Meet the Speakers & course facilitators!
Nancy will help instruction on how to market your sustainable certification to broaden your customer base.
More About Nancy:
Nancy MacCreery brings a unique perspective to marketing - blending the business focus of an MBA, the analytical orientation of an engineer, and the creative perspective of a fiction writer.
She believes in listening to the voice of the customer and has used that philosophy to address challenges, create solutions, and help good ideas and organizations grow.
She is also the founder of Broad Reach Marketing Services, LLC, and a board member of NCSBC for three years!
Mica will walk us through what goes into a ESG report and how small companies can use this knowledge to their competitive advantage.
More About Mica:
Mica Crouse is the founder of Big Mountain Impact, a consultancy dedicated to creating a just, regenerative future through social impact coaching and sustainability communications. With an MBA from Columbia Business School and two decades of experience in the public and private sectors, Mica has worked with notable clients like PepsiCo, LEGO, and Walmart, specializing in ESG and sustainability strategies. Her expertise spans team development, strategic communications, corporate reputation management, and impact reporting. She has also held leadership roles at Environmental Defense Fund and has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR.
A passionate advocate for environmental and social justice, Mica addresses issues like climate change, clean energy, racial equity, and human rights. She is an ICF-accredited Certified Professional Coach and has received recognition such as the Austin Under 40 Award for Energy, Mobility & Transportation. Mica frequently coaches leaders, guest lectures at Columbia Business School, and contributes to boards like the Texas League of Conservation Voters and SXSW Eco Advisory. Her work exemplifies her commitment to driving sustainable and impactful change across industries and communities.
Roberta will introduce businesses to CDFI lenders and how they help small companies access capital needed to scale their business.
More About Roberta:
Roberta McCullough currently serves as Senior Vice President of Operations for Institute Capital, a community development financial institution (CDFI) program for the National Institute of Minority Economic Development. She leads her team in providing investment capital for small businesses, affordable housing developers, and community-based organizations. Also, she encourages HBCU collaboration through partnership development, providing training and funding to its future entrepreneurs in their student bodies. McCullough has continually served the economic development industry in management and executive capacities for over 30 years.
Her focus has been to alleviate systemic economic injustices by providing much need access to grant and loan capital for women- and minority-owned small businesses. McCullough currently serves as Board Chair for the Association of Women’s Business Centers and Board Treasurer for Partner Community Capital, a certified CDFI. She holds a BS in Mathematics from Shaw University and is a master’s candidate for an MBA Finance in 2023.
Kim will help businesses align their legal strategy with their mission.
More About Kim:
With a career spanning over 30 years in running a domestic violence center, trauma-informed law, and restorative justice, Kim Wright helps lawyers develop practices aligned with their values, well-being, and client needs. As the co-creator of the Conscious Contracts® model and the Integrative Law Ambassador program, Kim empowers legal professionals to build sustainable, value-driven practices. Additionally, she provides coaching to lawyers globally, guiding them in integrating holistic and restorative principles into their work.
Kim Wright is the author and editor of three books published by the American Bar Association, with their work forming the foundation for law school curricula worldwide, including at seven institutions in South Africa. Having trained lawyers on six continents, Kim also teaches at Quinnipiac School of Law and co-founded the Project for Integrative Law in Legal Education. Their diverse experience demonstrates a commitment to transforming the legal profession by fostering connection, healing, and sustainability.
Vicki Lee Parker-High is the Executive Director of the NC Sustainable Business Council (NCSBC), a statewide organization that aims to help business leaders become a force for good and build a vibrant economy that benefits all people. She will be the main facilitator and speaker on multiple topics throughout the course.
More About Vicki:
Before joining NCSBC, Vicki served as the Communications and Development Director at the Carolina Small Business Development Fund, where she helped secure over $11 million in funding to provide loans to hundreds of small businesses in underutilized markets across North Carolina.
Additionally, Vicki has worked as a business writer for publications such as the News & Observer, the Wall Street Journal, and Black Enterprise Magazine.
She specializes in strategic business planning and program funding development.
In addition to her professional endeavors, she serves on the Boards of Partner Community Capital and American Sustainable Network and the Advisory Council of the Croatan Institute.
Seth will share with us how sustainable principles has guided the growth of his restaurant for over 30 years.
More About Seth:
Seth Gross is a distinguished figure in Durham, North Carolina's culinary scene, renowned for his commitment to sustainability and community engagement. As the owner of Bull City Burger and Brewery, he emphasizes locally sourced ingredients and environmentally friendly practices. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with over 30 years of restaurant experience, Gross has been instrumental in transforming local dining experiences.
Under his leadership, Bull City Burger and Brewery earned its B Corp certification, reflecting its dedication to social and environmental responsibility. Beyond his culinary ventures, Gross is a passionate advocate for the farm-to-table movement, striving to educate the community on the importance of conscious food choices. His efforts have significantly contributed to Durham's reputation as a hub for innovative and responsible dining.
Eric will show us how TS Design has used sustainable practices to innovate his company and remain relevant over time.
More About Eric:
Eric Henry is the CEO and President of TS Designs, a Burlington, NC-based company revolutionizing the apparel industry through domestic, transparent, and trackable supply chains. With over 40 years in the business, Eric has witnessed the industry’s shift to overseas production and is dedicated to creating a more sustainable and equitable model. TS Designs was an early adopter of the triple bottom-line approach of “People, Planet, and Profit” and became North Carolina’s first certified Benefit Corporation (B Corp) in 2008. Through innovations like REHANCE™, a proprietary water-based printing process, and the Dirt to Shirt™ supply chain, Eric has championed eco-friendly practices and local manufacturing.
Eric’s initiatives extend beyond TS Designs. He developed WhereYourClothing.com to enhance transparency, and his Cotton of the Carolinas t-shirts include QR codes linking consumers to every step of the production process. Solid State Clothing, TS Designs’ retail brand, offers small-batch, locally made apparel, experimenting with natural dyes and regional collaborations. In 2023, Eric launched the nonprofit Know Your Clothing to further R&D in sustainable apparel and founded the Piedmont Agrarian Collaborative to support regenerative farming and local food systems.
Maria will introduce businesses to the concept of "Sustainability as Resilience".
More About Maria:
Maria co-founded Southern Energy Management (SEM) in 2001 with her husband, helping to pioneer the residential energy efficiency and solar industries in North Carolina and beyond. Deeply committed to sustainability, she led SEM to become a Certified B Corporation in 2009, one of the first 250 globally to measure its social and environmental impact. After implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) at SEM, Maria became a professional implementer in 2016, expanding her expertise by joining Pinnacle Business Guides and becoming a certified Kolbe consultant.
Through her work at 360Impact, Maria helps organizations and leaders align their values with their actions, their teams with bold visions, and their data with accomplishments. She draws on her extensive experience to design tailored solutions that empower impact-driven businesses to unleash their potential and create meaningful change. Maria's unwavering belief in the power of business as a force for good continues to drive her mission of building prosperous, purpose-driven companies that heal the world.
Sebastian will help us understand how measuring the carbon footprint of your company can help your bottom line.
More About Sebastian:
Sebastian Wolfrum is the executive brewmaster for Capitol Broadcasting Company with his main focus on the Rocky Mount Mills' Brewery Incubator and Bull Durham Beer Co. the first brewery in a minor league ballpark at the Durham Bulls. Born and raised in Germany, he earned his certification as a brewer & maltster with the Ayinger Brewery outside of Munich in 1999. Continuing his brewing career in the U.S., from 2006-2013 Sebastian was Director of Brewing Operations for the second largest craft brewery in North Carolina. As a founding member of the NC Craft Brewers Guild in 2008, he continues to be very involved in the affairs of the small brewers in the region. By 2012, he added a certificate in distilling from IBD, London. On the side, Sebastian founded Epiphany Craft Malt in Durham, NC, providing an integrated regional supply to brewers, distillers, and other sprouted grain ventures, in 2015.
Rohan is a Senior Program Associate at the North Carolina Sustainable Business Council (NCSBC), working to advance sustainable business practices across sectors. He will be assisting with facilitating and contributing to multiple topics throughout the course.
More About Rohan:
Rohan founded The Middle Space, bridging university research with marginalized nonprofits and small businesses. His experience spans community service as a SECU Public Fellow, consulting with The KAL Firm and Oliver Wyman, and leading a research project on rural eco-villages in Denmark and Sweden, recognized by the 2023 UN Climate Action Award. Rohan has authored peer-reviewed papers and presented nationally on sustainability and education policy, his core areas of passion.