Early Adapters — our founding members have varied professional backgrounds and have all been trained in Biomimicry.

Cheryl Spector, Architect, Community Developer & Biomimicry Specialist

Cheryl has been a leader in her field bringing a fresh and different perspective to solving built environment design challenges by focusing on the people while carefully considering how the entire building process affects our individual, social, and natural environments. She has over 26 years of architectural and 17 years community development experience. Cheryl’s work stands out as she re-thinks standard approaches to development, architecture and construction practices utilizing her training as a Biomimicry Specialist to generate projects of inspiring and enduring value to her clients and their communities. 

Cheryl has found that she can “push the envelope” even more by bringing Nature to the table of her design and consulting projects.   Clients range from start-up non-profit organizations and affordable housing developers to municipalities and the USDA.  Experience has taught her that using nature as our mentor requires thinking in terms of systems; one of nature's basic patterns.  Individual things — like plants, people, buildings, communities, and watersheds — are all systems of interrelated elements.  To Cheryl, everything is alive and connected, which requires a different way of solving problems!

Lynne Sullivan, Interpretive Naturalist,City of Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks Dept.

Lynne Sullivan is an interpretive naturalist with the city of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks Department (OSMP). She is passionate about exploring the wonders of nature and sharing her findings through interpretive hikes and programs.  Working in alignment with the city of Boulder’s goal to become more resilient, she is co-facilitating OSMP’s inaugural use of the Biomimicry process to solve a challenge faced by staff.  What better process than the emulation of nature’s successful systems and species - all of which live sustainably, and are locally attuned and adapted to their environments, offering ideal guidance in creating life-friendly solutions to the problems our community is facing.

Jo Fleming, Principal Designer, Illustrator & Biomimicry Professional

Since completing a Biomimicry (MS) in conjunction with Biomimicry 3.8's 2-year Certified Biomimicry Professional Program in 2015, Jo has been focusing her energy on Biomimetic design and innovation consulting - leveraging 15 years of project management and design experience working with big brands like Coca-Cola, Procter and Gamble, Life Technologies, Leica, Colgate Palmolive, Unilever, Sara Lee and WD40. She now supports clients of a similar caliber as part of Biomimicry 3.8's biological technology projects as well as local clients interested in sustainable innovation. As a faculty member of Arizona State University's Biomimicry Department, Jo is excited to help students grow their Biomimetic design and engineering capabilities. With a recent certification in forest and nature therapy guiding, Jo applies integrates those learnings into her Biomimicry workshops and experiences, believing a deepened nature connection is essential to practicing Biomimicry strongly. 

Victoria Keziah, Strategist & Biomimicry Specialist

Victoria Kindred Keziah is a twenty-year strategist committed to serving organizations that are in the business of meaningful change.  She provides comprehensive brand and business strategy for the paradigm-shifting, change-making, long-term-thinking organizations that the world needs now.  She has crafted strategies for clients innovating in the fields of health care, education, agriculture, conservation, and renewable energy. For all of her clients she integrates her understanding of natural systems as inspiration for sustainable success.  She received her B.A. from Colgate University and is currently pursuing an MS in Biomimicry at Arizona State University. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and their two children.  For more information please visit www.netgenerative.com.

Jennifer Schill, LEED Green Associate

As a Project Manager for the Institute for the Built Environment, Jen supports clients in diverse green building projects and interdisciplinary sustainability and research programming. She also manages IBE’s education strategy and Partner Program. Jen thrives on bringing diverse stakeholders together to transform strategic vision into impactful programming.

Jen’s passions and experience include green building, regeneration, biomimicry, river and land conservation, and ecology. She has held positions that span project management, education, communications, marketing, and fundraising. In addition to her role at IBE, Jen also served as a content manager at the Biomimicry Institute and as program director of CLEAR. Previously, Jen worked at the U.S. Green Building Council, where she established a digital library of green building best practices and developed LEED education. She has also worn many hats at a land trust and watershed protection organization, worked in an aquatic entomology lab, and provided consulting services to various conservation nonprofits.

Marie Zanowick-Bourgeois, EPA

Marie Bourgeois has a Masters in biomimicry from the Biomimicry Institute and works with the EPA to integrate biomimicry into environmental sustainability issues.