(B) NYC
B LOCAL NYC IS MADE UP OF B CORP CERTIFIED ORGANIZATIONS AND B CORP ADVOCATES WHO BELIEVE IN FOSTERING BUSINESS FOR GOOD THROUGH A COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE, PLANET AND PROFIT.
HOW IT STARTED
B Lab, a non-profit community, committed to transforming the global economy to benefit all people and the planet, was established in 2006. It has grown from 80 certified B Corporation companies in 2007 to more than 6,000 in the US and Canada today.
By driving adoption of B Lab standards and working with allied organizations and activists like B Local NYC, B Lab is proving that the B Corp community can create a more just future for all people and the planet. Its focus on the Theory of Change encompasses three core pillars: Racial Equity, Climate Justice and Stakeholder Economy.
WHERE WE'RE TAKING IT
B Local NYC helps increase B Lab's impact and further the B Corp movement through community outreach and engagement, initiating advocacy, education and policy actions that promote the efforts of a network committed to doing business better.
MEET THE BOARD
Here are the B Local NYC advocates committing their knowledge, passion, time and energy to growing NYC business as a force for good.
Co-chair
Marissa Davis
Marissa is Founder & Principal of Tallawah Consulting, a social impact consultancy that helps mission-driven brands maximize their impact by using equity, innovation, and inclusion to drive their core strategy forward. With a focus on underrepresented communities, she has spearheaded and advised on initiatives with a range of organizations on areas including impact strategy, program evaluation, and inclusive product and program design. Some of these organization include, WeWork, the University of San Diego, UNHCR, and Redesign Health to name a few.
Co-chair
Rai-mon Nemar Barnes
“How do we do better?” Rai-mon was born with this question in his ear. Following the example of his parents, grandparents, and mentors as activists, innovators, and community leaders, Rai-mon has been constantly compelled to build businesses that lead with that question and support the growth of independent businesses for good.
Working with influential brands like G.M., Red Bull, Etsy, AirBnB, Vitamin Water, Vans, and Compass has given him a diverse lens through which to help his clients, and guided his founding of Consciously™.
Events Co-chair
Cassandra Tissot
Cassandre is the Marketing and Sustainability Manager for the North American branch of Davines, a Certified B Corp since 2016 and Benefit Corporation since 2019. Cassandre has been leading social and environmental efforts and B Corp programs within the company. She has also completed the Sustainable Business Strategy certificate at Harvard Business School online to further explore how purpose driven businesses are in the best position to tackle the world’s largest problems. Cassandre considers herself a global citizen, having grown up across France (where she is from), Argentina and the US. She has been based in New York City for the last 10 years.
Finance Chair
Esther Pang
Esther is the Executive Director at March On Foundation, which focuses on making organizing easier. She is also the Director of Future Incubator, a nonprofit startup incubator program that gives youth-led and grassroots groups the professional tools, skills, and relationships needed to run successful, lean organizations and lead powerful social movements. Currently she is the Board Chair for Right To Be, a global, people-powered movement to end harassment. Prior to completing her M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, Esther worked for more than a decade in project management and governance roles in New York, London, and Prague.
Education Chair
Walker Stole
Walker is Head of Sustainability and Customer Success at For Days, a recycling and rewards platform on a mission to end clothing waste by plugging customers and retailers into the financial benefits of circularity. He previously led sustainability efforts at Bombas as well as led them through their initial B Corp certification process. He has also helped guide many others in their journey towards earning B Corp status. Hailing from the mountains of Montana but at home here in NYC, he truly believes we are stewards of a world borrowed from future generations, and we have a collective responsibility to leave it better than we found it.
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Policy Chair
Helen Nwosu
Helen is the Vice President of Social Impact at Prose, a groundbreaking direct-to-consumer beauty-tech brand at the forefront of personalized beauty solutions. Prose's innovative made-to-order approach not only reduces waste but also places a strong emphasis on local production and conscientiously sourced ingredients. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the beauty industry, Essence Magazine named Nwosu as one of the top sixteen "Black Executives Leading the Beauty Industry" in 2023.
Marketing Co-chair
Elizabeth Pang
Elizabeth started out working in fashion, e-commerce, and tech startups, developing and growing their brand awareness. She is currently a regional marketer for South Pole, a B Corp certified climate advisory and climate action project developer. She focuses on understanding the growing demand for climate action among corporate organizations across sectors and manages the brand in the US and Canada. She has developed a passion and interest in climate action and justice.
Community Chair
Amy Birks
Amy helps mission-driven impact companies, led by women and BIPOC teams and founders, to scale without sacrificing what’s important - like values, profitability, and fun. With over 20 years of experience as a strategist, she uses her GPS-Brain to connect dots to opportunities and illuminate potential that might otherwise remain hidden. And with her supernatural ability to filter information down to its essence, she helps turn complex, sophisticated ideas into assets and strategies that influence beneficial change at scale. As a single mom, certified coach, and lifelong explorer of the mysteries of the universe, Amy’s an enormous fan of humanity’s ability to evolve and transform. She brings her endless curiosity and passion for growth to every connection she makes. …along with a deep affinity for old school hip hop, terrible puns, and dad jokes.
Events Co-Chair
Toni DiPrinzio
Toni is the driving force behind People, Culture, and Corporate Social Responsibility at Expanscience North America. She also serves as the company’s B Corp liaison, overseeing all B Corp-related initiatives, and ensuring that Expanscience continues to lead the way in responsible business practices. Toni finds great purpose in creating meaningful connections among people and fostering a culture of purpose. Her work isn't just a job; it's a mission to benefit her team, our broader community, and the environment we all call home.
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Communications Chair
Kendra Peavy
Kendra is the founder of BoldCo. A Purpose Consultancy. She is a communications marketing strategist with 20+ years of experience guiding external positioning, brand visibility, content creation and impact programming for leading D2C and B2B brands. As the head of global communications and sustainability at S'well, she led the company through the B Corp certification process and is now a founding co-lead of the US/Canada B Corp Marketers Network. Kendra has worked for, represented, coached and mentored entrepreneurs in retail, healthcare, marketing and wellness spaces throughout her career to help build responsible businesses with thriving cultures. She is a certified executive coach and sustainability specialist.
Marketing Co-chair
Silvie Catalano
Silvie is the Sustainability Manager at Beautycounter, a direct-to-consumer retail beauty brand and Certified B Corporation committed to getting safer products into the hands of everyone. Silvie is a forward-thinking sustainability leader with an MBA in Sustainable Innovation from the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business (Class of 2021). Prior to working in Sustainability, Silvie worked in Facilities & Operations management for over a decade, and spent five years dedicated to impactful Sustainability initiatives. Her current areas of focus include responsible sourcing, climate action, packaging, and executing educational storytelling campaigns. Silvie is deeply passionate about implementing strategies and fostering collaboration to drive change towards a more sustainable future.
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Partnerships Chair
Sasha Read
Sasha is an Associate Manager on the Brand Purpose team at Danone North America, which is the second largest B Corporation in the world. Sasha got her Master's in Environmental Policy from the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po, and has loved working at the intersection of the food and sustainability spaces ever since. She started out working in startups, working to launch the first energy ball on the French market with Parisian startup Funky Veggie, and bringing farm-to-office lunches to New York City with B Corp Ox Verte, and is now proud to help Danone create change at scale across a portfolio of household food brands like Horizon Organic, Silk, So Delicious, and Happy Family, to name just a few.