PRESIDIANWinter 2013

»CONTENTS5 From the President

A letter from Presidio President and CEO William Shutkin.

6 News Find out what you missed at the Capstone Showcase and PresidioPRO’s Entrepreneur’s Bootcamp.

10 EventsAll you need to know about upcoming events from the GreenBiz Forum to Net Impact.

13 SpotlightsMeet Presidians working in the field of smart, sustainable cities including Trevor Blythe, Kristin York, and Gina Melekh.

Presidio Graduate school

Board

Nizar abdallah

Eva auchiNcloss

sarah cabEll

GrEtchEN cummiNGs

dEvoN crEws

suzaNNE FarvEr

saskia FEast

liNda FraNk

robErt FriEsE

JamiE GardNEr

lEE Gotshall-maxoN

richard m. Gray

hEathEr kiNG

chiNwE oNyEaGoro

tErEsa Pahl

rahul raJ

william shutkiN (Ex oFFicio)

stEvEN l. swiG

Faculty

lyNNE aNdErsoN

bram briGGaNcE

EriN cookE

stEvEN craNE

rodriGo EsPiNosa

tammy EstEvEs

mark FabioNar

vaNEssa Fry

scott FullwilEr

staciE Furia

doNNa lasala

martiN mEdEiros

JEFF mENdElsohN

Nils moE

dariush raFiNEJad

amaNda ravENhill

carl schNEEbEck

cyNthia scott

daN sEvall

alicia stammEr

bob willard

marsha willard

maGGiE wiNslow

kristiN york

StaFF

bEthaNy bauGh

ryaN cabiNtE

Nick cEdErliNd

dwiGht colliNs

isa dyEr

mitchEll FriEdmaN

rachEl Fus

laura haNNEmaNN

soNya kENdall

simoNE kuJau

dawN mokau

JENNiFEr mulliN

doN NicodEmus

maria kEi oldiGEs

taryN olsoN

saNthi PErumal

Edward QuEvEdo

william shutkiN

JENNiFEr taylor

FElicia woN

4 Presidio Graduate School

Welcome to the Winter 2013 issue of Presidian. Published three times a year, Presidio’s new e-magazine highlights and celebrates the activities of our students, alumni, faculty, staff and partners in

sustainability. We hope it keeps you informed and engaged.

In each issue, we briefly spotlight one of four academic focus areas, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (Fall 2012), Cleantech and Renewable Energy, Impact Investing and in this issue, Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities.

I must confess. Sustainable urban development is my stomping ground. I’ve spent most of my career, over two decades, working on the challenge of making our cities and metropolitan regions more livable, affordable and nature-friendly. From brownfields redevelopment in inner-city Boston to smart growth on the Front Range of Colorado, my passion is for placemaking and building what I call “Wilderness Cities,” where the totally wild meets the thoroughly urbanized, globalized and cosmopolitan, where skyscrapers, smart cars and high-tech companies meet towering forests, raging rivers and soaring peaks. They are places to live, work and play all in one. They are the cities of long ago and of the future.

I am extremely excited about the work we are doing at Presidio in this area. And so many at Presidio share this passion as evidenced in our research, our curriculum and the careers of our alumni.

Inside this issue you will read about just a few examples of how Presidians and our partners are pioneering new approaches to urban development. You will learn about EcoNomics, PACE bonds, and about Streetline. Our sustainable urban development and smart cities curriculum is strengthened by faculty members like Kristin York. Kristin is in the trenches advising cities and towns across California on the state’s new AB 32 climate protection law. You will also read about a recent EL Partner, Silver Spring Networks, a leading smart grid company.

I also hope you will take a look at Associate Director of Development and Alumni Affairs Sonya Kendall’s update on Presidio’s development efforts. Thanks to the tireless work of many Presidio staff as well as our dedicated board Development Committee, spearheaded by Eva Auchincloss, we are making great strides in growing our community of supporters, from alumni to friends to foundations.

As always, many thanks to our small but mighty Communications team for bringing this issue to life and to the staff and faculty who have contributed their important stories about our community.

I hope the new year is off to a great start.

Enjoy this issue of Presidian!

Best Regards,

Winter 2013 | Presidian 5

FROm ThE PRESIDENT

6 Presidio Graduate School

On December 15th Presidio hosted the culminating event of its winter semester at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center.

The semi-annual Capstone Showcase and Sustainable Products and Services Design Fair drew a crowd of almost 300 students, alumni, faculty, and guests.

The evening began in the Fischer Banquet Room with informal presentations from students in SUS6090: Sustainable Products and Services, taught by Core Faculty Member Dariush Rafinejad. As guests sipped cocktails and nibbled on sushi, they meandered around the room, listening to pitches from six different groups. Projects ranged from e-publishers to mobile canning solutions.

“I think this class in particular had a diverse array of projects and that’s what made it really exciting,” said Sharmila Singh (MBA C13), who will be TAing SUS6090 for the 4th time this spring. “Students are taught to think creatively, and we basically give them an open canvas for what they want to design, whether it be a product or service.”

“Products and Services was a great class because it allowed us to tap into the creative parts of our brains to think outside the box, inside the box and at the box,” said Nesa Londer (MBA C13), a member of Team Truffula.

Nesa and her group members’ initial idea was to develop a product/service that addressed how

Showing oFF at thE ShowcaSe

Opposite: Jason Walter (MBA C15) presents iSTAR, a publishing platform that allows children to become active content creators, at the Sustainable Products and Services Design Fair on December 15th. Above: Click to View the promotional video from the LABLD team featuring Debra Langley, former President of DKNY Jeans International.

Amy Johnson (MPA C13) represented the MPA degree program with her presentation “Valuing the Impact of Cooperatives.”

“My capstone project was five years in the making,” said Amy. “I came to graduate school because I wanted to legitimize my activism within the co-op world. I was really lucky that the public administration program allows you to pick a focus and become an issue expert.”

Now post-capstone, Amy is still pursuing her work with co-ops. In addition to working with a colleague at Indiana University to organize a number of grant proposals, she plans to present at the American Society of Public Administration conference in March.

To demonstrate that the tools and skills learned in Capstone continue to develop and have real-world use, program leaders have decided to institute “boomerang” presentations.

“I thought being a boomerang presenter would be a fun way to show that the learning we do in Capstone will continue to be put to use throughout our individual journeys,” said Edward, who presented Hylo, his idea accelerator start-up company. Alumnae

Winter 2013 | Presidian 7

Americans purchase, prepare, and dispose of food.“The average American spends 15 minutes a day on food preparation yet spends two to three hours watching television,” said Nesa. “After many brainstorming sessions and iterations, we thought of Cook it!, a solution that addresses food consumption and waste as well as the way people are currently spending their time.”

Cook it! combines a cooking demonstration with a pre-packaged box of ingredients needed to prepare the meal.

“You really get to play with not only the information that Dariush gives you but all of the coursework up to date and create a project from start to finish,” said Sharmilla. “I think that makes it a really great prep course for Capstone.”

So great a prep course that indeed, one of the Capstone teams that presented later in the evening actually began as a Sustainable Products and Services project. Arif Hasyim (Dual C14) and Meghan French (MBA C14) both started working on their project, LABLD (pronounced: labeled), the spring before.

“In total, [Meghan and I] worked on this project for almost a year,” said Arif, “…but the idea pivoted several times from a sustainable product that greens the apparel supply chain to something that also improves user experience and adds a storytelling element.”

Kyle Gillis (MBA C10) and Eric Raymond (MBA C10) joined Meghan and Arif on the LABLD team when ideas were first pitched at the start of the semester. They were one of five teams in this semester’s SUS6145: Integrative Capstone class.

“This semester’s presentations represented a broad array of unique and creative business ventures that are all designed to create scalable social and environmental impact,” said Edward West (MBA C3), who began co-teaching the course in the fall of 2011. “Each presentation represented the talents, skills, and interests of the constituent team members.”

Lindsey Herrema (MBA C11) and Jenn Coyle (MBA C11) of The Can Van also presented.

Capstone has changed considerably since his time in the program, says Edward, including a number of things he himself implemented to reflect his real world experience post-graduation.

“We were relentlessly encouraging the students to ‘make it real, or make it break,’ because when you push it hard enough to break it, then you learn something, and you can begin again,” said Edward. “This is a unique time; you can take huge risks with your time and your concept.”

“I thought I had Capstone done when I walked into my meeting with [Capstone Program Director] Ed Quevedo at the beginning of the semester. I was so wrong,” said Amy. “[Ed] just kept pushing me

and pushing me to see the bigger picture. It was absolutely everything I needed to help my idea succeed and get my job.”

Amy’s advice for incoming Capstone students?

“Capstone is the opportunity for Presidians to show how we’re going to change the world and how uniquely we can think,” she said.

“Just go for it! Be willing to be daring, think big, and lead with your heart,” said Edward. “The rest of life will come soon enough, while you’re in Capstone, dig in.”

Adjunct faculty member and Presidio alumnus Edward West (MBA C3) presents his new venture Hylo. Edward was one of two boomerang teams in the fall 2012 Showcase.

8 Presidio Graduate School

Like many Americans, the PresidioPRO Center for Professional Development started off 2013 with renewed vigor and

big plans for the new year. Wasting no time, the Center kicked off the four-day Entrepreneur’s

EntrEprEnEurs hit thE gym

Boot Camp January 10th.

The boot camp consisted of three intensive courses geared towards professionals who were starting — or thinking about starting — their own ventures. The classes could be taken individually or as a set and were hosted in conjunction with HUB Workbench.

“Instead of Presidio just coming in and using the space, the HUB suggested we combine resources and start collaborating,” said PresidioPRO Program Coordinator Isa Dyer. “[The HUB] has many experts in a variety of different fields who we thought could bring a new element to our intensives.”

One of those experts is social strategist Evonne Heynig. Ms. Heynig, who helped found both Toyshoppe Systems and EdDefy, captivated her students with everything from campaign planning to community building in her workshop entitled “Social for Startups.”

The boot camp’s other two speakers were Jenny Kassan, CEO of Cutting Edge Capital, and serial entrepreneur Henry Wong.

“After every intensive course, [PRO] surveys students about their experiences and asks what subject they would most like to see next,” said Isa. “Legal has been one of our most requested topics.”

In her presentation “Legal Boot Camp for Social Entrepreneurs,” Ms. Kassan addressed this express need, instructing participants on the basics of social enterprise legal structures, tax law, security law, and the structure behind them.

Mr. Wong culminated the series with a repeat offering of his acclaimed two-day seminar “Startup Finance Boot Camp,”

which he originally presented in September 2012. “Startup Finance Boot Camp was the first intensive course PRO ever ran,” said Isa. “When word spread about Mr. Wong’s thoroughness and the quality of the resources he provided, we received an incredible number of requests for an encore.”

Mr. Wong provided students with critical insights into starting, building, and harvesting a successful venture.

“Our social entrepreneurship intensive courses relating to start-up finance, law, and organizational development, were designed specifically to support entrepreneurs in launch mode, said Ed Quevedo, Director of PresidioPRO. “The high level of expertise represented in the faculty for these courses, and the feedback we have had from the students, make clear that these courses set the standard for social entrepreneurship training programs.”

For more information on upcoming intensive course offerings from PresidioPRO visit their website.

Winter 2013 | Presidian 9

»Upcoming Events Chico’s This Way to Sustainability Conference

On March 7th and 8th, California State University Chico will host the “This Way to Sustainability Conference VIII”. Speakers from Presidio include MPA Program Chair Ryan Cabinte, Capstone Program Director Ed Quevedo, Adjunct Professor Kristin York, and current student Inna Volynskaya (MBA C13). For a full list of their presentations with times, please visit the PGS events calendar.

Presidio Presents: Impact Investing

Grab your big red felt tip marker (or whatever the susty equivalent is these days) and block off Wednesday, March 20th on your calendar – you’ll be busy that night.

Starting at 7:00PM at the HUB SF, you’ll be listening to four world-class entrepreneurs at the leading edge of impact investing. Made possible by the generous corporate sponsorship of the firms Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Sustainable Industries this next installment in the Presidio Presents speaker series will feature Stephen DeBerry, Founder of Bronze Investments, Chris Larson, Director of Real Assets, Maud “Ali” Long, President of the Springcreek Foundation, and Julia Sze, Managing Director of Sonen Capital, in an exploration of this fascinating and expanding field.

Tickets are $10.00 for general admission, with discounted tickets available for Presidio students, alumni, and prospective students.

February Community Event

On Saturday, February 16th, members of the Presidio community are invited to join in a discussion about small businesses and the local economy. A panel including Praveen Madan and Christin Evans, owners of Booksmith, and Steve Costa and Kate Levinson from Point Reyes Bookstore will focus on how they experiment with their business models in order to be both successful and have a positive impact on the communities they serve. Doors open at the HUB SF at 5:30PM with the speakers beginning promptly at 6:30PM.

Meet the panelists:PRAVEEN MADAN & CHRISTIN EVANS Christin and Praveen are the new face of the Booksmith in San Francisco. They bought the bookstore from founder Gary Frank in 2007. Refugees from the “Land of Corporations,” they continue to have many exciting plans for Booksmith. Their big, hairy, audacious goal: create the independent bookstore for the 21st century.

The store is known for its ongoing celebrated events program. In the past, the series has featured many authors including novelists, poets, science fiction writers, biographers, historians, cartoonists, Pulitzer Prize, and Booker Prize winners. Christin and Praveen write about their bookstore experience on The Huffington Post. Christin is actively involved in running and buying for the bookstore with a great team of booksellers, and is active in neighborhood organizations.

STEVE COSTA & KATE LEVINSONSteve Costa and Kate Levinson didn’t know much about operating a retail business when they bought an independent bookstore in rural Point Reyes Station in 2003. But they shared a vision for being part of a community and a desire to make a difference. They began to weave Point Reyes Books into the fabric of community life. Steve brought 40 years of community organizing to the bookstore, including as a Vista volunteer, an aide to Congressman Pete Stark, a program director for the Trust for Public Land, and executive director of the City of Oakland’s strategic planning office. Kate holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Along with helping produce the readings, lectures, conferences, and exhibitions the bookstore sponsors, Kate leads workshops on women and money. Kate also serves on the board of the Northern California Independent Booksellers’ Association.

GreenBiz Forum

Presidio is sponsoring the upcoming GreenBiz Forum in San Francisco on February 27th and 28th. Take advantage of our special partner discount and get 10% off the regular conference rate. Our partner code is: gbf13inviteePRE. Register here! Don’t miss adjunct professor Kristin York at the GreenGuru session Wednesday evening.

10 Presidio Graduate School

Presidio Graduate School’s Net Impact Chapter was recently chosen to be a local partner chapter at Net Impact’s 2013 conference. The

conference will be held in Silicon Valley on October 24th through the 26th.

“Everybody is really excited to take a leadership role and make this year’s conference really innovative,” said Presidio Net Impact Chapter Co-President Ayaka Emoto (MBA C15). “We are ready to show that Presidio is on the cutting edge when thinking about sustainability in both business and the public sector.”

According to Net Impact Senior Conference Manager Jessica Fleuti, Presidio was chosen to be a partner, because it is one of the strongest chapters in the network.

“The fact that every single MBA student at Presidio is a member of Net Impact speaks volumes about Presidio’s priorities and mission alignment,” said Ms. Fleuti. The Presidio Net Impact Chapter was founded in 2008 and currently has 255 members.

Chapter leaders submitted their proposal to be a partner back on November 30th, 2012 – barely a month after the 2012 conference in Baltimore, MD.

“Every time we attend the conference we get a lot out of it, but we wanted to do something more,” said Ayaka. “This was a great opportunity to show that Presidians are on the cutting-edge and really push these conversations even further.”

Presidio will be one of six local partner chapters. Other partner chapters for the 2013 conference are: Mills College Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business, San Francisco State University College of Business, Stanford University, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and the Net Impact San Francisco Professional Chapter.

“[Presidio’s] application was full of well-conceived, cutting-

edge ideas that we will surely work to employ at the 2013 conference,” said Ms. Fleuti.

In response to attendee feedback, conference heads have also chosen to make minor changes to the local engagement task forces.

“The new structure will offer more opportunities for members of our local partners to engage and take on leadership roles, while working closely with Net Impact staff,” said Ms. Fleuti.

Details on what the new partnership model will entail are expected in the coming months. However, the Presidio Net Impact Chapter is already preparing applications to oversee conference tracks.

“It’s going to be really important for everyone to come… we’ll be tapping into faculty staff, everybody,” said Ayaka. “We want to make the 2013 conference the best conference ever.”

Presidio to partner with Net Impact for 2013 Conference in San José

Winter 2013 | Presidian 11

“People go to ASPA conferences for a variety of reasons, but one is to hear cutting edge ideas

about what’s going on from experts in the field,” said Ronnie Karosec, one of the program co-chairs for the 2013 American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference.

Of the experts presenting in New Orleans, LA this March, seven of them will be Presidians.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our students, faculty, and alumni,” said MPA Program Chair, Ryan Cabinte. “Their presence at ASPA not only shows the quality and relevance of their work, but their commitment to getting out there and having an impact on the field.”

One of the reasons so many Presidians decided to submit to this year’s ASPA conference is because of its theme.

“When developing a theme you want to capture the interest of as many people as possible, and you want something contemporary,” said John Bartle, Ms. Karosec’s fellow program chair. “We believe “Governance and Sustainability” captures the spirit of what we want to cover this year.”

According to Ms. Karosec, the theme originated with ASPA Chairman Tom Liou and then was “massaged” into its current configuration consisting of 11 different sub-tracks.

“We’re talking about how sustainability plays out in

governance, not just government,” said Mr. Bartle. “There’s one for transportation. There’s one for social equity. There’s even a subgroup about financial sustainability.”

Recent graduate Amy Johnson (MPA C13) was among the three PGS alumni chosen to speak. Her presentation is titled “Sustainable Development is Co-operative Development.”

Presidians Invited to Present at ASPA 2013

The Presenters

“I’m basically giving the case that investing in cooperative development and people is going to give you a much more sustainable investment at the local level,” said Amy. “It will be really interesting to see how this topic is received [at ASPA].”

Although there are a variety of different presentation formats the program chairs try to fill, Mr. Bartle stressed that the overriding criteria is quality.

“We want the best presentations,” said Mr. Bartle. “I think it’s a real credit to Presidio that the program has moved so fast on this, making a name for itself, and being part of this conference.”

“The case for an improvement district in Oakland’s Jack London neighborhood: how localized leadership can build social, economic and environmental capital.”By Tommaso Boggia (MPA C13)

“Creating Resilient Communities by Taxing and Regulating Marijuana: A Case Study of Nevada’s Medical Marijuana Policy.”By Judi Brown (MPA C15)

“Creating Sustainable Change: Building personal and organizational resilience”By Tammy Esteves PhD, Adjunct Faculty & Cynthia Scott PhD, Core Faculty

“One Year Out: An Assessment of DADT Repeal’s Impact on Military Readiness”By Stacie Furia PhD, Adjunct Faculty

“Sustainable Development is Co-operative Development”By Amy Johnson (MPA C13)

“Ecosystem Service Valuation for Decision Makers.”By Maggie Winslow PhD, Core Faculty **co-written by Jenny Sant’Anna (MPA C12)

12 Presidio Graduate School

sPotliGht on »

By Gina Melekh, MBA C16

Nobody enrolled in the Operations and Productions class last semester knew

much about electric meters: what is inside them? Exactly how is a “smart” meter different from a regular one? That was about to change.

For the experiential learning component of the class, my team was matched with Silver Spring Networks -— a major producer of Smartgrid products and software that helps electricity utilities and their customers to improve electricity efficiency.

Smartgrid is a term familiar to those in the sustainability field — it is the future of electricity distribution, the technology that is helping customers and utilities to better manage the supply and demand for energy. Smartgrid is what allows a utility truck not to come to your house every time they need to connect or disconnect a new account, or to take your meter’s monthly reading. It also helps identify outages quicker, can adjust electricity pricing based on time of the day and the season, and manage load across electricity generating plants. Some utility companies, such as local San Francisco provider PG&E, have

already integrated this technology into the existing electricity grid by having additional hardware added into the electricity meters that in turn communicates information it gathers to a central location.

Silver Spring Networks had a seemingly easy question for our team to answer: exactly how much are Greenhouse Gases (GHG) reduced as a result of the Smartgrid technology products they manufacture? The direct GHG benefits are clear — the heavy duty diesel trucks used by utility companies are on the road less thanks to Smartgrid. The indirect benefits are even greater — empowered by almost-real-time data received about their energy consumption, consumers tend to be more efficient with their electricity use. Smartgrid is also what will eventually enable us to effectively maintain and charge electric vehicles once they become a common occurrence; the existing utility grid is not designed to support such high load. However, the manufacturing and shipment of Smartgrid hardware does use natural resources and emits greenhouse gases. Our

job was to carefully account for all the contributing components of each phase of procurement, manufacturing, shipment, use, and end-of-life of the product to compile a full GHG inventory to compare that number with the gallons of fuel saved by not driving the utility trucks.

My team learned a lot about GHG accounting and Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the major standard for this type of data collection and analysis. We also became familiar with various LCA (life cycle assessment) software tools and came to appreciate how important good raw data is to GHG analysis. We also got to learn a lot about oscillators, resistors, and diodes. The final result of our analysis gave us a concrete number of how Smartgrid is helping keep GHG from the atmosphere, information we hope will help more of Silver Spring Networks’ customers to adopt this wonderful technology.

Our experience with Silver Spring Networks was enriching. We had an opportunity to work with an

Winter 2013 | Presidian 13

excited, responsible partner who had provided all the support and information we needed to complete our project. The final presentation to the key stakeholders at the company was a bit terrifying for us as we were about to tell highly-skilled engineers — true professionals in the technical field — not only the results of our analysis but also suggest ways they could and should adjust their strategies in order to embrace sustainability more deeply. To our surprise and relief, everybody in the room listened to what we had to say carefully and asked meaningful questions. Something that became apparent quickly during our discussion was that while the folks at Silver Spring Networks were the experts on Smartgrid technology in the room, we, the students, were the sustainability experts and our opinions were valued highly. That feeling of respect and appreciation

Below: The author Gina Melekh (MBA C16). Gina worked on the

EL project with classmates Brittany Boettcher (MBA C15), Ladan

Ghashghaeipour (MBA C16), and Mahsa Khamisi (MBA C16).

was a great reinforcement of value we are receiving from our education at Presidio and inspiration to further strengthen our voice and pursue what we believe in, even if the expertise we’re gaining is new to us.

The Experiential Learning Program provides Presidio students with a unique opportunity to help real companies address sustainability-related problems and opportunities — something one cannot learn by exclusively reading textbooks and discussing theoretical case studies. In real world, the information is imperfect, the deadlines are tight and any green project is only one of the many competing priorities on businesspeople’s minds. In addition to gaining insight into the world of LCA and GHG accounting, we were able to polish our project management, communication, and presentation skills in a professional environment.

What really worked for our team was active planning and organization — having a DropBox folder shared with the client, sending agendas before each meeting and notes with action items that include responsible parties right after the meeting. As our very first EL project, this experience gave us reassurance and confidence to fully embrace our other upcoming experiential learning opportunities where we can make real difference for existing companies while building out our sustainability skill set.

14 Presidio Graduate School

Change of PaceQ&A with EC Alumnus Jay EdwardsPresidian: Why did you decide to come to PGS?Jay: In 2008 I had an opportunity to take a break from full-time work in the commercial real estate industry, and I wanted to broaden my awareness in the emerging field of sustainability. At the time sustainability was somewhat of an abstract concept for me as I didn’t necessarily consider myself an environmentalist but could see the value of allocating resources efficiently and regeneratively.

What drew me to PGS was the concept that sustainability could be integrated into business on a strategic and qualitative basis. The Executive Certificate Program was appealing in terms of the schedule and providing a framework on the principles of sustainability with peers who were perhaps in a similar career stage as myself.

Presidian: What is PACE financing? Jay: PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy and allows property owners a cost effective method to secure long-term financing for the installation of energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy upgrades. The property owner receives funds up front through private investor bonds in order to make energy efficiency improvements to the property. The bonds are repaid through assessments collected on the property tax bill.

Presidian: Why is PACE financing important?Jay: An advantage of the PACE program is the assessments can be assumed by a new owner and are based on property value and tax history rather than personal credit. The assessments are roughly on par with property tax in terms of lien priority so the investors have a favorable security position in the event of default. At this time not all lenders are cooperative to subordinate existing loans to these assessments, and that has been a stumbling block to implementing PACE programs on the residential side.

Presidian: How did you become involved with PACE?Jay: Through my role as Senior Property Manager for the Port of San Francisco, I was involved in the first PACE project to participate in the City of San Francisco’s $100 million GreenFinanceSF program. Prologis Inc., our partner in the Port headquarters at Pier 1 at the Embarcadero, approached the Port to create a special tax district in order to secure the financing for the installation of a 200kW on site solar array. The project would provide renewable energy for tenants, including the Port, significantly reducing the operating expenses and carbon emissions over the projected 20-year life of the system and the term of the bond. As the first participant it was a true learning experience and a

great model for an innovative public private partnership to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects into commercial real estate.

Presidian: What do you think is the future of PACE financing?Jay: The future is PACE financing is very promising as 26 states have enacted legislation to establish PACE programs. According to a survey by PACENow, lenders are generally supportive of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects but the financial markets for this product are in a developmental stage as are the underwriting standards. As both the commercial and residential market valuations improve, it is my belief that PACE financing will become more readily available for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements that can generate cost savings that exceed the project costs over the term of the loan.

Winter 2013 | Presidian 15

T h e r e ’ s N o B u s i n e s s L i k e

R E S P O N S I B l E B U S I N E S SJustin Bean dreams of a smarter, connected cityBy Cyndie Hoffman, MBA C13

Parking is arguably one of the most

tedious activities in cosmopolitan

daily life. If it’s not unintelligibly cryptic

signs, it’s the red curb that makes a

space two inches too short for your

compact hybrid, which inevitably

leads to the hair-tearing, curses-

flying, I’m-really-not-usually-like-this

blood rage.

#firstworldproblems

On the flipside, the pain of parking

paves a pathway to a smarter city.

And Justin Bean (MBA C11) and his

employer have a solution for all that

— here’s his story about the long

road to susty-paradise.

16 Presidio Graduate School

In Pursu i t o f (Ha rmon i z ing ) Pro f i t

(w i th Env i ronmenta l and Soc ia l Good)

While on a decade- long journey to harmonize prof i t wi th social and environmental needs of society, g lobal ly-minded Port land-nat ive Just in Bean has travel led everywhere from Cape Town to China. Yet, h is adventure began domest ical ly wi th a short Peace-Corps sty le t r ip to Char leston, South Carol ina dur ing col lege. The service wi th AmeriCorps Nat ional Civ i l ian Community Corps exposed him to the basic needs of the c i t izens as he rebui l t homes and classrooms for marginal ized communit ies wi th non-prof i ts l ike Habi tat for Humanity. He came to understand that rebui ld ing economies is not just about prof i t , but people too. And he could do something about i t .

Next up was Japan, where he had f i rst-hand exposure to the many opportuni t ies and chal lenges presented by global business. His employer — Engl ish-teaching Company Nova — went f rom rapid expansion to bankruptcy wi th in one year; one of the most highly-publ ic ized bankruptcies of i ts type. He re-energized his fa i th in global ventures at semiconductor company Ryoden Trading Company by advis ing managers on good business pract ices and intercul tural communicat ion in

support of engagements with manufacturers and partners in Silicon Valley, Europe, and China.

A Laser Focus on Sus ta inab i l i t y

With his heart and mind set on a graduate program focused on bui ld ing responsible, regenerat ive business models, he chose Presidio for i ts c lear laser focus on sustainabi l i ty. He fel t r ight at home in what he cal ls “a network of people mot ivated to create a better wor ld in a wide var iety of industr ies” — from f inance to farming and educat ion to engineer ing. At Presidio, he relent lessly sought out opportuni t ies al igned with his passions – disrupt ive technology, smart c i t ies, g lobal business and clean energy. Through the Exper ient ia l Learning Program he worked with the Ci ty of Berkeley to explore the launch of an Electr ic Vehic le Charging Infrastructure. Outside the c lassroom he served local ly in San Francisco as an analyst of emerging

energy t rends for Clean Edge and global ly in Cape Town, South Afr ica as a business developer for renewable energy f i rm Sustainable Projects.

T h e P a i n o f P a r k i n g : A G a t e w a y t o a S m a r t e r C i t y ?

Just in ’s dream job is one where he could solve the high pains of society wi th new technology solut ions. And whi le the “parking industry” doesn’ t sound very at t ract ive at f i rst — digging into the data and how to get people out of cars to greener pastures does. The hunt for parking causes 30% of c i ty congest ion (Donald Shoup, UCLA). Removing this pain means less t ime pumping greenhouse gases and opportuni ty create better spaces for people and the environment.

With “The Internet of Things,” smart sensors ( l ike those from Just in ’s employer Street l ine) pave a path to better manage ci t ies. I t starts wi th t raff ic

< Streetline Marketing Manager Justin Bean (MBA C11) shows off one of his company’s ParkSight sensors and the accompanying smartphone app that allows motorists to find parking faster.

Winter 2013 | Presidian 17

by using disruptive technology to reduce the environmental and economic costs of inefficient parking. Streetline has rolled out its smart sensors in cities across the United States — everyone from Nevada to Washington, DC — and, in partnership with big network technology providers IBM, Cisco Citi and Siemens — is expanding abroad starting with Germany and the UK.

“With larger cities comes larger problems,” said Justin. “The magnified amplitude of urbanization puts stress on cities thereby requiring greater collaboration, connectivity and coordination to solve challenges. As new economies emerge we must get solutions right the first time around to have a positive — not negative — impact on people and the planet.”

»Becoming a Smart City

»Mobile Banking for Equitable International Development: Financial Power to the People

»Sustainability for the Mobile Services Industry

»Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in the City of Berkeley

»BP: A Marketing Case Study

Get Smarter on Slideshare-with Justin Bean

18 Presidio Graduate School

Waste Not, Want Not»MBA Candidate Trevor Blythe

According to The Marist Institute for Public Opinion, most children in the United

States want to be a doctor when they grow up. Veterinarian falls quickly into second, with athlete, pop singer, and firefighter rounding out the top five.

Where does waste diversion consultant fall on the list? It doesn’t.

“While I was attending undergrad at [University of California, Santa Barbara], I got involved with the on-campus recycling program,” said Trevor Blythe (MBA C13). “We had a crew of about 10 people who would pick up recycling from these receptacles on three-wheel bikes.”

By his junior year, Trevor was running the program. Then, in May of 2006 he got a call from EcoNomics, a small waste-consulting firm in Orange County.

“I really hit it off with the team and identified with their mission,” said Trevor, who now works as their Director of Project Implementation. “We work with cities to help them have more sustainable solid waste diversion.”

Waste Diversion (n): the process of diverting waste away from landfills.

“What’s driving cities to do waste diversion is a bill that was passed back in the 90s that said that cities had to divert 50% of their waste away from landfills by 2000 or they would get fined $10k a day,” said Trevor. “We work with generators — apartments, shopping malls — to institute recycling programs. We also design contracts between cities and waste haulers.”

One such contract currently in the works for a city in Orange County uses rate increase incentives to help motivate waste haulers to improve their recycling and composting practices

“Unfortunately, some waste haulers see recycling as a waste of money,” said Trevor. “These contracts help align the goals of the waste haulers with the goals of the city.”

Although he sees a few “little signs of hope,” Trevor admits that Orange County is at least five to 10 years behind San Francisco.

“It’s kind of discouraging to be a champion for sustainability in a region that’s not exactly known for being forward thinking. Sometimes it’s even soul-crushing,” he says. “Then I come up to Presidio and the faculty and the students, everyone is so hopeful with a

resounding can-do attitude, and that just recharges my energy.”

Trevor plans to stay with EcoNomics even after he completes his degree in part due to the recently passed California statute AB 341. The bill stipulates that every city currently mandated to recycle 50% of its waste will have to increase that percentage to 75% by 2020.

“I want to be around to help those cities,” said Trevor. “We’re making big impacts, but I think there’s a lot of work still to be done. We’re fighting the good fight down here. “

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S U R v E y I N G DEvElOPmENT

10ATThE

y E A R mARkBy Sonya Kendall, aSSociate director of

development & alumni affairS

Richard M. Gray, one of the esteemed founders of Presidio Graduate School and a true visionary, recently reminded me of wisdom from Goethe: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

And begin Presidio Graduate School he did. Enter the ground floor of the administrative offices at 36 Lincoln Blvd, head down the hallway to the right and face north into the Alison Weeks Student Lounge. Ten years ago, this single room was the physical school and in it, the first 22 Presidians (affectionately referred to as the “the trailblazers,” “Presidio pioneers,” or more pragmatically, just “C1”) were trained to become leaders in sustainable management.

Presidio has since expanded to occupy the entire building at 36 Lincoln in addition to a student union

and co-working space at the HUB and residency classroom space in downtown San Francisco. This material expansion is emblematic of our temporal and metaphorical expanded presence. As we enter our 10th year in operation, now with 624 alumni across the MBA, MPA, Dual Degree, and Executive Certificate Programs, Presidio Graduate School concurrently launches into a new decade and into a new phase in its relatively short history.

Recently, the community has been invited and called upon to support the mission and activities through investment. There is enthusiasm around these initial efforts as the Presidio development plan takes shape. Let’s look back over these past six months and consider Presidio’s expanded growth beyond its physical stature and size; let us consider the growth of community investment.

20 Presidio Graduate School

Mid-Year Snapshot: July 1 2012 – Dec. 31 2012

In early 2012, the first ever fundraising campaign, Propel Presidio, was launched. After a quiet period of a few months and since the start of this fiscal year 2012-2013, Presidio has quickly gained traction in attracting non-tuition revenue. We have received over $410,000 in gifts, grants, and pledges. Individual giving accounts for the largest portion with $307,551 in gifts and pledges from the Presidio Board of Directors, the Presidio Gateway Society, Friends of Presidio, alumni, students, faculty, and staff.

Board engagement is at an unprecedented high with 100% participation and $201,900 in gifts and pledges to date. Presidio Gateway Society gifts, donations that exceed $1,000, account for $104,700, with some Gateway Society givers, such as Maggie Kaplan, creator of the Invoking the Pause scholarship fund, making multi-year pledges to support scholarships and other programs. Friends of Presidio (individuals who give $1 - $999) have donated $3,870, and faculty and staff members have donated $3,000 of their earnings back to the school.

Among our Board, Gateway Society, and Friends of Presidio, 43% are first-time givers to Presidio. Student and alumni gifts exceeded the base target of $10,000 in donations by December 31st and contributed a total of

$11,231 before the close of the 2012 calendar year.

Foundation and corporate sponsorship account for the remaining approximately $50,000 and include sponsors such as Allen Matkins, RSF Social Finance, Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, the Collins Educational Foundation, Solidago Foundation, and the Lydia B. Stokes Foundation. We are grateful to the continued partnerships of the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family

Foundation and the Fred and Annette Gellert Foundation who have invited us to apply for additional grants in early 2013.

Alumni giving is critical to the long-term

sustainability of the school

Presidio celebrated many firsts in the winter of 2012: we hosted our first fundraiser, held our first phone

Winter 2013 | Presidian 21

bank and, for the first time, we sent an end-of-year appeal letter to targeted alumni cohorts. These efforts resulted in a 16% alumni participation rate by the end of the calendar year — well above the 11% national average for alumni giving among private and public colleges and universities.

Whi le achieving this level of a lumni part ic ipat ion in just two months is s igni f icant, we hope that by cont inuing to create a cul ture of g iv ing, we can increase alumni part ic ipat ion to 30% by the end of the f iscal year. Bel ieving that col lect ive intent ion can, indeed, do great th ings, th is goal inspired an anonymous alum to pledge to $1,000 for each of the f i rst f ive cohorts to achieve a 100% part ic ipat ion by the end of the f iscal year (June 30th). Cl ick here for more informat ion on the

First , Fast, and Fur ious Cohort Chal lenge.

Investment and Sustaining Presidio

We seek to raise $2 million in the first two years of our development efforts. With a solid start and support from the entire community, our goal in the next 12 months is obtainable.

We are Presidio and when sitting in the Alison Weeks room at 36 Lincoln Blvd in the Presidio National Park, there is a palpable sense of Presidio’s history — our simple beginnings, our resilience, creativity and possibility in making a positive impact on the world. If you stop by and sit for a while, you just might find yourself daydreaming about where the next 10 years will lead us. The last 10 years are worth celebrating and the next ten years, with your help, are waiting to be created.

Photos are from the Fundraiser for Impact at the HUB in San Francsco on December 1st. Top: Alumni Shehreen Johnson (MBA C11), Graeme MacDonald (MBA C5), and Nick Aster (MBA C2). Below: (from left) Current students Danielle Ginach (MBA C15), Vanessa Roscoe (MBA C15), and Emma Allison (MBA C17). Right: Alumni Ali Hart (MBA C9) and Mat Rick (MBA C9). Previous Page: Current student Morgan Matthews (MBA C15) and alumnus John Paul Chulliyil (MBA C13).

22 Presidio Graduate School

Winter 2013 | Presidian 23

POlymAThIC PROFESSorional

»Adjunct Faculty Member & EC Alumna Kristin York

W hen asking students about adjunct facul ty member Kr ist in

York, i t ’s not unusual to hear comments l ike “she knows her stuff ” or “ i t ’s not just the coursework but what she br ings as a pract i t ioner to our c lass and teams that is except ional . ”

“ I have a lo t o f respec t fo r Kr is t in , ” sa id Ar i f Hasy im (Dua l C14) . “She pu ts a t remendous amount o f pass ion and pa t ience in the course tha t I am in , Sus ta inab le Urban Deve lopment Economics and Po l icy. Hav ing a teacher l i ke her makes learn ing en joyab le . ”

Kr ist in, who teaches SUS6130: Implementat ion of Sustainable Pract ices and SUS7100: Sustainable Urban Development, Economics, and Pol icy, br ings a weal th of

exper ience to her course that focuses on training students to create tangible sustainabi l i ty p lans for organizat ions. With an understanding of theory rat ionale and governance, students learn to dr i l l fur ther down and address the key sustainabi l i ty issues that impact a business case. The combinat ion of course learning object ives and Kr ist in ’s expert ise is a winning scenar io.

Long before sustainabi l i ty came to the forefront, Kr ist in worked for top-t ier consul t ing f i rm Arthur Anderson. As Senior Manager in Corporate Restructur ing and Strategic Services, she worked in both the publ ic and pr ivate sectors and advised government agencies and Fortune 500 f i rms on sustainable urban development. Speci f ical ly, her

work has inc luded economic impact analys is feas ib i l i ty and ROI ca lcu lat ions of proposed pro jects . She has developed c l imate act ion p lans, greenhouse gas inventor ies, carbon mi t igat ion, energy and water conservat ion p lans, waste reduct ion and repor t ing, regulatory and government agency in tervent ion and oppor tun i ty analys is to fac i l i ta te effect ive susta inabi l i ty dec is ion making.

An MBA alumna of the University of San Francisco, Krist in is also an alumna of the Presidio Executive Cert i f icate Program.

“Kr ist in always did a great job in herding the cats when i t came to gett ing the c l ient t roops and management to own the in i t iat ives, set goals and devote resources to gett ing

24 Presidio Graduate School

them done,” said Chr is Yalonis, a fe l low EC2 graduate. “We could also count on her to take a leadership role in wr i t ing the publ ic sustainabi l i ty p lans that would be publ ished and need to stand the test of t ime.”

Chr is and Kr ist in co-founded Sustainametr ics, a sustainabi l i ty consul tancy, when they completed the program in 2009 along with other members of their cohort , Mike Harr ison and John Mascarenhas.

“When companies f ind themselves f inancial ly stressed and/or facing bankruptcy, i t is most l ikely because they have lost their way in the wor ld by growing too fast , not paying at tent ion to their market or losing their focus on the core business,” said Kr ist in. “ I f sustainabi l i ty is not a factor in planning, companies are going to be in t rouble.”

The students in Kristin’s Implementation class create plans that address 1-5-10 year market trends along with sustainability issues that impact the business case like water, energy, public waste costs, and carbon regulation. These are factors, which are imbedded in an organizations’ manufacturing and distribution supply chains. Consumer demand is of course always a consideration in planning. By teaching these principles in the classroom, Kristin’s work with Presidio students epitomizes the

school’s mission to train the next generation of enterprising public and private sustainability leaders.

“ In so many ways, Kr ist in is a prototypical Presidio facul ty member,” said MPA Program Chair Ryan Cabinte. “She has exper ience in mult ip le sectors, exper ience in sustainabi l i ty, exper ience with cut t ing edge issues, and an educat ion in systems thinking.”

Kr ist in cont inues to work wi th Sustainametr ics as wel l as Cutt ing Edge Capital and now special izes in hol ist ic sustainable solut ions for businesses and communit ies. Most recent ly, she has become involved in the Cal i fornia Air Resources Board’s implementat ion of the new cap and trade system as a resul t of the passing of AB32 .

“Being an elected off ic ia l in Truckee doesn’ t hurt e i ther,” said Ryan. “She gives our students access not only into

< In addition to being a formidable presence in the sustainability field, adjunct faculty member and Executive Certificate Program alumna Kristin York is also an avid cyclist and fantastic cook (as long as you love garlic!).

pol icy insight, but a lso into how chaot ic the change process in the real wor ld can real ly be.”

Despi te her many profess ional accompl ishments throughout her career, Pres id io cont inues to be an impor tant par t o f Kr is t in ’s l i fe .

“ I ’ve worked a long t ime and across many industry sectors,” said Kr ist in, “…yet coming to Presidio, I am so inspired by the ent i re community and the students who al low me to share and bui ld on al l of my training and exper iences.”

Winter 2013 | Presidian 25