25th Anniversary Annual Meeting Program

Nima Etemadi
Co-founder, Cake Life Bake Shop

Nima Etemadi grew up in Vancouver after his family immigrated from Iran. His upbringing as a first-generation North American shaped his food lens, together with a strong interest in both French cuisine and the foodways of the American South. He graduated from culinary school and worked in kitchens and catering before attending Sarah Lawrence College, where he met his best friend and future business partner, Lily Fischer.

After earning his degree, Etemadi worked as assistant editor at Aperture, a non-profit photography magazine and publishing house, but office life soon gave way to another round of culinary school – this time at the French Culinary Institute (now International Culinary Center) studying pastry arts.

In 2012, Etemadi moved to Philadelphia to found Cake Life Bake Shop with Fischer, first located in the Globe Dye Works building before moving to its flagship location in Fishtown. A proud transgender business owner, he hopes to see more members of the LGBTQ+ community start businesses of their own.

Marsha Levell
PolyMath Consulting, LLC

Marsha Levell, MBA, CSM, is the Principal of PolyMath Consulting, LLC, an executive coaching firm for small business owners and C-Suite level leaders.

She is the product of public-school education, graduating from Stuyvesant High School in NYC. She began her career with a stint in the federal government doing benefit analysis. From there, she spent over 25 years managing marketing, sales, and logistics operations in the publishing industry, higher education, and other businesses and sectors.

Zoraida Cordero
SBN Executive Director

Zoraida Cordero, A U.S. Army veteran, civic educator, and macro social worker, has served in various roles spanning the government, nonprofit, and private sectors. During her time at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, she strengthened environmental equity through community involvement, public communication, and strategic partnerships. She also assisted with transforming local neighborhood spaces into hubs of opportunity through youth development and programming with Safe-Hub Philadelphia.

Zoraida holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Muhlenberg College. She teaches Civic Engagement at Drexel University and is a part of the Montgomery County Commission for Women. She appreciates a great book and loves spending time with her fiancée and fur babies.

As the new Executive Director of SBN, Zoraida vows to bring continued commitment to building thriving communities by advancing a just and green economy where sustainability, equity, and shared opportunity intersect. Her work is rooted in the belief that when people, communities, businesses, and the environment thrive together, we all rise.

Rebecca Nichols Franqui
Program and Membership Manager

Before joining SBN, Rebecca spent several years working with her family’s small business, pursuing its mission to be a more sustainability-minded member of the Philadelphia community. She helped enhance their commitment to sustainability through partnerships with like-minded businesses, engagement with community members, organizations, and civic associations, and company branding on recycling bins and reusable bags. Her previous experience includes working for her university’s sustainability department, spreading awareness for recycling e-waste, and as a programs coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Burlington and Mercer Counties.

Rebecca received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at Pacific Lutheran University and has a Master’s Degree in Environment, Politics, and Globalization from King’s College London.

Ilene Stark
Sustainability Outreach and Engagement Fellow

Ilene recently graduated in May 2025 from the University of Maryland, with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Policy. While attending UMD, Ilene was the Sustainability Coordinator for the Residence Hall Association, as well as a Program Assistant for the Terp-to-Terp Campus Reuse Store.  She was also a member of Epsilon Eta, the Environmental Science and Sustainability fraternity.  In 2024, she had the opportunity to travel abroad on Semester at Sea, where she traveled to 10 different countries on 3 continents. There, she learned how to navigate different cultures, communicate with different people, and step outside of her comfort zone. This trip also grew her interest in outreach and engagement, something she has prior experience with as an intern at EARTHDAY.org. She hopes to apply all of her experience and knowledge she has gained to aid in SBN’s goal of helping businesses thrive while protecting the environment and surrounding communities.

In her free time, Ilene loves to thrift, scrapbook/collage, read, workout, and spend time with her 3 cats and rabbit. You can also find her working behind the counter at her family’s Rita’s Italian Ice franchise, which she’s been at for 9 years!

Judy Wicks
SBN Founder

Author, activist, and retired entrepreneur, Judy Wicks founded Philadelphia’s landmark White Dog Cafe in 1983, helping spark the farm‑to‑table movement and setting a national model for sustainable business. She went on to launch Fair Food Philly, the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, and cofound the national BALLE network (now Common Future). Judy later created the Circle of Aunts & Uncles micro‑loan fund and founded All Together Now PA to build resilient regional economies in the face of climate change. In 2023, she stepped back from organizational leadership as the initiative evolved into PA Fibershed, focused on sustainable textiles.

Her entrepreneurial roots stretch back to cofounding the Free People’s Store in 1970—later renamed Urban Outfitters—and opening the Black Cat in 1989, a fair‑trade and locally made gift shop. Judy’s decades of work have earned major national honors, including awards from the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and induction into the Innovators Walk of Fame.

After selling the White Dog Cafe, she published her award‑winning memoir Good Morning, Beautiful Business: The Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer in 2013. Now, Judy is channeling her energy into transforming her own backyard into a sustainable homestead and future community learning space.

Leanne Krueger
PA-State Representative (PA-161)
Past SBN Executive Director

State Representative Leanne Krueger represents Pennsylvania’s 161st Legislative District in Delaware County. Leanne made history in 2015 as the first woman to represent the district. A progressive champion and tireless advocate for women, school kids, the environment, and working families, Leanne was elected by her peers to serve on the House Majority Leadership team as House Democratic Caucus Administrator where she is the first woman to hold the office. She convenes the Blue Green Working Group and is a co-founder of the Climate Caucus. Leanne was the first woman to chair the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee, where she spent four and a half years working to flip control of the Chamber. 

Prior to elected office, Leanne served as the first Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN), and Senior Director of Strategy and Development at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), an organization which supported over 50,000 locally owned, independent businesses across the country to create a stronger, fairer economy. She has received local and national attention for her work in economic development and public policy.

Leanne holds an MBA in Urban Economic Development from Eastern University and a BA from Rutgers University. She is also a BALLE Fellow, a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program and a 2009 Pennsylvania Fellow of the Center for Progressive Leadership.

The 161st District is comprised of Aston Township, Brookhaven Borough, Chester Township, Middletown Township (part),  Nether Providence Township, Ridley Township (part), Rose Valley Borough and Upland Borough. Leanne lives in Wallingford with her son Wendell.

Jamie Gauthier
Philadelphia City Councilmember, District 3
Past SBN Executive Director

Jamie R. Gauthier, City Councilmember for West and Southwest Philadelphia’s Third District and the only Philadelphia elected official with a planning degree, champions policies that protect long-term residents, expand affordable housing, strengthen public spaces, and advance environmental sustainability. Her leadership includes enacting the city’s first mandatory inclusionary zoning policy, helping create the Eviction Diversion Program, securing major investments for community resources like Sayre Pool, and supporting Community Land Trusts. She also launched the #JustServicesPHL campaign to improve quality‑of‑life services, has been a leading voice for a public‑health‑centered response to gun violence, and established the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force to develop proposals for Black Philadelphians whose ancestors endured slavery and Jim Crow.

Before joining City Council, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier served as Executive Director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, where she carried out vital improvements in West Fairmount Park and organized stewardship and care for parks across the city. 

After graduating from Central High School, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier received an accounting degree from Temple University and her Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania

Devi Ramkissoon
Chief Sustainability Officer, Montgomery County
Past SBN Executive Director

Devi Ramkissoon has 15+ years of experience in international development, specializing in working with sustainable businesses for economic growth and poverty reduction. An immigrant and social entrepreneur herself, Devi has worked tirelessly to advance the work of small businesses from underrepresented communities across Latin America, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East. For nearly the past decade at USAID, she led multimillion dollar food security, environment, and private sector development projects around the world, managed the Agency’s premier knowledge-sharing platform for market development, and advanced the US Government’s sustainable development goals at multiple international market development fora. She has won numerous awards from the US Government and the private sector for her leadership navigating global humanitarian crises. She is now working as the Chief Sustainability Officer for Montgomery County. 

Devi holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English Literature from Swarthmore College.

Feast Your Eyes is an experiential catering and events company grounded in the belief that exceptional hospitality has the power to uplift people and strengthen community. With a people centered culture, Feast makes sure every team member feels supported and valued. They are equally committed to environmental stewardship through local sourcing, seasonal menu development, food-waste reduction, composting partnerships, and continuous efforts to reduce our operational footprint across both our kitchen and on location at events.

Glitter was born from a simple idea: that everyone deserves to live on a clean, safe block—and that neighbors can come together to make that happen. Since 2021, Glitter has built a unique, pay-what-you-can model that pools small contributions from residents and businesses to fund weekly block cleaning. The service is delivered by local cleaners, many of whom face barriers to employment and are earning a living wage averaging $30/hour plus profit sharing. 

This model has allowed Glitter to clean thousands blocks and remove over 1,000,000 pounds of litter, while providing meaningful, dignified work for 34 Philadelphians—75% of whom face barriers to employment including being formerly incarcerated. They are proud to now serve over 1,400 active subscribers across 350 blocks, and are continuing to grow with new city partnerships and grant-funded projects in areas like Germantown, West Philly, and Northeast Philadelphia.

Glitter’s work directly contributes to all three pillars of the triple bottom line:

People: At our core we are helping neighbors come together to solve hyper local problems by building connection and community pride through collaboration.

Planet: By removing trash from our ecosystem we are preventing stormwater pollution and reducing environmental harm through regular block-level cleanups.

Profit (with purpose):  We prioritize equitable hiring and living wages as well as profit sharing to our whole team.

Strategy Arts is a planning and facilitation consulting firm with an emphasis on equitable community engagement. Since our founding in 2003 we have been guided by a set of principles centering humanity and being good stewards of the earth. When B Lab was established it gave a structure to our values and we became a founding B Corp and in 2019 a Best for the World honoree. We also had the honor of being part of the founding board of SBN and our Managing Partner, Elizabeth Guman, served as co-chair with Judy Wicks. 

Strategy Arts works directly with marginalized communities and the organizations serving them on many societal issues such as high rates of economic insecurity, food insecurity, disproportionate rates of infant and maternal mortality and morbidity, reentry issues and more. We know all too well that these disparities predominantly affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and that understanding root causes of these disparities is a requirement for changing the system.

To engage in this work we do extensive professional development, including unpacking internal bias for privileged identities and support and healing for marginalized identities. In our client work, we incorporate equitable practices relevant to the processes required for the project that range from ensuring marginalized voices are included through stakeholder engagement, incorporating equitable norms in meetings, training on equitable practices for clients and equity audits. We continue to develop a strong internal culture that values each of our team members through our policies and our collaborative working processes. Our latest project has been to learn about and incorporate self-governance practices to deepen our commitment to shared decision-making and power.

Solar States is a certified B-Corporation founded in 2008 with a dual-mission to install solar and educate the next generation. They take a triple-bottom-line approach to solar: People, Planet, and Profit.

PEOPLE: Solar States provides full healthcare, 401k, and profit-sharing to all employees—but more importantly, they build careers. In 2025, their Find Your Power program trained 100 students, employed 27 paid interns, and extended 8 full-time offers—up from 5 interns and 3 hires the year before. To date, they’ve trained 600+ people through partnerships with Philadelphia OIC, PowerCorpsPHL, and the Energy Coordinating Agency.

PLANET: Their 2,000+ installed systems have saved customers $15+ million in avoided electricity costs and kept millions of pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Solar States makes solar accessible to ALL in our communities.

PROFIT: Seventeen years in business, driven by reputation and referrals. They avoid high-pressure sales tactics and instead find sensible solar+storage solutions for homeowners and businesses across the region.

PWPvideo (PWP) provides Video with a Mission. They are a boutique production company specializing in video and podcasting services to nonprofit organizations, sustainable businesses, and education agencies. From the founding in 2000, to their initial B Corp Certification in 2012, through today, PWP has been aligned with the organizations they serve. PWP uses their creative talents to help improve the lives of others through education and opportunity. Core values at PWP include deep sustainability practices and promoting volunteerism. In addition to their team volunteering annually on Martin Luther King Day and throughout the year, their company principals serve on nonprofit boards. 

What sets PWP apart from other companies is their combination of experience, instincts, and ability to thoroughly understand the organizations they serve. PWP knows that nonprofits have to stretch every creative dollar and, above all, serve the mission of the organization in the most effective way possible. They serve nonprofits, their staff has worked with nonprofits, it is a part of their culture and who they are as people. This experience enables PWP to produce media that enlightens and moves viewers by telling thoughtful and respectful stories of real people, while understanding pacing, visual interest, and purpose. PWP is built on courtesy, honesty, creativity, and successful communication. This recipe has led to them developing long-term client relationships with like-minded organizations.

Re:Vision was founded in 2002 to make a positive difference in the natural, built, and social environments. Today, Re:Vision is comprised of two studios in one LEED-certified building—an Architecture studio that designs sustainable projects and a Sustainability Consulting studio that supports other architects, owners, contractors, and organizations to  make their work and their companies more sustainable.

Sustainability is part of Re:Vision’s DNA and it shows in our portfolio of Zero Energy verified, Passive House certified, LEED Platinum, Living Building certified, and common-sense-green projects. Re:Vision has been recognized nationally and locally as sustainable design experts and thought leaders by leading organizations including the AIA, The New York Times, Metropolis Magazine, PHIUS, Living Future, and others.

With care for the impact of our business, Re:Vision has been a certified B Corporation since 2007 and Just labeled since 2021 to make transparent our social and environmental performance.