Betsy Bodien joined Bank of America in 2005. She provides enterprise-wide legal advice and subject matter expertise on U.S. bank regulatory matters. Betsy graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law Betsy is actively involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and helps coordinate Bank of America’s participation with the Annual Light the Night Walk. She is a past Board Member of the Girl Scouts Hornets’ Nest Council and continues to volunteer with the Scholarship Committee. She is a graduate of Leadership Charlotte – Class XXIV. Betsy moved to Charlotte in 2000 and now enjoys cycling and running Charlotte’s greenways with her husband and son. She is committed to working towards a sustainable Charlotte for all of its residents.

Keith Alyea moved to Charlotte 14 years ago after spending childhood, college, and early professional years in the New York and Philadelphia areas. A graduate of Drexel University, Keith worked in electric power at Accenture before becoming a partner at Market Reform, a small consulting firm that provides services related to energy markets. Market Reform’s clients include companies located in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and Charlotte. More recently, Keith became COO of Commodities, Sales, and Trading at Wells Fargo. Keith is an active member of the Charlotte community, having been a sponsoring member of the Charlotte Farewell To Summer committee for six years, which hosts an annual event to raise funds for regional LGBT organizations. He also has served as co-chair for corporate sponsors for the Human Rights Campaign Charlotte Gala Dinner, a fundraiser for LGBT rights advocacy. Keith was also a participant in Charlotte’s Dancing with the Stars for the Charlotte Pink House in 2017, helping raise funds to provided services for women battling breast cancer.

Jolaine Elien is Chief Financial Officer of YWCA of Central Carolinas, where she oversees all financial, administrative and reporting activities for the organization. Previously, Jolaine held multiple positions in accounting and finance, most recently as Chief Finance and Administrative Officer at Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays and prior to that as Accounting Manager at Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region. Jolaine earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens University of Charlotte and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University.

Jolaine loves to travel, attend live performances, and spend time with family and friends. She moved to Charlotte in 2006 and has witnessed the tremendous growth and development of the city. She is excited to be a member of the Sustain Charlotte team to help Charlotte remain one of the best places to live without sacrificing sustainable choices.

Dr. Philip E. Otienoburu is the Senior VP for Community Development at Charlotte Center City Partners, where he leads efforts to enhance the city’s quality of life. In this role, he collaborates with stakeholders to drive economic impact, improve public spaces, and foster inclusivity.

Previously, Dr. Otienoburu served as the Food Systems Financing Sector Leader at Self-Help Credit Union & Ventures Fund. There, he developed a national lending strategy to support food and beverage businesses, positively impacting communities across the country.

As an associate professor at Johnson C. Smith University, Dr. Otienoburu successfully led significant initiatives, including founding the Center for Renewable Energy & Sustainability, creating the Sustainability Village sustainable urban farm, and expanding healthy food access in the Historic West End. Influenced by the late Nobel laureate Wangarĩ Maathai, founder of the Greenbelt Movement, he was privileged to support her activism while an undergrad student in Kenya.

Dr. Otienoburu holds a PhD from The Ohio State University and an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

James Cass is a corporate lawyer at Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, where he primarily represents financial institutions and companies in a wide variety of financing and capitalization transactions.  He was born and raised in Connecticut, later graduating from the University of Connecticut in 2006 with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics and from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2009 with his J.D. James has been excited to witness the development and growth of Charlotte since moving here in 2009 and is dedicated to ensuring that it continues in a sustainable and people-focused way.

Ray is currently focused on business development and startups in technology, e-mobility, and sustainability. He is the VP and CMO for Go-Station, an electric vehicle charging company. Go-Station is deploying electric vehicle charging solutions across the United States for public use and for companies that are making the transition to electrification. In his role, he oversees sales, marketing, site selection and negotiations, software development, and customer experience design. Ray also serves on the Digital Marketing Advisory Council for George Washington University. He is also a member of Leadership Charlotte, a 10-month program for emerging and existing leaders in Charlotte, NC.

Joni joined Bank of America in 2009. Currently, she is a Program Manager in Global Risk where she supports program strategy and implementation in risk management. In addition to her role, she’s a career development mentor and serves on the Global Risk Management Employee Engagement, Development and Inclusion Council. Joni was raised in Augusta Georgia and earned a BA in Political Science from Hampton University 2003. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, running and kickboxing.

Michael Gander is a Vice President and Commercial Market Manager with Carter Bank & Trust, a regional community bank with local operations on Morehead Street, where he specializes in commercial real estate lending. Michael is passionate about facilitating smart growth for the greater Charlotte region. He is a proud graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in finance and banking. Michael enjoys spending his free time with his twin boys, Landon and Jackson, and his wife Tara. Michael’s motto is “Try to be a positive influence every day in what you do.”

Niketa works in the area of Business Process management and holds a masters degree in international business. She has been a resident of Charlotte for the past 20 years. She is a very well-connected social activist and is deeply involved with various non-profit organizations. She is a driven leader with a passion for community engagement. Niketa currently serves on several boards: Young professionals at the International House; Charlotte International Cabinet; Framework for Future; International Women’s Day Committee; and Festival of India. Niketa is married to a wonderful husband, Manish, and blessed with two beautiful daughters, Nandini and Megha, ages 16 and 13.

Hannah O’Connor is a Principal Consultant for Slalom Consulting, where she helps people and organizations dream bigger, move faster, and build better tomorrows for all. During her consulting career at IBM and Slalom, she has been a trusted copilot, respectful challenger, and unwavering champion for each of her clients as they tackle some of their biggest challenges in a variety of industries – oil and gas, manufacturing, retail, insurance, and health technology, among others. 

Hannah graduated with honors from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration (Kenan-Flagler Business School) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies.
Continuing her passion for service, Hannah served as a volunteer or fundraiser in organizations like the
Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, Keep Charlotte Beautiful, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and the American
Liver Foundation.

As a third-generation native Charlottean, Hannah is passionate about dreaming bigger, moving faster and
building better tomorrows for all of the Mecklenburg County community sustainably. In her free time, she
enjoys training for marathons on local greenways, traveling wherever possible, and spending time with her
family.

Vaama is a licensed Architect with nine years of experience across a wide range of architectural services and project types. She specializes in sustainable design and is passionate about implementing sustainable design practices on the projects she works on. She currently co-chairs AIA (American Institute of Architects) Charlotte’s Committee on the Environment and has helped organize educational programs for the AIA and non-AIA members. She actively volunteers her time for various USGBC and AIA initiatives. She hopes to play an instrumental role in Charlotte’s growth by offering her expertise to Sustain Charlotte’s mission.

Bill graduated from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School in 1969 with a BS in Business Administration. From there, he earned an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. After touring Europe by car for 12 weeks upon graduation, he joined Interstate Securities Corp. in Charlotte as a securities analyst. In his 14-years+ career he became Director of Research, Senior Vice-President, and a director of the firm.

On leaving in 1985, he launched Staton’s Stock Market Advisory and in 2001 began managing money through Staton Investment Management. The firm continued to grow as they merged into Novare Capital Management in 2017 and he became a partner.

Since moving to Charlotte, he has been or is now involved in various organizations as a volunteer, fundraiser, or board member. These include Opera Carolina, Boy Scouts, Catawba Lands Conservancy, United Way, Arts & Science Council, and Myers Park Methodist Church. He has taught investing at Charlotte Country Day School since 1986 and at Mecklenburg County Jail for six years, plus numerous schools across the county. He especially enjoys interacting with young people and helping them become proficient with their money.