Dressed in business attire, people leave the San Francisco Opera House, smiling and talking.

Our Team

Meet the people behind the Goldman Environmental Prize—dedicated to empowering environmental leaders and inspiring global action.

Honoring Environmental Leaders

Working behind the scenes to support grassroots champions and showcase their solutions for the environment, the Goldman Environmental Prize team brings a broad range of talents to the organization. Get to know our staff, board, and jury.

Michael Sutton

Michael Sutton

Executive Director

Melissa Eckert

Director, Finance & Administration

Ilan Kayatsky

Communications Director

Liz Maw

Program Director

David Corrado

David Corrado

Senior Program Officer

Katie Clark

Senior Program Manager, Nominations & Tour

Laura Fernandez

Program Manager, Prize Winner Outreach

Ellen Lomonico

Digital Communications Manager

Amy Breshears

Administrative Coordinator

Regina Kong

Associate Program Officer

Wanjira Mathai

Vice President and Regional Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute, Kenya

Gidon Bromberg

Co-director, EcoPeace Middle East, Israel

Amanda Burrell

Television Producer and Presenter, United Kingdom

Marcelo Mena

CEO, The Global Methane Hub, Chile

Susan R. Gelman

President

John D. Goldman

Vice President

Jennifer Goldman Wallis

Vice President

Rachel Gelman

Board Member

Michael Sutton

Mike is a respected environmental conservation leader with extensive experience managing nonprofit organizations, influencing public policy, advocating for natural resources, and guiding successful philanthropic efforts. His distinguished career has ranged from work with the National Park Service to senior conservation roles at the World Wildlife Fund, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the California Fish & Game Commission, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and National Audubon Society. Mike received his BS in Wildlife Biology at Utah State University; did graduate studies in Marine Biology at the University of Sydney, Australia; and, received a law degree with honors from George Washington University’s National Law Center. He joined the Prize in 2018.

Melissa Eckert

Melissa joined the Prize in 2013 and manages the foundation’s finances, human resources, and office operations. She has worked in philanthropy, strategic planning, public health, and nonprofit administration for over 20 years, having held positions with the Koret Foundation, the Washington University School of Medicine, and the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. Melissa holds a BA in Psychology and a MPH in Community Health from Saint Louis University; she interned at the Carter Center and is a Coro Fellow.

Ilan Kayatsky

An enthusiastic strategist, Ilan has worked in communications and media for more than 15 years—as a communications director for the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, and for Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY); and as a freelance journalist and writer for the New York Post, Architectural Record, the Forward, and beyond. A Bay Area native, he holds a BA in American Studies from UC Berkeley. Ilan joined the Prize in 2017.

Liz Maw

Liz is passionate about empowering and inspiring individuals to lead positive change. She has a rich background in sustainability, with leadership positions at the Presidio Graduate School, a sustainability-focused university, and Net Impact, a nonprofit focused on building a global network of grassroots changemakers. Liz received an undergraduate degree from Yale and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She joined the Prize in 2024.

David Corrado

David is enthusiastic about empowering others to implement human-based solutions to local environmental challenges. Previously, he worked to strengthen partnerships between rural communities, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations within the Environmental Program of Peace Corps Panama, where he served as a volunteer and coordinator at the regional and national level. David received his BA in Ecosystem Science and Policy from the University of Miami. He joined the Prize in 2018.

Katie Clark

Katie has been with the Prize since 2012. She manages the Prize tour, nominations, as well as nominator recruitment and communications. Prior to joining the Prize, she worked at the American Jewish World Service and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society spearheading cross-departmental efforts to steward key donors and fundraisers. She received her BA in Family and Consumer Sciences from San Francisco State University.

Laura Fernandez

Laura is a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area with roots in the Andes mountains of Colombia. She has extensive international experience working for climate and environmental nonprofits, as well as within philanthropy and civil society. She manages resource mobilization and networking for Prize winners, and coordinates Prize winner security and defense. Prior to joining the Prize, Laura was a program officer for communities and the environment at the Rose Foundation, where she now serves on the board of directors. As a firm believer in the power of community-driven solutions, she practices participatory grantmaking as part of the Latino Giving Circle Network. Laura holds two BAs—one in Geography and another in International Relations—from Florida International University and did graduate studies in International Development and Sustainability in Geneva, Switzerland. She joined the Prize in 2022.

Ellen Lomonico

Ellen is excited to elevate the stories and amplify the impact of Goldman Prize recipients around the globe. She manages the Prize’s digital presence, produces written and visual content, and contributes to strategic communications planning. Prior to joining the Prize, Ellen held various roles in the solar industry, from marketing to education program management. She holds a BA in Geography and Environmental Studies, with minors in Spanish and Environmental Systems and Society from the University of California, Los Angeles. She joined the Prize in 2020.

Amy Breshears

Obsessed with organization and devoted to detail, Amy brings a well-honed talent for office administration and management to the Prize. She is responsible for daily office operations and supports in driving the Prize toward its goals. She brings over 20 years of experience in philanthropy, hospitality, and nonprofit event management. Amy earned her BA in English Literature at UC Berkeley and is currently pursuing her MA in mass communications. Amy joined the Prize in 2024.

Regina Kong

Regina brings a commitment to supporting culturally sensitive and community-oriented work, as well as a diverse set of experiences connecting people and places. As associate program officer, she supports all aspects of the Prize nomination and selection process, including programmatic efforts such as youth engagement and outreach. Raised in an immigrant family in the Bay Area, Regina has collaborated with a range of stakeholders on environmental research projects across North America, the Pacific, the UK, and central Asia. Previously, she worked in the Gobi Desert with Mongolian NGO Steps Without Borders on a two-year research project documenting the impacts of mining for nomadic pastoralist communities. Regina holds a BA with honors in art practice and a BA in comparative literature, both from Stanford University. She received her MPhil with distinction from the Nature, Society, and Environmental Governance program at the University of Oxford in England. Regina joined the Prize in 2026.

Susan R. Gelman

Susie Gelman is a vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. She is president and managing director of The Morningstar Foundation, a private family foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. She also chairs the board of the Israel Policy Forum, an organization that has existed since 1993 to advance and promote the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Susie previously served on the board of Jewish Federations of North America and has held a number of positions in the organization, including co-chair of its Israel Advisory Committee and co-chair of JFNA's 2003 and 2013 General Assembly, which were both held in Jerusalem, Israel. She received a BA from Harvard University and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

John D. Goldman

John Goldman is a civic volunteer, active in various philanthropic and community organizations following his business and government career. A passionate advocate for the environment, he is the current President of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. John is the immediate past President of the San Francisco Symphony and continues to serve on its board. He is a past President of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and currently serves on the board of Stanford Health Care and the US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation. In April 2017, John received Stanford University’s Gold Spike award, its highest recognition for service to the institution. He has been a General Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since his appointment by President Obama in 2014. Professionally, John is the former Chair of Willis Insurance Services of California, Inc., and was CEO of Richard N. Goldman & Co. Prior to joining Goldman Insurance Services in 1986, he served in the Office of Legislative Analyst for the State of California and as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the State of California.

Jennifer Goldman Wallis

Jennifer is a vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. She started her career as a CPA in the audit practice at Ernst & Young and later created a mobile app to nudge users toward sustainable transportation decisions. During graduate school, Jennifer led the MBA Stanford Impact Fund’s Environment and Energy deal team. She also completed graduate summer internships in cleantech venture capital, sustainable forestry in Kenya, and environmental nonprofit work at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Jennifer has previously served as a board member of the Rainforest Connection and the Stern Grove Festival Association. She is currently a board member at the Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund. Jennifer holds an MBA and an MS in Environment and Resources from Stanford University. She received a BS in Accounting with a minor in Psychology from the University of Southern California. Jennifer currently lives in San Diego with her husband and daughter.

Rachel Gelman

Rachel Gelman is a community organizer and philanthropist who works to build and resource social movements that fight for a world where all beings can thrive and live in alignment with one another and the planet. She is the founder of the Willow Fund and serves on the board of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund. She was a founding member of Climate Cousins, a project that grants money to organizations worldwide working to stop climate change. She has worked for various social justice nonprofits, including Jewish Youth for Community Action, Showing Up for Racial Justice, and Resource Generation. She received a BA from Wesleyan University. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her partner and kids.

Wanjira Mathai

A member of the Jury since 2019, Wanjira Mathai has over 20 years of experience advocating for social and environmental change on both local and international platforms. She is currently the vice president and regional director for Africa at the World Resources Institute (WRI), and previously served as co-chair of WRI’s Global Restoration Council and senior advisor to the Global Restoration Initiative. Mathai is the current chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation and the former chair of the Green Belt Movement, which was founded by her late mother, Wangari Maathai (1991 Goldman Prize winner and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate) in 1977. Over the years, Mathai has also served in important strategic and advocacy roles raising the prominence and visibility of global issues such as climate change, youth leadership, sustainable energy, and landscape restoration. She has held various roles with Women Entrepreneurs in Renewables and currently serves on the board of the World Agroforestry Center and as a Leadership Council member of the Clean Cooking Alliance. Mathai was named one of the 100 Most Influential African Women in 2018 and 2020.

Gidon Bromberg

A member of the Jury since 2022, Gidon Bromberg is the founder and Israeli co-director of EcoPeace Middle East, a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East. Bromberg has spearheaded the organization’s advocacy campaigns in the Middle East and internationally. He developed a cross-border community peace-building program known as “Good Water Neighbors,” which has been a model for environmental peacebuilding in other conflict areas. Bromberg has written extensively on the relationship between water and climate issues and Middle East peace and has presented before the UN Security Council, UN Climate Summit, US Congress, European Parliament, and other international forums. An attorney by profession, he was named an Environmental Hero by TIME magazine, awarded the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, is the recipient of Stanford University’s Bright Award for the Environment, and awarded the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice under the theme of the environment.

Amanda Burrell

Amanda Burrell joined the Jury in 2024. She is a multi-award-winning film and television producer and presenter who is passionate about using her role in the media to mobilize action for the planet. Inspired by stories of environmental activism, Burrell creates films that highlight the work of people on a mission to heal the Earth. For the first 20 years of her career, she made factual programs about a range of global issues, including the environment, for broadcasters such as the BBC, Discovery, and PBS. For the past decade, Burrell has focused exclusively on creating content that provides insight into and solutions for the climate and ecological crises. This includes launching and hosting Planet SOS, a weekly current affairs show for Al Jazeera English, and executive producing the channel’s flagship environmental program, earthrise, which has won multiple awards.

Marcelo Mena

A member of the Jury since 2025, Marcelo Mena is the founding CEO of the Global Methane Hub, the world’s first globally coordinated philanthropic effort dedicated to reducing methane emissions, which has advanced policies and projects in over 150 countries and leveraged over $20 billion in climate finance. A biochemical engineer who earned his MS and PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Iowa with a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT, Mena served as Chile’s Environment Minister and Undersecretary (2014-2018) under President Michelle Bachelet, where he achieved landmark accomplishments, including implementing South America’s inaugural carbon taxes for power generation and vehicle sales, orchestrating a pioneering coal phase-out agreement, establishing 45,000 square kilometers of national parks, and protecting 1.3 million square kilometers of ocean—helping increase Chile’s protected areas from 8% to 36%. Currently a professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Mena has received numerous accolades for his environmental leadership, including awards from NASA, the EPA, UNEP, and National Geographic; a Fulbright fellowship; and appearing in the TIME100 Climate list for 2024.

Susan R. Gelman

Susie Gelman is a vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. She is president and managing director of The Morningstar Foundation, a private family foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. She also chairs the board of the Israel Policy Forum, an organization that has existed since 1993 to advance and promote the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Susie previously served on the board of Jewish Federations of North America and has held a number of positions in the organization, including co-chair of its Israel Advisory Committee and co-chair of JFNA's 2003 and 2013 General Assembly, which were both held in Jerusalem, Israel. She received a BA from Harvard University and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

John D. Goldman

John Goldman is a civic volunteer, active in various philanthropic and community organizations following his business and government career. A passionate advocate for the environment, he is the current President of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. John is the immediate past President of the San Francisco Symphony and continues to serve on its board. He is a past President of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and currently serves on the board of Stanford Health Care and the US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation. In April 2017, John received Stanford University’s Gold Spike award, its highest recognition for service to the institution. He has been a General Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since his appointment by President Obama in 2014. Professionally, John is the former Chair of Willis Insurance Services of California, Inc., and was CEO of Richard N. Goldman & Co. Prior to joining Goldman Insurance Services in 1986, he served in the Office of Legislative Analyst for the State of California and as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the State of California.

Jennifer Goldman Wallis

Jennifer is a vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. She started her career as a CPA in the audit practice at Ernst & Young and later created a mobile app to nudge users toward sustainable transportation decisions. During graduate school, Jennifer led the MBA Stanford Impact Fund’s Environment and Energy deal team. She also completed graduate summer internships in cleantech venture capital, sustainable forestry in Kenya, and environmental nonprofit work at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Jennifer has previously served as a board member of the Rainforest Connection and the Stern Grove Festival Association. She is currently a board member at the Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund. Jennifer holds an MBA and an MS in Environment and Resources from Stanford University. She received a BS in Accounting with a minor in Psychology from the University of Southern California. Jennifer currently lives in San Diego with her husband and daughter.

Rachel Gelman

Rachel Gelman is a community organizer and philanthropist who works to build and resource social movements that fight for a world where all beings can thrive and live in alignment with one another and the planet. She is the founder of the Willow Fund and serves on the board of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund. She was a founding member of Climate Cousins, a project that grants money to organizations worldwide working to stop climate change. She has worked for various social justice nonprofits, including Jewish Youth for Community Action, Showing Up for Racial Justice, and Resource Generation. She received a BA from Wesleyan University. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her partner and kids.