Ashley Gladney serves as the Sustainability Program Manager for Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, where she leads initiatives that advance environmental sustainability across the organization’s operations and venues, including Spectrum Center and NASCAR Hall of Fame.
2026
Nicolas Bonneau
Nicolas Bonneau coordinates Decathlon’s landmark study on the environmental impact of sports practice, alongside his role leading the Digital Transformation of Sports. An engineer by background, Nicolas spent a decade in consulting, leveraging digital and data to optimize low-carbon railway mobility across France. Four years ago, he brought his expertise to Decathlon to drive digital sustainability initiatives, building automated and reliable carbon accounting across its entire value chain.
A passionate trail runner, hiker, and daily bike-commuter, Nicolas is driven by a deep connection to natural ecosystems. He combines data rigor, digital innovation, and sustainability expertise to help the sports ecosystem transition toward a low-carbon future
Joanna Czutkowna
Joanna Czutkowna is CEO of 5THREAD, a consultancy specialising at the intersection of sports, sustainability and apparel. She has extensive experience in product innovation and global supply chains. With over 20 years of international experience, including a decade based in China, she has led global sourcing strategy and innovation departments for some of the world’s largest apparel brands. Working across every part of the product development and production process, she has extensive hands-on industry insight into systems change, which she uses to support organisations’ transition towards more circular business models. Joanna is also a doctoral researcher completing a PhD on the circular economy in sports apparel, host of the 5THREAD Podcast and founder of the Sustainable Sports Apparel Charter.
Melanie Lee
Melanie is the Senior Director of Ballpark Operations for Major League Baseball (MLB). In this role, she works with all thirty Major League Clubs and 120 Minor League Clubs in the following disciplines: security, guest services, concessions, and environmental sustainability. An important part of this position is to understand the balance and overlap between these different focus areas. Responsibilities also include special event operations and planning, best practice sharing, ballpark assessments, and MLB security initiatives such as the SAFETY Act application. Melanie is on the leadership committee for both the MLB Asian and Pride Employee Resource Groups.
Prior to joining MLB in July 2015, Melanie has worked for various sports organizations including Madison Square Garden, the New York Mets, the Barclays Center, and the Detroit Red Wings. Melanie stays active in various industry organizations serving on the ALSD PX Global Council and the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) Professional Advisory Committee.
Melanie has her Masters in Homeland Security from Northeastern University and is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned her BA in Sports Management.
Julien Pierre
Julien Pierre is a former international rugby player and an entrepreneur committed to the responsible transition of the sports sector. Following a career spanning over fifteen years at the highest level—highlighted by appearances for the French national team and several national titles—he founded Fair Play For Planet in 2020. This was the first eco-responsible certification label dedicated to sports organizations. Through this initiative, he helps clubs, federations, event organizers, and sports facility managers reduce their environmental impact and strengthen their societal role by providing a universal tool to structure, measure, and showcase their comprehensive sustainability efforts. Today, more than 130 organizations across 15 different sports disciplines and four countries (France, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland) have committed to the Fair Play For Planet process.
Convinced that sport can be a powerful driver of transformation, he regularly works with organizations to share his experience and raise awareness among industry stakeholders about environmental and societal issues.
Fair Play For Planet: https://www.fairplayforplanet.org/
Tatsushi Furuta
Tatsushi Furuta is Senior Managing Executive Officer responsible for Corporate Planning and Motorsports, and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) at Honda Mobilityland Corporation, the operator of Suzuka Circuit and Mobility Resort Motegi.
Since 2007, Furuta has been engaged in the motorsports division at Suzuka Circuit, where he has held a number of leadership positions including General Manager of the Business Promotion Office and Head of Motorsports Business Management. Throughout his career, he has played a key role in the strategic development and management of major motorsport events and business operations.
In 2024, he was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer and Chairperson of the Sustainability Committee. In this role, he leads the company’s ESG management strategy, driving the integration of sustainability into corporate governance, business planning, motorsport operations, and stakeholder engagement across the organization.
Furuta is committed to creating long-term value through sustainable business practices and advancing the role of motorsport as a platform for positive environmental and social impact. Under his leadership, Honda Mobilityland continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainability while enhancing business resilience and supporting the transition to a more sustainable future.
Thomas Bulitta
Thomas Bulitta joined Lidl International (Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG) in 2022 and is currently Head of Sport Partnerships, leading the strategic direction and overall management of all international sports sponsorships with a strong focus on football, handball, and active lifestyle. He is responsible for developing and executing the global sponsorship strategy to sustainably sharpen brand positioning and engage new target audiences.
In his role, Thomas oversees the data-driven identification of relevant sports platforms, specifically focusing on finding partnerships that enable Lidl to make a genuine impact in their respective fields.
Becky Dale
Becky Dale is the Vice President of Sustainability at LA28, managing the development and execution of sustainability plans for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. Prior to joining LA28, Becky held corporate sustainability leadership roles at Amazon and AEG. Becky’s experience developing and implementing sustainability strategies at global companies has positioned her to drive progress towards a more sustainable events industry. She also sits on the advisory board of LA Cleantech Incubator’s Transportation Electrification Partnership. Becky holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BA in Public Policy Analysis and History from Pomona College.
Jessica R. Murfree, PhD
Dr. Jessica Murfree is an Assistant Professor of Sport Administration and the Hyde Family Foundation Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she directs the Action on Climate Change and Environment in Sport Studies (ACCESS) Research Lab. She also serves on the Leadership Team of the Sport Ecology Group. Her research studies the effects of climate change on sport through societal implications of climate risks and environmental disparities. Among others, her work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Scientific American, The Athletic, ABC, The Guardian, The Television Academy, and The Weather Channel.
At UNC, Dr. Murfree developed and teaches the university’s first course on Sport Ecology, advises the university through the Carolina Sustainability Council, and is an affiliated researcher with the Institute for the Environment. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree in Sports, and she earned Yale University’s School of Public Health Certificate in Climate Change and Health
Alessio Novi
