Staff & Board
Please click on a name to see bios and pictures.
Staff
Michelle Long, Executive Director
Christine Ageton, Managing Director
Alissa Barron, Managing Director and Network Services Director
Andrew Connor, Events Manager
Jessica Renner, Communications Manager
Martin Sorge, Program Coordinator
Alie Walker, Program Coordinator
Board
Sandy Wiggins, Chair, Founder and Principal, Consilience LLC; Chairman, e3bank
Matt Bauer, Vice Chair, Founder, Lowcountry Local First
Paul Saginaw, Treasurer, Cofounder, Zingermans' Family of Businesses
Don Shaffer, Development Committee Chair, CEO, RSF Social Finance
Ellen Shepard, Secretary and Governance Committee Chair, Executive Director Andersonville Chamber of Commerce and Andersonville Development Corporation
Baye Adofo-Wilson, Founder, Lincoln Park/Coast Cultural District
Merrian Goggio Borgeson, Researcher, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
David Korten, Author; Founder, Positve Futures Network; Cofounder and Board Chair of Yes! Magazine
Derrell Ness, CEO, Ready Distribution
Jamila Payne, President, Milla by Mail; Founder, National Association of Sustainable Fashion Designers
Judy Wicks, Cofounder, BALLE; Founder, White Dog Café; Founder, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia
BALLE Staff
Michelle has experience starting and growing several organizations that support mission-driven small- and medium-sized businesses. Most recently, Michelle was co-founder and executive director of Sustainable Connections in Bellingham, Washington -- one of BALLE's oldest and largest networks. Its membership, now over 700 locally owned businesses, has led Bellingham in becoming the nation's top EPA-certified green power community, a leader in green building, in fostering hundreds of new relationships between farmers and food buyers, and shifting the purchasing behavior of 3 in 5 households toward choosing independent retailers and services whenever possible. In July 2009, the National Resources Defense Council named Bellingham the #1 small city in the nation in urban progress toward sustainability. Michelle was recently named one of the west coast's "top five leading ladies of sustainability" by the Sustainable Industries Journal. A regular keynote speaker, she teaches workshops on creating effective community business networks, is the co-author of Local First: A How-to Guide, and is the author of the new Building a Community of Businesses: A Sustainable Connections How-to Kit. Starting in 2001, Michelle was BALLE’s first director, transitioned to serve on the BALLE board starting in 2003, and later returned as executive director in 2009. She also currently sits in on the board of the Sightline Institute.
Christine Ageton, Managing DirectorManages BALLE's Community of Practice Immersion program, including leading design, cohort selection and communication, consultant selection and management, and immersion implementation evaluation with partners.
Christine is an experienced project development specialist, facilitator, and instructor. She has designed and implemented programs in economic development (Clinton Foundation-Peru), drinking water protection (New Mexico Rural Water Association), and conservation planning (IDB, World Bank –Belize, Honduras and Guatemala). Christine is also an instructor who has taught undergraduate students international development implementation (College of Santa Fe) and guided peer to peer learning for conservation professionals (Kinship Conservation Fellows Program). Christine received her Bachelor's degree from Skidmore College and holds two masters’ degrees from the University of New Mexico, in Community and Regional Planning and Latin American Studies. She has published papers on co-management park initiatives in Belize, Innovative Economic Development Initiatives in Peru and in land use and cultural preservation planning in northern New Mexico.
Directs planning, execution, and evaluation of BALLE's network services; lead staff consultant to existing and new local business networks.
A facilitator, trainer, and social scientist, Alissa holds degrees from Brown University in Environmental Studies and Development Studies. With Michael Shuman, she recently co-authored Community Food Enterprise, a global study examining two dozen local ownership models for food enterprise. Previously, she served as global steering committee chair of the International Year of the Reef 2008, a conservation campaign involving more than 50 nations, and as national communication and outreach manager for NOAA’s 26-office Coral Reef Conservation Program and the 19-agency U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. She directed two capacity-building training and technical assistance programs, at NOAA and at Dickinson College, which assisted more than 180 organizations during her tenure with organizational development, strategic communications, public education, and environmental management. Alissa has delivered more than a hundred invited talks and training workshops in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Palau, and the U.S. territories, is fluent in Spanish, and has lived and worked abroad.
Coordinates and manages BALLE’s annual conference.
After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University with degrees in French and International Studies, Andrew spent several years working as a teacher and freelance writer in Japan, Australia and Africa. He has also worked as a newspaper staff writer, covering politics, culture, and the environment. In 2001, Andrew settled in the Pacific Northwest, where he started a live theater and event production company that has produced shows, festivals and events all over the world. Andrew has also served as a trustee, staff member, and executive director of various local arts and community non-profits. He is currently on the boards of iDiOM Theater and The Kulshsan Community Land Trust, and recently worked as the Engagement Coordinator for Project Homeless Connect.
Manages brand consistency, website, electronic mailings, and materials design & production.
Jessica comes to BALLE with a decade of experience as the founder and creative director of Studiohatch, a green communications firm in Bellingham, WA. She brings extensive expertise in the design and development of communications strategies at local and national levels. Jessica has been involved with the marketing and communications for a wide array of socially responsible businesses from local sustainable construction to international outdoor equipment manufacturing. Her work with nonprofits has contributed to the protection of migration corridors in the Central Cascades, the conservation of Old-Growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, and a raised awareness of the devastating effects of toxic chemicals in our bodies. She teaches a variety of topics for businesses and nonprofits including branding, development, and design. Jessica holds a BA in Graphic Design from Western Washington University, is passionate about community involvement, and has a history of nonprofit board service. She currently serves on the steering committee for Whatcom Council of Nonprofits.
Provides technical assistance for network services such as website updates, members website accounts, training manuals, and webinars.
Martin holds a BA in English from Indiana University and an MPA in Sustainable Development and Economic Development at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Martin works with Alissa Barron to expand documentation and dissemination of best practices to deepen connections between networks and create a vibrant learning community. While at SPEA, Martin worked with the Indiana University Office of Sustainability on sustainable food procurement and created a local food outreach campaign on campus. He also worked with the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, a BALLE network, in Chicago, as an assistant to the market manager for the inaugural season of the Andersonville Farmers’ Market, and he volunteered as Resource and Technology Coordinator for Local First Indiana in Bloomington.
Coordinates the distribution and curation of information pertaining to BALLE's portfolio of network services. Manages technical pieces for the organization such as the conference registration site, webinar platform, CMS site and CRM database.
Alie holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her studies focused on the cross section of work, gender and society and led to a career in research and candidate services in both the private sector and academia. Upon moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1999, Alie co-owned and operated a family contracting business, giving her broad experience in all facets of small business operations, including database management and community outreach. A member of BALLE network Sustainable Connections, the company transitioned to a building consultancy with a focus on small, restorative remodels, retrofitting homes for better energy efficiency and alternative energy systems. In addition to her program role, Alie is the resident copy editor at BALLE and assists other organizations, such as the National Cooperative Business Association, with their publications in this capacity.
Board of Directors
Sandy Wiggins, BALLE Board Chair, is founder and principal of Consilience, LLC, a national consultancy with a mission to build environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable communities. During his three-decade career in the real estate industry, he has led the development, design, and construction of projects totaling more than a billion dollars. In 2001, he cofounded the Philadelphia-based Delaware Valley Green Building Council, devoted to changing the building industry to regenerate the natural environment and leverage the built environment to improve human health and productivity. He is a director and immediate past chair of both the U.S. Green Building Council and the Green Building Certification Institute. He is also chair of the newly formed e3bank, a triple-bottom-line bank with a mission to facilitate the transition to a green economy.
Matt Bauer, BALLE Vice Chair, has been a social entrepreneur for 20 years. Before co-founding BetterWorld Telecom, Matt served as director of business development for the AES Corporation, a Fortune 200 global independent power company. He has helped start and significantly grow a number of non-profits including DC's Sitar Children’s Arts Center, Atlanta's True Colors Theatre Company, and most recently, Lowcountry Local First BALLE network of Charleston, SC, as founder and chair. He is also founding director of Green Nonprofits, of Washington, DC, and is a member of the Social Venture Network. He holds a BA in telecommunications from Indiana University and an MBA from George Washington University.
Paul Saginaw, BALLE Treasurer, and Ari Weinzweig opened Zingerman's Delicatessen in March of 1982 in an historic building near the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market, with a staff of two, a small selection of great-tasting specialty foods, a host of traditional Jewish dishes, and a relatively short sandwich menu. Today Zingerman's is an Ann Arbor institution.
Don Shaffer, BALLE Development Committee Chair, president and CEO, RSF Social Finance, has more than 12 years of senior management experience building social mission companies. Most recently, he served as BALLE's executive director. In addition, Don was from mid-2007 to mid-2008 the interim executive director of Investors’ Circle, an organization that facilitates the flow of private capital (over $111 million since 1992) from angel investors, professional venture capitalists, and foundations to more than 200 companies and small funds addressing social and environmental issues.
Ellen Shepard, BALLE Secretary and Governance Committee Chair. As executive director of the BALLE network Andersonville Chamber of Commerce and the Andersonville Development Corporation, Ellen Shepard provides marketing, technical assistance, and advocacy and policy initiatives in support of the commercial district in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. Prior to her work in Andersonville, she was a PR and marketing consultant for a variety of nonprofit and governmental organizations, including the City of Chicago Department of Housing. Her experience with small businesses began at the League of Chicago Theatres, where she provided technical assistance to arts organizations. She spent many years before that as a stage manager and technician on assorted Chicago stages, including Steppenwolf and the Goodman. In 2003, she was named a Chicago Fellow by Loyola University.
Baye Adofo-Wilson, is an urban planner, community organizer, promoter, and lawyer. He is the founder and executive director of Lincoln Park/Coast Cultural District, a community development corporation transforming a low-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, into an arts and cultural district that will include 300 "green" mixed-income housing units, historic restoration projects, an annual music festival, and the Museum of African American Music. LPCCD is collaborating with strategic partners to form a Green Collar Apprenticeship Program (GreenCAP) to provide 100 residents with a trade license in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades. He was previously the director of the New Jersey office of Regional Plan Association, a non-profit regional planning organization, and chair of the 2004 National Hip-Hop Political Convention. He has a BS in sociology and English from Rutgers, a master's in Regional Planning from Cornell, and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Merrian Goggio Borgeson, is a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Her work focuses on the financing and deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy, and workforce development opportunities in these sectors. Prior to joining LBNL, Merrian partnered on clean energy projects with the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, the California Public Utilities Commission, SunPower Corporation, and New Resource Bank. She is the past co-chair of the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC) and founding chair of the UC Berkeley Energy Symposium. Merrian was the director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia and the managing director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). Merrian has an MBA from the Haas School of Business, a Masters from the Energy & Resources Group at UC Berkeley, and BA in International Relations from Stanford University. She currently serves on the boards of BALLE and the Goggio Family Foundation, and is an adviser to the E.F. Schumacher Society.
David Korten, is the author of the international bestsellers When Corporations Rule the World; The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism, Globalizing Civil Society, Getting to the 21st Century: Voluntary Action and the Global Agenda, The Great Turning, and, most recently, Agenda For A New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth. He holds MBA and Ph.D. degrees from the Stanford Business School and has thirty years of experience as a development worker in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He co-founded and is board chair of the Positive Futures Network, which publishes YES! A Journal of Positive Futures, and is founder and president of the Living Economies Forum, co-founder/chair of the New Economy Working Group, and a member of the Club of Rome.
Derrell Ness, Sustainable Business Network of Portland, Oregon, is president and founder of NSA Distribution, a distributor of computerized cash registers and peripherals based in Cerritos, California. NSA celebrated its twentieth year in business in 2005. More recently, Derrell founded Community Payment Solutions, a provider of merchant credit card processing services. Derrell moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon, in 2003 and since then has served on the board of the Sustainable Business Network of Portland, the Portland BALLE Network. He played an active role in planning and implementing Portland’s Think Local First campaign, initially launched in November of 2004.
Jamila Payne, is an entrepreneur and author who ran one of the early internet-based women’s apparel retail businesses selling independent designers. She is now founder and president of National Association of Sustainable Fashion Designers, an organization that creates positive social & environmental change in the fashion industry. Jamila has been featured in InStyle, Entrepreneur Magazine, Black Enterprise, the Wall Street Journal as well as many other publications. She has published two books, First Things First: A getting started guide to being in business in 5 simple steps (2008), and From Payne to Power, Lessons to Achieve Happiness and Success from the Life of an Entrepreneur (2010). Jamila is a graduate of Drexel University and has an MBA from the Lebow College of Business. In addition to BALLE, she sits on the board of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) of Greater Philadelphia.
Judy Wicks, founded the White Dog Café on the first floor of her Philadelphia home in 1983. As the restaurant grew, so did her notion that the strength of her business relied upon the quality and sustainability of its locally grown ingredients. Envisioning how strengthening relationships among independent, community-rooted enterprises could inspire profound social change, she founded the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia in 2001, and co-founded the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies that same year. Judy is also founder/president of White Dog Community Enterprises, a non-profit dedicated to building a local food system and living economy in the Philadelphia region.
Position Announcement:
Chief Operating Officer
