Staff

Asher became the Executive Director of Post Carbon Institute in October 2008, after having served as the manager of our former Relocalization Network program. He's worked in the nonprofit sector since 1996 in various capacities. Prior to joining Post Carbon Institute, Asher founded Climate Changers, an organization that inspires people to reduce their impact on the climate by focusing on simple and achievable actions anyone can take. Some of his previous roles include:

• Partnership Director at Plugged In, an organization working in East Palo Alto, California that connects individuals and cultivates minds by creating the opportunity to produce, express, and contribute using technology;
• International Production Coordinator at Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation, which created the largest video archive in the world, containing more than 52,000 interviews conducted in 56 countries around the world; and
• Youth Manager at the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, which engaged more than 800 teens a year in community service and education about social and environmental issues.
• Ghostwriter of the autobiography of a Polish Holocaust survivor who fought as a partisan in the forests of Belarus.

Asher has served as a consultant to a number of other nonprofit organizations, including Just Think and Okizu Foundation. He currently serves on the boards of Transition United States and Listening for a Change, and on the Advisory Board of ErthNxt. He recently served as a member of Senator John Edwards' Cleantech / Green Business Advisory Committee. Asher was born in the Netherlands, and has lived in Israel, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Connecticut, Colorado, and California. He currently lives in Santa Rosa, California with his wife and three year old son. Asher received his B.A. in Creative Writing from The Colorado College.

Crystal brings over 10 years of office management experience to Post Carbon Institute. While attending Sonoma State University (California), where she majored in Political Science and minored in Environmental Studies, Crystal was the CEO of the student organization Associated Students, a 501(c)3 non-profit. She then spent 6 years working in the field of health care, first with a local HMO insurance company, and then as the office manager for a small dental practice.

Crystal is a new mom, a part-time portrait photographer and a passionate cook. Crystal and her family have recently returned to Sonoma County after living abroad on the island of Mykonos in Greece.

Daniel is the author of Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty, the first major municipal guidebook on peak oil and global warming. One of the few experts specializing in local government responses to global fossil fuel depletion, he has delivered presentations and workshops to elected officials, planners, and other audiences across the United States, as well as in Canada, Ireland, the UK, and Spain.

Daniel has worked with urban sustainability and planning issues for over thirteen years in the public, private and non-profit sectors. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Rutgers University in New Jersey and a Master of Urban Studies from Portland State University in Oregon.

Desiree oversees Post Carbon Institute’s creative and media strategies, website design, marketing-related projects, events, and Speaker’s Bureau. Desiree joined Post Carbon Institute in November 2007, bringing more than twelve years of experience in marketing, advertising and direct mail. Prior to joining PCI, she was Marketing Director for Travel of America and Robinson’s May Travel where she managed all marketing, promotions, and multi-media production for 40 locations. Desiree's previous experience also consists of art direction, and event management.

Ken White has devoted much of his career to enhancing opportunities for people and communities. A graduate of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government's mid-career program, he has worked with nonprofits for nearly two decades. Previously, Ken was the coordinating director of the Chaordic Commons, Inc., a group created by Dee Hock, the founding director of VISA. He was the executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, a citizen-led organization working for truly representative government. Prior to that, he directed communications for the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and Coalition of Essential Schools, and held similar posts with Oxfam America and the Institute for Defense & Disarmament Studies. Ken has also been a consultant to numerous nonprofits, and was a journalist not so long ago.

Kristina Vigna recently relocated to Sebastopol from Point Arena, CA were she lived for the past few years growing food, rebuilding a green/natural house, and inspiring people to think local and sustainable. While living in Point Arena, CA she was a financial consultant for a software developer and local non-profit organization. Prior to moving to the rural Mendocino coast, Kristina worked in numerous financial management roles for different organizations in the Bay Area. Kristina enjoys gardening, exercise, health conscious cooking (will splurge for good treats occasionally), alternative energy/building, sailing, and anything that is a real mental and physical challenge while using the least amount of fossil fuels possible.

Simone has a background in managing different kinds of printed and web content from a career spent largely in the publishing and translation industries. A UK citizen with some Austrian heritage via her mother, Simone recently spent 6 years living and working in the US. For the past 2 years Simone has been working in the nonprofit sector to raise awareness around and promote responses to peak oil and climate change. When away from the computer, Simone is grappling with learning permaculture and gardening via a community garden project. She also enjoys reading, cooking and music.

Tod brings to Post Carbon Institute a strong background in message production and business strategy. As a writer, producer and strategist, he has recently worked on projects for Converse, Scout Productions, Sundance Channel, Microsoft and others. Prior to joining the Post Carbon team, Tod founded Drop City Media, an artisanal production company that specializes in media of all types for screens of all sizes. Before that, he co-founded Roshambo Winery/Gallery. While he’ll always miss Portland and Chico, Tod has settled in Healdsburg with his wife, son and over thirty Polaroid cameras.