Team
M.R. Rangaswami
Founder
M.R. Rangaswami is the founder of the Corporate Eco Forum. He is CEF’s catalyst, critic and cheerleader. MR brings the same energy, enthusiasm & impact to the sustainability arena that he brought to his career as a 25-year veteran of the software industry, co-founder of SandHill Group, and founder of the acclaimed Software & Enterprise Conferences. He is also the Founder of Indiaspora a Forum for 100 influential leaders from the India American community.
P.J. Simmons
Chair
P.J. has worked for nearly two decades as a trusted sustainability analyst, strategist, and bridge-builder. After serving as a researcher on environmental affairs at the National Security Council (1993-1994), he founded and directed the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change & Security Program, the Carnegie Endowment’s Managing Global Issues program, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s U.S. in the World program. He also directed the strategy practice at Saatchi & Saatchi S, where he advised companies on corporate-wide sustainability strategies in the electric utility, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, and publishing sectors. Major publications include Washington DC’s first The Greener Business Guide (1999), Managing Global Issues: Lessons Learned, U.S. in the World: Talking Global Issues with Americans, and (with Dan Esty) The Green to Gold Business Playbook: How to Implement Sustainability Practices for Bottom-Line Results in Every Business Function (2011). P.J. served twice as the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Deputy Chair for Energy & Climate Change and remains an advisor to CGI on energy and environmental affairs. P.J. was one of the youngest individuals to be awarded life membership in the Council on Foreign Relations at age 35. He received his B.A. in political science (summa cum laude) from Tufts University, his M.A. from Johns Hopkins SAIS, was a Fulbright scholar, holds a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University.
Amy O’Meara
Director
Before joining CEF, Amy served as the Senior Manager for Environment and Energy at the Clinton Global Initiative, advising corporate and NGO members on commitments related to clean energy, corporate sustainability, green mobility, and waste management. Previously, she spent 5 years building the Business & Human Rights Program at Amnesty International USA. Amy has also provided technical and research assistance to nonprofits and companies in a wide range of industries – including extractives, technology and banking – on cross-sectoral partnership development, stakeholder dialogue, and social responsibility. Amy holds a Masters Degree in International Educational Development from Boston University.
Scott Macmurdo
Associate Director
Scott Macmurdo is CEF’s Associate Director and also serves as Editor of the CEF Weekly Eco Briefing. He previously was a Program Associate in the Washington Office of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he organized high-level discussions on global economic trends. Scott has also worked in a variety of roles for the U.S. Department of Energy, the Clinton Global Initiative, and Columbia University. He holds a B.A. in international studies and French from Rhodes College and an M.A. in sustainable energy policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Scott is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and resides in Palo Alto, California.
Christine Virsunen
Events Director
Christine brings over two decades of experience in managing meetings, events and large-scale productions for major corporations as the founder of Encore Productions. She works meticulously to incorporate the highest standards in green meeting design and practices at all CEF events. For logistical information relating to CEF events, including travel and accommodations for the annual meeting, please contact Christine directly.