matsleder

Nancy McFadden has served as executive secretary for Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. since 2011—the title in law for the chief of staff position. Throughout her career, McFadden has served as a key legal, political, and policy official at both the federal and state levels, as well as in the private sector. McFadden was a senior vice president for Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation. A high-ranking member of the Clinton Administration for eight years, McFadden served as deputy chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore, general counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and deputy associate attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice.

KaraHurst

Kara Hurst leads Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon. Utilizing Amazon’s scale, speed, and innovation, Sustainability at Amazon includes core teams focused on packaging innovation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, circular economy, social responsibility and human rights, sustainability science and innovation, sustainability technology, partnerships and external engagement, and sustainable transportation. Prior to Amazon, Hurst served as CEO of The Sustainability Consortium and as a Vice President of BSR for 11 years, where she built global industry practices in technology, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, and entertainment. Prior to BSR, Hurst worked in Silicon Valley as executive director of the public-private venture OpenVoice, in corporate affairs for the Children’s Health Council, as a research lead at the Urban Institute, and as a policy staffer for both Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco and the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.

Google

Kate Brandt leads sustainability across Google’s worldwide operations and products. In this role, she works with Google’s data centers, real estate, supply chain, and product teams to ensure the company is capitalizing on opportunities to strategically advance sustainability and circular economy. Previously, Brandt served as the United States’ first federal chief sustainability officer. In this capacity, she was responsible for promoting sustainability across federal government operations, including 360,000 buildings, 650,000 vehicles, and US$445 billion annually in purchased goods and services. Prior to the White House, Brandt held several senior roles in U.S. federal government, including senior advisor at the Department of Energy, director for energy and environment in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, and energy advisor to the secretary of the Navy. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest award the U.S. Navy can give to a civilian, for her work helping the Navy go green. Outside Magazine also named her, in honor of the magazine’s 40-year anniversary, as one of 40 women who has made the biggest impact on our world.