submitted by Greenbuild
Penn brings a unique perspective to Greenbuild, having worked both in the federal government, in the Obama White House, as well as Hollywood. His most recent work on the Bloomberg Green climate change docuseries, Getting Warmer, shines a necessary light on this enduring issue that the Greenbuild audience works every day to combat.
Penn is known for his starring roles in Designated Survivor, House, Mira Nair’s The Namesake, the Harold & Kumar franchise, and the Christmas comedy The Santa Clauses for Disney+. Earlier this year, he wrapped production on the Viacom/Paramount + comedy Surina & Mel and the Bloomberg Green climate change docuseries, Getting Warmer. This 12-episode docuseries, hosted by Penn, explores solutions to the climate crisis with a dose of humor and optimism. Penn also served as a guest host for The Daily Show following the departure of Trevor Noah earlier this year.
From 2009 to 2011, Penn took a sabbatical from acting to serve in the Obama/Biden administration, serving as the President’s Liaison to Young Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the Arts community. In these roles, he worked on various issues, including the Affordable Care Act, Pell Grants, arts and culture programs, the DREAM Act, rapid response to the BP Oil Spill, the earthquake in Haiti, and repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
He was a national co-chair for the Obama/Biden re-election campaign in 2012 and served on the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, focusing on arts education and cultural diplomacy, including the first-ever U.S. Government arts delegation to Cuba. Penn is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
His first book You Can’t Be Serious was released on November 2, 2021 from Simon and Schuster/Gallery Books. He also narrates the audiobook.
View the press release here.
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Marine Biologist, Policy Expert, Writer, and Co-Founder of the non-profit think tank Urban Ocean Lab
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a Marine Biologist, Policy Expert, Writer, and Brooklyn native taking the Greenbuild stage on Friday, September 29th, at 11am ET. She is co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities. She co-edited the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save, co-founded The All We Can Save Project, and co-created the Spotify/Gimlet climate solutions podcast How to Save a Planet.
Recently, Dr. Johnson co-authored the Blue New Deal, a roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy. Previously, as executive director of the Waitt Institute, she co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. She also developed U.S. federal ocean policy at the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Dr. Johnson earned a BA from Harvard University in environmental science and public policy, and a Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology, with a dissertation on the ecology, socio-economics, and policy of sustainably managing coral reefs. The fish trap she invented to reduce bycatch won the first Rare/National Geographic Solution Search.
Dr. Johnson serves on the board of directors for Patagonia and GreenWave, on the advisory boards of Environmental Voter Project and Scientific American, and on the steering committee for the Ocean Justice Forum. Recent recognitions include, the Schneider Award for climate communication, the Time 100 Next List, and appointment to the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
Her writing has been published widely, including in The New York Times, Washington Post, and Scientific American. Dr. Johnson’s forthcoming book has the working title What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futurism.
More speakers will be announced soon.
