2015 Global Issues Summit
John C. Roberts
Emcee
John C. Roberts is a career member of the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service currently serving as Diplomat in Residence for Southeast Texas and Louisiana. Prior to his assignment as Diplomat in Residence he served as Director of the Civilian Response Corps in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO). Mr. Roberts earned a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Air Force, Air War College. Prior to his assignment to the War College, Mr. Roberts served as Public Affairs Officer for Barbados and the six other nations of the Eastern Caribbean. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Roberts directed the Press and Cultural Affairs Offices at U.S. Embassy Baghdad as Information Officer and Acting Public Affairs Officer. Finally, Mr. Roberts was a member of the Executive Staff for Secretary of State Powell and Secretary of State Rice
Sahana Singh
Environment
With a passion for environmental issues especially water, Sahana Singh is a creative and proactive editor/writer. She has over 15 years experience in the industry which includes writing, editing, participating in major water conferences worldwide, interviewing top industry executives and moderating panel discussions. She has been the editor of Asian Water Magazine, Asia’s leading magazine on water and wastewater, Ms Singh’s editorials and articles have been widely appreciated and quoted. She is also involved in a campaign to put water and sanitation high in the agenda of governments in the Asian region so that the much-needed reforms in the sector can follow.
CarmenWatkinsHuman Rights
Carmen Watkins is the current National Field Director for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Adjunct Professor at Lone Star College.. She has served as President & CEO for the African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, Sr. Vice President for the Houston Area Urban League, SW Regional Director for the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Corporate Development Director for INROADS/Houston. Ms. Watkins has been honored by the Houston Bar Association with the Matthew W. Plummer Sr. Justice Award, the YMCA Young Minority Achievers Award, and just recently selected as one of Houston’s Top 25 Most Influential Women. Her past and present involvement includes, United Way Allocations Committee, the National Gathering for Social Enterprise, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Scott Van Beck
Education
Scott Van Beck has served since 2007 as Executive Director of Houston A+ Challenge, where he leads the Houston area’s largest nonprofit working toward public school improvement. Scott oversees the organization’s work to improve leadership and performance to strengthen, innovate, and connect public schools across the Houston region. With more than 20 years of experience as an educator in Houston ISD, he most recently served as West Region Superintendent, providing leadership for 60+ schools and 54,000+ students.Scott provides a strong voice for public education reform by serving on the board of directors for The BeHive Houston and Genesys Works, and on advisory boards for Citizen Schools, Making It Better, Rice University's Education Entrepreneurship Program, and The Woods Project.
Richard Johnson
Environment
Mr. Johnson received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Rice University and a Masters in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia. He currently serves as the Director of Energy and Sustainability for Rice University. Mr. Johnson also leads the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management (ACSEM), and serves as the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Environment and Society (CSES). Mr. Johnson holds an appointment as a Professor in the Practice of Environmental Studies in Sociology and has taught several classes at Rice. Mr. Johnson is also a research affiliate for the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, and is the former President of the Board of the Houston Farmers' Market.
Jamie Knotts
Health & Medicine
Mr. Knotts is a medical device industry sales representative of nearly 20 years. He holds an MBA in Accounting from Sam Houston State University. Currently with Intuitive Surgical, he is responsible for surgeon education and market development within the robotic surgery arena. In addition, he assists hospital administrators in building and executing business pro formas for acquisitions of newest technologies. His, as is his company's, mission is to eradicate open surgery for a growing patient population. Mr. Knotts is currently an Area Manager for Intuitive Surgical Inc.
Krishna Mudan
Global Economy
Dr. Mudan is the Managing Partner at MSA-Risk and Economic Advisory, an independent management consulting firm. Prior to becoming independent, he was a Risk Advisory Partner at KPMG in New York. His focus for over three decades, has been on operational risks, risk based economic valuation, environmental and Third party Liabilities and geopolitical risks. He is a graduate of IIT Kanpur, has a Ph. D in engineering and economics from MIT and a diploma from Arthur D Little Management Education Institute. He is also a Senior Fellow at the George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute, addressing infrastructure and energy supply risks.
Laurie Peterson
Environment
Laurie Peterson is the Sustainability Champion at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Laurie’s NASA experience centered on project- and system-level engineering and management, executive facilitation, and organizational development. She completed Kepner Tregoe Project Management training, and has been trained via numerous NASA leadership classes. Laurie received her Bachelor of Science in BioProcess Engineering from Kansas State University and Master of Science in Technical Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Revati Puranik
Environment
Ms. Puranik is a seasoned business executive who has combined her passion for organizational empowerment with entrepreneurship. She is currently the Global Finance Director of Worldwide Oilfield Machine Inc., as well as the Executive Director of the Puranik Foundation. She received her MBA in Finance from Rice University, and uses her skills extensively to manage both her company, and her foundation. The Puranik Foundation is incredibly vital in developing the area of Pune, and has made incredible strides in sustainability. The Foundation strives to use alternative and renewable energy sources to create sustainable communities.