Will Bradshaw, co-founder and president of Green Coast Enterprises, is dedicated to helping people in New Orleans rebuild their neighborhoods into a greener safer, more resilient community.
With financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), Air Tractor Inc. now exports its agricultural airplanes to 14 different countries.
Byron Bishop, Director of Workforce Works, emphasizes the need to revitalize America's struggling communities, especially in terms of empowering the next generations of green builders to rethink clean energy strategies.
Julie Rexford, a 7th grade Life Science teacher at Harry Hurst Middle School, speaks on the willingness and creativity of her students to raise community awareness on what can and cannot be recycled.
Producing a range of high-quality, eco-friendly jewelry, Alex and Ani exemplifies what it means to be "Made In America." CEO Giovanni Feroce has made a concerted effort to hire locally, creating jobs and bringing a sense of renewed optimism to Rhode Island manufacturers.
Michael Hart, president and CEO of Sierra Energy, proves that trash plays an important role in generating clean energy. Named an "Environmental Hero" by the EPA, Hart has created non-exportable "green" jobs right here at home.
Chris Yura founded SustainU, a clothing line that produces environmentally-friendly apparel for colleges and universities. The company has created 400 textile jobs and reduced environmental waste in West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Inspired by a random fact they learned in class, Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez set out to test their luck growing gourmet mushrooms from 100 percent recycled coffee grounds. Years later, the friends now have a thriving sustainable food business: Back to the Roots.
Waldo Jaquith, open government activist and website developer, emphasizes the need for a more transparent democratic process through leveraging the open data online.
Bob Burbach, Andrew Carpenter, and Dave Augustine, the developers that created Fed Register v 2.0, are excited to re-envision how federal regulatory data could be presented and help make substantial change happen in government.
August 4, 2011 at 8:08 AM ET by Bob Burbach, Andrew Carpenter, and Dave Augustine
David Emory, who collaborated with the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Portland (TriMet) to create an open source trip planner, is passionate about finding the true potential of technology projects that capitalizes on open government innovation in transportation.
Leigh Budlong, Founder of Zonability, and Andrew Budlong, an Advisor for Zonability, give the reasoning on the importance of partnering with institutions or non-profits in which innovative technology products from the private sector are supportive of social missions.
August 2, 2011 at 5:05 PM ET by Leigh and Andrew Budlong
Omar Haroun & Aaron Royston, Co-Founders of Sportaneous, describe their inspiration for aligning private industry goals with the public health initiatives, alleviating obesity and diabetes by encouraging group physical activity.
August 2, 2011 at 11:53 AM ET by Omar Haroun and Aaron Royston
Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer of the United States, highlights the stories of open innovators tapping into government data, allowing entrepreneurs to develop applications and create jobs to grow the economy.
Savita Farooqui, President of SymSoft Solutions, believes friendly competition and open data together drive business innovation and better investment decisions.
Patricia Arquette, actor and Advisory Board Member of The Creative Coalition, supports the study-proven strategy of a strong arts program to keep kids in school.
Omar Epps, actor and Advisory Board Member of the Creative Coalition, explains that if creative thinking is responsible for the greatest scientific achievements, then integrating arts and innovation into the education system will have a myriad of positive effects.
Rachael Leigh Cook, an actor who sits on the Board of Directors for The Creative Coalition, describes how the arts are what keep American schools rich in immeasurable ways.
CEO of FastCAP Systems Dr. Riccardo Signorelli credits the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with getting his clean-technology business off the ground. With a $5.5 million grant, the company grew rapidly and expects to double its employees by the end of the year.
Aaron Dworkin, Founder and President of the Sphinx Organization, works to increase access to music education and foster the development of young artists of tomorrow.
Kevin Maxwell, Superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, finds innovative ways to link educational curriculum to the real-world experiences of our students, through creativity and alternative problem solving.
Joan Katz Napoli, Director of Education and Community Engagement for The Cleveland Orchestra, speaks to the ways the power of the arts can transform lives as a "way in" for students across all demographics and learning abilities to achieve.
Scott Dawson, Community Outreach and Education Director for the Clark State Community College Performing Arts Center, speaks to the collaborations and efforts to bring awareness to the importance of arts programming in schools, which gives students the self-expression and self-esteem they need to succeed.
Gigi Antoni, president and CEO of Big Thought, pushes for arts education to become a community-driven, national agenda, especially since creative learning and expression is proven to give children academic and developmental benefits.
Christine Harrison, principal of Millwood Arts Academy and Freshman Academy, describes her experience as a Champions of Change and her mission as a leader in arts education in Oklahoma.
Once a company of just six workers, Martifer Solar USA has grown remarkably over the past few years, adding 53 other employees and taking advantage of a variety of grants provided by the Federal government.
Robbie Owen, principal of Rockwell Elementary School in Alabama, reflects on the discussion at the Champions roundtable and validates the positive impact arts education has on elementary school students.
