Dustin Herner, CEM, is Energy & Sustainability Manager for Weis Markets, Inc, a mid-Atlantic retail grocery chain of 197 stores. After graduating from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in Energy, Business, and Finance Dustin began his career at Weis Markets in 2013 as an Energy Analyst focused on demand side energy management. After being promoted to Energy Manager and absorbing the Sustainability Manager role, Dustin now leads a team of specialists who collectively focus on energy management, recycling and food waste diversion, as well as community and employee outreach. You will often find Dustin elbow deep in a waste audit at the landfill or exploring a supermarket rooftop looking for the next savings opportunity.

Kate Whitbeck is the director of sustainability for Harmons Grocery, a family-owned, locally operated, 20-store grocery business based in Utah. As the first individual to hold this position in the company, she has been responsible for conducting a baseline assessment of key environmental indicators related to store operations, as well as establishing goals, and evaluating progress on metrics related to emissions, waste, water, energy, sustainable sourcing, and packaging. Prior to Harmons, Kate spent ten years focused on sustainable materials management as a founder and managing partner of Momentum Recycling, a zero-waste company providing recycling collection services, waste consulting and glass processing services. Her subsequent position at the University of Utah’s Sustainability Office allowed her to broaden her experience and knowledge in areas outside of waste. Before moving to Utah, Kate spent ten years working overseas in the field of civil society development. She holds a master’s degree in International Sustainable Development from the School for International Training.

Kathy Loftus is the Vice President of Strategic Construction Projects, Energy and Facility Services at Retail Business Services which is the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA. In this role, Kathy leads several teams all engaged to optimize productivity and operationalize our business’ Race to Zero commitment. In addition to various roles in Food Retail and Energy and Engineering, she spent 14 years in Sustainability Leadership for Whole Foods Market, leading strategic ESG programs and innovations in many areas within the built environment, waste & packaging, responsible sourcing, education, marketing & communication. She was a founding Steering Committee member for U.S. DOE’s Better Buildings Alliance and was a founding member of EPA’s Green Chill Program. She is immediate past Chair and Board Member of Green Building Initiative, sits on the board of The Future of American Energy, former Chair of the Board of Clean Air-Cool Planet, and Board Member of Waste Cap of MA. She is a member of WPI’s’ Center for Sustainability in Business and Mechanical Engineering External Advisory Boards, Mass Maritime Academy’s Energy Advisory Council, and Cradle to Cradle’s Renewable Energy and Carbon Management Advisory Group. Her education includes a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

A leading visionary in California’s fight against the homeless crisis, Katina Holliday’s respectful and loving approach to reducing homelessness has helped hundreds of families and individuals find traction in getting off the streets through Holliday’s Helping Hands. Katina brings over 25 years of experience in the medical field to her multi-faceted community work. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) and her Masters in Science Nursing degree from Azusa Pacific University and is also a Family Nurse Practitioner. Katina has made a major impact on her hometown of Aberdeen, Mississippi by building a 30,000-foot shopping center, The Pointe, which includes an urgent care facility (Urgent Care at the Pointe), and a 20,000 square foot grocery store, Freshly’s Market. Katina is also the founder of HHH Real Estate Investments, which, among other endeavors, provides temporary housing to those displaced by natural disasters.

Laura McCord has over 20 years of food retail involvement with experience as a grocer, and account manager, with the majority of her time spent in category management. After obtaining her Master’s degree in Sustainable Management, she transitioned to a newly created position at KeHE, Sustainability, and Corporate Responsibility, which focuses on environmental stewardship, KeHE’s B Corp certification. Laura is also the co-founder of CAREtrade, which focuses on suppliers that share KeHE’s mission to serve to make lives better, DIVERSEtrade, KeHE’s supplier diversity program and ECOtrade which supports suppliers that have made a significant climate action commitment.

Maggie D’Amour is the Senior Manager of ESG for Big Y Foods, a grocery chain with over 70 retail locations and 13 Fuel/ convenient stores located in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Prior to her current role, Maggie held various other positions at Big Y including Employee Services Representative, and most recently, Store Director. As a member of the third generation of family members involved in the family business, Maggie is passionate about securing the longevity of Big Y while also preserving our planet. Her responsibilities in this new role at Big Y include assessing the company’s current sustainability practices, identifying opportunities, and developing goals and strategies to improve the company’s carbon footprint. Maggie holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Providence College.

Marina Heppenstall is the Sustainability Director for Town & Country Markets, a family-owned grocery business operating six markets in the Seattle area. She joined the company in 2022 to help advance sustainability initiatives including greenhouse gas reduction, waste management, packaging, and responsible food sourcing. Prior to joining T&C, she led client solutions at Sustainable Brands, a global learning platform for corporate sustainability. Her career in the environmental field has covered a breadth of topics including event sustainability, carbon footprinting of agricultural soils, and renewable fuels. She holds a master’s degree in environmental science with a focus in sustainable agriculture from Washington State University.

Steve Goh, energy management director for thirty-three Vallarta supermarkets, is responsible for all sustainability efforts for the regional grocery chain based in Southern California. He has leveraged innovative financing strategies, utility incentives and rebates, and utility suppliers sourcing to create low- or no-cost implementation of energy- and water-reduction programs and a zero-waste program. Steve’s efforts have resulted in more than 20% reduction in per store energy usage by implementing measures that include but are not limited to the following: energy-efficiency technologies such as LED lighting, refrigeration upgrades and IOT technologies, store retro-commissioning, and standardized maintenance for HVAC and refrigeration. The zero-waste program has diverted more than 33% of solid waste to recycling and composting. These efforts garnered Steve a regional Southern California Edison energy-efficiency award and Vallarta’s recognition as a finalist for the Los Angeles Better Business Challenge. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.