Executive Director

SB NOW is seeking a new Executive Director. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter with salary history and resume to Marc Nichols, Chair of the Board of Directors, at mnichols@sbnow.org

The SB NOW Board of Directors seeks a candidate who can achieve the following:

The position of Executive Director for the Sustainable Business Network of Washington (SB NOW) is for a highly seasoned and professional association manager, requiring the highest level of professional ethics, conduct and a personal commitment to the improvement of the national capital area by leveraging the power of business to drive social and environmental as well as economic advances.
As the public ‘face' of SB NOW, the Executive Director is expected to conduct him or herself with the highest levels of professionalism and decorum at all times, in all venues, maintaining confidential information about the organization, its members and others as benefiting an organizational leader who may be privy to the internal workings and strategies of corporations, not-for-profits, government agencies and academic institutions.
The duties of the Executive Director are summarized below. Other duties may be necessary from time to time, such as filings of required documentation to maintain the organization's 501(c)3 tax exempt status in good standing.
Fundraising [65 percent] - the Executive Director serves as SB NOW's primary fundraiser for external sources of financial support, including but not limited to: sustaining memberships, foundation and government grants, and philanthropic donors. Fundraising targets will be set and agreed upon by the Executive Director and the Executive Committee of the board of directors on an annual basis, taking into consideration SB NOW's operating expenses, changes to the economic climate and program/growth targets. Fundraising efforts will be reviewed quarterly.
Organizational Management [15 percent] - Maximizing the effectiveness of the organization through professional management of staff and volunteers. This includes recruitment, hiring, training, engaging, mentoring and evaluating each on an annual basis.
Accountability [10 percent] - Responsible for ensuring timely and effective responses to all correspondence and information requests from the board (by the ED), members (ED, board or staff) and the public (ED, board members, PR officer). Provides monthly reports to the board, including fundraising results and progress; activities by the staff and volunteers and alerts the board to any issues or needs. Bi-weekly check-in meetings/conversations with the board chair. Attends board or board committee meetings as requested.
Member Relations [10 percent] - In accordance with their importance and prominence to the organization, the Executive Director will be the primary point of contact for all sustaining members, SB NOW's founding members and members over $1,000 in annual dues. In addition, the Executive Director will be the primary point of contact for city and Federal government agencies and will make him or herself available for media interviews.
Additional Requirements
At all times while representing SB NOW the Executive Director serves as the primary public face of the organization and will maintain appropriate conduct, attire, confidences and conversations, respecting the privacy of individuals and organizations including but not limited to :
board members
SB NOW board and Executive Committee meetings
Salaries of all SB NOW staff and directors, including the Executive Director
SB NOW members' business strategies and plans (including plans to join the organization and/or to become certified by SB NOW unless expressly instructed to share said information by the organization in question)

Secretary

Sahir Zuberi

Sahir Zuberi has been involved in environmental issues for a number of years, starting in the Department of Environment, UK, where he worked on planning and land use statistics. His work in the US includes examination of issues ranging from the environment to global public policy and its interaction with internet freedoms for non-profits, to overseeing the redevelopment of the global environment intranet for the US Agency for International Development. He has also worked on Strategic Communications for, among others, Halliburtorn/KBR, relating to corporate ethics, to FEMA in regards to disaster mitigation strategies.

Sahir holds a an MBA in Management with specializations in entrepreneurship and corporate finance and a Master's degree in Environmental and Resource Economics where he studied under Professor David Pearce. He is also a Webby Award winner, the Internet's equivalent to the Oscars.

Board Chair

Marc Nichols, Esq.
Marc is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at Green Advantage. A licensed attorney in the District of Columbia and Colorado, for 10 years he has practiced law in a variety of areas--from litigation to corporate transactions of almost every type. During the course of his career, Marc has served as chief legal counsel of a financial services company, served our country as an inspector general, worked for Congress, and as a trust officer for a major national bank in New York and London, England.

Marc received his law degree from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Marc is also a graduate of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he double majored in Philosophy and Political Science.

Board Vice Chair

David Deal

David Deal is President and Founder of Community IT Innovators (CITI), where he has been working since 1994. CITI is an expression of his desire to serve people and organizations working for social justice by supporting them in using technology strategically. He has implemented a "not-for-much-profit"^TM business model that enables the many dedicated staff at CITI to provide affordable, high-quality technology support to hundreds of organizations in the Metro DC area that are building a better world.

His interest in modeling sustainable business practices at CITI led him to Devesh Nirmul and Mike Mielke, and together they founded the Washington DC Sustainable Business Network. David has served on the Steering Committee and now the Board of Directors of SB NOW.

He has served on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of several nonprofits, including Urban Ed, EMU's Washington Community Scholars Center, Carlos Rosario Public Charter School, and Byte Back. All are organizations that build stronger communities by providing opportunities for service and learning, including several with a focus on technology training.

Prior to CITI, David served with the Mennonite Board of Missions at a nonprofit in the Shaw neighborhood of DC. David graduated with honors from the Duke University School of Engineering. When he is not watching Duke basketball, he is active in the Young Entrepreneurs Organization, Hyattsville Mennonite Church, his local neighborhood, and numerous team sports.

Board Members

Paul Brandus

Paul Brandus is the Senior Correspondent and White House Bureau Chief for Capitol News Connection. He is the creator and host of "West Wing Report," CNC's daily program on the Obama administration, which will launch this month. His "West Wing Report" on Twitter was named by The Atlantic magazine as one of the "Top 30 Washington Insiders You Should be Following."

He is also the creator and host of "Green Energy Brief," a weekly look at the fast-growing renewable energy industry. "Green Energy Brief" is heard on its flagship station - Washington's all-news WTOP - and is also distributed to 475 stations across the United States.

Lee Boyle

Lee Boyle is Vice President for Commercial Lending with Cardinal Bank. As a banker, Lee focuses on lending to DC area nonprofits, in "underbanked" communities, and to aspiring small business owners. He is committed to improving banking and investment in underserved communities in the DC area.

Understandably, his vision of sustainability has much to do with improving wealth distribution. His familiarity with many underserved neighborhoods in the area has helped him to motivate his banking peers to see opportunities that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Lee earned an MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in 2003, where he co-authored one of the first case studies on the socially investing industry. Prior to that he was a policy analyst for the U.S. Census Monitoring Board, a press liaison for President Clinton's Initiative on Race Relations, and a secondary school teacher in several neighborhoods in inner-city Washington, DC. Lee earned his B.A. in philosophy with a minor in politics from Occidental College. He grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland and currently lives in DC with his wife, Christelle LaPolice.

John Friedman

John Friedman's 25 year background includes both employee and external communications for Fortune 500, Global 500 and not-for-profit organizations. He is a sought after presenter, and author on CSR-related subjects. Some of his writings and thoughts on sustainability can be read on SB NOW's blog.

John believes that CSR is an evolving business strategy in response to changes in what customers, employees, consumers, communities and shareholders expect (demand) from corporations in response to a combination of politics, globalization, corporate scandals, and the ease of communication.

He was responsible for developing and implementing award-winning sustainability programs and was the driving force behind a world-wide partnership between between the world's largest building materials company (Lafarge) and Habitat for Humanity International.

John hold's a bachelor's degree in Communications and has completed management training at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. A frequent presenter and author of sustainability issues, he lives in Annandale, Virginia with his wife and son.

Erik Hoffland, LEED AP

Erik Hoffland is principal of Erik Hoffland Architect and is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional. Prior to starting his own business, Erik was an architect with the local architecture & development firm 3DG, and before that the Washington offices of national architectural firm HNTB. Throughout his career, he has focused on sustainable design, and has been involved in the design of some of the region's first LEED Certified projects, including the Pentagon Athletic Center and 1362 Otis Flats (LEED pending). Currently he is designing a residence in the Washington neighborhood of Georgetown that is slated to be the first LEED Platinum-rated home in the region. His work has received awards from both the American Institute of Architects and American Planning Association.

Erik received his Bachelors of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University, with additional studies at the University of Wisconsin, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, and Yunnan Polytechnic University (China).

When he is not practicing promoting sustainable building & design, Erik can be found cycling, playing soccer, running triathlons and lamenting the fact that DC doesn't have proper winters.

Brain Lowinger, Esq., LEED AP

Brian Lowinger is an attorney and an Accredited Professional in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. His practice focuses on providing assistance to individuals and new, small, and medium sized businesses on construction, transactions (including Green leases), employment, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution issues. A member of the DC, MD, and MA bars, Brian also has excellent Spanish language skills and experience counseling clients in that language.

Cynthia Cox Roman

Cynthia Cox Roman is the Founder and President of WIT Consulting, a strategic research and consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. WIT Consulting's central mission reflects her longstanding interest in how organizations, brands and people create enduring relevance and vitality. Her portfolio of work includes strategic research related to brand-building, lifestage and aging, civic engagement and public policy, and corporate reputation and citizenship.

Before founding WIT Consulting in 2001, Cindy was a Partner at Yankelovich Partners, where she headed up the New York Custom Research practice. Prior to joining Yankelovich, Cindy spent a decade at Young & Rubicam where she developed global communications strategies for clients such as Colgate-Palmolive and Kraft. In the mid-1990's, she was part of a team that established Y&R's first office in Budapest, Hungary.

Cindy serves on the Advisory Board of Drakes Bay Fundraising, a consultancy that helps nonprofit organizations revitalize their donor bases and renew their community support. She is a graduate of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Sustainability Program Interns

Cara Blumenthal

Cara Blumenthal is a senior at the University of Maryland and is pursuing a bachelor's degree in marketing at the R.H. Smith School of Business.

She is passionate about environmental issues and the intersection between sustainability and business. Cara's previous positions include an internship with the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in their green building department as well as a clean energy advocacy internship with Public Citizen, a national non-profit public interest organization.

On her college campus, she works to raise environmental consciousness and enact change as a member of the Society for Green Business and the Maryland Student Climate Coalition. Moreover, with Cara as a driving force, her sorority chapter received the first-ever sustainability award given in the Greek community for instituting a composting program in the chapter house.

Cara believes that environmental and social sustainability must be integrated into everything we do. She believes that businesses should work hard to protect local communities as well as preserve the environment.

Rusmir Music

Rusmir Music hails from Bosnia and Herzegovina. At age 17, he left war-ravaged Bosnia and came - on his own - to the United States. Since then, he has been a "self-made man," learning, working, and writing in some of America's greatest cities.

Rusmir intends to purse a career in renewable energy through his unique set of experiences in sciences, humanities, and business. He received his BA in Chemistry from the College of the Holy Cross and his MA in Humanities and Social Thought from New York University. After working in higher education, he is now an MBA student at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Rusmir has written and presented on a variety of topics, and has started programs and initiatives that have garnered national attention. Rusmir is currently being profiled by Business Week as one of featured bloggers.

Jessica Sheehan

Jessica Sheehan is a Second-Year MBA candidate at Georgetown McDonough School
of Business. She comes from Northern California with a background in
advertising account management working with a variety of different
clients from hi-tech to travel and tourism, including Oracle
Corporation, Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe and the North Lake Tahoe Visitors
Bureau. She has experience in both the agency and the publication
advertising sales side working primarily with print and internet as well
as broadcast.

This past summer Jessica worked as a Strategy Intern for Care2.com, a
website devoted to green living and social responsibility. She primarily
focused on a competitive analysis project in their non-profit
partnership revenue space. Jessica’s focus while completing her MBA at
Georgetown MSB is in marketing and strategy with an emphasis on CSR and
Sustainability. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Political Science
from the University of California, Berkeley.