Women In Green Forum Producer

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Three Squares Inc. (TSI) is  one of the nation’s leading green event production and marketing firms specializing in producing environmentally sustainable high profile events.  TSI’s President Jaime Nack served as Director of Sustainability and Greening Operations for the 2008 Democratic National Convention and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Green Meeting Industry Council/APEX transportation committee.

Three Squares Inc. is registered as a small business with the State of California and as a woman-owned enterprise with the City of Los Angeles.

Three Squares Inc. is the founder of the Southern California Green Meeting Industry Council Chapter and is currently reaching out to build a strong membership base of meeting planners, vendors and venues in the Southern California region to help strengthen the green meeting industry.

The Advisory Board meets regularly to review the program agenda and discuss the event planning process.  The Board is made up of environmental industry leaders and representatives from sponsoring agencies. Board Members include:

Lourdes Cordova Martinez
Community Relations Manager, South Coast Air Quality Management District
Ms. Martinez is a Community Relations Manager for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). The AQMD is the air pollution control agency for all of Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.  Ms. Martinez joined the AQMD in 1989 as a Senior Public Information Specialist responsible for developing a community outreach program under the Public Advisor’s office. Three years later she was promoted to Community Relations Manager where she managed a comprehensive program of conferences, workshops and community and education outreach programs. Ms. Martinez currently manages projects in the Technology Advancement office where cooperative partnerships with private industry, academic and research institutions, technology developers, and government agencies help cosponsor projects intended to demonstrate the successful use of clean fuels and technologies that lower or eliminate emissions. Prior to joining the AQMD, Ms. Martinez was a program manager and interim executive director of CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California, where she developed and managed programs that encouraged high school students to pursue careers in journalism and communications. She also trained community-based organizations on how to access the media. Ms. Martinez graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in French. She is married with three children.

Michael Dukakis
Former Governor and U.S. Presidential Candidate
As a former state governor, a Democratic Party presidential candidate, and a longstanding environmental advocate, Michael Dukakis is well established in politics. Mr. Dukakis entered the political spotlight when he won the Massachusetts governor election in 1974. Although he was defeated in the 1978 Democratic primary by Edward King, he came back to defeat King in 1982 and was reelected to an unprecedented third four-year term as governor in 1986 by one of the largest margins in history. In turn, his colleagues in the National Governors’ Association voted him the most effective governor in the nation. Riding the wave of his success, Mr. Dukakis won the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States in 1988 but was defeated in the final bid by George H.W. Bush. After leaving his gubernatorial office in January 1991, Mr. Dukakis became a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University. In 1998, he was nominated by President Clinton to serve a five-year term as a member of the newly assembled Board of Directors of Amtrak, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Mr. Dukakis continues to serve on the Amtrak Board in the position of Vice Chairman.

Nurit Katz
Sustainability Coordinator, UCLA
As UCLA’s first Sustainability Coordinator, Nurit Katz is working to foster partnerships among academic, research and operational departments and further the goals and initiatives of the campus sustainability program. Prior to starting this position, in 2005 she founded the UCLA Sustainable Resource Center in an effort to provide resources for the community on sustainability. She then served as President of the Graduate Students Association and helped Dr. Charles Corbett develop a new interdisciplinary graduate certificate program: Leaders in Sustainability. Additionally, Ms. Katz played an integral role in launching the UCLA Center for Corporate Environmental Performance. Apart from her work with UCLA, Ms. Katz has worked on a variety of sustainability projects, including a project for the City of Los Angeles that focused on transit-oriented development along the Expo Light Rail Line. Ms. Katz holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Masters in Public Policy from the UCLA School of Public Affairs.

Vanessa Lavallee
Alliance for Climate Protection
Vanessa LaVallee serves as Director of Special Projects and Partnerships for the Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit that presents choices and offers changes to protect our planet for future generations. The Alliance, which was created in 2006 by Al Gore, is committed to educating the global community about the urgency and solvability of the climate crisis. At the Alliance, Ms. LaVallee works with organizations and businesses to build strategic partnerships as well as to specifically engage women on the issue. Prior to working on climate policy, Vanessa was Vice President for Education Affairs at the Motion Picture Association of America.  Prior to her time at MPAA, Vanessa worked at Georgetown University as Senior Assistant to the President.  Prior to that, Vanessa worked in Vice President Gore’s office in the White House as Trip Director to Mrs. Gore.  Before moving to Washington, D.C, Vanessa was Legislative Director for State Rep. Paul Moreno in the Texas House of Representatives.  Vanessa holds a B.A. In Government from The University of Texas at Austin, and lives with her husband, Derek and her 2-year old daughter, Maya.

Mary Luévano
Policy and Legislative Affairs Director, Global Green USA
Mary Luévano serves as the Policy and Legislative Affairs Director of Global Green USA, the US affiliate of Green Cross International, the environmental group founded by Mikhail S. Gorbachev.  Ms. Luévano oversees policy and legislative initiatives related to sustainable building, clean energy and climate change in addition to advising on a range of other policy issues for Global Green. She and the Policy staff work to educate decision makers and champion model policies in the areas of green affordable housing, green schools, green municipal buildings, solar and other renewable energy technologies.  Much of the work focuses on the needs of low-income communities and crafting policies that engage new constituencies in the fight against climate change. Prior to joining the organization, Ms. Luévano worked for 8 years as a Congressional staffer serving in the offices of US Senator Alan Cranston, US Reps. Augustus Hawkins, Calvin Dooley and Jane Harman.  Her legislative duties included work on environmental, defense technology, and business issues among others. In 2004, Ms Luevano was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn to serve on the City of LA’s Recreation and Parks Board of Commissioners where she was elected Vice President.  In that capacity, she also served as the alternate representative to the LA Coliseum Commission. Prior to that, Ms. Luévano served for three years (one as President) on the City of LA’s Environmental Affairs Commission.  Ms. Luévano holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science/International Relations from UCLA and has completed the Congressional Research Service’s Graduate Legislative Institute in Washington, DC.  She lives in Culver City, California.