2019 Summit Speakers

Federico Addiechi is responsible for sustainability at FIFA and reports to the Secretary General.

Federico worked in various capacities in the sports industry before joining FIFA in 2003 to take charge of the CSR and humanitarian activities of world football’s governing body and of its relationship with the United Nations system and non-governmental organisations.

In his role as Head of Sustainability & Diversity, Federico initiated and implemented programmes to address issues ranging from social development through football, education, human and labour rights to climate protection, waste management, accessibility for fans, discrimination and green stadiums. He also contributed to strengthening FIFA’s management system through the integration of sustainability standards, policies and reporting frameworks for FIFA and the FIFA World Cups.

As a former professional volleyball player (Argentinian national team; Italian and Swiss leagues) and through his current role as a board member of the Swiss Volleyball Federation, Federico has an intimate knowledge of the world of sports administration and competition management as an athlete, manager and official. He is member of the Board of the 2010 Legacy Trust, Chairman of the Board of the Daniel Nivel Foundation and Co-Chair of the Sustainability Steering Group of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Federico has undergraduate studies in engineering from the University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, and in human sciences and philology at the University of Catania, Italy. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Dallas, USA, and completed the Executive Programme on Corporate Social Responsibility at Harvard Business School, USA. Federico has Argentinian, Italian and Swiss citizenship.

Federico speaks Spanish, English, Italian, French, German and Portuguese and lectures on sustainability and sport at numerous courses, conferences and seminars worldwide, as well as at the CIES post-graduate programme.

Jugo Imaizumi is Vice President of Japan Sport Council, which is the quasi-governmental organization in Japan specializing in sports promotional activities and whose principle is to strive to realize people’s better lives, better societies and better future through the power of sports.
Jugo is especially responsible for the construction work of the new National Stadium in Japan which will be the main stadium of 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games, management of the sports promotion lottery of Japan and providing financial support and subsidies for sports activities and building sports facilities in Japan by using sales of the lottery.

Jugo is also in charge of building the new strategy of JSC about “beyond 2020” whose target is to promote contribution of sports to solving social issues on sustainable development goals (SDGs) of UN with respecting the expected legacy of 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games.

At the end of last July, Jugo was transferred to the current post from the Ministry of Education of Japan, in which he had had a long working carrier as reformer in the areas of Education, Sports and international affairs.

Since taking office in January 2016, Mayor Jim Kenney has implemented a progressive agenda that supports working families and creates more opportunities for our city’s children. He worked closely with City Council to pass a tax on sweetened beverages — to fund bold anti-poverty initiatives, including the expansion of free, quality pre-K; the creation of Community Schools; and the historic investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in parks, recreation centers, playgrounds, and libraries. Building on his early commitment to education, Mayor Kenney successfully initiated the return of the School District to local control, and for the first time in nearly two decades, the District is led by a locally appointed Board of Education.

The Kenney Administration has taken a hard stance — and made national headlines — in defending its values as a Welcoming City. Philadelphia has also made significant strides in public safety and criminal justice reform. The City safely safely reduced its prison population by over a third as part of the MacArthur Safety and Justice Challenge, and the number of pedestrian stops have been cut nearly cut in half. At the same time, the city is experiencing the lowest overall crime rates in nearly 40 years.

Now near the end of his first term, Mayor Kenney continues fighting to increase equity in every neighborhood to ensure Philly is a city that works for all.

Roger McClendon is the Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance. In his role, he leads the Alliance of international sports and stadium executives, as well as sustainability experts, to use sports as a vehicle to promote healthy, sustainability communities throughout the world. Prior to joining the Alliance, Roger was the first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer for Yum! Brands, whose holdings include Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC restaurants. He also led the development of Blueline, a sustainable design guide for restaurants built on the LEED certification program. Blueline was a global standard implemented in approximately 5,000 Yum! Brand restaurants globally. Due to his efforts, Yum! Was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in 2017 and 2018, as well as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. Roger’s other passion is basketball. He was named a McDonald’s All-American in 1984, on eof the top 25 high school basketball players in the nation and went on to be a four-year starter who closed his University of Cincinnati men’s basketball career as the No. 2 scorer, second only to Oscar Robertson at the time. Roger was inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer & Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Don Smolenski, now in his 21^st season with the organization, was named to his current role of team president in 2012. As president, Smolenski directs the club’s business and strategic efforts, including sales, marketing, communications, and operations. He has played a key role in significant projects from the construction of Lincoln Financial Field to the club’s internationally recognized environmental and philanthropic programs.

Smolenski plays an important role in the team’s environmental initiatives. Because of their Go Green program, the Eagles have emerged as a leader in environmental stewardship in the sports industry. Those efforts include conservation efforts, recycling programs, and use of renewable energy including wind and solar. Under his leadership, Lincoln Financial Field has achieved LEED Gold status, and the organization became the first professional sports team to receive ISO 20121 certification. ISO 20121 certification is an international standard designed to help organizations integrate sustainability into management practices and processes.

During his time as the team’s president, Smolenski and the Eagles saw their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history after defeating the New England Patriots, 41-33, in Super Bowl LII.

An outdoor enthusiast, Smolenski enjoys an active lifestyle and has completed the Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Boston Marathons. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Amherst College and holds a Master of Science degree in accounting. Don and his wife, Karen, have two sons, Jake and Shane.

Jason Twill has a career spanning over 20 years in urban development. Jason has been at the forefront of built environment transformation. His career experience includes delivery of sustainable mixed-income housing projects throughout New York City, delivery of Vulcan Inc.’s South Lake Union Innovation District in Seattle, Washington, and serving as Head of Sustainability and Innovation for Lendlease in Australia.

In 2016, Jason was appointed as an Innovation Fellow and Senior Lecturer within the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at the University of Technology Sydney and leads research into regenerative urbanism, housing affordability, and property economics.

Jason was designated a LEED Fellow by the United States Green Building Council in 2014, and he was named a Next City Global Urban Vanguard in both 2015 and 2017. Jason is also an appointed Champion and adviser to Nightingale Housing in Australia.

Bridget is currently attending ASU, majoring in Sustainability and Supply Chain Management. She’s currently involved in the CSSI, and after graduation, plans on being a Sustainability Manager within a Fortune 500 company.

David serves as Chief Executive Officer of Verra where he oversees all aspects of the organization, including ensuring the financial and operational health of the organization and that the organization’s certification programs meet high quality integrity and transparency standards. In recent years David’s focus has been to expand the scope of Verra, broadening it from an organization dedicated exclusively to certifying carbon reductions to one that also identifies and develops other standards frameworks for a sustainable world. In this vein, David works to ensure that the standards Verra identifies, develops and manages facilitate the flow of capital to enable countries, the private sector and civil society achieve and demonstrate their climate and sustainable development goals. David works closely with the Verra Board to chart the future course of the organization, and spearheads outreach to government, foundation, business and environmental leaders around the world.

A renowned thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator, Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali wears many hats, he is the Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate & Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and also the Founder & CEO of Revitalization Strategies.

Mustafa worked 24 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He began working on Social Justice issues at the age of 16 and joined the EPA as a student, becoming a founding member of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). He most recently served as Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator working to elevate environmental justice issues and strengthening environmental justice policies, programs, and initiatives. Mustafa worked for EPA Administrators beginning with William Riley and ending with Scott Pruitt.

Throughout his career, Mustafa has conducted more than 1,000 presentations across the country, including speeches, guest lectures, and training. He has also worked with more than 500 domestic and international communities to secure environmental, health and economic justice. Mustafa uses a holistic approach to revitalizing vulnerable communities utilizing policy, sports, culture, voting and activism to help them move from Surviving to Thriving.

Frequently seen on TV, including MSNBC, CNN, VICE, BET, National Geographic, Telemundo, Samantha Bee and Democracy NOW.

Featured and/or cited in over 250 news publications to date, including GQ, New Republic, Ebony, Bustle, The Guardian, The Root, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.

Guest lecturer at over 100 colleges and universities, including Howard, Harvard, Yale, Berkley, Duke, George Washington, Georgetown, Spelman.

Former instructor at West Virginia University, and Stanford University.

Mustafa currently serves a board or council member on Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Union of Concerned Scientist, Rodenberry Foundation, REI, TREE, and Climate Hawks Vote.

Stephen Ashkin is a proud member of the Green Sports Alliance’s Board of Directors and lead author on their Playbook on Greener Cleaning in Sport Facilities. He is an avid sports fan and has been working on green and sustainability issues since 1990 where he has served in senior leadership roles for leading consumer and commercial companies. Among his accomplishments are being a founding member of the US Green Building Council and author of five books and over 1,000 magazine articles. Steve is executive director of the Green Cleaning Network, president of The Ashkin Group and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools.