Eric Ryan - President
Eric Ryan has dedicated his professional life to service. He began his career as a teacher with Teach for America, teaching physics and entrepreneurship in a rural region of North Carolina. His efforts earned him Teacher of the Year honors and were highlighted in The Wall Street Journal, Parade Magazine, and a book titled Electric Dreams. Eric left the classroom fourteen years ago and began working in the nonprofit sector. For the last several years he’s provided guidance to small nonprofits across the country. He now owns and operates Ryan Nonprofits, a mission-driven business that specializes in catalyzing the success of small nonprofits by helping leaders of  nonprofits create and execute strategic plans. A graduate of UC Berkeley, Eric lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wonderful wife and two children. He leads a fortunate life, rich with family, friends, and plenty of adventure.

Harn Soper - Treasurer
Harn has been an entrepreneur in the music and media industry in the Bay Area for 30 years recording and producing music with artists like George Winston & Will Ackerman, marketing broadcast news production systems worldwide for Avid Technology, Internet video piracy business development for Vobile, and currently is a partner directing sales & marketing for nNovia, a video capture technology company.  In the background, Harn runs Soper Farms in Iowa, implementing sustainable farming practices.  Volunteering and song writing are Harn’s passions.  He is former president for the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Foundation.  Harn's latest venture is Sustainable Farm Partners, a group of private investors dedicated to investing in tangible agricultural land assets that are sustainable for the economy, environment and society.

Kia Sullivan
With expertise in public interest law, foundation compliance and philanthropic services, Kia combines broad experience with deep commitment to the local and global community. Kia is the Founder of SourcePoint Philanthropy Advisors, a boutique law firm specializing in Foundation Law and charitable giving. She is also the Senior Advisor of Strategic Giving and Compliance for The Hero Group, LLC, a company dedicated to foundations, businesses, individuals and families who seek to increase the impact of their charitable giving. Prior to starting her firm in 2011, Kia was with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation where she served as Donor Engagement Officer and later joined the Leadership Team as the Senior Director of Grants, Gifts and Compliance. Kia has been responsible for the administration and compliance of over 10,000 grants, both international and domestic. She has also been the Philanthropy Manager to a large portfolio of donor advised funds and supporting organizations, assisting new and seasoned philanthropists in developing and implementing their unique charitable giving strategies. She has been on the advisory committees of NGOsource and Global Impact, and the Boards of Youth Science Institute and Santa Clara County Legal Aid Society. 

Early in her career, Kia founded a law partnership in Los Gatos, CA, practicing family law and serving the needs of children and low-income families. She also managed the financial operations of a San Francisco mayor’s PAC and re-election committee, and the major donor program for a state political party. She received her J.D. and recognition as a Public Interest Law Scholar from Santa Clara University School of Law and her Bachelor's degree in Communications from University of California, San Diego.

Laura Kretschmar
Laura Kretschmar is the co-founder of the Lighthouse Community Charter School in Oakland, California, where she currently teaches 5th and 6th grade math and science. Laura is a dedicated and long-time teacher.  Before moving to Oakland to start Lighthouse in 2003, she taught in Massachusetts at the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School, and before that in the New Orleans public schools as a Teach For America (TFA) Corps Member.  Laura is also a part-time consultant for Math Solutions, providing professional development in math instruction to teachers around the country, and has advised and taught beginning teachers for TFA at their summer institutes.  She is currently working with the Lighthouse Replication team to plan two more Lighthouse Community Schools in Oakland to serve the school's current 700 student waiting list.  Lighthouse’s exceptional success, and Laura’s role in it, can be seen in the school's 95% graduation rate of their first three classes, of which all were accepted to four-year colleges and universities.  

In 2011, Laura completed the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards portfolio and became a National Board Certified Teacher.  In November of that year and in conjunction with this accomplishment, she accepted an invitation to speak on a Whitehouse panel about the teaching profession alongside U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.  In 2012 she received an Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching, an award presented to TFA alumni who are “transforming students’ lives through extraordinary leadership and an unwavering belief in the potential for all children to succeed.”  Laura holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Geology from Middlebury College, a Masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a California Single Subject Credential in Geosciences and is California HOUSSE certified in both Math and Science.

Shawn Sears - Vida Verde's Executive Director
See bio here.

Vida Verde Advisory Board

Scott Bryan
Scott credits his interest in agriculture and sustainability to his upbringing in Montana and experiences at the Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vermont. Scott is a financial consultant at RBC Wealth Management where he focuses on sustainable investment strategies for foundations, families and non-profit organizations. He is also actively involved in advancing RBC's (Royal Bank of Canada) global sustainable investment initiatives. A graduate of The Colorado College, Scott holds a BA in Economics and minors in Latin American Studies and Natural Resource Systems in the American West. He is a member of Full Circle Fund's Environment Circle and co-chair of New Voice of Business' San Francisco Chapter. Scott is also a competitive cyclist and enjoys his precious moments in the mountains either telemark skiing or fly fishing.

 

Karen Harwell
Karen Harwell is Director of Exploring a Sense of Place—which is “a project, a course, and a guidebook” to help people reconnect to the natural world where they live. Following scientific studies resulting in a B.S. degree, she did graduate study in philosophy, cosmology and consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, completed a six-week Earth Literacy program at Genesis Farm in New Jersey, and became certified in the study of permaculture at Occidental Arts and Ecology in Northern California. Through these programs, she became interested in bioregionalism and wanted to create the opportunity for people to experience their lives as part of an Earth community.

 

Paul and Steph Pfluke
Stephanie Jennings and Paul Pfluke are currently the co-owners and co-founders of Green Oaks Creek Farm and Retreat, which is an organic, educational farm and retreat center that has been in operation for 10 years.  The farm offers a subscription program, an apprenticeship program, farm tours, and Slow Food dinners. The retreat center offers rental facilities for families, groups, and weddings.  Prior to starting Green Oaks, Stephanie and Paul earned Masters degrees in Plant and Soil Science. In the five years between college and graduate school, Stephanie and Paul taught environmental education and worked as wildlife biology field technicians.  Paul also taught biology in the classroom for a year in Jamaica.  In college, Stephanie earned a B.S. in Biology/Geology and Paul earned a B.S. in chemistry. Stephanie also taught environmental education throughout high school and college.

 

Andrew Usher
Andrew Usher, a native Oregonian and lifelong outdoor enthusiast, is a Financial Representative at the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.  He has been a long time friend of the founders Shawn & Laura Sears.  In his undergrad at Colorado College, he was involved with Shawn in an after school sports mentorship program for underserved youth.  He became involved with Vida Verde during its inception and even had the opportunity to teach programs in those early days.  Andrew’s  background in community service, event production, and real estate bring a diversity of expertise to the board.

Jerry Moison
Jerry is “semi-retired” now, but is still a principle in Guardian Equity Growth, a Private Placement firm which focused on commercial real estate investments in the Western United States.  Guardian specializes in helping passive investors achieve the highest cash returns possible in commercial real estate by “pooling” either cash or equity from 1031 Tax Deferred Exchanges and using the combined equity to purchase Institutional Grade commercial real estate.  The total value of this portfolio is currently ± $1 billion.

Jerry Moison earned his real estate license in 1970 and began investing in commercial real estate as a Limited Partner in 1972. After selling his share of Adapt Inc., a computer time sharing company in San Francisco he co-founded in 1973, he began his full time career in commercial real estate with Coldwell Banker in 1978 as a leasing agent for both office and R&D in Silicon Valley.  In 1987 Jerry left Coldwell Banker and joined his twin brother, William, in order to form Moison Investment Company (MIC) to specialize in commercial real estate investments. Prior to retiring, MIC did sales in excess of $10billion in the western United States.

Aside from commercial real estate, Jerry remains committed to improving the quality of life for the less fortunate as well as residents in his own community of Los Altos. He serves or has served on several non-profit Boards, including City Team Ministries, Los Altos United Methodist Church, Housing Industry Foundation (HIF), and the Los Altos Rotary Club.

Laura Sears
See bio here.


 

What’s the History of Vida Verde?
Who works at Vida Verde?
Can I work at Vida Verde?
What are the trips all about?
Who are Vida Verde trips for?
How can I support Vida Verde?

Harn Soper

Kia Sullivan

Laura Kretschmar

Scott Bryan

Paul and Steph Pfluke