Ali Valdez
COO + VP Strategic Development
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For years, Ali Valdez has worked tirelessly to bring results to organizations on many levels through her caring natural leadership and mentoring ability, strategic planning and innovative execution. She never thinks in terms of merely solving problems but how to creatively move past limitations and bring sustainable transformation to businesses, their partners and employees.
Ali has recently devoted the last 10 years expanding into the fields of publishing and media, wellness and social service. Having owned and operated seven of her own companies
worldwide, she has lead executives to personal and professional fulfillment through a lifestyle strategy centered on mental, physical and spiritual integration. She has dedicated her life to helping others, empowering individuals looking to embrace mindfulness for optimal being and high-level performance.
With more than 25 years of expertise and a proven track record in sales, high tech and telecommunications, Ali has successfully scaled her skills from a two person start-up to multi-national corporations and companies of all sizes in between, and across industries including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
As a writer, Ali has published editorial and educational materials empowering thousands through the written word, online media or in-person mentoring and skills development. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, Small Business Daily, NY Daily News and other publications.
Actively involved with improving the lives of girls and women worldwide, Ali works with educational and empowerment based initiatives in India through Yoga Gives Back and Educate Girl, as well as supporting local and national organizations including leading volunteer trips to Rajasthan and Mumbai.
Angelene Price
Director – OPTLife Wellness + Equitable Expansion
Angelene was drawn to the OPTYVA path when she met this amazing team of people focused on merging their authentic personal lives with meaningful career lives; thus creating a truly unique alignment within a business environment. Her team contributions have expanded from project management consulting toward a broader future within OPTLife Wellness and
the equitable expansion of our wellness centers, where she embraces the opportunity to spread holistic wellness access to underserved areas of our communities.
Angelene is currently in the midst of an in-depth yoga teacher training in Austin, Texas, and she plans to use that experience to help further her guidance of clients in our OPTLife Wellness centers.
Angelene worked for many years in various forms of software project management with renowned companies such as McAfee and Microsoft. She spends her free time with her son, doing yoga, fostering animals, reading and traveling.
Chryssa Gardner
CEO + Vision Curator
As Founder of OPTYVA, Chryssa devotes her personal mission and higher purpose toward the vibrant sustainability of our planet, in relationship with all forms of life sharing in our precious environment and resources. In service to our ever-expanding OPTyvist Community, she contributes leadership as a guide, keeper, protector and creative spark of our shared vision for a truly Sustainable World.
Chryssa offers more than 20 years of experience consulting business leaders throughout many diverse industries and technological sectors, across the entire spectrum of organizational structures – from entrepreneurs and small-to-medium sized businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, non-profits and public sector entities. Prior to founding OPTYVA, Chryssa led strategic planning and business management initiatives within Microsoft’s Online Services Division; corporate finance and strategy with Advanced Digital Information Corp. (ADIC), a publicly-traded, multinational corporation offering data networking and software solutions; and management consulting and business valuation services with Andersen LLP.
Chryssa holds a Masters in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University, with concentration in Corporate Sustainability and Innovation, and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington Foster School of Business, with concurrent degrees in Finance, Information Systems and Digital Communications.
An innovative visionary at heart, Chryssa also serves as the Executive Director and co-founder of the Northwest Technology Equity Initiative (NWTEI), a non-profit focused on increasing education and career opportunities for underrepresented communities, women and youth of color within STEM and high-technology fields; and co-founder of EOS Healing, an organic botanical wellness solutions company with global healing intentions. She enjoys trail running and hiking in restorative Earth connection and holds personal interests in natural wellness, creative arts, sustainable travel and worldwide cultures.
Joe Chulick
Director – Innovation + Emergent Experiences
Joe believes that organizations are more successful when they integrate purpose with profit in their culture. As our Director of Innovation + Emergent Experiences, Joe partners with clients and OPTyvists to provide strategic guidance and help weave a strong sense of business soul into their corporate DNA.
One of the most important aspects in life is to be good to yourself. Throughout our life journey, everyone deserves to learn how to live to their fullest potential. To this point, Joe also concentrates on developing new media experiences to strengthen the connection between Connected Business
(Purpose-driven organizations) and OPTimal Self (personal wellness).
With his educational background in Economics and Music, and a MBA in Finance and Sports Business, Joe has spent 20 years working in a variety of finance and management roles in the federal government, the music industry, investment banking, Fortune 500 companies, and startups in event management, education, cosmetics and telecommunications. In his free time, Joe loves to be with his wife and three kids, playing music and tennis, and training in Jeet Kune Do.
Christine Wolf
Intuitive Optimization Strategist
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Christine is a driven explorer who has experienced much of what the world has to offer. In her travels through life, she has found many ways in which she wants to help create solutions for a more sustainable and balanced way of being. At OPTYVA, she is able to channel that desire through her role as Intuitive Optimization Strategist (IOS), impacting efficiency and effectiveness at all levels of our organization. Serving as a member of our team has been, “a seamless fit,” for Christine, as OPTYVA's vision is so closely aligned with the changes she already wishes to see in the world.
Her path to OPTYVA has been long, winding, and utterly fulfilling. From the scholastic pursuit of her Molecular Biology and French degrees to getting her hands dirty farming and gardening in Virginia and Washington; from her multiple yoga teacher certifications to her multiple teaching jobs. From Arizona, to Switzerland, to Seoul and beyond, Christine eventually settled in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where all of these experiences combined with guidance received through deep, daily meditations have helped prepare her for her deeper purpose.
In her leisure time, Christine loves the little things in life. Sometimes she’s off on epic adventures with her husband, while other times she prefers a great book and some dark chocolate with a nice cup of tea. She also loves being with family, the outdoors, making cards, and crystals.
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Jon Pincus
Architect – Integrative Technologies + Communities
Jon believes that technology should value emotion, intuition, compassion, purpose, empowerment, fluidity, multiplicity, interconnectedness, sustainability, and social justice. As OPTYVA's Architect - Integrative Technologies and Communities, he focuses on creating inclusive, resilient, empowering systems; and on the flexible interactions between those systems and the people who co-create and use them.
Jon's previous positions include co-founder and CTO at Intrinsa, where he created ground-breaking static analysis tools; Architect and Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he started re-envisioning computer science as a social science and was a key part of a team that won the coveted President's Award for their contributions to software engineering and security; General Manager of Competitive Strategy in the MSN/Windows Live organization, where he led the oppression-theory based Ad Astra project; and Senior VP of Product at Accellion, where he led an international engineering and product management team.
With his civil liberties hat on, Jon chaired the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference, was a board member with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and helped organize Get FISA Right and the Voter Suppression Wiki. In his free time, Jon enjoys walks in the woods, dancing to electronic dance music, writing poetry, and the Tarot.
Michael Johnson
Director – Sustainability Solutions + Experiences
Michael is a learner, influencer, volunteer, steward, family-man, and a sustainability practitioner at heart. His soul purpose is to bring people together, share, learn, and aid in the discovery of a rewarding and sustainable lifestyle. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University of San Francisco, and a Masters degree in Management, Sustainability from New England College. He is a LEED Green Associate, Certified Change Management Practitioner, and a Learning and Development Specialist. Michael offers ten years of program management experience in corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, readiness and innovation, and non-profit fund development.
Michael brings passion, presence, and perseverance to everything he does. He holds a wide variety of interests including but not limited to aquatic and atmospheric chemistry, climatology, sustainable operating models, carbon neutrality, renewable energy, technology and innovation, and adult learning theory. To recharge, Michael reflects on fond memories, sets a goal to experience something new, spends time on the golf course, plays with his young son, and engages with friends and family on a human level.
Monique Cordis
Director – Strategic Initiatives + Community Advocacy
Monique serves as a conduit for the integration of community needs in the design of the OPTyvist network. She develops core communities/initiatives with a focus on diversity and inclusion and ensures that there is balance across both emotional, purposeful needs and technical features and requirements.
Monique holds a Masters of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University. She has more than 10 years technical program management, product development and software engineering experience working for startups, Fortune 500 companies and the public sector. In her spare time, Monique founded the Organic Foodies Group and Seattle Area Women's Business Startup Group to empower and inspire women to become entrepreneurs. She has also volunteered her time to provide basic needs to homeless women and children in the Seattle Area, mentored youth through 4C Coalition, and served on the Seattle Urban League Young Professionals board co-leading the Economic Empowerment Committee.
René Asis
Chief Innovation Officer
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René is the Chief Innovation Officer for OPTYVA and Refraction Media Group. With two decades of deep experience in digital marketing, specializing in media technology, his current focus is on evaluation, implementation and education of current and emerging B2B and ABM media technologies. His tenure in Ad Operations and Media Tech has led him to being a trusted advisor and consultant with C-level executives, holding companies, and investors aspiring to improve their technology, services, and marketing adoption.
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Prior to joining OPTYVA, René was the Chief Technology Evangelist at LiveRamp where he led the design and partner development for the LiveRamp B2B offering. René also held leadership roles as the Manager of Media Technology Platforms and Operations for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) where he led the selection, implementation and governance of Ad Technology, and as a National Lead in Media Technology at Razorfish and Digitas where he managed Ad Operations teams, advising clients on the best ways to navigate the changing media technology landscape.
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René holds an Art Degree in 3D Animation and Multimedia. Today, he continues to cultivate his creative side through his landscape, food and portrait photography, having been published in books from Phaidon and food blogs, such as Eater and Bon Appétit.
Tammarrian Rogers
CTO + Inspiration Ally
Tammarrian's passion is inspiring, mentoring and witnessing others make heart-born life goals, and achieving or even
surpassing them. She brings more than 25 years of engineering leadership experience in the tech industry in both hardware and software at Snap Inc, Microsoft, Apple, and General Motors. Driven and inspired by her curiosity, she enjoys exploring and learning new things whenever opportunities arise.
Tammarrian is also an inspirational speaker having shared her stories and life lessons in several forums sponsored by community organizations, including: BWiSTEM 2.0, Seattle Women In Tech, Goodwill’s Youth Program, ChickTech, IGNITE Seattle, as well as contributions to several panel discussions at Ada Developer’s Academy, Microsoft and Social Media Diversity events.
Tammarrian has a Bachelor of Science from Tuskegee University in Physics and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. When not collaboratively creating the next great product that will delight customers, Tammarrian enjoys the outdoors, spending time with her family and blue standard poodle (yes, she's really blue), and playing racquetball.
Tara Cristobal-Rivera
Director – Synergy + Program Excellence
With more than 20 years of experience across various program, project and process groups, Tara believes in developing a culturally-aligned project management office through
collaboration and co-creation with our partners. In listening to our community, she develops foundational frameworks that execute on purpose-led initiatives, drive conversations that foster innovative, dynamic, end-to-end ecosystems, and transform businesses in benefit to their customers and communities.
Tara holds a Master's of Science degree in Information Management from the University of Washington and is Six Sigma Black Belt certified. Her career has led to a wide range of experience spanning industries such as financial, software, retail, intellectual property, medical, education, government and the non-profit sector. Although she is grateful for these accomplishments, the true wins are around forming collaborative relationships and partnerships to achieve a greater impact together than we would individually.
Tara is also passionate around sustainable eating and renewable energy. Her journey has led her to a stronger connection with Earth and learning more about how to preserve what is already naturally given. While not at work, Tara can be found connecting with nature on a hiking trail with her husband and camera in hand.
Felicia Wong
Sustainability Strategist
Felicia serves as a visionary, activist, and perpetual learner. Her soul purpose is to, 'Save the Planet'! As she continues down her path of expanded awareness, Felicia engages with businesses and individuals to elevate sustainable wellness to the forefront of authentic values and intentional lifestyles.
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With a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and 12 years in environmental audits and engineering within the oil and gas industry, Felicia offers extensive experience in how degenerative resources are engrained in our society and daily lives. To cocreate sustainable solutions, we empower ourselves through a deepened understanding of core challenges and interdependencies.
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As a heart-centered strategist with an innate affinity for bringing people together to achieve common goals, Felicia brings her creativity, competitive spirit, yogic mind, and balance into the cocreation of a sustainable, prosperous, and socially just future. In her leisure time, Felicia enjoys playing music, singing, bowling, yoga, and being out in nature.
Brian Bacungan
Digital Solutions Manager
Brian is the Digital Solutions Manager at OPTYVA, bringing a wealth of expertise in web design, development, and digital marketing. With a background in full-stack web development, running his own web design + SEO digital marketing agency, and as the former lead web developer for PrismTech, Inc., Brian puts his extensive technical knowledge to work to help bring OPTYVA's vision to life.
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Outside of his professional endeavors, Brian is deeply passionate about environmental preservation and regeneration. Inspired by his connection to nature, and as a father of two young boys, he actively supports initiatives related to ocean restoration and cleaning, animal conservation, and environmental awareness.
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With his passion for digital solutions and environmental sustainability, Brian plays a vital role in driving OPTYVA's mission forward, empowering businesses to thrive in the digital landscape while promoting a sustainable world.
Saanvi Bathla
Youth Intern + REgeneration Ambassador
As an accomplished high school student, Saanvi has made it her life’s purpose to be a part of the antidote and heal the planet from its past and ongoing trauma. As a rising catalyst for a new and improved world, she serves as a steward, learner, and advocate for the planet. She is passionate about intersectional environmentalism and how that can be implemented on a personal and wide-scale level. From sustainable eating to environmental policies to social justice, Saanvi dreams of a world where holistic sustainability can be seen and realized on this planet.
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Being a lover not a fighter, Saanvi contributes her creative, unique, and often overlooked perception to bring the era of the cocreative world to light. In her day to day life, she can be found romanticizing her life by listening to music, going thrifting, playing with her Goat Yoga set, and engaging with her community.
