13th Annual 2020 West Coast Global Forum

"The UN@75:
Creating a Sustainable Future—
What's Possible?"

Wednesday, October 14, 2020
12:00 PM to 2:30 PM
~AN ONLINE EVENT~

2020 West Coast Global Forum

The Annual West Coast Global Forum brings together leading Southern California voices from business, government, and academia along with representatives of the Los Angeles Consular Corps and various NGOs for a conversation on current local and global issues.

The 13th Annual West Coast Global Forum to be held October 14, 2020 from noon – 2:30 PM PST. Due to the Covid-19 situation, this year’s event will be delivered virtually. The theme this year is “The UN@75: Creating a Sustainable Future – What’s Possible?”

The UNA-USA, Southern California Division, presents the 2020 Global Citizen Award to individuals and organizations committed to making a difference in the quality of life of all people locally and globally.

Keynote Speaker

Elizabeth Cousens

President & Chief Executive Officer, UN Foundation

Elizabeth Cousens became the UN Foundation’s third President and Chief Executive Officer in 2020, leading the Foundation’s next generation of work to support the United Nations.

Elizabeth has been at the forefront of global policymaking and innovation for over 20 years. She is a diplomat and thought leader who has worked on the frontlines of peace processes, played an influential role in UN policy innovations from peacebuilding to the Sustainable Development Goals, and helped build public-private partnerships to solve global challenges at scale.

Before joining the Foundation, Elizabeth served for several years at the U.S. Mission to the UN in New York. She was Principal Policy Advisor and Counselor to the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations and later served as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Economic and Social Council and Alternate Representative to the UN General Assembly where she led U.S. negotiations on the SDGs; served on the boards of UN agencies, funds, and programmes; and was U.S. representative to the UN Peacebuilding Commission. Elizabeth has lived around the world, serving with UN missions in Nepal and the Middle East, and working as an analyst in conflict zones, including Bosnia and Haiti. She was previously Director of Strategy for the HD Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue which promotes and conducts mediation of armed conflict; Vice President of the International Peace Institute, where she led initiatives on global crisis management and UN reform; and Director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, a research group that provides country and regional expertise to the UN on conflict and crisis situations.

Prior to becoming President and CEO, Elizabeth served as Deputy CEO where she oversaw the Foundation’s policy, advocacy, and communications work.

Elizabeth has a D.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, as well as a B.A. in history and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Puget Sound. She has written widely on conflict management, peace processes, state-building, and the United Nations. She and her husband have one child.

Special Guest

Tom Szaky

TerraCycle Founder and CEO

Tom Szaky is founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a global leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams. TerraCycle operates in 21 countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands, retailers and manufacturers to create national platforms to recycle products and packaging that currently go to landfill or incineration.

TerraCycle is the lead company in a new circular shopping platform called Loop that enables consumers to shop for some of their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. Launched in May 2019, Loop is a key step in helping to end the epidemic of waste that is caused by ‘single- use’ consumption.

Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of social, environmental and business awards and recognition from a range of organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Schwab Foundation, Fortune Magazine, Time Magazine and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Tom is the author of four books, “Revolution in a Bottle” (2009), “Outsmart Waste” (2014), “Make Garbage Great” (2015) and “The Future of Packaging” (2019). Tom created, produced and starred in TerraCycle’s reality show, “Human Resources” which aired on Pivot from 2014-2016 and is syndicated in more than 20 foreign markets on Amazon and iTunes.

2020 Global Citizen Awards

Sustainable Works

Susy Borlido

Co-Executive Director &
Green Business Program Director

Director Susy moved to Los Angeles in 2001 shortly after obtaining her BA in Environmental Studies and Resource Management from the University of Toronto. In addition to her Co-Executive Director role, Susy Borlido leads the Green Business Programs at Sustainable Works. She is also a GBCI TRUE Advisor, and California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) Certified Professional in Sustainable Resource Management who has helped over 700 companies green their bottom line. She was a key player in the development, and launch of Santa Monica’s Green Business Program and the City of Santa Monica’s Green Business Certification Program. Today, Susy leads a team to assist businesses in several municipalities’ sustainability goals under the guidelines of the California Green Business Network. In 2017, Susy spearheaded the Sustainable Works contract to develop and implement a Sustainable Business Certification Program for the City of Culver City. Prior to this, she managed many grants to engage Los Angeles businesses in LADWP’s green initiatives. For over 17 years, Susy has been a member of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Business Council (SMSBC). She is a key player in co-producing the annual Chamber’s Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA) and chair’s the SQA subcommittee. Her Green Business Program leadership provides the SQA’s with several strong business winners each year. Susy received two Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Awards for her hard work in business communities.

Sustainable Works

Gina Garcia

Co-Executive Director &
Community/Residential Greening Program Director

Originally from New York, Gina has lived in Los Angeles for so long she considers herself a native. Gina joined Sustainable Works in 2007 as an Outreach Volunteer and was also trained as a Volunteer Workshop Instructor. In early 2009, she became the Coordinator of the Student Greening Program and supervised its expansion into the Los Angeles Community College District and broke participation records at Santa Monica College. In August 2010, Gina became the Director of the Residential Greening Program, a position which allowed her to bring issues of sustainability to a broader segment of the Los Angeles Community. Since adding the role of Community Greening Program Director in 2013 she has coordinated over 35 city wide community events. Gina became Co-Executive Director of Sustainable Works in July 2014. In addition to directing the Residential and Community Programs she manages overall operations and continues to work to expand the environmental education and action mission of Sustainable Works. As an Advisory Board Member of Super Eco Kidz, a nonprofit environmental organization which educates children to care for the environment and themselves and Climate Action Santa Monica (CASM), a local grassroots organization which moves people into action on Climate Change, Gina has the opportunity to connect with and learn from other local nonprofits. She draws inspiration from her family and strives to be a model for her two daughters. She holds a BA in Speech & Theater from Montclair State University and a certification in Horticulture from UCLA.

AltaSea

Timothy B. McOsker

CEO of AltaSea

Timothy B. McOsker is a lifelong San Pedro resident and an attorney with more than three decades of experience in government, regulatory, and land development matters. Tim has had a long history of serving San Pedro, the City of Los Angeles, and the State of California in numerous leadership roles, including as Chief of Staff and Chief Deputy City Attorney for former Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn. Before serving in the City of Los Angeles, Tim served as city attorney to various Southern California jurisdictions. Tim now serves as CEO of AltaSea, a public-private institute at the Port of Los Angeles that accelerates scientific collaboration, facilitates job creation and inspires the next generation for a more sustainable ocean. Prior to this leadership appointment in February 2018, Tim represented AltaSea in critical legal matters, including the lease renegotiation with the Port of Los Angeles. His deep experience in land development, environmental issues, permitting, municipal law, and contracts are crucial as AltaSea embarks on an ambitious next stage of expansion and development of its 35-acre campus. Tim is currently serving on the governing boards of Linc Housing, the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, the Historic Waterfront Business Improvement District, the Bridge Cities Alliance, and the Community Ministry Board of the Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers (South Bay). He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and UCLA School of Law.

Circular Systems

Isaac Nichelson

CEO & Co-Founder Circular Systems

A creative leader and entrepreneur with 25 years of textile and apparel industry experience. Isaac is known for propelling cutting-edge product and market innovation in the realms of sustainability and circular resource efficiency.

Isaac possesses comprehensive fashion industry experience. A knowledge base that extends from raw materials production and apparel/accessory/footwear design and manufacture, all the way through branding, marketing and leadership of fashion and textile companies.

Isaac is a visionary big-systems thinker, innate connector, and passionate communicator. His work is focused on deep collaboration with executive leaders of the worlds major fashion brands, working closely with supply chain leadership, and deep engagement with regional governments, and global NGO’s, all to achieve the biggest global goal— PRESERVATION & REGENERATION OF OUR HABITAT.

In 2007, California Apparel News dubbed Nichelson “Eco-Johnny Appleseed” due to his growing reputation for being a very passionate and committed early-stage promoter of sustainable textiles and fashion.

With over 20 years of focus on sustainability in fashion, Isaac is regarded as a thought leader in the space. He works as an active contributor to industry think tanks and reports, including as a contributor to the groundbreaking 2017 Report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation “Lets Make Fashion Circular”. Isaac is also a member of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship, and the Levi’s Collaboratory.

Early Bird Registration

(prior to October 1st)
$ 20
  • • $30 After October 1st

Friends of the UNA

$ 150
  • • Complimentary registration for 1 person
  • • Recognition during program
  • • Representational image of your chapter

Advocates Circle

$200-$999
  • • Complimentary registration for 2 persons
  • • Recognition during program
  • • 15 Second Video Clip

Diplomats Circle

$1,000-$2,499
  • • Complimentary registration for 2 persons
  • • Recognition during program
  • • 15 Second Video Clip
  • • Listing on Global Forum Web Page
  • TWO 1-year UNA-USA Individual Memberships
  • • Access to UN-related briefings and programs

Ambassadors Circle

$2,500-$4,999
  • • Complimentary registration for 4 persons
  • • Recognition during program
  • 30 Second Video Clip
  • • Listing on Global Forum Web Page and All Event Marketing Materials
  • FOUR 1-year UNA-USA Individual Memberships
  • • Access to UN-related briefings and programs

Presidents Circle

$5,000+
  • • Complimentary registration for 6 persons
  • • Recognition during program
  • ONE Minute Video Clip
  • • Prominant Listing on Global Forum Web Page and All Event Marketing Materials
  • SIX 1-year UNA-USA Individual Memberships
  • • Access to UN-related briefings and programs
  • • Mention in official event press release

OR

Please make checks payable to:
UNA-USA So Cal Division
PO Box 827
Santa Monica, CA 90406

30% of funds raised will be donated to four food banks serving Southern California!

According to the California Poverty Measure (CPM), 17.6% of Californians (about 6.8 million) lacked enough resources—$34,200 per year for a family of four, on average—to meet basic needs in 2018. This is nearly identical to the rate in 2017. Poverty was higher among children (18.8%) and adults age 65 and older (19.0%), and lower among adults age 18–64 (16.8%).

Due to COVID-19, the 13th Annual West Coast Global Forum will be online, which means we will not gather physically and share a meal; instead 30% of the funds raised from this event will provide a meal for someone in need. Funds collected will be donated to four local food banks covering Southern California.

For additional information contact Ginny Hatfield, Co-Chair, at WC******@gm***.com or call (818) 970-4577.