Team Widget

Born in Australia, Richard Fuller graduated with a degree in Engineering from Melbourne University and then worked for IBM. He left Australia in 1988 to work directly on global environmental issues. For two years, Richard worked in the rainforests of Brazil with the United Nations Environmental Programme, creating forest reserves that promote the preservation of both the rainforest and its inhabitants. He established Great Forest Inc. in 1989, now one of the most successful sustainability consulting companies in the U.S. Great Forest was among the first to bring cost-saving sustainability practices to business and institutional clients, helping to pave the way for the rise of corporate social responsibility. Based in New York, Great Forest’s operations have expanded to include Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. In 1999 Richard founded Pure Earth (formerly know as Blacksmith Institute) , an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to solving pollution-related environmental issues in developing countries. Today, Pure Earth is a global leader in this field, working with governments, the international community, NGOs and local agencies around the world to design and implement innovative, low-cost solutions to save lives. Under Richard’s leadership, Pure Earth has completed more than 120 cleanup pilot projects in 24 countries. Richard is currently a member of the Environmental Task Force, the Energy Committee, the Codes and Regulations Committees for the Building Owners and Managers Association of New York, and the Special Committee of New York’s Business Integrity Commission. He is chair of NYC BOMA’s Codes and Regulations Waste and Recycling Subcommittee, a member of the New York Energy Buyers Forum and the National Recycling Coalition amongst others. He is also a LEED Accredited Professional. In June 2018, Richard was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in recognition of his service to conservation and the environment.  In October 2019, he received an Advance Award for Social Impact from the Australian government for his 20 years of pioneering work with Pure Earth and his leadership in tacking the issue as “a toxic pollution fighting hero.” He is also chair of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, and author of the book The Brown Agenda. Read Breakthrough Solutions for One of Earth’s Biggest Challenges

Based in NYC, Emilie manages the consultant team, overseeing all aspects of Great Forest’s environmental sustainability services. Previously, Emilie’s work was focused on Great Forest clients in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. A wanderlust at heart, Emilie has studied environmental policy in both Peru and Indonesia, and even had the opportunity to attend the U.N. COP21 climate negotiations in Paris in 2015. In her time away from work, she regularly practices yoga and meditation to counteract her close following of American politics. Emilie holds a Master of Public Policy from University of Maryland and a B.A. in Journalism and Anthropology from University of South Carolina. She is also a certified TRUE Advisor, trained in the TRUE Zero Waste Rating System.

Based in NYC, Jackson is responsible for the development and commercialization of Great Forest sustainable waste consulting services. Prior to Great Forest, Jackson worked for seven years at 3M in Minneapolis, MN, where he led all marketing and business development activities for global portfolios. Jackson holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and a B.A. in Classics from Brown University. He is a certified TRUE Advisor, trained in the TRUE Zero Waste Rating System.

Anna manages sustainability projects, including TRUE and LEED certification, carbon footprints, and sustainability management systems focusing on best environmental practices for businesses. She is LEED accredited through the U.S. Green Building Council since 2007 with a focus on Building Operations and Maintenance. She is a certified TRUE Advisor, trained in the TRUE Zero Waste Rating System and a Certified Energy Auditor. Anna has taught sustainability and green building at CUNY, guest lectured at NYU, and presented at Waste Expo and IFMA Facility Fusion. She holds an M.S. in sustainability management from Columbia University.

Liz works with Great Forest clients on sustainability and energy initiatives, including LEED certification, metrics tracking, sustainability reporting, carbon footprints, and energy benchmarking. In NYC, she helps global clients determine and track Greenhouse Gas emissions through sustainability reporting. She supports clients pursuing green certifications and those participating in the city’s Carbon Challenge by determining effective green initiatives that would reduce GHG emissions to meet Challenge and certification goals. She also conducts research, calculates and analyzes energy and cost savings for monthly forecasting and budgeting purposes. Liz holds a degree in physics with a concentration in environmental engineering. She is a LEED Green Associate and a certified TRUE Advisor, trained in the TRUE Zero Waste Rating System. She is currently pursuing a LEED AP credential.

Based in NYC, Amy provides consultation, education, and waste management services to Great Forest’s hotel and office building clients in the east coast area. She has a BA in Economics from Queens College, and a Masters in Elementary Education from the College of Saint Elizabeth. She is a certified TRUE Advisor, trained in the TRUE Zero Waste Rating System.

Based in NYC, Cailin advises Great Forest clients on sustainable waste management solutions, focusing on making sustainability goals achievable and exciting for all through behavior change and implementation of best practices. She leads the development of new and existing client deliverables and sales collateral. She holds a B.S. in Integrated Science and Technology with a concentration in Environment from the James Madison University Honors College. She is a certified TRUE Advisor, trained in the TRUE Zero Waste Rating System.

A trained facilitator, James provides consultation, education, and recycling system advice to Great Forest’s San Francisco hotel and office building clients. His formative recycling experience was working for the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor in the mid-1980s — their business model included Recycle Ann Arbor, the first curbside recycling operation in Michigan. James’ other sustainability work has involved obtaining a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support a Great Lakes regional household hazardous waste conference and the first household hazardous waste collection day in Ann Arbor; cataloging all the green businesses in Vermont into a web-searchable database; and coordinating 25 beach cleanups annually as part of Coastal Cleanup Day in Mendocino County, California. James has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara and an M.S. in Resource Policy, Economics and Management from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources.

In 2020 Sheila celebrated 30 years in the energy field. She started out as a reporter for the Energy Team of the Department of Capital Planning and Operations in Massachusetts, and went on to pioneering work in efficiency solutions for commercial and healthcare facilities in NYC. These solutions included securing three of the top NYSERDA/ARRA Federal stimulus grants awarded in response to the 2008 financial crisis. As part of a broad range of services addressing local sustainability ordinances at Great Forest, she has directed guidance under NYC Local Laws 84 and 87 of 2009 (benchmarking and energy audits), LL33/95 (building letter grades) and the Climate Mobilization Act of 2019 (LL97.) She has also consulted on successful USEPA Energy Star Partner of the Year applications, competitive Con Edison and NYPA incentive awards, and on procurement strategies built from demand limiting opportunities, deploying lessons learned to help craft testimony in rate design cases before Public Service Commissions in five States. Sheila was elected to the Board of Directors of the New York Energy Consumers Council in 2011. She holds a BA from Tufts University and is a Certified Energy Auditor (AEE.)

Magdalene directs communications for Great Forest, handling press and outreach for the company and its projects. She oversees the production of the Great Forest Sustainability 101 blog and newsletter, content for the website, and pens articles and other thought leadership pieces on behalf of the company. She also guides social media outreach and the development of videos and other special projects for clients. Magdalene has spearheaded numerous national PR campaigns for some of the country’s leading arts organizations, nonprofits and corporations, including the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, and PBS. She is also an independent film and video producer. Her credits inclulde the award-winning feature “Falling,” a series of news-making shorts as well as a roster of commercials and corporate work. Magdalene holds a M.S. in marketing communications from Boston University.

Yovelice is in charge of accounting at Great Forest, maintaining and overseeing financial operations. Her love of numbers and solid attention to detail ensures accuracy for our clients, while her extensive experience in customer service allows her to navigate even the most complicated of transactions. Since she began woking at Great Forest in 2007, Yovelice has embraced sustainability as a way of life. She acknowledges the company influence (and a certain amount of friendly peer pressure) in becoming more environmentally conscious, and in her recent decision to become a vegetarian.

Danayia is an accounts specialist with over five years of experience in the field. She is great with numbers and analyzing them! She holds a degree in Accounting from Lehman College.

In just over a year after he began work at Klein’s ShopRite of Jacksonville immediately after graduation from college, Kurt parlayed his experience performing customer service and bookkeeping duties into a job in the corporate accounting department for Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland, the parent company. He soon became controller and compliance officer for the half a billion dollar company. After moving back to New York City, Kurt took a temporary job at Bloomberg in human resources, before bringing his passion for accounting to Great Forest.

With a degree in Accounting and more than six years of experience in the field in her native Dominican Republic, Alfonsina joined Great Forest in 2019 to share her love and passion for numbers.

Jennifer comes to Great Forest with over 20 years of experience in the waste industry, serving in various capacities including as Accounting Manager, Customer Service and Office Manager. At Great Forest she is responsible for delivering comprehensive customer service to clients, handling all inquiries, managing accounts across departments, and problem solving. She is in the process of finishing a program at Long Island University for Business Management.

Based in NYC, Violet’s role at Great Forest is to work with clients, ensure they are following the standards of waste disposal for their region, and assist them on any waste management inquiries. She has always had a passion for environmental sustainability as exemplified by her work history at various environmental non-profits. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies, with a double minor in Economics and Psychology from Connecticut College.

Based in the woods outside of Washington, DC, David’s primary role is managing client and vendor relations in the Mid Atlantic region. David also leads the firm’s development project consulting services team, working with real estate developers and architectural firms nationwide to design cost effective, sustainable waste removal systems for new build and renovation projects nationwide. Additionally, David partners with the Great Forest CEO to develop and integrate staff development and management systems, as well as sales and marketing strategies.

Liza Rivera works in customer service. She has been with the company for seven years, making sure that clients are taken care of and happy with Great Forest services.