2019 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Four of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals served as the frameworks for guiding the projects and as competition tracks. Learn more about each SDG at the UN SDG website.

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Conserve and sustainably
use the oceans, seas, and
marine resources for
sustainable development.

Ensure sustainable
consumption and
production patterns.

Protect, restore, and
promote sustainable use
of terrestrial ecosystems.

JESSICA SEDDON

Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, World Resources Institute

Dr. Seddon is Director of Integrated Urban Strategy at the Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and World Resources Institute. She leads a network of researchers and practitioners across WRI’s offices that works with city stakeholders to change both places and planning to create livable and resilient cities.

MATT MCKENNA

Global Social Enterprise, Georgetown McDonough School of Business

Mr. McKenna has served as Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, where he worked to leverage federal resources with public and private partners to foster job creation, business development and economic growth in rural America. Mr. McKenna has also served as the President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., as well as Senior Vice President, Finance at PepsiCo.

JEREMY MATHIS

Environmental Policy and Arctic Security at Georgetown University

Dr. Jeremy Mathis has been working in the Arctic for the past 12 years and is an expert on carbon cycle processes and ocean acidification. Before joining NOAA in 2012, he served on the faculty and was the founding director of the Ocean Acidification Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

BARBARA MARTINEZ

Conservation X Labs

Dr. Martinez leads prize-based Challenges and Make for the Planet competitions to source and accelerate impactful and scalable innovations. She was previously a science policy fellow in the Office of the Science Advisor and the Office of Research and Development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she worked on policies and projects related to citizen science and scientific integrity.

EXPERT VOLUNTEERS

Our mentors, breakout session leaders, and judges have experience working with numerous environmental fields. They currently work at Brookings, Citizens Climate Lobby, Deloitte, Green Corps, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Listening for America, PEW Charitable Trusts, United Nations Association, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Green Building Council, World Bank, and World Resources Institute, among others.