EarthRight Business Institute Faculty

Richard Young, PE

Rich is a Professional Engineer with over 20 years of consulting experience and has served on the Board of Directors for a Top 50 environmental consulting firm. His environmental engineering and business management background bring a unique perspective to sustainability planning. Rich specializes in business management, sustainability leadership and team development, strategic planning, employee engagement, and sustainability training.

Al Herson, JD, FAICP

Al is an expert in the application of NEPA and CEQA regulations and case law. He is co-author of The NEPA Book, California Environmental Law and Policy: A Practical Guide, and the CEQA Deskbook (2nd edition). He is also a lead trainer for SWCA’s NEPA courses and has conducted NEPA trainings for numerous federal agencies, including BLM, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FHWA. Mr. Herson is co-chair of CLE International’s Annual CEQA Update conferences, serves as a contributing editor for the California Environmental Law Reporter, is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a Past President of the American Planning Association California Chapter, which awarded him the Distinguished Leadership Award for a Professional Planner.

Bridgette Steffen, MS, LEED AP

Bridgette holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from San Diego State University and an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. Bridgette is a LEED AP, and specializes in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building, environmental baseline assessments and sustainability plan development.

Andrew Hultgren, CE

Andy holds a BSE in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and is an expert in Carbon and Ecological Footprint analysis. Andy has consulted with a wide range of businesses on footprint baseline assessments and sustainability planning and program development. Andy specializes in eco-awareness education, sustainability training, Carbon and Ecological Footprinting, environmental baseline assessments and sustainability plan development.

Paul Diegel, MS

Paul holds a MS in Bioengineering and is a Sustainability MBA candidate at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. With 7 patents and 25 years of corporate and consulting experience, Paul specializes in supply chain management, “triple bottom line” strategic planning, and green team development.

Grant Hultgren

Grant holds degrees in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and has several years of experience as an Account Executive with America’s largest private marketing firm. Grant specializes in green communication strategies and marketing, and the pitfalls of greenwashing.