Presentations and Events

Mr. Halperin has been invited to present his thoughts and ideas before audiences in the US and internationally. The videos directly below are examples of those presentations. Videos made for clients can be viewed here. A fuller list of presentations begins below the clips. 

Select Presentations and Events

Mr. Halperin relishes opportunities to speak across issue and organizational silos, to creatively provoke audiences, and to seed new ideas through designing, facilitating, presenting at, and participating in events. The range of issues and places is captured in the examples below.  

  • Presentations at the Sustainable Food Lab, discussions at Ceres, and moderating panels at the James Beard Foundation.

  • Orchestrating and presenting at major events at the Museum of Natural History in Copenhagen during the climate change Conference of Parties (COP) and at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, for SustainAbility 

  • Creating the Policy Leadership Forum at Resources for the Future (as a new vehicle to host Senator Joe Lieberman and other thought leaders such as then-Senator Barack Obama) and engaging in public conversations with leaders such as Achim Steiner (UNEP Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations), Eric Schmidt (Executive Chairman, Google), or C. Douglas McMillon (CEO and President, Walmart). 

  • The Conscious Benefit Business Summit
    The Premier Education Event at the Intersection of Conscious Leadership, Workplace Culture and Sustainable Business
    A Virtual Online Event
    (January 2018)

  • "Smart on Crime" Innovations Conference
    John Jay College
    New York, New York
    (October 2017)

  • Plenary Presentation: Greyston Bakery and Open Hiring
    PRME Regional Meeting Agenda
    College of Business and Economics, University of Guelph
    Guelph, Ontario
    (October 2017)

  • Business Doing Good--Jonathan Halperin "Open Hiring at Greyston Bakery and Beyond"
    Conference Call sponsored by Good Citiesz
    (October 2017)

  • Jonathan J. Halperin keynotes at the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit
    Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit and the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University
    Cleveland, Ohio
    (June 2017)

  • The Impact of Diversity, Inclusion & Equity in the Workplace
    Jonathan J. Halperin joins a panel to offer insights on what being an inclusive company means, why it matters and what you can do to bring diversity to your organization.
    Washington, DC
    (May 2017)

  • Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders Forum
    Race, Class, Gender & Power in the Food System
    Louisville, KY
    (June 2016)

  • CERES
    Business Not as Usual: Sustainability in an Age of Disruption
    Boston, MA
    (May 2016)

  • Brown Advisory
    Navigating Our World: Moral Courage in a Time of Disruption
    Washington, DC
    (April 2016)

  • Global Alliance For the Future of Food
    Washington, DC
    (March 2016)

  • Environment, Health, Safery & Sustainability Roundtable
    Washington, DC
    (March 2016)

  • Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders
    Building Power in the Center for an Inclusive Food System
    Des Moines, IA
    (December 2015)

  • The 2015 JBF Food Conference: Rethinking the Future of Food
    New York, NY
    (October 2015)

  • Fourth Bowie State Annual Food Day Symposium
    Bowie State University in Collaboration with USDA and Prince Georges Food Equity Council
    Bowie, MD
    (October 2015)

  • Environmental Grantmakers Association Annual Fall Retreat
    Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY
    (September 2015)

  • CERES: The Future is Now
    New York, NY
    (June 2015)

  • CERES 2015
    San Francisco, CA
    (May 2015)

  • TEDx Manhattan
    Changing The Way We Eat
    New York, NY
    (March 2015)

  • Changing the Menu
    Washington, DC
    (March 2015)

  • Feeding the Future
    The Washington Post
    Washington, DC
    (December 2014)

  • Setting a Bigger Table
    Washington Association of Regional Grant Makers 2014 Annual Meeting
    Washington, DC
    (November 2014)

  • The New York Times' Food for Tomorrow, New York, NY  (Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture)
    Farm Better. Eat Better. Feed the World.
    (November 2014)

  • The James Beard Foundation, New York, NY
    Health and Food: Is Better Food the Prescription for a Healthier America?
    (October 2014)

  • Global Sustainability Summit, Boston, MA
    Managing Landscapes for Sustainable Agriculture
    (August 2014)

  • CERES, Boston, MA
    The Future is Now
    (May 2014)

  • Hope Street Group
    Washington, DC
    Colloquium
    (April 2014)

  • Mundo Verde
    Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Campus
    Washington, DC
    (April 2014)

  • Aspen Institute, Washington, DC
    Foundation Presidents’ Series
    John Ettinger, CEO, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
    (April 2014)

  • The World Bank, Washington, DC
    Meeting Global Food Needs with Lower Emissions:
    Dialogue among Scientists, Practitioners and Financiers
    (April 2014)

  • Aspen Institute, Washington, DC
    Foundation Presidents’ Series
    Larry Kramer, President, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
    (March 2014)

  • UN Global Compact, Washington, DC
    Consultation on the Food and Agriculture Business Principles
    (March 2014)

  • Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative, The Hague, The Netherlands
    Expert Workshop on Landscapes and Sustainable Agriculture
    (February 2014)
    See dispatch: Risks Over Time

  • CERES, Boston, MA
    Investor Summit on Climate Risk
    (January 2014)

  • James Beard Foundation Food Conference
    New York, NY
    (October 2013)

  • CERES Conference
    San Francisco, CA
    (May 2013)
    See dispatch: Buses and Sustainability
    Sustainable Food Laboratory Annual Summit, Annapolis, Maryland
    (April 2013)
    See dispatch: Enough Defining

  • Green School National Conference
    Palm Beach, Florida
    (February 2013)
    Embedding Sustainability(with Kristen Scotchmer, Executive Director, Mundo Verde, PCS)   

  • James Beard Foundation Food Conference
    New York, NY
    (October 2012)
    See dispatches:
    Authenticity and Empathy in the American Food System
    A Place at the Table
    What are the Ingredients of Trust?

  • Aspen Ideas Festival
    Aspen, CO
    (July 2012)
    See dispatches:
    What is the Modern Corporation?
    Autonomous Technology
    I really want to like Walmart, but I don't. At least not yet.
    Cities of the Future
    Finding North
    Time and Money
    Farm Bill and Foreign Aid
    Rational Middle and Social Ballast
    Beyond Pie Charts

  • CERES Conference
    Boston, MA
    (April 2012)
    See dispatch: The Photosynthesis Economy

  • Global Philanthropy Forum
    Washington, DC
    (April 2012)
    See dispatch: Markets, Governments and People

  • Council on Foundations CEO retreat meeting
    Miami, FL
    See dispatch: Saving Souls or Changing Systems?
    (February 2012)

  • James Beard Foundation Food Conference
    New York, NY
    See dispatch: How Money and Media Influence the Way America Eats
    (October 2011)

  • Dana Meadows Sustainability Institute
    Norwich, VT
    See dispatch: Seeds of Change
    (October 2011)

  • Aspen Ideas Festival
    Aspen, CO
    See dispatch: A Conversation with Bill Clinton about Climate
    (July 2011)

  • Sustainable Food Laboratory Summit
    Portland, OR
    See dispatch: The Sustainability Principle
    (July 2011)

  • CERES Conference, Oakland, CA
    (May 2011)

Selected Previous Events

  • "Communications Challenges in the New Russian Foundation"
    Public Relations Society of America
    (January 1995)

  • "Ukraine: Planting Now for Future Harvest"
    US-NIS Chamber of Commerce & Industry
    (March 1994)

  • "Russian Telecommunications Opportunities and Challenges"
    RACC
    (January 1994)

  • Klipstein Lecture Series
    Rutgers Prepatory School
    (March 1992)

  • "Opportunities in the Soviet Union for U.S. Suppliers of Bottled Water and Point of Use Equipment and Services"
    (November 1991)

  • "Information: A Strategy for Economic Growth"
    Special Libraries Association
    (November 1991)

  • "Covering the New US-Soviet Relations"
    National Press Club
    (October 1991)

  • "Information for Soviet Entrepreneurship"
    Mission to Moscow
    (April 1991)

  • "Exporting/Importing"
    New York University
    (May 1991)

  • Keenan Institute Panel Discussion on Aid to St. Petersburg
    (February 1991)

  • "The Soviet Perspective on Business Information"
    Ron Coplen Leadership Address
    (January 1991)

  • "American Business and the Global Environment"
    Department of State
    (June 1990)

  • "Forest Products Exports II: Accessing World Markets"
    Southeastern International Trade Conference
    (April 1990)

  • "The Opening of the Soviet Market: Implications for Perestroika for Global Business"
    Business Week
    (December 1989)

  • First National Conference on Market Opportunities for Pollution Control Services, Systems and Technologies in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
    (October 1989)

  • "The Soviet-American Relationship: USA/USSR Global Policy in Transition"
    International Exchange Conference
    (October 1989)

  • "Jonathan Halperin asks important questions, forces you to think strategically with an outcome orientation, and isn’t afraid to totally re-imagine the way of doing something to achieve desired objectives. Working with Jonathan to plan our annual conference of thought-leaders in food and other impact programs of the James Beard Foundation for several years has been an enlightening and rewarding experience. We feel smarter and more effective for having worked with him."

    Mitchell Davis
    The James Beard Foundation

  • "Halperin is a valuable asset to any ambitious leader looking to maximize the performance of their organization. His capacity to bring business strategy, communications, and social mission into alignment will be delivering returns to Greyston for years to come. Whether designing and facilitating complex stakeholder engagements or presenting new ways of thinking about sustainable supply chains, Halperin consistently brings integrity, professionalism and insight to the task. He combines the unique ability to address the largest strategic opportunities in an organization while simultaneously bringing people together to execute on near-term challenges."

    Mike Brady
    Greyston

  • "I have worked with Jonathan to full satisfaction on a number of small, strategic projects. He is a creative thinker with a deep understanding of the intricacies of sustainable agriculture and with a keen eye for business value."

    Jan Kees Vis
    Unilever

  • "We needed an outside perspective on working with leading corporations and turned to Jonathan to assess our approach, refine our strategy, facilitate internal roll-out and help us execute. He helped us to think big, see new opportunities, reshape our communications and engage internal stakeholders. His counsel and ongoing support has been constructively provocative. Jonathan’s strategic thinking is keen and his facilitation skills are superior; he drills quickly to the underlying issues with a deft combination of determination and diplomacy."

    Anne Lieberman
    World Animal Protection, US

  • "Jonathan reflects the best of social entrepreneurship. He leads with his heart but has connected with the great mass of political power and will in society."

    Joseph McIntyre
    Ag Innovations Network

  • "When I began to unhook from SustainAbility in 2008, after 20+ years, to co-found Volans, Jonathan was working with the US end of SustainAbility — and sent the London end of the Volans team a large cardboard box of multi-colored felt rocks, which initially I couldn't make head nor tail of. I thought he was mad, or overly American. But I have to say that, over time, those felt rocks have become a central feature of the Volans culture, thrown by team members at other team members (or guests) on the slightest provocation. That aside, he's a consummate professional, creative collaborator, skilled communicator, and keen intellect—and I am delighted both to have had Jonathan as a colleague and to now count him as a friend."

    John Elkington
    Volans, SustainAbility

  • "Jonathan makes connections that other people miss. Beyond an understanding of any single environmental issue or energy challenge, he knows how to use knowledge to drive change, how to bring the right players to the table, and how to reframe seemingly intractable problems to create space for new approaches. He’s a strategic thinker with a very clear sense of how things work."

    Ray Kopp
    Resources for the Future

  • "Jonathan Halperin has been a close colleague for more than two decades. Throughout this time, I've been impressed by his ability to navigate a range of challenging global business environments with great insight and savvy. Jonathan is the rarest of all businesspeople: a visionary thinker who knows how to put innovative ideas into practice to get results."

    Cynthia Scharf
    Global Climate and Sustainability Specialist

  • "Jonathan is adept at inspiring team members to work at their full potential and achieve great outcomes together. His insight, thoughtful guidance and ability to see the big picture while managing the details produces results any organization would be proud to showcase."

    Sarah P. Fuller
    Fuller Ink

  • "Combining insightful analytics with pragmatic approaches and personal passion, Jonathan is a great partner to help any organization (large or small, business or non-profit) capitalize on its opportunities and mitigate its threats."

    Perry Yeatman
    Kraft Foods, Kraft Foods Foundation