About Us

Jason Kibbey

CEO

As CEO, Jason is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the organization. Jason leads the team of VPs and the COO and works with the board of directors on developing and implementing the organization’s strategic plan. Jason represents the SAC externally at a wide variety of sustainability and apparel and footwear venues.

Jason was the CEO and co-founder of PACT, an apparel company combining design, sustainability, and philanthropy. He served as Co-Founder and interim Executive Director of Freedom to Roam, a non-profit initiative that brings together people, organizations and businesses to enhance and protect wildlife corridors and landscape connectivity in North America. He developed Freedom to Roam while working on environmental campaigns for Patagonia. He started his career as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company, where he worked on turnaround and product strategies for high-tech companies. Jason graduated from University of California (UC) Berkeley with a BS Environmental Economics and Policy and BA in Religious Studies. He received his MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Jason is a fifth generation Northern Californian whose first foray into the clothing business was making men’s and women’s sustainable underwear.

Lyn Werbach

COO

Lyn is focused on building SAC’s global operational and financial structure to support its successful rapid growth as our vision of full industry transparency becomes reality. Lyn works closely with the CEO and the Program VPs (Membership, Product Development, and Europe) on financial, strategic and organizational planning with an emphasis on resourcing, pricing and technology strategy, and team development. Lyn advises on communications and partnerships and oversees forecasting, budgeting, cash planning, IP and trademark protection, human resources, and global operations for the SAC.

Lyn brings 15 years of experience running operations and finance for rapid growth start-ups in the fields of sustainability, technology, professional services, and design to her role. Prior to joining the SAC, Lyn was the founding VP of Operations at yerdle, a collaborative consumption start-up, and was CFO and partner at Act Now, a sustainability consulting firm specializing in creative and program design, outreach, and communications strategy. Lyn also ran operations and finance at Method, a global design and branding strategy firm, and at SBI & Company (now Razorfish).

Lyn holds a double B.A. in Economics and Spanish from University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and an M.A. in International Finance and Economics from Brandeis University. Lyn is a member of Reboot, the Jewish think-tank and is a Wexner Heritage Member.  Lyn and her husband Adam live in San Francisco and Bolinas, CA with their three children.

John Armstrong

CTO

SAC Chief Technology Officer John Armstrong leads the development of Higg Index technology. Prior to joining the SAC, he cofounded Bright & Shiny, a design and technology consulting firm, providing services to a wide variety of clients in Sustainability, Biotech and Consumer services. Previously, he was the director of technology at frog design, SF, where he led a team of design technologists in pursuit of next generation concepts for a variety of organizations including Disney, Intel and Proctor & Gamble.

He has deep experience in launching products for both startups as well as large publicly traded companies, is responsible for key patents relating to cloud-based printing technology and has successfully delivered products and services both direct to consumer as well as through complex OEM relationships.

Betsy Blaisdell

Vice President, Higg Index

Betsy supports the SAC members and staff in developing the Higg Index to be the global trusted harmonized industry standard for measuring and improving sustainability across the apparel, footwear and home textile supply chains.  She oversees the strategic development of the index as well as the content and technology development and ensures Higg can be integrated into our members’ business systems and decision-making.

Betsy headed Environmental Stewardship at Timberland for about a decade prior to joining the SAC.  At Timberland she co-founded many industry collaborative efforts (e.g. Leather Working Group and the Sustainable Working Group) designed to improve and standardize the way the apparel and footwear industry measures and drives environmental performance improvement within their supply chains. She was one of the original designers of the Eco Index, which became one of the two main building blocks for the Higg Index. 

Although Betsy is extremely passionate about her current work, she hasn’t outgrown her childhood dream to become an astronaut focused on Earth Sciences.  Until she can go into space she’ll continue seeking adventures on mountains (skiing, hiking) and oceans (sailing, kayaking, and surfing).

Baptiste Carriere-Pradal

Vice President, Transparency

Baptiste opened the European office of the SAC and oversees overall European activities and European based work streams. He coordinates the collaborative efforts of the coalition towards European governments, authorities, and organizations. He makes sure that European members receive the support they deserve. Baptiste is responsible for launching the Social and Labor convergence project.

Prior to joining the SAC, Baptiste created and was heading the sustainability department at Decathlon, a French based sport producer and retailer. During his professional career, Baptiste has been based in the Czech Republic, Romania, and Thailand, where he launched and managed their global social and labor program.

Baptiste holds a master’s degree in physical science, as well as an engineering degree. He has passed the SA 8000 auditor program in India. He is also part of the executive in residence program with the INSEAD for the year 2015 – 2016. Baptiste is located in Europe.

Amina Razvi

Vice President, Membership

Amina is responsible for the overall management and support of the SAC’s North American and Asian member base. She leads her team in delivering exceptional customer service, account management, member value and business development for the organization. Amina works with global members to increase adoption of the Higg Index and improvement of Higg scores through impact solutions.

Prior to joining the SAC, Amina was a senior manager on the Global Sustainability team at Gap Inc. where she led environmental initiatives across owned and operated facilities as well as in their supply chain. She led the development of their Environmental Sustainability strategy and the creation, execution and achievement of ambitious enterprise goals on energy and waste at owned and operated facilities. Amina also led the first large scale deployment of Higg 2.0 across Gap’s supply chain, and has been involved in the creation, development, piloting and rollout of the Higg since its inception.

Trained as an architect, Amina has designed and managed construction of retail stores, skyscrapers, houses, hotels, and museums. She has a B.S. in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois and a Master of Architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bente Bauer

Public Affairs Coordinator

As SAC Public Affairs Coordinator, Bente works alongside Pascale Moreau on the Coalition’s policy activities. She engages with SAC members and authorities on the circular economy in the apparel and footwear industry as well as value chain transparency. Besides she works on the Public Affairs Team’s internal and external communication.

Bente has an interdisciplinary background having studied environmental and political sciences at Leuphana University in Germany. She holds a master’s degree of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Throughout, her studies Bente focused on sustainability, governance, and transparency issues. In her master’s thesis Bente analyzed the link between the effectiveness and legitimacy of certification schemes.  

Bente grew up in Berlin and is an outdoor and sports enthusiast. Triathlon, kayaking, and hiking are only some of her passions. She also worked as a standup paddle instructor. Bente is based in Europe.

Julie M.H. Brown

Director, Higg Index

Julie is on the Product Team at the SAC and is responsible for building and maintaining product-related Higg Index tools, expanding data coverage, and improving data quality for Higg. This entails collaborating with SAC members, NGOs, governments, academic experts, contractors and the SAC staff to collect and disseminate data through Higg in ways that make sense to various member audiences. The focus is on building transparency into the environmental impacts produced in the footwear, apparel, and home textile supply chains.

Prior to employment at the SAC in 2012, Julie worked at SCS Global Services as a lead auditor for environmental certifications for furniture and building materials. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Management from UCSB’s Bren school. Her thesis was focused on building a tool for footwear designers to predict the life cycle impacts of potential designs.

Julie is a serious pianist and taught piano to students of all ages and levels for seven years. She also holds a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating.

Cameron Childs

Director, Higg Index

Cameron is the Director, Higg Index and works with the SAC members to develop and maintain the Higg Index modules. Cameron facilitates member task teams to collaboratively develop scoring frameworks, technology solutions, and equivalencies with external partners. She also manages the Index Development Council and is currently focused on revising the Facilities Environmental Module.

Prior to joining the SAC, Cameron finished her M.A. in Sustainability at ASU. At ASU, she conducted research for The Sustainability Consortium and AMERIPEN and served as Editor-in-Chief for The Sustainability Review.

Cameron has also worked for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of San Diego. She fell in love with social justice and travel during her study abroad program, Semester at Sea, where she sailed around the world to visit a dozen countries in 100 days.

Dani Domsky

Membership Coordinator

As Membership Coordinator, Dani is responsible for providing support in the areas of membership services and engagement, business development, member communications, and marketing for the SAC.

Prior to joining the SAC, Dani lived in New York City where she attended NYU Gallatin. Dani earned her B.A. in Individualized Study, focusing on sustainability in the textile industry. She wrote her final thesis on what the term “sustainability” really means in today’s textile industry.

Dani grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which led to a deep appreciation and respect for the natural world and all it offers. She is an avid skier, yogi, and traveler, having lived in three different countries. Her passion for the SAC has led to the casual title of the SAC’s first fangirl, a name she holds with pride.

Sharon Hesp

Senior Project Manager, Social and Labor Practices

Sharon is the SAC’s Senior Project Manager, Social and Labor Practices. She works alongside Janet Mensink and Christian Smith in managing the Social & Labor Convergence Project, which aims to bring together all relevant stakeholders, including brands, retailers, manufacturers, civil society, intergovernmental organizations, standard holders, and audit firms, to create a unified approach to social and labor assessment in the apparel and footwear value chain.

Sharon studied social and environmental science at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and has worked in international development for over 13 years. Throughout her career, Sharon has focused on sustainability and the garment industry. She coordinated conscious consumption campaigns targeting young consumers at NCDO, strengthened ethical fashion brands while living in Brazil, worked with large apparel brands to grow the organic cotton sector at OCA, and improved labor standards in garment factories for Fair Wear Foundation prior to joining the SAC.

Sharon has a special interest in multi-stakeholder processes that have the power to change the industry towards greater sustainability. In addition to working towards sustainable goals in the apparel and footwear industry, she has been involved in sector transformation strategies in international agriculture, such as the cocoa sector.

Elena Kocherovsky

Senior Manager, Member Services and Adoption

Elena is the SAC Senior Manager Member Services and Adoption Manager and works to ensure all SAC members receive exceptional value out of their membership and effectively leverage the Higg Index suite of tools. Elena manages Higg Index adoption programs and initiatives, including deploying adoption services to members to help scale their use of the Higg Index as well as developing training resources for the tools. She also supports Higg Index data analytics for the SAC and its members to derive key insights from the tools.

Prior to joining the SAC, Elena worked on commercial energy efficiency projects at the Environmental Defense Fund, and held positions at Net Impact and Wells Fargo Bank. She is LEED Green Associate accredited and has B.A. degrees in Economics and International Relations from the University of California, Davis.

Jennifer Kwong

Manager, Events and Member Services

As Manager, Events and Member Services, Jennifer is responsible for providing support in the areas of membership services and engagement, event management, member communications, and marketing for the SAC.

Prior to joining the SAC, Jennifer lived in Shanghai for six years and worked in corporate social responsibility at The American Chamber of Commerce, organizing social and environmental programs for the Chamber and its members. Jennifer worked directly with companies, nonprofits, government, academic institutions, and influential figures to build partnerships and discuss sustainability trends in China.

Jennifer earned her B.A. degree in International Studies with a focus on Asia, from the University of Washington in Seattle. She grew up in southern California and Seattle before venturing to Shanghai during college which led to her fascination for international travel, food, and culture.

Shai Larsen

Executive Assistant

Shai Larsen is the assistant to Jason Kibbey, the liaison to the SAC Board of Directors, and the manager of the San Francisco office.

Shai comes to the SAC with experience as an environmental and land use analyst, project manager, and executive administrator in the technology, human rights and environmental fields.  After graduate school, Shai was awarded the Presidential Management Fellowship where she worked as a sector policy analyst and trade association liaison with the U.S. EPA. In this capacity she drafted hazards waste legislation and spearheaded national campaigns to support the implementation of environmental management systems and performance metrics sector wide.

Shai holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a concentration in environmental policy, and an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in Environmental Studies. Shai is a hospice caretaker through the Zen Hospice Project, a hypnotherapist, writer and singer.

Erin Leon

Higg Index Analyst

Erin is the Higg Index Analyst and is responsible for facilitating the Higg Index measurement tools. She helps manage and lead member engagement and feedback processes related to Higg Index development, provides Higg Index support, analyzes and digests all sources of feedback, and compiles reports and proposals that are used by the Higg Index team to enhance and improve all Higg Index tools.

Prior to joining the SAC, Erin earned her Master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment where her research focused on sustainable systems and the complex interactions of business and environment.  

Before graduate school, Erin lived in Jackson Hole, Wyo., where she helped develop energy efficiency and conservation measures in the region and cultivated her love for hiking and skiing. She received her B.A. in History from Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., and grew up by the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach, Va.

Janet Mensink

Project Director, Social and Labor Practices

Within the SAC, Janet is Project Director, Social and Labor Practices. Her main task is to manage the Social and Labor Convergence Project, which aims to bring together all relevant stakeholders (including brands, retailers, manufacturers, civil society, (inter)governmental organizations, standard holders and audit firms) to create a unified approach to social and labor assessment in the apparel and footwear supply chain.

Janet has more than 15 years experience in Sustainability and Apparel. With an academic background in environmental science, she started her career as senior consultant with CREM-Amsterdam. More than 10 years ago she moved to Solidaridad, where she held a number of different roles. As International Program Manager for Sustainable Cotton&Textiles of the Solidaridad Network, she was responsible for high-level projects in the supply chain, as well as initiatives promoting sustainable market development and direct partnerships with brands and retailers. The role included strategy setting, stakeholder engagement and grant management.

Janet has served on several boards and councils. This included council member of the Better Cotton Initiative and member of the Index Development Council for the SAC. Janet is passionate about apparel and understands the complexity within the supply chain and the diversity of people associated with it. She is committed to working in the area of business and social and environmental responsibility. Janet is located in Europe.

Scott Miller

Director of Business Development

Scott is the Director of Business Development at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition where he is focused upon growing membership and Higg Index adoption.  Scott represents the SAC at key industry events across the Americas and Asia where he educates wide-ranging industry stakeholders on the latest sustainability issues and Higg Index developments.  He also contributes to internal and external communications and to enhancing SAC member value.

Prior to the SAC, Scott was the Director of Business Development at MindClick Global, where he promoted supply chain transparency and sustainability to the hospitality industry. For more than 10 years, Scott has driven environmental projects to embed triple bottom line strategies across various industries. Notably, Scott was featured in James Cameron’s Emmy winning climate change docu-series Years of Living Dangerously for his EDF Climate Corps fellowship at Caesars Entertainment and for environmental auditing at The Honest Company.

Scott was trained by Al Gore to deliver his Climate Reality Project and by the Marine Mammal Center to rescue stranded wildlife.  He holds an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics from UC San Diego. He also is a LEED AP and a Master Composter.

Pascale Moreau

Public Affairs Manager

Pascale is the SAC’s Public Affairs Manager and engages with the SAC’s external stakeholders in the European Union. She provides European and national authorities with the SAC’s technical expertise and experience on sustainable production, environmental foot-printing and consumer communication. She engages with the SAC members and authorities on the EU Garment Initiative, Circular Economy as well as other garment leading initiatives. In addition, she maximizes value of the SAC membership by supporting British, Swiss, French, Spanish, Italian and Belgian members in adopting the Higg Index.

For over 8 years, Pascale has focused on embedding sustainability into companies’ strategies and daily activities in healthcare and consumer equipment industries. From her previous assignments as Sustainability Manager at Philips Healthcare and as Environmental Affairs Manager at Epson, she conducted cross-discipline projects implementing environmental legislation with major impacts on R&D and logistic activities. These roles also included strategy setting, stakeholder engagement, employee awareness setting and policy monitoring.

Pascale has a double international B.A. degree in Business Administration from Reims Management School (France) and ICADE, Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (Spain), as well as an M.A. in European Public Management. Pascale is located in Europe.

Alexandra Rosas

Manager, Member Services and Communications

Alexandra promotes the Coalition and its efforts internally and externally through  public relations and the SAC’s numerous communications channels. Through her work in communications, she seeks to enhance the SAC’s strategic initiatives and strives to present information about the organization in engaging and meaningful ways to its stakeholders.

Alexandra previously worked in marketing and communications at Volunteers of America. She captured the stories of socially marginalized groups and created marketing materials to promote the organization’s mission. She also produced several projects for the Inter-American Foundation in Washington, D.C., highlighting the agency’s international outreach.

Alexandra’s work has been recognized by such organizations as the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts and the American Association of University Women. She holds a master’s degree in communication from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Duke University.

Sally Smaili

Customer Success Manager

Sally is the Customer Success Manager. She is responsible for providing direct support for the Higg suite of tools to the SAC’s users. She manages all outsourced support partners and the SAC’s support infrastructure. She identifies new opportunities for reducing support caseload and increasing user satisfaction.

Prior to joining the SAC, Sally was a sustainability program manager on the supplier responsibility team at Apple in China. Where she managed the Zero Waste to Landfill program across key facilities in the supply chain, helping them earn certification as “Zero Waste to Landfill” sites. Sally also worked on the supply chain sustainability team at REI in China, where she led the first large-scale deployment of Higg Facility Environment Module (Higg FEM). Sally has been involved in the training materials development, content development and piloting of the Higg FEM.

Sally is a certified SA8000 lead officer. She has over five years of experience conducting social compliance audits and managing supplier training and capacity building programs for apparel and footwear industries in China. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry Engineering from Shaan Xi University of Science and Technology in China.

Holly Syrett

Project Manager, Higg Transparency

Holly is the Project Manager for Higg Transparency. She is responsible for creating communication toolkits SAC members and Higg Index users reference to transparently share their Higg Index journeys and performance. She collaborates with SAC members and transparency stakeholders to ensure alignment and progression of Higg Index transparency efforts. Through her work, Holly facilitates research and development projects to test value chain and product transparency.

Holly is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper committed to improving the state of the fashion industry. She invests her time and expertise as a volunteer and launched the Shaping Fashion project across 18 cities.

Prior to joining the SAC, Holly worked as a consultant and project manager realizing various projects that contribute to a sustainably renewed fashion industry. These efforts include a platform and reporting point on models’ health for the Dutch government, realizing a platform for repurposed and upcycled textiles, organizing an entrepreneurial competition for fashion designers, and an international fashion exhibition with new materials and approaches to fashion.

Veronique Tjon

Project Manager, Europe

Veronique is the Project Manager for Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). She supports SMEs in integrating the Higg suite of tools within their organization as well as supply value chain. She ensures that SMEs have access to SAC’s tools and resources including training & capacity building, benchmarking and performance improvement. She furthermore facilitates in the development work in cooperation with the other SAC work streams to tailor support and tools specifically to the SMEs needs.

Prior to joining the SAC, Veronique had been based in Hong Kong for nine years from where she supported brands in developing corporate sustainability strategies. She also worked alongside the supply value chain in Asia by integrating sustainable materials and chain-of-custody processes into their business practices. In her previously held position at a certification body, she managed the Training & Capacity Building program for the Facility Environmental Module 2.0, which was deployed to over 250 supply chain members across Asia as well as the Verification Pilot.

Veronique is a qualified ISO 14001 internal auditor and ISO 14064-1 Carbon Accounting and Greenhouse Gas Inventories auditor. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Veronique is located in Europe.