Breaking the Mold: A Conference on Careers for the Common Good

diana_alvarado_headshot.jpg

Diana is a first-generation college graduate, educator, and advocate for students searching for a path towards higher education. She is currently the Associate Director of High School Success and College Guidance at Alexander Twilight Academy, an 11-year longitudinal nonprofit supporting Boston-area students and their families from fifth grade through college. Diana has also produced content for College Essay Guy, including their FGLI counselor webinars and a YouTube campaign on the hidden curriculum of college. Her work spans the intersection of policy, curriculum design, and student services. At Dartmouth, Diana was a two-year SEAD student director and studied Cognitive Science & Italian. 

alicia_cage_headshot.jpeg

Alicia currently works in clinical research at Brigham and Women's Hospital, supporting health equity and community-based research initiatives. She is also the co-founder of Cycle of Change, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to advancing menstrual health equity through education, sustainable partnerships, advocacy, and increased access to menstrual products. An aspiring physician, Alicia is passionate about women's health, health equity, and improving healthcare access and outcomes for underserved communities through research, service, and community engagement. She earned her B.A. in biochemistry with a minor in Latin, Latino, and Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

sonia_eckstein_headshot.jpeg

Since graduating, Sonia has worked on utility-scale wind, solar, and battery energy projects with Radia and Nova Clean Energy. Sonia's work takes her from community centers in rural North Dakota to utility briefings in Denver, helping site and permit the renewable energy projects needed for a cleaner energy future. She is passionate about scaling sustainable solutions already available to us while ensuring that local communities have a voice in the process. Outside of work, Sonia is a board member of the Dartmouth Climate Alliance alumni group.

laura_gillespie_headshot.jpg

Laura is the Director of Development and Communications at the Upper Valley Haven. The Haven assists those who are experiencing poverty to be free from hunger, to be securely housed, and to pursue a self-directed life. She joined the Haven in 2016 after ten years in development at The Aloha Foundation. Laura is President of the Lifecare Board of Alice Peck Day (APD) Hospital, sits on the APD Board, formerly served on the board of Jag Productions and the Board of Hartford-Norwich Holiday Basket Helpers. Laura coaches adult and junior community rowing programs with Upper Valley Rowing Foundation. Laura also holds an MS in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College.

jeremy_guardiola_headshot.jpg

Jeremy serves as Partnership and Impact Manager for FirstPlace Partners where he helps operationalize the science of early childhood development within community revitalization efforts to strengthen lifelong health and opportunity. He has built a career managing and evaluating programs that promote conditions in which families and young people thrive and translating those insights to policy and practice. Prior to joining FirstPlace, he helped run the Dartmouth College Native American Program and managed statewide research at the University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab. His experience spans child welfare, cradle-to-career education, postsecondary access, and workforce development.

jay_mead_headshot.jpg

Jay witnessed his first performance with Bread and Puppet (B&P) in 1982, and fell in love with the multiple ways giant puppetry engages people. Jay started animating giant (B&P) puppets in street demonstrations in the 80's and has since applied his giant puppet experience to teaching students from K-College. Over the past 40 years, he has taught and had residencies at various schools and colleges in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. For his day job, he runs job crews of volunteers for COVER Home Repair, based in White River Junction. COVER addresses critical home repair and access for low-income folks in the Upper Valley.

rachel_rosenblatt.jpg

Rachel is a Chief of Staff at Recidiviz, driving Recidiviz's long-term growth trajectory with partnerships, impact evaluation, capital, and new impact bets. Previously, Rachel was at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth where she helped create products to drive financial inclusion and economic development. Before that, she taught English in northern Thailand as a Princeton in Asia fellow. She can frequently be found trail running, propagating plants, and wild swimming. Rachel holds a B.A. in Neuroscience and Public Health from Princeton University.

mark_zankel_headshot.jpg

Mark serves as Director of Community Solar at ReVision Energy, developing community-scale solar projects that expand access to clean, affordable energy for households, businesses, nonprofits, schools, and municipalities. Previously, Mark spent 28 years working for The Nature Conservancy, including a decade as Executive Director of TNC in New Hampshire. Mark holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MS from University of Michigan. He lives in central New Hampshire with his wife, Susan, and serves as a trustee of the Northeast Wilderness Trust and Leadership NH. He enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, playing guitar, and making maple syrup.

Jim bildner.jpg

Our keynote speaker is Jim Bildner '75.

Jim is a nationally recognized lecturer, panelist, speaker, and thought leader on nonprofit organizations, social enterprise, capitalization, and the institutional role of philanthropy in solving complex societal issues. He is the CEO of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK), a leading global venture philanthropy firm that finds, funds, and supports social impact organizations working to address some of society's most pressing social and environmental challenges. Jim sits on numerous boards and is also an Adjunct Faculty member at the Harvard Kennedy School. He will speak to his newest book, "A Matter of Hope: Lessons Learned from Leaders, Changemakers, and Visionaries on Making a Difference in the World," published in September 2026. "A Matter of Hope," already a national bestseller, currently sits as #13 on USA Today's list of Top 150 books!

nancy_bloomfield_headshot.jpg

Nancy has remained in the Upper Valley since her graduation. Her professional life has connected her with her community in meaningful ways and given her the opportunity to share work with people that keep her inspired. While at Dartmouth, Nancy was involved with the founding of COVER Home Repair, a volunteer-powered organization addressing urgent home repair and weatherization needs. In addition to housing, Nancy's career has included a variety of roles with youth, early-childhood development, and family well-being. She led The Family Place, one of fifteen Vermont-designated Parent Child Centers, as its executive director for eight years. She re-joined the team at COVER in 2023.

bree_dusseault_headshot.jpg

Bree is the Principal and Managing Director at the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), a nationally-recognized research center on systems change and AI's potential to transform education. Before CRPE, Bree was a teacher, principal, and district executive in the Seattle area. She is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and a Pahara-Aspen Fellow, and serves on the boards of Teach For America Washington and City Year South King County. Bree holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a master's in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

edie_farwell_headshot.jpeg

Edie is director of Sustainability Leaders Network and is an executive and life coach for people beginning their careers, and those working on climate solutions. Edie co-founded the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program where she designed transformative leadership skills through a focus on systems thinking, reflective conversation, climate science, the discipline of vision, and coaching. Previously, Edie was the executive director of the Association for Progressive Communications, where she facilitated the early adoption of communications technologies through a global network of civil society organizations.

mark_giordono_headshot.png

Mark currently serves as the CEO of Destination Imagination, a global nonprofit that puts students in teams to solve complex, open-ended challenges that require them to think across disciplines, collaborate under pressure, and present their work to the world. Professionally, Mark has worked in technology startups, economic development, and corporate innovation. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali. At Dartmouth, Mark majored in Geography and History, served as Dartmouth Outing Club President, was a member of Palaeopitus and a heavy user of Blitzmail.

wendy_hado_headshot.jpg

Wendy is an energy expert with over a decade of experience in domestic and global energy efficiency and energy access. She is currently a Senior Manager at Energy Solutions, where she leads the development of state-level energy standards and equitable decarbonization policies for regional energy groups. Previously, at CLASP, she managed the Global LEAP Awards program and accelerated clean energy adoption in off-grid communities across the Global South, partnering with UK AID, USAID, IKEA Foundation, the World Bank, and GIZ to mobilize millions in funding. Her career began at the DC Department of Energy and Environment, focusing on greenhouse gas accounting and citywide sustainability, before moving into building decarbonization at the DC Sustainable Energy Utility.

john_pepper_headshot.jpeg

John is General Manager of MarginEdge Labs at MarginEdge, where he leads PrimeBites, an AI-driven financial and analytics platform for independent restaurants. In 2024 and 2025, he worked at Toast as Fintech Product Advisor, after serving on its Customer Advisory Board since 2022. He is CEO and co-founder of Boloco, the New England burrito chain he started as a Tuck student in 1997, and co-founded B.Good in 2004. He founded 211 Ventures and has invested in more than 30 startups since 2014, including Athletic Brewing and Spindrift in addition to many hospitality tech start-ups, including MarginEdge where he works today. John graduated from Dartmouth in 1991 and earned his MBA from Tuck in 1997. He lives in Hanover, New Hampshire.

jared walker.jpg

Jared is the founder of Dollar For, the nonprofit dedicated to eliminating medical debt by making hospital financial assistance known, easy, and fair. Inspired by his own family's struggles with medical bills, Jared started Dollar For. Since 2021, it has grown into a nationwide movement, erasing over $175 million in hospital debt.