EOC Podcast

Mike Farid is the CEO of Nature USA, a zero-waste domestic apparel manufacturer, dedicated to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. He is also the founder and CEO of BGREEN, an organic luxury essential brand. He is an expert in apparel design and production and a pioneer in Sustainable Fashion movement. He has worked and consulted with major brands, retailers, educational institutions, and municipalities on variety of projects. Among his many accomplishments, he is most proud of “Being a cool dad to his 12-year-old son”.

Sam Ruben is an accomplished innovator, entrepreneur, executive, Chief Sustainability Officer and co-founder at Mighty Buildings, a construction tech company based out of Oakland, California which is using 3D-printing technology, advanced materials, and robotics automation to create beautiful, affordable, and sustainable homes. His passion and deep understanding of sustainability and compliance drew him to the vision of addressing the housing affordability crisis by 3D-printing sustainable homes.  As a part of Mighty Buildings’ founding team, Sam has leveraged his expertise working with organizations of all sizes across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to help them improve their sustainability in terms of people, planet, and profit to guide Mighty Buildings’ Certification & Sustainability roadmaps. This has resulted in Mighty Buildings producing the first UL-listed 3D-printed building component, being the first company certified under UL 3401 (new standard for 3DP in Construction), and the first housing unit utilizing 3D-printed components to be certified at the State level in California. Bringing his expertise to Mighty Buildings alongside his other team members, Sam is indeed working to make the world a better place.

Melanie Pullan is the Human Resources Manager at FutureInDesigns also known as FIND, located in Price Utah. Melanie has been working for FIND for two years and involved in the program since 2017. She is a full-time student Western Governors University studying Human Resources. In her spare time Melanie enjoys camping and traveling.

Mona has spent over two decades developing highly collaborative teams, focused on creating positive impact across the community. She possesses a deep experience in the cultivation and stewardship of public-private partnerships, cross-cultural communication, fundraising, recruitment, and capacity-building. Many assignments have required Mona to relocate to highly disadvantaged communities. She speaks fluent Portuguese and conversational Spanish. After graduating Missouri State University in 1994 with a degree in biology, Mona began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer working in forestry on the Portuguese-speaking island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, West Africa. During two years of national service, she served as an integral member of a research team, producing scientific data, which eventually led to the establishment of Obo National Park. Upon returning from São Tomé, Mona was selected to serve as a team leader for the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in Washington, DC, twice as a group leader for Operation Crossroads Africa (Tanzania and Brazil), and then once again as a Peace Corps (Response) Volunteer in Mozambique. In addition to living and working overseas, Mona spent the 2000s in California, serving five years as a Peace Corps Regional Recruiter (San Francisco) and then five years as a Development Director for California State University, Fresno, where she simultaneously earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in 2012. Mona possesses strong skills in cross-cultural communication, consistently seeking out shared values and goals with others, regardless of background. Her own family is reflective of her bicultural existence, blending values from Africa and the United States under one roof. In fact, in 2014, Mona moved her family to Zimbabwe, where her children attended local schools and she served as Africa Regional Director for Tererai Trent International, a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on increasing educational opportunities for girls. In 2017, Mona returned to California with her family. She served nearly two years as a fundraiser with United Way before being selected as CEO of Tree Fresno in October 2019. In her latest role, Mona engages her background in forestry and team management to lead the charge in the transformation of the San Joaquin Valley with water-wise trees and increased green space. Mona has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Fresno since 2007. When she is not driving her teenagers from place to place, she enjoys a variety of hobbies related to eating well and staying fit.

Carlos Shanka is a Biology student at the University of Bristol in Tanzania, South African. He was recently elected as Chair of the Sustainability Network of the Bristol Students Union, a Consultant for sustainability research for the Bristol City Council and the Bristol Green Capital Partnership, the President of the Bristol University Sustainability Team, a Global Shaper, an initiative of the World Economic Forum, and the Coordinator for Spain at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth, also known as COY16. Carlos is from Spain and he is extremely passionate about sustainability. He is currently undergoing a journey of discovery while contributing to fixing global issues such as climate change, environmental sustainability, and social inequalities, based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Carlos started volunteering on environmental projects in the Canary Islands, in Lanzarote, and enjoys transforming his ideas into a reality.

Tyler Maxwell was born and raised Fresno, Ca. in District 4 representing East and Central Fresno. He is part of four generations who have also called District 4 home. He has dedicated himself to fighting for the community by assisting victims of violent crimes, working directly with youth in rehabilitation programs, and served as a Big Brother with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization here in the Central Valley. During his short time in office as a Councilmember, Tyler Maxwell brought forward the Zero Fare Clean Air Act, making Fresno the largest city with a bus fare suspension through COVID-19, which went into effect on March 1, 2021. He is also projecting to plant 100 trees in his district within the next few weeks to beautify our community and help clean our air. Councilmember Tyler Maxwell serves as the youngest member on the Fresno City Council and is committed to making our city of Fresno more sustainable.

Jerri Thompson is an Administrator and Co-Owner with Recovery Resources in Tulare County. She is NCAC-I, CADC-II, ICADC, SAP certified. She has been a substance abuse specialist since 1994. Rick Thompson is also NCAC-I, CADC-II, ICADC and SAP certified. He has been a substance abuse specialist since 1987. In 1999, Rick and Jerri Thompson. founded Recovery Resources'. The staff increased from two founders to a team of qualified professionals. In 2003 Recovery Resources began providing prevention and counseling services to local school districts to reach our youth and work together with school districts to minimize the impact of substance use to prevent students from living a life of addiction and alcoholism. Additionally, Recovery Resources started with one school district and they are now present in five school districts in Tulare County. The website for Recovery Resources is www.recovery-resources.net.

Yesenia Silva-Aguilar is a Research Assistant at the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at the California State University Fresno. Yesenia has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration from the California State University Fresno. Yesenia was one of the Grassroots Representatives in California in the National Oral Health Progress and Equity Network also known as OPEN, and through this role she contributed to the national dialogue the inequities and social determinants of oral health that underserved communities in the San Joaquin experience. Yesenia has been involved in the qualitative research on the impact of policies on vulnerable communities in the san Joaquin Valley. She has experience collaborating with local organizations as the research arm, delivering information from academic research, technical support through the evaluation of community-based programs. Most recently, she has been part of the Fresno County COVID- 19 Equity Project developing and delivering training to all the community-based organizations partners involved in the project.