Make Over Earth, Inc.

Biography

GARY POLAKOVIC
Long recognized as a voice of environmental expertise, Gary Polakovic narrated and shaped U.S. environmental policy for more than 20 years. His front-row seat and backroom access at many of the country’s biggest natural resources controversies gives him a command of issues and a better sense of how public policy decisions get made than all but a handful of the most experienced insiders. Honed in excellence by prestigious institutions such as the Pulitzer Prizes, Stanford and the Los Angeles Times, he developed acute analytical skills to sift data, spot trends and translate complex information into forward-thinking strategies and game-changing messages. His strategic insight and pragmatic sensibility has earned accolades and the trust of executives in business, government and the environmental community. And his non-partisan background puts him in a better position to access leaders and render strategic advice because he operates with high credibility and without political baggage. This unique blend of expertise creates an invaluable specialty in his work today as an environmental policy and communications strategist.

Mr. Polakovic is president of Make Over Earth, Inc.®, a public affairs firm specializing in environment and energy issues. He earned a B.S. in communications and environmental science at Cal Poly Pomona and attended the graduate program in Environmental Policy and Planning at California State University, Fullerton. He was the recipient of the John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford, where he studied environmental economics, climate change and corporate social responsibility. A pioneer of environmental news, he collaborated with broadcasters and writers nationwide to build the Society of Environmental Journalists - a trade group that transformed America’s environmental awareness and policies - and chaired the SEJ’s national conference at UCLA. He shared the Pulitzer Prize with the Times Metro staff and launched and managed a new section of the Times. His work has also been recognized by the American Institute for Biological Sciences, American Council of Engineering Companies, Society of Professional Journalists and the American Lung Association. He has been published in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times and many other outlets and appears as a guest commentator on NPR CNN and PBS programs. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Coalition for Clean Air and the Board of Advisory Trustees for the California State Parks Foundation.

Associates

HIND BAKI
Hind Baki is a veteran journalist and communications manager with more than 20 years experience in newspaper, radio, TV and outreach for non-profit groups. She was a staff writer for The Register in Orange County and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, as well as an assignment editor/field producer for KTTV (Fox) and a reporter at KPFK radio in Los Angeles. More recently, she served as media director for the American Cancer Society. Her background in TV, radio and newspapers give her a breadth of media knowledge and access that makes her especially valuable for organizations seeking to tell their story. She has placed stories on the CBS Evening News, Dateline, New York Times, National Public Radio, CNN as well as Univision and Telemundo. She excels in multicultural communication and is fluent in Spanish and Arabic and conversant in French and works closely with ethnic media outlets. She earned her B.S. in communications from Cal Poly Pomona and has served as a writing tutor for staff at the UCLA Daily Bruin.

KASH DADVAND
Kash Dadvand leads a dynamic design team of creative thinkers who produce highly stylized and individualistic artistic brand identities. His crew at Zumablue specializes in marketing and branding, graphic design, website development, photography and art direction. From 2005 - 2009 Zumablue has been the recipient of multiple PRism Awards. He also has considerable experience in marketing strategy, customer retention, sales organization strategy, organization design, and performance and change management. Major clients include: Los Angeles Care Health Plan; Sony; Port of Los Angeles; and Trimark Pictures. He attended California State University-Northridge and the Art Center College of Design.

STEVE HYMON
Steve Hymon is a Pulitzer Prize winner whose insightful analysis of transportation issues renders him a go-to expert for leading organizations reckoning with transit and sprawl challenges. A new-media pioneer, he created a blog for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and built the Los Angeles Times' "Bottleneck Blog," which became a must-read source that expanded the search for transportation options far beyond cars and asphalt. Said CurbedLA: "Hymon's skill was that he was able to take really complex transportation stories and plainly and effectively explain the issues." His ability to smartly synthesize public policy and communications to create focus for solutions earned him awards from the American Planning Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 as part of the team that exposed the failed King/Drew Medical Center. He earned a B.A. in communications at Ohio University and a M.A. in Geography at UCLA.

LAUREL MOGLEN
Laurel Moglen is an award-winning online media producer, earning marketing and communications honors from the Higher Education Advertising and MarCom awards. She creates audio, video and podcasts for the web, skillfully using a variety of styles to capture a client's vision. She researches, records, interviews, edits audio, and writes scripts. Before working in new media, she worked as a producer for the NPR award-winning programs “To the Point,” “Which Way, LA?” and “Talk of the City.” Prior to radio, she was an award-winning filmmaker and actress and worked with Anthony Hopkins, Alfred Molina, and Jack Black. Her philosophy is whether through a character, fictional tale, or straight-up marketing – it’s all about telling a good story. She earned a B.A. in history from UCLA.