Our People
Director's Council
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Beno Budgor
Dr. Budgor has 30 years of in-depth expertise in technology development and applications in service oriented architecture-based information assurance and secure federated enterprise; C4ISR; networking technologies; distributed computing; multi-frequency sensor technologies; and modeling and simulation.
Dr. Budgor was vice president for technology strategies and applications and deputy chief technology officer at BAE Systems Information Systems Sector, a vice president and chief technology officer at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and executive director for commercial investments/licensing and government programs at Telcordia Technologies, a SAIC subsidiary.
Dr. Budgor also worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program, and in research, systems engineering and in line and business management positions at Rockwell International and Northrop Corporation. He served for five years in the Department of Defense, first as a program manager for laser radar for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, and second as deputy director for surveillance systems in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition.
Dr. Budgor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Los Angeles; a Ph.D. in chemical physics from the University of Rochester; and was a post-doctoral fellow in chemical physics at UCSD. He is adjunct professor in Information Sciences at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA and has held professorships at University of California at Davis and the University of Mexico in Mexico City. He is the author of more than 200 scientific and managerial papers, three books on electro-optics and lasers and one patent awarded and one patent pending in chaotic communications.
Dr. Budgor is or has served as a member of the: BAE SYSTEMS Executive Engineering and Technology Council and Air Systems S&T Advisory Board, SAIC Executive Science and Technology Council, Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA) CTO Forum and NetCentric Executive Committee, advisory Board of UCSB Technology Management Program, Executive Board MIT Enterprise Forum, Santa Barbara Chapter and Director of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Conservation Network.
He is a member of the Cosmos Club.
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Michael Burbank
Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
Michael Burbank
Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
Michael Burbank is a Managing Director with Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management and manages a team that provides highly customized financial advice and investment solutions to individuals, families, and foundations with $20 million or more in investable assets. Michael is a Certified Investment Management Analyst and CFP and completed the Securities Industries Association Management Program at the Wharton School and the GE Management Course. An avid boater, fisherman and scuba diver, Michael graduated with a B.S. in Aquatic Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before starting his financial services career Michael ran field research diving projects under grants from the California Department of Fish & Game and the National Science Foundation at the UCSB Marine Laboratory and for Neushul Mariculture, Inc. Michael served on the Seacology Board for over ten years, the last four as President, and is a Founding Board Member of Naturally Bay Area. Michael, his wife Cindy Roberts, and their children, live in San Francisco.
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Lucas Joppa
Senior Managing Director and Chief Sustainability Officer, Haveli Investments
Lucas Joppa
Senior Managing Director and Chief Sustainability Officer, Haveli Investments
Dr. Lucas Joppa is Senior Managing Director and Chief Sustainability Officer at Haveli Investments, a technology focused private equity firm. Previously, Dr. Joppa was Microsoft’s first Chief Environmental Scientist, and then first Chief Environmental Officer, leading the development and execution of the company’s sustainability strategy across its worldwide business including Microsoft’s historic carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste sustainability commitments, as well as the establishment of their AI for Earth initiative and development of their Planetary Computer platform. With a combined background in both environmental science and data science, Dr. Joppa is committed to using the power of technology to advance a growing movement to address the world’s sustainability needs.
Recognized by Fortune magazine in its “40 Under 40” list, Dr. Joppa is a uniquely accredited voice for sustainability in the tech industry. He is recognized as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers, is an Associate Editor in Chief for the Ecological Society of America’s EcoSphere journal, an honorary Fellow at the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center, and serves on the boards of organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability around the world.
Dr. Joppa remains an active scientist, speaking frequently on issues related to technology, artificial intelligence, environmental science, sustainability, and ESG. Along with his Ph.D., Dr. Joppa holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and is a former Peace Corps volunteer to Malawi.
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John Sargent
Former CEO Macmillan Publishers and Board Chair of the Ocean Conservancy
John Sargent
Former CEO Macmillan Publishers and Board Chair of the Ocean Conservancy
John Sargent was raised on a ranch in Wyoming. He got nice degrees from good schools. He worked at three different publishers before going to Simon and Schuster to run the Children’s Book division at the age of 29. He spent 6 years there, followed by 3 years as the CEO of DK Publishing. In 1996 he went to work as the CEO of St Martin’s Press. Three years later he was put in charge of Holtzbrinck’s US publishers and was responsible for forming the company that is today’s Macmillan. He worked there as CEO until the end of 2020. He has authored four books. He has been married to Connie Sargent for 37 years and they have two grown kids. He serves on three not for profit boards including Graham Windham, New York's oldest foster care agency and the Ocean Conservancy where he is Board Chair.
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Cynthia Stebbins
Cynthia Stebbins
Cynthia Stebbins has extensive experience in the non-profit and research sectors, participating in numerous boards and councils. Cynthia has been actively involved with the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Association since 1997, and is currently an honorary Board Member for this esteemed biomedical research and education organization. For decades, Cynthia served on the Women’s Committee for the Wildlife Conservation Society, where she led fundraising activities. She has also served as a Board Member for the International Seakeepers Alliance and EcoHealth Alliance. Additionally, she has been involved with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Museum of the City of New York. Cynthia attended Vassar College and The New York School of Interior Design. She went on to own her own design company. She also enjoys painting, travel, and tennis. Cynthia has been supporting NCEAS since 2012. She and her husband split their time living in both New York and Santa Barbara.
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Mike Sweeney
Senior Fellow, Conservation International
Mike Sweeney
Senior Fellow, Conservation International
Mike Sweeney is a conservationist who has worked in business, government, and nonprofits and has over 30 years of experience solving major environmental challenges in the U.S. and around the world. Currently a senior fellow at Conservation International, he was previously for 17 years the Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in California, the organization’s largest chapter. In addition to his role in California, he oversaw TNC’s chapters in Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands and led the organization’s fisheries reform efforts globally. Prior to TNC he worked as an assistant to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt helping advance the first Clinton Administration’s conservation priorities. He also worked in politics and publishing in the US and Japan. Mike serves as a trustee of the California Academy of Sciences, a director at Blue Evolution, an advisor to both Colossal Biosciences and Metal Raptor, and formerly served on the board of Island Conservation. He holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Harvard College. He’s a passionate advocate of rewilding, species rescue, and returning abundance to the natural world.
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Charles Zegar
Founding Partner, Bloomberg Financial Markets
Charles Zegar
Founding Partner, Bloomberg Financial Markets
Charles (“Chuck”) Zegar is one of the original four founding partners of Bloomberg Financial Markets. He was the technical computer expert for this partnership. He originally designed, programmed, and managed development of the Bloomberg terminal system. Prior to Bloomberg, Chuck was a vice president at Salomon Brothers (planning and choosing data processing equipment). Mr. Zegar has a BS in chemistry from Long Island University (1971). He also has two master’s degrees from New York University in Computer Science (1977) and Biology (2005). He is still involved in functional genomics research at NYU. Mr. Zegar serves as trustee and chief financial officer of his family foundation, the Zegar Family Foundation. He also serves as a trustee of NYU, The Nature Conservancy – New York State, and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. Mr. Zegar, who prefers to be called “Chuck”, splits his time living with his wife Merryl in both New York City and Santa Barbara. Merryl is a former administrative law judge, who is also trustee and CEO of their family foundation. The Zegars have four grown children between them and also three grandchildren. One son and his family reside locally in Santa Barbara.
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Lynn Scarlett
Lynn Scarlett
Lynn Scarlett retired in December 2021 from The Nature Conservancy, the largest conservation organization in the world, where she served as Global Chief External Affairs Officer. In this role, she served on the global executive team, oversaw and influenced climate and conservation policy in the United States and the 79 countries and territories in which TNC operates, and oversaw the Corporate Engagement and social impact investing teams, which advance private-sector partnerships to support corporate sustainability and enhance ambitious actions to address climate change.
Prior to her role at the Conservancy, Lynn served at the U.S. Department of the Interior from 2001-2009, including her role as the Deputy Secretary/Chief Operating Officer of the department. She served as Acting Secretary of the Interior in 2006. During her tenure at the Interior Department, she chaired the First Lady’s Preserve America historic preservation initiative, the federal Wildland Fire Leadership Council, the Climate Change Working Group, and the Cooperative Conservation Task Force, and she served on the executive team of the President’s Management Council.
She also chaired the Science Advisory Board of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 2014-2019. She chairs the Dean’s Advisory Council of the UC Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. She serves on the Boards of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Sand County Foundation, and the Santa Barbara Foundation, having also served until recently on the Board of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Administrative Board.
Lynn has authored many publications on collaborative conservation, network governance, adaptive management, climate adaptation, science and decision making, and related topics. She was co-convening lead author of the decision-support chapter of the 4th National Climate Assessment. She is an avid birder and hiker.