Marianne Larned
Author/Founding Director
Marianne Larned
Author/Founding Director
Marianne Larned is the author of the Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes and the Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum.
As the founding director of the Stone Soup Leadership Institute, she works with a diverse team to build the Stone Soup Ed-Tech Platform with dynamic video-based educational tools that bring to life the inspiring stories in the Stone Soup for the World series.
Marianne’s passion for sustainability evolved from living and working alongside young people from island communities that are on the front lines of climate change – from Martha's Vineyard to Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.
She uses the Stone Soup folk tale to encourage everyone to share their time, talents, and resources to empower multicultural young people and their communities so together we can build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.
A progressive educator, thought leader, and spokesperson, Marianne’s progressive education background includes the Rudolf Steiner International Training Center in Aberdeen, Scotland and the University of Massachusetts School of Education. Her business background from her master's degree in Organizational Development from Boston University, and leadership development training from Claire Nuer's Learning as Leadership, and the Wilson Learning Management Systems. A pioneer in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), Marianne served as a business consultant to Fortune 100 companies and chambers of commerce to develop workforce development strategies and innovative public-private partnerships in healthcare and education.
Stone Soup Climate Education Platform
Nina Potsiadlo
Education Outreach Manager
Nina Potsiadlo
Education Outreach Manager
Nina Potsiadlo is the Institute's Education Outreach Manager. As an ardent supporter of equity in education, she is committed to helping teachers integrate climate education into their lessons to prepare students for the transition to a sustainable economy. Her passion has grown over 15 years of working with public schools -- from a para-educator to fundraiser and non-profit board and leadership positions. A Princeton University graduate, Nina is a Kellogg School of Management – Executive Education candidate. Her professional experience includes AES Consulting (now Compass Lexecon), 2Roam, TheRightSize.com, Snowball.com, Banana Republic, Toys R Us, & Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing (now Penguin Random House LLC)
At the Institute, I am thrilled to introduce educators to The Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum, a dynamic solutions-based program with lesson plans that are carefully designed with rich, engaging, and global perspectives.
Albert Perez
STEM Teacher Trainer
Albert Perez
STEM Teacher Trainer
Robin Harper
Project Manager
Robin Harper
Project Manager
Robin has been the Institute's webmaster since 2011. In 2023, she took on a new role as the Project Coordinator for the Stone Soup Ed-Tech Platform. A University of Maryland, College Park graduate, she lives on the island of Martha's Vineyard.
“Over the years, I have been privileged to witness both the Institute's growth and positive impact on young people’s lives. From helping them prepare to enter college and the workforce to encouraging them to recognize their potential as leaders in making positive change -- for the environment, their local communities and the world – The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is an organization that has shown great success in helping the voices of our youth be heard and make a difference. I am happy to have played a part in the Institute's past, present and future."
Kathleen Hart
Social Media Manager
Kathleen Hart
Social Media Manager
Kathleen is an accomplished climate communications professional with a rich background in social media management and climate communications at the intersection of green jobs and environmental justice. She graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and minors in Political Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Before joining the Institute, Kathleen served as the Communications Manager for the City of Boston’s Environment Department in the Mayor’s Cabinet of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for four years.
She oversaw communications for City of Boston policies, initiatives, and programs covering climate adaptation, decarbonization of small and large buildings, renewable energy and energy efficiency, green jobs, and environmental justice. She partnered closely with Climate Ready Boston for the 2022 Heat Resilience Plan, PowerCorpsBOS, an earn-and-learn green jobs program for young people of color and returning citizens, and Boston Community Choice Electricity, a municipal aggregation program that makes renewable energy affordable, stable, and accessible.
Kathleen knows that climate change education and action is only effective with a strong -and essential- foundation of equity. She served as the Language Access & Communications liaison to ensure materials were properly translated; helped co-facilitate an Equity & Environmental Justice working group that prioritized continued learning, collaboration, and implementation regarding equity; and partnered with an Artist-in-Residence to develop a community-driven theater production project about the intersection of racial equity, the housing crisis, and climate change.
“I am excited to support the Institute’s mission to empower young people to take meaningful action to secure a safe and healthy future through solutions-based education and storytelling. Although young people have inherited the brunt of climate change, they have a unique opportunity to come together, tackle the climate crisis, and reap the benefits of a healthier planet."
Partnerships Team
James O'Neill
Partnership Development
James O'Neill
Partnership Development
Jim O’Neill is an entrepreneur and consultant in the environmental space. He believes innovation is the way towards solving any wide-scale problem, and that the educational and career training tools that the Institute is building is paving the way for young leaders to do just that.
In his role in Partnership Development at The Institute, he works across channels with a diverse array of business, institutional, and governmental partners to advance the Stone Soup Ed-Tech Platform.
Shreya KC
Global Project Coordinator
Shreya KC
Global Project Coordinator
Shreya K.C. is a climate justice activist from Nepal who is featured in the book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes. For five years, she has been passionately involved in sustainable education – raising awareness, advocating policies with local and global leaders, and taking action for the climate.
Shreya received the 2022 EE 30 Under 30 from the North America Association for Environmental Education. The NAAEE award recognizes young leaders using environmental education to spark positive change around the world. In 2021 Shreya was the core organizing team member of the Education Ministers Summit at COP26 where she also served Nepal’s national delegation and the 56th session of the subsidiary bodies (SB56). In 2020, she received the Global Youth Climate Scholarship to attend the 25th U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP25), where she presented youth demands in the closing plenary. She participated in the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Youth Exchange through a scholarship from ACE Hub, funded by the German Ministry. In 2020, she was awarded the Hidden Eco-Hero Award.
Shreya has served as National Network Coordinator at Nepalese Youth for Climate Action (NYCA), and is currently NYCA’s Advisor. She is a Youth Climate Change Champion of UNICEF South Asia, a Campaign Coordinator for Mock COP, where she leads the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) working group of YOUNGO, the youth and childrens’ constituency of UNFCCC, The U.N. Framework Convention for Climate Change.
Shreya received her bachelor’s degree at Tribhuvan University in Environmental Science. She has taught science and environment in a local school for two years.
The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is a beautiful organization that recognizes young people’s relentless work in their own communities and gives them the tools they need to make a difference at the global level. I am excited to work with The Institute’s Global Ambassadors team to bring sustainable education to students around the world.
-- Shreya K.C.
Sam Storey, JSD.
Legal Counsel
Sam Storey, JSD.
Legal Counsel
Sam Storey has practiced law in Santa Cruz County, California since 1979 both in private practice and as in-house counsel. From 1999 to 2013, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Community Bridges, one of the largest health and human services nonprofit organizations in Santa Cruz County. Sam was elected and served on the Capitola City Council from 2006 to 2014. He has been a member of the California Bar since 1979 graduating with honors from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California. California Bar #79549
He served as Capitola Mayor in 2010 and in 2014. His leadership includes these organizations:
- Capitola City Council
- Monterey Bay Air Quality Control Board
- Mock Trial, Attorney Mentor
- Capitola Arts Commission, Chair
- Women's Crisis Support/Defensa de Mujeres, Board President
- Mid-County Children's Center, Board Member
- Nonprofits United Risk Pools, Board President
Radouane Khiri
SustainWDN™ Tech Director
Radouane Khiri
SustainWDN™ Tech Director
Educational Tools Development Team
Céline Meunier
Coach/HR Coordinator
Céline Meunier
Coach/HR Coordinator
As the Human Resources Coordinator, Céline is working with the Institute to recruit and train diverse global people to create teams to ensure the success of the Institute’s projects.
Céline was a founding member at Learning as Leadership, a prestigious international training program for Fortune 500 companies based in San Francisco/Bay Area. For 15 years Céline served as LAL's Manager of International Production and Operations, overseeing the execution of LAL's international conferences, seminars and training programs. At LAL, Céline served as a seasoned coach supporting business executives to realize their goals of building productive teams, a balanced personal life, and a more humanistic corporate culture. Céline and Marianne first worked together with LAL's Founder Claire Nuer in the early 1990's. Before moving to the U.S. Celine was Senior Director of Advertising at France1, and Production & Traffic Manager at McCann Erickson, Terre Neuve and Dyade for eight years.
A recent graduate from IIN Integrative Health, Céline coaches people to sustain a better quality of life. She is a single mother of a 15 year old beautiful daughter who is non-verbal and in a wheel chair. To better support her daughter, she has been trained in the methodologies of Moshé Feldenkrais and Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute. Céline is fluent in French, Italian, English (speak, write, read).
Janet Hulstrand
Editor
Janet Hulstrand
Editor
Janet Hulstrand is a writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher of literature. One of her all-time favorite editorial projects was working with Marianne Larned on the first Stone Soup for the World book. She also edited Stone Soup for a Sustainable World, and the companion curriculum. Janet is author of Demystifying the French: How to Love Them, and Make Them Love You and A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France. Her editorial clients have included the District of Columbia Public Library, the National Audubon Society, the Paul Robeson Foundation, NAFSA, and the World Bank, as well as Caroline Kennedy and Andrew Young. Born and raised in Minnesota, Janet has lived in New York City and Washington D.C. She now divides her time between France and the United States.
The Institute's Sustainable Education Toolkit, a companion curriculum for Stone Soup for a Sustainable World is an invaluable pedagogical resource for teachers, and anyone else who works with youth. In addition to a rich collection of engaging, hands-on activities in language arts and the STEM disciplines, links to online resources provide a wealth of information about current and future efforts in innovative solutions for solving our global problems. The Sustainable Career Pathways section not only introduces teachers (and students) to a number of career paths that many people may not have ever even heard of, but tells them how to learn more, and take the first steps toward entering them. The result is a practical primer for how to stop feeling hopeless and desperate, and start taking concrete steps toward meaningful, gainful, helpful involvement in today’s-- and tomorrow’s-- world.
Janet Hulstrand
Harry Pallenberg
Videographer
Harry Pallenberg
Videographer
Harry Pallenberg is a seasoned film maker with a wide-ranging background. He spent 15 years at PBS, where he produced almost 750 episodes for host Huell Howser and his signature award-winning series California’s Gold, which was endorsed by the California Teachers’ Association, the State Library Foundation, and the California Historical Association, among many others.
Relatively early in his career, became disillusioned with the Hollywood way of filmmaking, he cowrote, produced and directed his first documentary film, Shotgun Freeway: Drives through Lost L.A. ,, which premiered at SXSW, and was later included in the “Los Angeles: Birth of an Artistic Capitol” exhibit at the Pompidou Center in Paris.
Harry continued his feature documentary work, producing and directing Women in Boxes: A Documentary on Magic’s Better Half, , which premiered at CINEVEGAS 2006, and Where They Raced: Speed Demons in the City of Angeles,, which won the 2013 Motor Press Guild Best of the Year Award.
To sustain his documentary habit, Harry creates corporate content for large multinational corporations as well as small Mom-and-Pop-sized companies; and to sleep better at night he works with numerous non-profits including for The Stone Soup Leadership Institute, where he creates videos that help young people find work in environmentally sustainable careers.
Sustainability Summit Team
Trevor Tanaka
Sustainability Summit Speaker
Trevor Tanaka
Sustainability Summit Speaker
Trevor Tanaka is the Institute’s Sustainability Coordinator.
As a 16-year-old, Trevor served on Hawaii’s first youth delegation to the Institute’s Sustainability Summit on Martha’s Vineyard. He was then a founding member of the Sustainable Hawaii Youth Leadership Initiative. This experience sparked a personal journey to pursue sustainable education for all public school students in the State of Hawaii. With the Institute's strategic support, Trevor championed the nation’s first Sustainability Resolution through its passage in the Hawaii’s House and the Senate – in just six months. Trevor’s story is in the book Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes.
Trevor’s passion and commitment to sustainable education led to the development of the Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum and the Sustainable Career Video Series. Trevor served as the MC for the Cronkite Awards for Climate Education – where he honored his mentor Hawaii Representative Nicole Lowen.
Trevor serves as the Leadership Program and Sustainability Summit’s Co-Director where he works with high school youth to realize their dreams and develop sustainable career pathways.
He graduated from Chapman University in 2016.
Josue Cruz
Sustainability Summit Speaker
Josue Cruz
Sustainability Summit Speaker
Josue is an Immigration Lawyer with his firm in Houston, Texas. He graduated in 2015 from the University of Puerto Rico Carolina, Forensic Investigation, Law & Society Interactions in the top five of his class. In 2004, Josué wrote The Challenges Facing Vieques Youth, which became the foundation for the Institute’s four-year bi-lingual demonstration project, the Vieques Youth Leadership Initiative. Josue and VYLI college youth produced a 2020 Report on Sustainable Development for Vieques. Josué’s deep commitment to designing the best practices for his island inspired him to help implement the first “Green Initiative” in Puerto Rico’s public schools in which more than 5,000 students and 150 teachers created more than 100 school gardens. At his Law School graduation, Josué received the prestigious Award for founding VYLI and his dedication to his Vieques community. Josue served as The Institute’s Co-Director for the Sustainability Summits on Martha’s Vineyard. Josue’s story is featured in the book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes. Josue received the Stone Soup Leadership Institute’s first Walter Cronkite Award.
Namgyal Gyaltshen
Summit Co-Director
Namgyal Gyaltshen
Summit Co-Director
Namgyal is the Summit Co-Director for the Institute’s Sustainability Summit. She was trained as a Facilitator for the Institute’s Leadership Program and Sustainability Summit from 2017-2020. Namgyal served as a liaison between the tech team and site users for Stone Soup Ed-Tech Platform to ensure that the Institute’s Learning Tools are user-friendly and up to date. Namgyal graduated from Brown University with a double degree in Economics and Environmental Studies to pursue the nexus of economic development and environmental conservation. While at Brown, she interned with Environment America to advocate for the strengthening of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and renewable energy in Rhode Island. In Bhutan, she served as an intern with the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Dept of Renewable Energy where she researched diversification of renewable energy sources. Under WWF Bhutan, she worked with local experts on bird conservation to launch the first Birdwatching Club of Bhutan to initiate dialogue among the youth about conservation.
Taynara Goncalves
Martha's Vineyard
Taynara Goncalves
Martha's Vineyard
Taynara Goncalves is graduate of Gordon College with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a pre-med concentration. She graduated from Martha's Vineyard Regional High School on the National Honors Society, soccer team, and volunteered at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Taynara’s dream is to become either a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant.
Born in Brazil, Taynara moved with her family to the Island when she was four. Taynara served on the first Brazilian delegation to MVYLI’s 2013 Youth Leadership Summit; as a MVYLI Visioneer she co-created Summits 2014-2015; and Cronkite Awards. Taynara served as an Emerging Leader: 2015-2017 Summits and as the College Prep Program Facilitator working with the Brazilian youth. She is a Project Coordinator MVYLI’s Career Mentor & Job Shadow Day Program: 2016-2019. Taynara speaks 3 languages: Portuguese, English, and Spanish. She created MVYLI’s Multicultural Project to inspire younger students. Taynara was served as a Beyond Benign Fellow that “develops and disseminates green chemistry and sustainable science educational resources that empower educators, students, and the community at large to practice sustainability through chemistry." Taynara served as Facilitator for the Institute's Summit in 2018-2020.
In 2013 I served as the first Brazilian delegation to the Institute's Youth Leadership Summit on Martha's Vineyard. As the first to be going to college in my family, I had no idea what the application for college consisted of. Through Stone Soup’s program, I was given the necessary tools and the support to understand the college process. During MVYLI’s College Prep Program, I was able to visit my first college, and later the college I would then attend. I was also given the opportunity to shadow many physicians which all enhanced my passion for medicine and confirmed my decision to pursue pre-med in my undergraduate studies. Later, I served as an MVYLI Visioneer to create the 2014 & 2015 Summit; and then at the Walter Cronkite Awards. In 2015, 2016, and 2017 I served as an Emerging Leader working with the Brazilian youth on Martha's Vineyard to envision and develop their dreams for their lives, their community, and world. In 2018, I worked with Holyoke and Rhode Island Youth during the Summit at Roger Williams University, RI, and in 2019 at Salve Regina University, Newport, RI. Stone Soup has given me opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. It has not only guided me to achieve my dreams but has allowed me to help others in achieving theirs. Being a facilitator has allowed me to grow as a leader and has brought many blessings. I have learned from world-changing forefront leaders in sustainability who are passionate, eager to make a difference youth. I am graduating from Gordon College with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a pre-medicine concentration. I’m excited and honored to continue to participate in the difference Stone Soup makes in every youth’s life.
Kassandra Castillo Cruz
Sustainability Summit Speaker
Kassandra Castillo Cruz
Sustainability Summit Speaker
Kassandra is a successful entrepreneur who loves to inspire young people to pursue their dreams. When she was 14 years old, she served as youth delegate to the Institute's first Sustainability Summit and was a founding member of the Vieques Youth Leadership Initiative (VYLI). Kassandra helped develop VYLI’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. After a successful modeling career and graduating from business school, Kassandra became the first employee for the startup company Trendlee.com. She moved with the company to New York City in 2014, where it is now a $5 million enterprise. Kassandra is now Head of Operations at Trendlee.com and Rebagg.com, where she leads a team of 20 people. Kassandra served as faculty for Institute's Summit and the Hawaii and Holyoke Initiatives.
Berta Paleaz
Providence, RI
Berta Paleaz
Providence, RI
Berta Paleaz is a Youth Leaders Facilitator and serves as an inspirational role model for our Latin youth, especially young women. She immigrated to the U.S. with her mother from her homeland in Guatemala when she was 13 years old. Berta graduated from Central High School in Providence, RI. Her intention was to continue her education, however due to her immigration status, she was not accepted to college. Berta was persistent and never gave up her dream of learning. When Berta turned 31 she became a legal resident of USA. She immediately signed up for college. During the interim period, she joined many groups at her church and became a CCD teacher and a youth group leader.
Berta married and is the mother of two wonderful children. In 2018 she graduated from Community College of Rhode Island. In addition to serving as a Youth Facilitator, Berta joyfully oversees the Institute's Logistics Team for the Summit and coordinates the annual Community Service Project.
Four years ago, when I embarked on a journey with the Stone Soup Leadership Institute. I really didn't know where it would take me. In the beginning, I was a little nervous about how to manage all my responsibilities. At that time, I was working full time, finishing college and raising two children. I couldn't imagine how I would have time for something else. When Marianne explained about the program and my responsibilities, I was intrigued. As a mother of two children I understand the needs of young people. As a teenager like many of these multicultural youth, I had dreams and many complications on my path. Some obstacles interfered with my dreams. I am happy to work with the Institute's youth. I've come to see them as family. As we work together, we are all achieving our goals. At first, I started working "behind the scenes" as the Institute's Summit Logistics Coordinator. After I graduated college, I helped organize the Institute's Community Service Projects - the youth fed homeless people, collected and organized clothes for people that suffered from Hurricane Maria, and collected backpacks for children in a remote village Guatemala. My passion is to help people in need and with the help of the Institute I have been able to accomplish my goals. I can see through the youth’s eyes that they are eager to help others and that makes it easy for us to work together. During the Institute's year-round program, I've been trained as a College Prep Program Facilitator and serve as mentor for teens applying to college. The transition from High School to College is difficult for young people. We help them by doing small things or through emotional support. Working with Institute I have grown from one job to another and I've learned how to multitask. I enjoy the harmony we have as a group of Program Facilitators working with these youth. I'm excited to now be translating of the Institute's book, Pan Y Vino Para El Camino's education curriculum into Spanish. Now we can reach many more young people with these inspirational bi-lingual education tools. I work with our youth leader, Maria Rodriguez who lost her job during the pandemic. Working on these stories, makes me believe that together we can make a better world. Life is a learning process, and I am delighted I took this adventure. We teach our youth many things that we have learned through life, and we are also learning from them. It is my desire to keep growing as a person and learning from the Institute.
Climate Education Curriculum Team
Emily Garland
Sustainability Research Team
Emily Garland
Sustainability Research Team
Jo Hoffman
Sustainability Research Team
Jo Hoffman
Sustainability Research Team
Patricia Pires Dias
Sustainable Workforce Development
Patricia Pires Dias
Sustainable Workforce Development
Patricia is a UMass Dartmouth senior, majoring in Computer Information Science. A descendant of Cape Verdean parents, she immigrated to the United States from Portugal when she was 7 years old. She built an inventory and sales-tracking application or her high school's store, and won first place in the 2014 Congressional App Challenge. For her college senior project, she is leading a team of developers in building a dispatch website and mobile app for the Mattapoisett Council on Aging in coordinating rides for elderly and disabled residents. She is a remote Software Developer for Augur Enterprises, using Java to build application features. Patricia aspires to work for a digital agency, working with diverse clients in building applications that solve problems. She believes the Institute's Sustainable Workforce Development Network is great opportunity to work with people of different backgrounds in developing a solution for the future.
Erik Assadourian
Sustainable Innovations Researcher
Erik Assadourian
Sustainable Innovations Researcher
Marilyn Marquez
STEM High School Teacher
Marilyn Marquez
STEM High School Teacher
- Financial Accountant: Jayme Gallenson, Gallenson/McDaneld
- Financial Services: Diane Looney, Downey Burke