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Center for Retail and Cotton Product Development
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MARIEKE EYSKOOT

Marieke Eyskoot, a sustainable fashion and lifestyle expert puts contemporary, conscious living on the map. Her modern handbook, This is a Good Guide – for a Sustainable Lifestyle, is filled with practical and positive tips on fashion, beauty, food, home, work, and leisure. It demonstrates that stylish and sustainable go very well together, and makes green living fun and doable. Marieke is a sought-after speaker, presenter and consultant, and co-founder of an international fair fashion trade show MINT. With almost twenty years of experience, she has an extensive global ethical network. She’s featured in several top-women lists and was nominated as Amsterdam Citizen of the Year. Marieke has founded worldwide movement #SustainabilityAgainstShame. For many in the media, she is the go-to person for all things sustainable.

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DENISE MEAGLES/ROBIN BEITMAN

Denise Meagles is a Supply Chain Strategist with more than 20 years' experience developing and implementing responsible sourcing supply chain programs that ensure operational efficiency, promote radical transparency, and achieve sustainable supply chain solutions in partnership with brands, retailers, and manufacturers. Denise is a passionate advocate for strong supplier relationships that create shared value through social and environmental excellence. In her work with Li & Fung, Daymon, and a diverse portfolio of buyers, suppliers, and retailers, Denise leverages cutting-edge technology, Kaizen and Six Sigma methods, and sustainable manufacturing principles to shift mindsets and shape behaviors for positive impact. Denise's leadership style inhabits a global mindset and employs the Platinum Rule: "Treat people as they want to be treated."


Robin Beitman is a Supply Chain/Compliance professional with more than 20 years of experience developing and managing supplier relationships, shaping them into supplier partnerships. She has used her passion working with suppliers for Daymon Worldwide, Karen Harman, Lenox Corporation, and Belk, Inc. to elevate the daily business from transactional to strategic, thus ensuring a long term and mutually beneficial relationship. Robin has extensive experience working in Asia, South East Asia, India and Europe in Apparel, Soft Home and Hard Home categories. She is known as a mentor who takes pride in the growth of her team members and colleagues. With an eye for the future, she is currently working on initiatives towards raw materials traceability utilizing blockchain and/or DNA testing.

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ALICE HARTLEY

Since joining Gap in 2012, Alice Hartley has led work on supply chain sustainability including water savings, textile mill impacts, traceability, and sustainable cotton. She also works with design teams across the company on product sustainability and circular design strategies. Earlier in her career, Alice worked in green buildings and at nonprofit and research institutions. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from MIT Sloan

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MARK MESSURA

Mark Messura is responsible for Cotton Incorporated's global marketing and technical support programs with retailers, brands, and manufacturers. He is a frequent speaker and advisor to the textile industry on issues related to sustainability, responsible sourcing, supply chain strategy, and fiber economics. Messura is Chairman of the Industry Advisory Board, Textile Apparel and Technology Management Program in the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, where he is also an adjunct associate professor. Mark serves on the industry advisory boards at Mississippi State University, Washington State University, and the University of Idaho. Prior to joining Cotton Incorporated in 1994, he served as Director of Policy and Programs for the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, and as Associate Director of the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology. He holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Economics and an M.A. in Policy Analysis from Duke University.

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CYNTHIA POWER

Cynthia Power leads clothing take back and reuse program founded in 2009. Every garment Renew takes back is sorted for its highest value and either resold, remanufactured, donated, or recycled, helping EILEEN FISHER get closer to becoming a truly circular company. Cynthia is passionate about pulling businesses from linear to circular as part of a successful and healthy future for the industry and planet.

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NGOZI OKARO

Ngozi Okaro is an advocate for a fashion industry that honors planet and people. Ngozi founded Custom Collaborative, to support immigrant & low-income women launching sustainable fashion careers. Custom Collaborative serves U.S. designers who want to design and produce locally, fashion-industry workers, and consumers who want ethical fashion. Among other distinctions, Ngozi is a 2020 “World-Changing Women in Conscious Business” winner, from Conscious Company Media and Kate Spade, 2019 NYC Fair Trade Coalition "Changemaker of the Year", and 2019 New York Women's Foundation "Spirit of Entrepreneurship” awardee. She is certified by New York University’s Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising, was a 2014 Environmental Leadership Program Fellow, and is a graduate of the Coro Leadership New York program. Ngozi is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Morgan State University. She is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and New York.

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AMY HALL

Amy Hall strives to elevate authentic environmental and social impact for businesses. Amy has extensive experience with the B Corporation movement, circular economy principles, apparel sustainability, and conscious business practices. An avid cyclist with a self-built bamboo bike, Amy can frequently be found cycling around New York’s Hudson Valley.

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LIBBY CHISHOLM FEARNLEY

Libby Chisholm Fearnley began her career as a womenswear designer for corporate-sized brands and retailers. She left after a decade to start a family and, through parenting and travel, became interested in sustainability. She studied sustainable design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the evenings, in the same program where she is now an instructor for FIT’s Sustainable Design Entrepreneurs certificate program. In addition to teaching at FIT, she is a consulting educator, freelance copywriter and communications manager for sustainable brands. Her goal is to create a ripple effect of optimism— the fashion can and must transcend the superficial.

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LEWIS PERKINS

Lewis Perkins is a passionate advocate for “doing the right thing.” His organization was launched by leading brands and apparel sector industry associations to select, fund, and scale programs to drive positive impact in the fashion sector. Previous to this Perkins was President of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII) where he led the Institute’s Fashion Positive initiative, which engages designers, manufacturers, brands, and influencers in creating Cradle to Cradle Certified™ materials and products with the circular economy in mind. Prior to joining the C2CPII, Perkins consulted with corporations and organizations on the social and environmental program development. He also served as Director of Sustainable Strategies for The Mohawk Group, a leading carpet manufacturer and the commercial division of Mohawk Industries. Perkins’ passion for sustainability and non-profit work has included strategic roles with organizations such as The Clean Air Campaign, 360i and USWeb/CKS. He is an Ashoka and C&A Foundation Strategy Thought Partner for social entrepreneurs, a 2016 and 2017 member of the H&M Global Change Award Expert Panel, and a Design Mentor for both the Council of Fashion Designers of America Lexus Design Initiative – Eco Design Challenge Accelerator, as well as the IDEO & Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy “Circular Design Competition.” Perkins has also been a participant of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Consumption. Perkins holds a Master of Business Administration in marketing and strategy with a focus on social responsibility from Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington & Lee University. In 2018, he was recognized by his undergraduate alma mater, with the Distinguished Alumni award.

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FATIMA ANWAR

Fatima Anwar is the Founder and CEO of Ethical & Sustainable Sourcing (www.eandsources.com), a consultancy firm that connects apparel brands in North America with sustainable and ethical manufacturers in South Asia. She works with large scale manufacturers to reduce carbon emissions, conserve water, and source responsibly while helping brands streamline and improve their supply chains. A large part of her time is dedicated to advocacy and thought leadership to demystify sustainability and the supply chain, which lead to the creation of her podcast Straight From The Source - dedicated to apparel sourcing.