OUR PEOPLE
When I joined the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute in 2011, I knew that I was becoming part of an important movement. What I could not have envisioned was just how far-reaching our scope of work would become and how safer chemistry would become central to the circular economy.
This evolution highlighted a clear and specific need to create better, more accessible material health knowledge for designers and manufacturers across all industries. In 2017 our team began working on a new initiative called MaterialWise, to expand access to verified chemical hazard information as an accelerator for positive design. In 2018 we spun-out of C2CPII and engaged in co-design and proof-of-concept pilot alongside partners from Target, Google, Nike, Levis, Method, Steelcase, Environmental Defense Fund, C&A Foundation, ZDHC, and more.
To lead this innovative project, I am drawing from 25 years of experience encompassing management consulting, high growth start-ups, public-private partnerships, and an MBA from Duke University.
Dr. Lauren Heine works to protect human and environmental health by applying alternatives assessment, green chemistry, green engineering and multi-stakeholder collaboration to the development of products and processes.
Lauren led the creation and development of GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals and GS List Translator, increasingly used for chemical hazard assessment worldwide. She also led the creation and development of CleanGredients™, a web-based information platform for identifying greener chemicals in cleaning products in partnership with the USEPA Safer Choice Program (formerly Design for the Environment (DfE)). This was the first database of ‘positive’ ingredients. Lauren was executive director at Northwest Green Chemistry and continues to serve as Senior Science Advisor.
She co-chairs the Apple Green Chemistry Advisory Board, which is tasked with helping to integrate green chemistry into Apple’s products and supply chain. For the OECD, she drafted Policy Principles for Sustainable Materials Management and Considerations and Criteria for Sustainable Plastics from a Chemicals Perspective.
Lauren served on the California Green Ribbon Science Panel. For the US EPA, she helped develop criteria for the DfE Safer Choice Program and served on both Steering and Technical Committees for all of the Alternatives Assessment Partnerships. Lauren advised the technical development of the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse Alternatives Assessment Guide and the WA Alternatives Assessment Guide.
She earned her doctorate in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University. She was a Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in the Green Chemistry Program at the US Environmental Protection Agency and taught chemistry labs at Bowdoin College.
Lauren is currently adjunct faculty in the Center for Engineering Design & Entrepreneurship at Gonzaga University.
Dr. Christopher Lee Bartlett is an experienced toxicologist committed to designing safer products through the application of toxicological methods and the promotion of safer alternatives.
Chris has a diverse background in assessing materials and finished consumer products, hazard and safety labelling, maintaining product stewardship guidelines, and setting strategies for toxicology testing protocols, having worked for biotechnology and consumer product companies, as well as multiple federal agencies.
He is currently focused on supporting the development of tools to aid in increasing the efficiency of toxicological assessments and to enable toxicologists to make clearer decisions about the safe use of materials. For the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he supported the development of Janus Nonclinical, a tool designed to utilize SEND (Standard for Exchange of Nonclincal Data) from the electronic submission of nonclinical study data allowing reviewers to analyze data and create summary tables more efficiently. He continues to support training of reviewers as the FDA goes through this paradigm shift in the review process.
At ChemForward, Chris serves as Lead Toxicologist, supporting assessors, verifiers, and developing associated guidances including topics such as botanicals and polymers. Chris works with brands on ingredient intelligence benchmark reports and with suppliers to achieve the SAFER designation.
He earned his doctorate in Toxicology from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill after receiving a BS in Biological Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University.
Noah Maddock has been a Data Analyst and Platform Specialist at ChemFORWARD since 2021. He brings experience from his roles at Catelent as a Senior Data Specialist and State of Maryland as a Public Health QC Scientist. Noah plays a significant role in the technical management, development, and direction setting of ChemFORWARD’s chemical hazard data platform. He also provides data analytics and visualization that inform strategy, metrics, and reporting for industry initiatives and brand partners. Noah holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Bruce Green has over 35 years of experience in business operations, change management, and software development. As our Operations Officer, Bruce guides strategy, advances organizational systems and processes, and leads the growth of our technology and data platforms. Bruce has also been the Chief Operating Officer of our partner, Healthy Building Network (HBN), for 6 years. Prior to joining HBN and ChemFORWARD, Bruce was COO of Navitaire (within Accenture LLP), an airline SaaS business he helped grow into a global industry leader. There, he led day-to-day business operations, helped increase product quality, and drove customer satisfaction to over 95 percent of the target. He also led the 20-month, $830M carve-out sale of the Navitaire business from Accenture into Amadeus. Bruce holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of North Dakota.
Heather McKenney joined ChemFORWARD after six years in toxicology and product safety at The Honest Company. As Science & Safer Chemistry Lead, she manages the ongoing development and quality implementation of the ChemFORWARD chemical hazard assessment process and serves as a resource for industry partners to design and deliver projects that accelerate safer chemistry adoption.
A Toxicologist and Public Health professional, she earned her Master’s in Public Health from the Boston University School of Public Health. Experienced with formulation, suppliers, retailers, and third-party certification, her work is aimed at reducing the burden of disease through prevention-based research, policy, and education.
Vishaal Gopal joined ChemFORWARD after multiple years in Program Management at both Amazon and Boeing. As Program Manager - Electronics Safer Chemistry Collaborative, Vishaal operationalizes the Electronics Safer Chemistry Collaborative for scale and growth. Other responsibilities include managing key business initiatives, programs, client projects, and stakeholder engagement with members including Apple, Google, Intel, HP, Amazon, Microsoft, Seagate, and Sonos, among others.Vishaal earned a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Dubai in 2015 and a Master of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2017. He also has numerous certifications related to Optimization, Supply Chain Management, and Project Management.
Gabrielle Rigutto joined ChemFORWARD after working as a Specialist at the Division of
Environmental Health Sciences at the University of California, School of Public Health and
Researcher at the Safer Consumer Products (SCP) Program at the Department of Toxic
Substances Control. She has over six years of experience advocating for comprehensive
approaches to chemical risk assessment and policy frameworks that protect the public from
harmful chemical exposures.Rigutto earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University. She also earned a second
Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of California, School of
Public Health.
Greg Hughes is an experienced software engineer specializing in forensic-like investigations within high-volume software companies with a proven track record of delivering results on multiple projects. As a Software Developer at ChemFORWARD, Hughes will play a pivotal part in the maintenance, enhancement, and development of our software applications. These applications are critical, facilitating access to and utilization of our comprehensive chemical hazard repository.