and directed the Environmental Change & Security Program (ECSP) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. P.J. subsequently held senior positions at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. He also served twice as the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Deputy Chair for Energy & Climate Change and led the energy and environmental team for the inaugural CGI-University. P.J. is author (with Dan Esty) of The Green to Gold Business Playbook: How to Implement Sustainability Practices for Bottom-Line Results in Every Business Function (2011). He received his B.A. in political science (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Tufts University, his M.A. from Johns Hopkins SAIS, was a Fulbright scholar, and holds a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University. P.J. is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Amy O’Meara
Executive Director
Amy O’Meara joined CEF in 2011 and currently serves as Executive Director. Before joining CEF, Amy was Senior Manager for Environment and Energy at the Clinton Global Initiative, advising corporate and NGO members on commitments related to clean energy, corporate sustainability, green mobility, and waste management. Previously, she was Policy Director for Business & Human Rights at Amnesty International USA and on the Corporate Community Engagement Team at Pact Worldwide. Amy has provided technical and research assistance to nonprofits and companies in a wide range of industries on cross-sector partnership development, stakeholder dialogue, social responsibility and sustainability. She holds a Masters Degree in International Educational Development from Boston University.
Mike Rama
Deputy Director
Mike joined the team in 2020. He plays a key role in shaping CEF’s programming strategy and leads CEF’s information and research efforts, including the CEF Member Center. Mike holds an MBA in Sustainable Innovation from the University of Vermont, a degree designed around the business concept of generating profit through purpose. Before CEF, Mike consulted for private companies and nonprofits, providing ESG-related research and strategy solutions. He also held several different leadership roles in the social impact space, involving stakeholder and community engagement, resource development, and values-based storytelling across the areas of poverty alleviation, affordable housing and homelessness, emergency response management, and youth empowerment and skill-building. Topics that excite Michael the most: GHG sequestration/carbon removal; agroforestry; animal welfare; climate tech & innovation; authentic storytelling; social impact and access to basic needs; and local entrepreneurship.
Dana Gulley
Senior Program Associate
Dana works with the CEF team as a strategic advisor, researcher and facilitator for special initiatives and the CEF Annual Leadership Retreat. They are passionate about economic thinking that centers equity, justice, and the possibility of flourishing, diverse communities that function in harmony with thriving ecosystems. They support this vision through their strategy consulting practice, Third Peak Solutions and their podcast project, Decade of Courage. Dana has worked on environmental sustainability in the private sector, nonprofits and through public service in both Vermont and on Capitol Hill. They have spent the past four years lecturing in the Sustainable Innovation MBA program at the University of Vermont, where they obtained their degree in 2017. They also serve as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources where they earned their B.S. in Environmental Studies in 2010.
Erik Assadourian
Editor-in-Chief, CEF Weekly Briefing
Erik joined CEF in August 2022 as the editor of the CEF Weekly Briefing. He has been a sustainability researcher, writer, and educator since 2001. He served as a researcher with the Worldwatch Institute for 16 years. There, he directed two editions of Vital Signs and directed or co-directed five editions of State of the World, including the 2017 edition: EarthEd:Rethinking Education on a Changing Planet, the 2013 edition: Is Sustainability Still Possible? and the 2010 edition: Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability. Erik also designed Catan: Oil Springs, an eco-educational scenario for the popular board game The Settlers of Catan.
Christine Ramos
Events Director
Christine brings over two decades of experience in managing meetings, events and large-scale productions for major corporations as the founder of Encore Productions. She works meticulously to incorporate the highest standards in green meeting design and practices at all CEF events. For logistical information relating to CEF events, including travel and accommodations for the annual meeting, please contact Christine directly.