Keynotes and Speakers

 

 

 


 

Ross Net Impact is excited to introduce our two keynote speakers for the 2009 conference:


Jerry Greenfield, Co-founder, Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.
Michael Van Patten, CEO and Founder, Nexii Inc.

 

Jerry Greenfield
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.


Jerry Greenfield and his long-time friend and business partner Ben Cohen are the men behind one of the most talked-about, and least conventional success stories in American business. Co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc., Greenfield has helped to build a store front venture into a $300 million ice cream empire by making social responsibility and creative management strengths, rather than weaknesses.

Greenfield was born four days before his future business partner in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up and went to school in Merrick, Long Island. It was there that he first met Cohen in junior high school. After graduating from high school with a National Merit Scholarship under his belt, Greenfield enrolled at Oberlin College.

In 1976, he moved in with Cohen and the two decided to pursue their dream of starting a food business together. They eventually settled on ice cream, and in May 1978, opened Ben & Jerry’s Homemade ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont.

Today models for American business success, Greenfield and Cohen have been recognized for fostering their company's commitment to social responsibility by the Council on Economic Priorities and by the U.S. Small Business Administration. They have also received the James Beard Humanitarians of the Year and the Peace Museum’s Community Peacemakers of the Year Awards.

Today, Greenfield’s official title at the company is Co-Founder. He is involved in promoting the social and environmental initiatives that Ben & Jerry’s undertakes. He is also President of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation.

 

Michael Van Patten
Nexii Inc.


Michael Van Patten is the CEO and Founder of Nexii Inc. NeXii "The Nexus for Impact Investing" is an electronic transactions and communications platform for the social and environmental capital markets. NeXii provides social and environmental enterprises seeking capital and investors seeking mission aligned returns a centralized marketplace in which to source opportunities, access relevant market data, monitor current social investments and complete transactions. Michael has over 20 years of experience on Wall Street and has been integrally involved in the design and implementation of private placement and illiquid security transactions platforms for several companies including co-founding the highly successful NYPPEX. Prior to NeXii Michael founded Mission Markets Inc. an environmental and social capital marketplace that merged to become Nexii.

 

Other speakers include:

• Michael Addonizio , Wayne State University
• Shannon Bouton, McKinsey
• Katherine Brass, GE Energy
• Allison Hannon, The Climate Group
• Michelle Harvey, Environmental Defense Fund
• Carolyn Fairman, Coffee Kids
• Barry Fishman, University of Michigan
• Drew Leahy, MyBandStock.com
• Maud Lyon, Cultural Alliance of Southeast Michigan
• Chris Park, Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Rick Payser, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
• Doug Ross, Uprep
• Chris Stemen , Aramark
• Michael Van Patten, Nexii
• Clayton Wilhite, UMS
• and many more…