Nina Simons
Co-Founder and Co-President

Nina Simons is a social entrepreneur and co-founder and co-president of Bioneers. Previously, she served as president of Seeds of Change and as director of strategic marketing for Odwalla. In addition to advancing practical social and environmental strategies, Nina has an enduring interest in the leadership of women and girls, which has long been reflected in Bioneers’ conference programming and media. She co-teaches Cultivating Women's Leadership, a five-day intensive forum for women entrepreneurs, donor activists and other nonprofit practitioners.

In 2002, Nina produced a retreat for diverse women leaders called UnReasonable Women for the Earth, to envision a broad progressive women’s movement with environmental restoration at its heart. The gathering served as an incubator, resulting in the formation of CodePink: Women for Peace. Together with her husband and partner Kenny Ausubel, Nina was named an Utne Reader “Visionary” in 1996. They received the Robert Rodale Award in 2003 for their work in bringing the emergent field of Ecological Medicine to public awareness. Kenny and Nina received the Green Cross Millennium Award for Community Environmental Leadership in 2006. Nina serves on the board of the David Brower Center.

Jill Van Nortwick -
Executive Director

Jill van Nortwick, Executive Director, has overseen operational management and strategic development initiatives for many years. Her work over the last 15 years in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. has spanned the nonprofit, corporate and governmental sectors.

In New Zealand, Jill served as a principal advisor to the Minister of Science, Research and Technology on strategic issues affecting the nation's infrastructure and education sector. She wrote the business case for installing terabit-speed Internet in New Zealand to connect scientists and researchers around the world.

Jill has worked to advance progress on issues ranging from information technology to sustainable business. She worked with the regional economic development agency in Wellington, NZ, to bring together smaller IT firms to begin collaborating on exporting their software. She also served as Chair of the Sustainable Business Network for the lower North Island of New Zealand, helping companies integrate sustainability into their business practices. Jill and her husband also ran a sustainable business on their organic blueberry farm.

In the corporate sector, Jill has managed international teams with multi-million dollar budgets. She worked as an intrapreneur within a large transnational telecommunications firm for 14 years. In this firm in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, Jill created new lines of business, grew the telecoms services business, established cross-boundary relationships and structures, championed a vision for strategic business growth, and guided the development and completion of high risk business projects.

Jill's current interests range from sudoku to learning the banjo. She happily admits, however, that she devotes most of her time outside of work to her children -- ages 11 and 14.

Peter Mattair -
Vice President

Peter Mattair, Vice President for Advancement, joined Bioneers in 2003. His work includes finance, fundraising, staff development and strategic planning. Previously, he was the first program officer and eventually executive director of the Fund for Folk Culture, a national public foundation conducting research and making grants in the field of folk and traditional arts and culture throughout the United States. Earlier, he was director of development and director of the Music of the Americas program at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Before settling in New Mexico, Peter was a publicist with Paramount Pictures, where he was privileged to work with the studio historian. While in New York City, he was an early volunteer with Gay Men's Health Crisis, the world¹s first AIDS education, service and advocacy organization. He has served on the Santa Fe Arts Commission, including as chairman of the grants committee, and as a board member of the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers, which he helped to create. He recently completed a term as president of the board of Many Mothers, an organization in Santa Fe, New Mexico providing support to any family with a newborn child. Peter also serves on the advisory council of Art for Healing, a nonprofit organization that places donated works of art in medical, healing and hospice facilities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond

Jeffrey Vasterling -
Comptroller

For 19 years, Jeffrey has lived in the same house in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his best friend, Susan. He's a gardening and outdoor enthusiast, and he loves movies.

Roberto Aponte has extensive experience spanning over 23 years working in the events industry. Roberto has a varied skill set in the field of event management which includes technical production, project management, conference operations, and food & beverage management. Roberto also has a Masters in Business which supports his additional experience and expertise in training and facilitation with an emphasis on teambuilding and organizational development.

This diverse background inspires a dedication in Roberto to advancing the growing initiatives in green meeting management and other socially responsible business practices.

Roberto’s stellar reputation in the event business is only partially due to the outstanding results consistently delivered from his work. Those who have worked with Roberto know him for his positive presence, open and soothing communication style and grace under pressure.

Maia Cortissoz -
Membership and Development Assistant

Maia Cortissoz, Membership and Development Assistant, joined Bioneers in May of 2007. Maia's previous non-profit experience includes working with The Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPirg), Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, and City in Motion Dance Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. She also had a brief stint working with the US EPA Region 8 Superfund Record Center in Denver.

Maia holds a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder, speaks Spanish and enjoys hiking, mountain biking and camping in her spare time. Maia is also a classically trained dancer who has been taking dance lessons and performing since the age of four and teaching Modern Dance and Ballet to students of all ages and technique levels since the age of 15. She currently teaches at the Las Vegas Creative Dance Center in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Liz Cunningham -
Youth & Conference Project Manager

Liz Cunningham, Youth & Conference Project Manager, holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College. She came to us from Burlington, Vermont where she was previously working on improving energy efficiency and renewable energy on college campuses through a grant from the DOE. In 2005, she coordinated the Northeast Climate Conference, which brought more than 300 students from the region to participate in more than 30 workshops on climate-change education and action.

When she is not organizing youth, you can find her telemark skiing in Tahoe, tossing a frisbee in Golden Gate Park, riding her bike through the city, or boogying on down to some live tunes!

Felicia Marohn -
Executive Assistant to Nina Simons

Felicia Marohn, Executive Assistant to Nina Simons, joined Bioneers in 2006. Previously, Felice lived, worked and practiced for four years at the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a Zen Priest, she worked on the organizational development of the non-profit, as she offered spiritual leadership and guidance for the residents of the Buddhist community. Currently, she is enrolled in the evening and weekend program of the College of Santa Fe to complete her BA in Psychology.

Felice brings to her life and work a deep curiosity about human behavior. Inspired and guided by her ongoing deep encounter with Buddhist practice and Non Violent Communication (NVC), she is motivated to develop the skillful means necessary for transforming human suffering into liberation. On evenings and weekends, Felice volunteers for several prison projects as a meditation and Tai Chi Quan teacher -- working with incarcerated youth, women, and men in Northern New Mexico.

Arty Mangan –
Food & Farming Director

Arty Mangan, Food and Farming Program Director, joined Bioneers in 1998 as the Project Manager for the Restorative Development Initiative, which produced “Wisdom at the End of Hoe” ecological agricultural workshops. He collaborated with John Mohawk and the Iroquois White Corn Project and worked with The Federation of Southern Cooperatives and African American farmers in Mississippi and Alabama. He is a board member of the Ecological Farming Association, and was a member of the Santa Cruz GE Subcommittee that led to a Precautionary Moratorium on growing genetically engineered crops in Santa Cruz County.

Artyhas worked with farmers and agriculture since 1978 as a partner in Live Juice, a fresh, local, organic apple juice company in Santa Cruz. In 1986, he joined Odwalla and was in charge of fruit sourcing, working with farmers in the US, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Sue Talkington --
Administration Manager

Sue Talkington, Administration Manager, born and raised in Texas, Sue has a BS in Computer Information Systems and an MA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. She brings 12 years of professional experience in computer applications development and complex systems management for the banking and finance industry to Bioneers, and is proficient in multiple computer languages, databases, operating systems and applications software.

Sue currently manages Bioneers’ administrative team, the online Store, and the office. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her daughter. She enjoys singing, hiking and cooking in her spare time.

Aaron Leventman --

Aaron Leventman, Producer, Moving Image Festival and Media Project Manager, moved to Santa Fe from Provincetown, Massachusetts where he worked in Town promotion. Previously, he worked as an assistant publicist on an independent feature film in New York City.

In Santa Fe, Aaronok has worked for their Film Center as a film curator and events planner. He was also Assistant Program and Outreach Coordinator for the NM Alliance for Children with Traumatic Stress and has been a volunteer fo GMHC in New York and the Human Rights Alliance in Santa Fe. He recently worked for the Sundance Film Festival and is also a published playwright and actor, appearing in many theatrical productions.

Ginger Ridder -

Sponsorship Manager

Ginger Ridder is the Sponsorship Manager. She came to Santa Fe a little over a year ago, ready for change. She previously lived in New York, Massachusetts and Australia before venturing to New Mexico. Her spirit moves her to help other people, formerly working for the Olympics, then in the health and fitness industry -- bringing joy to others through play and sport.

As a rock climber, she prefers to be among the mountains, and now strives to help protect and preserve the outdoors that challenge her to climb beyond her limitations.

J.P. Harpiginies -
Bioneers Conference
Associate Producer

Teo Grossman -
Community Outreach Assistant