Meet The Team

​LINA CONSTANTINOVICI
Founder and CEO of Innovation 4.4

Lina Constantinovici is the Founder and CEO of Innovation 4.4, an organization focused on accelerating innovation needed to achieve the UN SDGs, with three oceans focused initiatives – an Oceans Prize, an Oceans Funders Knowledge Platform, and Ocean Technology Showcases for governments and corporations.

Lina also serves on the Advisory Board of the United Nations Association San Francisco Chapter. Lina has spent the past 15 years building impact solutions as an innovator, entrepreneur, investor, family office and sustainability advisor. Lina has evaluated over 6,000 technologies, advised several hundred startups, and cofounded several. Lina is the Founding Co-Chair of the NEXUS Global Impact Investing Working Group, catalysing next generation investment capital. In 2013, Lina received the NASA/SSV Award in the Showcase of Solutions for Planetary Sustainability for Startup Nectar, the first in the world biomimetic technology incubator that she founded.

She is also the recipient of the RE:STORE international Design Award for reinventing the retail experience towards more sustainable practices. For San Francisco Department of Environment, Lina co-authored the Waste Offset Legislation, a financial incentive for GHG emissions reduction program towards the city’s zero waste goals. For W Hotels, Lina developed a sustainability strategy and implementation process and lead a scenario planning process for sustainable supply chain strategy.

Lina advises the Vivobarefoot Fund, and serves on the Board of Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (a division of the Schmidt Family Foundation focused on funding Oceans solutions) Center for Environmental Health, Environmental Health Sciences, and Rainforest Partnership. Lina has spoken at over 600 conferences in the past 14 years, including the Nobel Peace Prize Summit, the United Nations, NASA Centennial Challenge Launch, SXSW Eco, and many others.

AARON BERGER
Director of Policy and Research

Aaron Berger is a research scientist specializing in pattern recognition, domestic and foreign current events, and technology trends. A core belief of his is that there is always a solution. He serves as a strategic advisor to individuals and organizations interested in finding important solutions to difficult problems. In his effort to help others see a more systemic perspective, his research methods break down problems into their foundational elements, analysis of which yields new angles and novel solutions.
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Doug Lorenzen
Chief Financial Officer

Doug Lorenzen brings a unique mix of capabilities as an entrepreneur and CFO, guiding the initial growth stages of several successful startups over the past 15 years. He held a Partner role at the Seed Stage VC firm, Moore Venture Partners, focusing on SaaS and health-tech startups, and is currently advisory CFO for his portfolio company, Vessel Health, which does instant health testing at-home.

Prior to Moore Venture Partners, Lorenzen was the CFO of Talespin VR/AR. He spearheaded the funding and development of virtual reality simulations that put employees inside of immersive environments, teaching skills in a way that is fun and effective. Lorenzen was also the first investor, CFO, and Co-founder of Open English which has become the world’s #1 online ESL school with over 1,000 employees and operations in most of Latin America. Since 2007, Open English has raised over $120 million dollars. Additionally, Lorenzen has successfully launched Daily Hope Radio, which is the daily inspirational radio program from Pastor Rick Warren, as well as The Daniel Plan, which in partnership with Dr. Oz, promotes health and wellness throughout global religious institutions. Lorenzen’s passion is to “Build great businesses with a greater purpose.”

DR. ADAM SCHLENGER
Science Director

Adam Schlenger (PhD) is an oceanographer and marine ecologist who studies ecosystem resiliency to climate change. His work aims to bridge the gap between science, economics, and policy to create global environmental solutions. By linking the structure and function of ecosystems to economic drivers, Adam's work identifies the major feedbacks between human and natural systems to quantify ecosystem services and improve the conservation and management of natural resources.

Adam has conducted research at 5 major universities, worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a Natural Resource Specialist, is Co-chair of the NEXUS Futurism Working Group designed to highlight and drive social impact in emerging technologies, and has worked with a variety of non-profits focused on the application of technological innovation to ocean health issues.

MIKE SCALA
​Director of Global Partnerships

Mike Scala works to transform the way that businesses, family offices, NGO's, and governments align their core values, CSR, and ESG whilst maximizing impact. He is the founder of The Impact Agency and has led efforts around the world in the areas of disaster relief, human rights, education, environmental sustainability, clean energy, and more. He recently led a number of COVID19 relief efforts providing PPE, educational supplies, food, and aid to millions in underserved communities in the US and Europe working with the public and private sector. His unique approach has led to the support of communities across 15+ countries and work with organizations such as Bankers Without Boundaries, World Health Organization, Global Citizen, Thompson Reuters, and more.

Advisory Board

AMIR DOSSAL
Founder and President of the Global Partnerships Forum

Global Partnerships Forum is a not-for-profit knowledge platform providing changemakers with tools to build innovative partnerships for the SDGs.

​He is co-founder of the Pearl Initiative, the Ocean Sanctuary Alliance, Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development, and the Coalition for Better Health.  He is a founding Commissioner of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, and Champion for the UN’s Safe Ground Campaign.

FRAN BERGER
Owner of The Farm of Beverly Hills®

After an incredibly successful 20-plus-year career as the original owner of The Farm of Beverly Hills®, a Beverly Hills landmark and Los Angeles area mini-chain of restaurants serving dishes made from sustainable and locally sourced organic ingredients, Fran has transitioned her career to educate a wider national audience on all things home entertaining through her online influencer platform with tens of thousands of followers.

KATHERINE HILL RICHIE
Director and Board Member for Nottingham Spirk Family Office

Mrs. Hill Ritchie has worked internally for 5 single family offices and as an advisor to several prominent family offices and companies through her firm, Private Capital Investments, LLC. And her past roles include: Simon Group Holdings, Eden Capital, and PEX Global. She spent 7 years in Switzerland where she was a Managing Director at Palladio Alternative Research and Senior Analyst and Investment Committee Member for the Saad family office’s $3.5 billion investment portfolio. She was a Director for Wedge Alternatives, and also Hedgefund.net. She is an Angel Investor and is on the investment committee for University Impact, a social impact VC fund.

DIMITAR VLAHOV
Founder and CEO of Latona & Sylva Company

Dimitar is the Founder and CEO of Latona & Sylva Company, as well as a Senior Sustainability, Regeneration and Brand Transformation Expert at Sustainable Brands. He holds a Master’s degree in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Mathematics from Oberlin College. Before entering the field of sustainability, Dimitar worked in international development at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and also in economic consulting at Charles River Associates and NERA. Follow Dimitar on Twitter @dvlahov.

MILLICENT WALLACE PITTS
CEO/Executive Director of OceanExchange.org

OceanExchange.org is a US based, international non-profit with the sole mission to help the advancement of innovative solutions that support healthy oceans and coastal systems, and the decarbonization of ocean shipping/ports.  Ocean Exchange awards two $100,000 non-dilutive grants to start ups with globally scalable solutions. Previous finalists and winners in the awards process are making significant technical and commercial progress.

Millicent was an operating executive for thirty years in the chemical/materials industry with Atlantic Richfield, Rohm & Haas, Engelhard/BASF and with a university-based start-up.

STEVEN MAIMON
CEO of Summit Reliance Group

Mr. Maimon’s professional career spans over 40 years and includes stints as an engineer at McDonnel Douglas, Booz Allen and Hamilton and a top position on a Federal Transition Team leading a $6B operation involved in the U.S. Postal Service privatization.

An accomplished international consultant, he has worked in 20 countries over the years from Moscow to Bahrain on missions as diverse as advising the City of Moscow on upgrading its telecommunications system to leading a National Science Foundation program to establish a Middle East regional medical diagnostic ultrasound practice at the Cairo (Egypt) University Hospital. His clients included Eastman Kodak and the Marmon Group, among other top industry names.