LEADERSHIP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SARA EVE FUENTES
CHAIRWOMAN
Sara Fuentes is the Founder and President of SmartWaste. With 10 years of experience in the Waste and Recycling Industry, Sara is a leader in abating commercial waste. A passionate advocate for women and a tenacious leader, Sara is setting out to alter the cleantech landscape and finding her own niche. Sara draws on her experience working as an educator and Vice-Chair of the Women in CleanTech and Sustainability organization, where she is an impactful mentor and friend.
Smart Waste is a Minority Women-owned and operated start-up with a focus on Waste Technologies, Waste Systems and Vendor Management for Zero Waste programs. Our core values are Transparency, Circularity, and People. Transparency to establish trust. Circularity to explore and validate the downstream community. People are the heart of sustainability. Our Impact will influence our communities to practice a zero-waste lifestyle. We are looking to work with companies that are in alignment with our values and goals.
Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Founder and Vice Chairwoman
Lisa Ann Pinkerton is the founder and Vice Chair of Women in Cleantech & Sustainability, an international professional networking non-profit dedicated to the advancement of women in their careers. She served as Chairwoman from the organization’s inception until 2024. She is also the Founder and President of Technica Communications (http://www.
Before shifting her career to support professionals and startups in the Cleantech and Sustainability sectors, Lisa Ann was an award-winning environmental science journalist who reported for National Public Radio, PBS Television, WPXI-NBC, American Public Media, and Free Speech TV.
KIRPA GREWAL
VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR
Kirpa is one of the WCS Board of Directors who is the Co-Chair of the Volunteerism Committee and Executive Committee member, supporting all the WCS committees.
She is an environmentalist working to protect important ecosystems and the services they provide. She connects people with the environment to affect global change.
Originally from the Bay Area in California, she completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Cruz and has gained an M.Sc. Hydrology & Water Security from the University of Oklahoma. Kirpa is based in Grenada in the Caribbean, where she works on sustainable natural resource management, conservation, and economic development initiatives. She leads fundraising and finance for MOBY (a social enterprise), is a Youth Ocean Leader with Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), a Volunteer Researcher at Ocean Spirit (leatherback sea turtle research), and is a conservation diver at Aquanauts Explorer.
She goes on weekly coastal cleanups with her dog, Ziggy, to clear trash from local waterways and bring awareness to the marine litter problem. Kirpa enjoys conducting scientific research (water sampling, microplastic pollution), climate stewardship, gardening, hiking, scuba diving, biking, writing, live music, and adventuring in nature.
JULIE BUSCH
BOARD SECRETARY
Julie is the Board Secretary for Women in Cleantech & Sustainability (WCS) and the President of Product Rehab. She is a customer-centric executive with 20+ years of experience identifying new revenue opportunities for Fortune 500 companies in technology, health, and financial services. She is a strategist, a visionary, and a diplomat with a polished and proven approach to leading and motivating key stakeholders to leverage customer voice data, inclusiveness, and objectivity. She holds an MBA from George Washington University.
Cathy Zhang
Membership Committee, Business Development
Cathy serves full-time as R&D Team Lead – Sustainability/Circular Economy at Saint-Gobain, a Fortune 500 manufacturing company committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. At Saint-Gobain, she leads efforts to push the boundaries of material technologies to guide the company towards its sustainability and circular economy goals. Additionally, the team she leads deploys digital tools and training programs to nurture a culture of sustainable innovation across the organization.
Cathy Zhang is guided by a deep passion for cleantech and innovation, and she is on a personal mission to foster diverse, collaborative, inclusive communities that address pressing sustainability challenges. As a female scientist, engineer, and team leader, Cathy has a track record of mentoring women and underrepresented individuals in the fields of STEM and innovation. She is eager to extend impact to even broader communities via her role as a volunteer board member for WCS. Cathy holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University.
Tracy Huynh
Marketing Committee Co-Chair
Tracy is a licensed Professional Engineer and currently a Senior Associate at RMI’s Carbon-Free Building Program where she leverages her expertise in structural engineering, mass timber construction and Life Cycle Assessment analyses to focus on reducing carbon embodied in building materials. Before that, she worked in New York City as a structural engineer and project manager specializing in complex, freeform structures, mass timber buildings and sustainable designs that were structurally efficient and optimized material use. She later moved to Vancouver, BC and led the research, development, and prototyping of prefabricated mass timber building components to support the advancement of industrialized construction. She earned her B.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering at Rice University and her M.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering at Princeton University. She’s an avid defender for social and environmental justice and leverages her leadership to advocate for positive change.
Joanna Rogers
Marketing Committee Co-Chair
With 15+ years of experience in B2B marketing, Joanna Rogers has a diverse background working for companies in the healthcare, commercial real estate, and renewable energy sectors. Currently, she is the Vice President, Marketing at Terrasmart, where she is responsible for marketing and product strategies that drive customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and advance Terrasmart’s mission of powering people, partners, and the world forward. Over the course of her career, Joanna has acted on her passion for the advancement of woman, having built and led leadership development programs and resource groups at multiple companies to help women advance in their careers and make the path easier for those that follow. As the marketing co-chair for WCS, she is thrilled to be able to tell the stories that promote WCS’ position as a thought leader and compelling organization for women to gain the tools to build their careers in cleantech and sustainability. Joanna graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics.
Caroline Trowbridge
Europe Chapter Co-Chair
Caroline has five years of experience in renewable energy finance, having worked on a wide range of infrastructure assets including C&I energy efficiency retrofits at an early-stage start-up, Metrus Energy, and utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage at an established developer, Leeward Renewable Energy. Caroline is now focused on offshore wind at Ørsted as a Senior Financial Analyst.
Alongside her day job, Caroline is passionate about helping women advance their cleantech careers. She has sat on the board of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability for three years as the Co-Chair of the Events Committee, introducing virtual programming during the pandemic, hosting industry experts, and moderating panels in San Francisco. Caroline moved to Copenhagen in 2022 and is now leading the launch of WCS in Europe.
She holds a BA in Mathematics from Middlebury College.
Anna Yee
Entrepreneurship Committee Co-Chair
Anna Yee is currently a contractor to the Department of Energy, where she supports the innovation and commercialization of emerging climate technologies through public funds and public-private collaboration. With five years of experience in climate tech incubation and acceleration, she brings a unique insight into program design and strategy to support entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. Anna is passionate about expanding women representation and leadership in the innovation space, both amongst entrepreneurs and investors. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Oregon.
Pam Sammarco
Career Development Committee Co-Chair
Pam is CEO, Green Training Associates LLC, a Talent Development Firm founded in 2009, to develop people’s capabilities to solve the world’s challenges and build sustainable organizations. Pam is deeply committed to helping clients and people protect the earth, with every conversation using a deep connection of training to an organization’s goals. We accelerate impact with Training, Workforce and Leadership Development, Culture, DEI, Coaching, Onboarding, Mentoring, and Career Path Solutions. Working with startups to global brands to higher education, Green Training Associates LLC integrates sustainability’s human and business side to drive ESG goals and a thriving culture with employees performing at their highest potential. Pam is an Organizational Psychologist, M.S., a Certified Hogan Leadership Coach, and a Certified Professional in Talent Development (ATD). As a solution architect, Pam transforms learning experiences into ESG impact with 35+ years in corporate training, including 24 years in Tech. With lifelong dedication, Pam empowers women to successfully gain greater confidence, build key capabilities, and achieve aspirational career paths. Pam is fiercely committed to her Women in Cleantech & Sustainability Career Development Board Officer role to catalyze our community with a new vision: WCS responds effectively to members who say, “I need help with my career.” We deliver amazing, unparalleled, member-centric, Career Development experiences to attract, retain and develop women. Green Training Associates participates in US Green Building Council MANE Region and the Women in Green Council, Future Food Tech, Sustainable Food Eco-systems, NJ TechUnited, NJ Sustainable Business Registry, Jersey Water Works Association and Northern New Jersey Association for Talent Development. Pam is a science & technology enthusiast; yoga practitioner and well-being advocate; a green lifestyle; a sustainable investor; an avid recycler; a nature photographer; a power walker; and a farm-to-table cook with New Jersey produce.
Lael Giebel
Events Committee Co-Chair
Lael has 14 years of sustainability experience, and is currently the Director of Global Sustainability at KnowBe4, where she manages the organization’s global sustainability program across 11 countries. Inspired by her lifelong passion for environmental conservation, she became a LEED AP in 2009, and received her MBA in Sustainability in 2011. As a certified TRUE Advisor, Lael is trained in zero waste management to help organizations meet waste goals and cut their carbon footprint. She is also an Envision Sustainability Professional, Green Globes Professional, and Certified Climate Change Ambassador. She is interested in holistic approaches to sustainability that integrate environmentally friendly practices into all facets of life and livelihoods. She is also author of the award-winning book, Sustainability is for Everyone: Beginning Steps to Creating a Sustainability Program for Your Business.
Oakley Jennings-Fast
Volunteer Committee Co-Chair
Oakley received her Chemical and Biological Engineering undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and began her career working for BASF in the chemical manufacturing industry. Inspired to shift her career, she founded her own consulting company, Level Up Planet, and served as the Director of Circular Economy for Smart Waste USA. In her free time, Oakley volunteers as a board member for Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and produces a podcast called Trash Magic!
Leslie Petry
Board Member, Career Development Committee Co-Chair
Leslie Petry is a highly accomplished marketing executive with over 25 years of experience developing marketing strategies, building high-performing teams, and enabling women to grow in their careers. Leslie is an entrepreneur at heart, is passionate about creating a sustainable future of our planet, and brings a unique blend of hands-on experience along with strategic thinking skills to an organization. She has built and launched new programs across early stage start ups and multi-billion dollar companies. Leslie is a seasoned leader and has established Women@ employee resource programs along with leading mentorship programs focused on career development and growth. For the past eight years, Leslie has led strategic programs and marketing teams at Meta (formerly Facebook). She has also held leadership positions at Neustar, Hara Software, and National Semiconductor. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
Marine Dajunts
Membership Committee Co-Chair
As a seasoned finance and investment professional, Marine brings to the table a unique blend of experience from Fortum, one of the largest producers of CO2-free electricity in Europe, headquartered in Finland. Her expertise lies in strategic budgeting, process automation, and cost management, which she has leveraged to drive substantial growth in the cleantech industry. Her work in both Venture Capital and Corporate Venture Capital arenas has honed her skills in nurturing innovation while grounding it in sound business strategy. Marine’s career embodies a commitment to environmentally conscious investment and technological advancement, with the ultimate goal of fostering a cleaner world.