CELTC Events

The lecture will explore the journey of Shae Whitney, a young female entrepreneur who achieved success by defying corporate food industry standards. By staying true to her vision and crafting distinctive products, she built a business that stands out in a market often dominated by conformity. This talk will highlight how authenticity became her greatest asset, guiding her through challenges and allowing her brand to connect with customers seeking genuine alternatives in a landscape of mass production. It’s a story of following intuition, embracing uniqueness, and making choices that prioritize integrity over trends.

Suggested Pre-Viewing:
The Flavorists: Tweaking Tastes and Creating Cravings (Youtube)

Speaker
Shae Whitney

Shae Whitney, a 2010 Evergreen alum, is the founder of DRAM, an award-winning botanical beverage company. Established in 2011 in a Colorado ghost town, DRAM is dedicated to using wild-foraged, fair trade, and certified organic ingredients. The company has earned numerous national awards for its products and branding, and continues to lead the industry by refusing to use so-called "natural flavoring" in any of its goods.

Finding capital to start a business is one of the primary challenges new entrepreneurs face. In this lecture the various pathways for obtaining startup funding will be explained. Requirements for those fundings sources will be presented along with pathways to meet those requirements. The lecture will conclude with next step resources to assist entrepreneurs in obtaining startup capital.

Suggested Pre-Viewing:
Financing Options for Small Businesses: Crash Course Entrepreneurship #16 (Youtube)
The Single Biggest Reason Why Start-Ups Succeed | Bill Gross | TED (Youtube)

Speaker
Sean Moore

Dr. Moore is the Director of the Thurston EDC Center for Business & Innovation and oversees over a dozen resources to support entrepreneurs in startup and growth. Dr. Moore is also an Adjunct Business Faculty member at the South Puget Sound Community College. His academic research is focused on responsible businesses environmental performance. He has fifteen years of management experience and has worked for responsible businesses like Patagonia.

We work with nonprofits to solve their problems with technology, but we do as much project management and coaching work as we do software work. I'd like to talk about how small business and nonprofits can end up investing in solutions that don't solve their actual problems and some of the ways we help them avoid expensive mistakes. I'll use examples from projects we have done to talk about some useful problem solving tools like the five whys and working backwards and I'll talk about why most commercial software is terrible and broken and why we use it anyway.

Suggested Pre-Reading: 
Aspiration Manifesto (AspirationTech)
"Can Technology End Poverty?" - Kentaro Toyama, 2010 (Boston Review)

Speaker
Griff Masters

Griff Masters has been building, designing and fixing software for over 10 years at organizations for every conceivable scale, from volunteer-led community groups to Amazon.com. He is currently the Executive Director of Triceratops Technology Resources, a nonprofit that matches up the most beneficial work in our community with the tools they need to be more effective.

I’m going to talk all about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a business model – a bit of the history of CSA, how the CSA model has worked in particular for Common Ground over the last 35 years, and finally discussing ways that this model can open up opportunities for businesses to build deeper community connections and even promote radical change, including some really cool things being done with CSA around the world.

Suggested Pre-Reading:
Community Supported Agriculture: New Models for Changing Markets (PDF, 2.7 MB)
Soul Fire Farm: Farming While Black – Chapter 2

Speaker
Tierney Creech

Tierney Creech is the owner of Common Ground CSA in Rochester, WA. She was born and raised in Washington State and began farming in 2008 when she escaped a cubicle in downtown Seattle never looked back. She moved to Olympia in 2013 to join Common Ground and has owned the business since 2017. She is a former board member of the National Young Farmers Coalition and a co-founder of the Washington chapter. Growing vegetables, being outside and being able to provide food for her community is what makes her happiest. When she’s not in the field, she loves exploring nature, crafting and cooking with her partner and six year old daughter.

This lecture will explore the transformative initiatives of Soul Fire Farm and the Schenectady Greenmarket, focusing on their contributions to sustainability, business, and creating an equitable food system. Soul Fire Farm, an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm, is pioneering efforts to combat racism and promote food sovereignty through comprehensive programs such as BIPOC farmer training, youth workshops, and policy advocacy. Their mission intertwines justice, ecology, and healing, fostering a resilient agricultural community. Meanwhile, the Schenectady Greenmarket exemplifies a community-driven business model, operating a year-round farmers market with over 80 vendors and integrating anti-racist practices into their mission. By prioritizing BIPOC leadership and accessibility, they aim to engage and support diverse communities. Together, these organizations illustrate innovative approaches to sustainable businesses and community empowerment within the food system.

Suggested Pre-Reading:
Soul Fire Farm - Media Coverage

Speaker
Cheryl Whilby

Cheryl Whilby, Co-Executive Director of Communications & Development, (she/her) first discovered her passion for food systems during her senior year of undergrad. Through her studies, she deepened her knowledge in various food insecurity issues and became most interested in how these matters disproportionately impact BIPOC communities. Since moving to Albany, NY in 2016, Cheryl has spent her time finding ways to be more involved in her local food system and address food insecurity in the community. From 2016-2019, she coordinated the recovery of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, wholesalers, and other community partners for redistribution to food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters as Capital Roots’ Squash Hunger Coordinator (Troy, NY). From 2018-2022, she served as Market Manager of Schenectady Greenmarket, leading initiatives centered on making the market more accessible and welcoming for Black and Brown communities. In 2023, she transitioned into an Executive Director role with the market to focus on building the market’s fundraising strategies to sustain the growing market’s food access programming and initiatives. She is also one of the 12 Black food system leaders who developed the Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit in collaboration with the Farmers Market Coalition.

In this powerful and personal lecture, Rosalinda will share the journey that shaped her passion for social justice, activism, and sexual violence prevention. As a survivor herself, Rosalinda will reflect on her path from victim to survivor and how her experiences—both as a student at Evergreen in the 90s and while bartending at her father’s bar in Seattle—shaped her perspective on gender-based violence. At Evergreen, she learned how to engage people in meaningful conversations and create impactful awareness campaigns, which led to a transformative week of events that included the establishment of the Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night March & Rally at Evergreen. Rosalinda will also explore the tension between her qualifications, achievements, and the barriers she’s faced in finding employment, which led her to create multiple businesses over the years, all with the goal of making a positive impact on the world. She will introduce her current projects, The Ripple Project and the Soil Detective, and discuss the importance of biodiversity in community organizing, showing how lessons from ecology can be applied to building resilient, inclusive communities. This lecture will be a reflection on resilience, creativity, and the ongoing fight for justice and equality.

Speaker
Rosalinda Noriega

Rosalinda was born in Georgia and raised in West Seattle. As a mixed-race individual and the first person of mixed heritage in her immediate family, she navigated a unique cultural landscape growing up. In the 1970s, she was the only child of color in her neighborhood, an experience that, combined with her diverse family background, shaped her deep understanding of diversity and belonging.

Rosalinda attended The Evergreen State College, where she pursued studies in women’s studies, Native American studies, and community development with a focus on popular education. After graduating, she began her career as a sexual assault victims' advocate for the Lummi Nation, a role that eventually brought her back to Olympia. There, she served as the Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator at Evergreen and later worked with the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP). Throughout her career, Rosalinda has been deeply influenced by her mentors—Mary Craven, Gayle Stringer, MA, LHMC, and Bruce Miller (subiyay)—whose guidance continues to inspire her work and entrepreneurial ventures.

Over the past 30 years, Rosalinda has built and managed seven businesses, including Partners in Prevention Education (PiPE), an in-home childcare center, independent contracting services, and a BBQ food truck. All of this was achieved while raising her child as a single mother. Today, she leads the Ripple Project, offering technical assistance and consultation to culturally specific sexual violence advocacy and prevention programs across Washington State.

In addition to her ongoing work, Rosalinda is currently pursuing certification through Dr. Elaine’s Soil Food Web and is developing her next venture, The Soil Detective.

Together we'll explore becoming a changemaker and how doing so leads to communities that better serve their residents. We'll consider the steps others have followed to become effective changemakers. We'll also discuss how they used the understanding and awareness of themselves and their communities to accomplish their goals.

Speaker
Don Chalmers

For 40 years Don Chalmers has committed himself and his work to sustainable, culturally appropriate community development through both capital projects and program development. As a consultant, his clients have included tribal and other governments, non-profits including social enterprises, for-profits, and associations. His employment includes health care administration, higher education administration and teaching, and student advocacy. As a college teacher at several institutions in Oregon, Washington, and South Dakota, Don focused on highly interactive and collaborative learning in topics as diverse as grant writing, social enterprises, law, civil rights, and integrated systems. 

What is Socially Responsible Investing and how can it be part of your total investment strategy? Are you interested in investing according to your values? Join us as we learn the basics of investing, delve into the confusing world of ESG investments, some of the challenges involved in defining "Socially Responsible Investing," and take away practical tips on how to align your personal portfolio with your personal beliefs.

Recomended Pre-Reading:
From SRI to ESG: The Origins of Socially Responsible and Sustainable Investing - Blaine Townsend (PDF, 2.5 MB)

Speaker
Vicki Jovanovic

Vicki Jovanovic, a financial advisor at Sawston Wealth Management, LLC, is focused on making finance accessible for PNW residents. With a commitment to educating and simplifying financial complexities, she helps clients take charge of their finances and future. Vicki holds Series 65 Securities Registration and the AAMS designation, providing expert guidance for financial success. Her global background, spanning Asia, Europe, and the U.S., gives her a diverse perspective. Based in Olympia since 2012, she leads a balanced life, enjoying camping, hiking, Zumba, and diving into mystery novels while offering comprehensive financial advice.