Managing Director, Prelude Ventures

Gabriel Kra co-founded Prelude Ventures in 2013, after almost 25 years as an investor, entrepreneur, scientist, and activist. He is responsible for overseeing the firm’s investments in advanced energy, food and agriculture, transportation and logistics, advanced materials and manufacturing, and advanced computing. Gabriel serves on the Board of Directors for Ebb Carbon, Electric Hydrogen, Form Energy, Lightship, Meridian Clean Energy, PostScript Media, Renew Financial, Ripple Foods, Sense, and Trove and he has oversight for Prelude’s investments in Catalog NDA, Koloma, Metalenz, Mill Industries, Natron Energy, Nyriad, Scoop, Spark Thermionics and Thrilling. Gabriel also serves on the Board of Directors of Activate and The CREO Syndicate, and on advisory boards for Prime Coalition, and Carbon180.

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VP Technology Development, Trillium Renewable Chemicals

Liesl Schindler, chair of Activate’s board of directors, has been involved with Activate since 2016, starting as a member of the industry leadership council. She is vice president of technology development at Trillium Renewable Chemicals, a venture-backed clean-tech startup making chemicals from plant-based materials. She previously spent 22 years at Shell, where she held many different roles, including R&D, innovation management, and strategy. Most recently, she was general manager for process development, overseeing a global team developing and implementing next-generation technologies in the chemicals and new energies areas with advantages in cost, safety, efficiency, and carbon footprint. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from University of Minnesota.

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Chief Impact Officer, Galvanize Climate Solutions

Nicole Systrom is chief impact officer of Galvanize Climate Solutions, a mission-driven investment platform advancing vital climate solutions. Systrom is also founder of Sutro Energy Group, a consultancy that partners with philanthropists, investors, and entrepreneurs to accelerate climate and clean technology solutions. A valued advisor to founders and funders in clean energy, she has helped channel millions of dollars into the development of technology solutions in recent years. Systrom is a published thought leader on climate-positive innovation and has an extensive background in environmental science. As an early advisor to Cyclotron Road, Activate’s predecessor, she helped develop the organization’s program and business strategies to effectively support science-based entrepreneurs and high-impact innovations.

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Interim Chief Executive Officer

Todd Johnson, interim CEO of Activate, has been involved with Activate since the beginning as a board member and trusted advisor. Most recently, Johnson founded and served as CEO of iPAR, an impact investing software platform. Previously, Johnson spent 29 years as a lawyer, partner, and leader at Jones Day, where he founded the firm’s Northern California presence and served as the founder and global head for the firm’s renewable energy and sustainability practice. An early leader in the social enterprise and impact investing sectors, he has advised hundreds of mission-driven entrepreneurs and ventures. He has been quoted in publications such as Bloomberg, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, and Businessweek, and has been interviewed on NPR.

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CPA, Senior Audit Manager, Blazek & Vetterling

Troy Brewster is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Information Technology Professional with over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting. As senior audit manager at Blazek & Vetterling, she has performed governmental and non-profit audits with expenditures ranging from $500 thousand to $500 million, and she has prepared and reviewed numerous Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports that have been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. She has a proven track record of examining complex transactions and guiding clients through complex compliance requirements. Her other areas of expertise include evaluating control procedures, assessing IT controls, managing complex federal program audits, and preparing and presenting continuing education courses.

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Founding Principal, Cater Communications

Morrow (Morry) Cater is the founding principal and president of Cater Communications, a bipartisan consulting firm specializing in communications and public policy strategies that promote an equitable clean energy future. A recognized expert on climate and clean energy issues, she speaks regularly on the national stage, including as a TED speaker. Before dedicating her career to changing the conversation around climate change, Cater was an award-winning journalist, who spent over a decade reporting and producing PBS FRONTLINE and ABC News documentaries. She brings 30 plus years of experience in journalism, communications, and public policy to the Activate board, and she has been involved with Activate from the start, working with the founding team to establish framing, branding, and communications.

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Co-founder and Principal, Blue Haven Initiative

Liesel Pritzker Simmons is co-founder and principal of the Blue Haven Initiative, one of the first family offices with an impact investing focus. As an investment strategist, she oversees a portfolio focused on holdings that generate competitive financial returns while addressing social and environmental challenges. An advocate for a more ambitious, engaged agenda among family offices and investors, Pritzer Simmons is a trailblazer and sought-after speaker on the topics of impact investing and next-gen investing. Pritzker Simmons is also co-founder of IDP Foundation, a private Chicago-based foundation focused on achieving universal primary education. There, she helped create the IDP Rising Schools Program, which leverages microfinance networks to empower nearly 450 low-fee private schools established and managed by local entrepreneurs in Ghana.

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