Meet the Folks Behind Cool the Earth

Cool the Earth came together as a natural outgrowth of Carleen and Jeff Cullen’s interest and passion in addressing the issues of climate change in their community. And in the same way that the organization was formed—many of the people now working for Cool the Earth—both volunteers and staff—have come to the non-profit as a natural extension of their own interest in what the Cullen’s were up to, and because their values were aligned with the mission of the organization.

Get to know our Board of Directors

Carleen Cullen – Co-founder and Executive Director

In her role as co-founder and executive director of Cool The Earth, Carleen draws from a wealth of experience, having successfully created an international company in the technology field. Her entrepreneurial endeavors began in 1986 when she moved to New York City to become a partner in a start-up venture with her brother Together they grew the business, Ovid Technologies, into a successful medical information technology business. After expanding to include 120 employees in 5 international offices. Ovid went public (Nasdaq) in 1994 and was successfully sold. In 2006, after moving to Northern California with her family, Carleen co-founded Cool the Earth, Inc., a nonprofit with the goal of stopping global warming. Carleen has a BA in English Literature from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA and graduated in 1986.

Jeff Cullen – Co-founder and Vice-President.

With a business degree in Marketing and Management, Jeff went to work for Kraft-General Foods to learn about brand marketing and advertising for such brands as Maxwell House Coffee and Jell-O. Jeff moved on to Wall Street with JP Morgan to gain broader experience in business finance. Rounding out his career, Jeff became Vice-President at MediaMark Research Inc. (MRI), an advertising research company, where he focused on sales management and new media development. A 1984 graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, with a BS in Marketing and Management, Jeff also has over 10 years experience serving as a board member for Western Houston Equities.

Tracey Diaz, Chief Operating Officer

Tracey brings to Cool the Earth a broad range of marketing knowledge and that good old Midwestern can-do attitude. With 18 years of media and marketing experience, Tracey understands consumer behavior, client objectives and how to influence each. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Tracey started an advertising career in media planning working on high-profile accounts including Lincoln-Mercury, Bank of America, Sprint, Nestle and California Lottery. In advertising sales, she has worked with publications like Outside Magazine, Fast Company, and Cooking Light Magazine. Tracey lives with her husband and three children and hopes that one day kids will recognize the need to “Cool the Earth” like her generation learned from the popular “Smokey The Bear” and “Give a hoot don’t pollute” campaigns.

Angela Guidi, Art Director

With a Fine Art’s degree from Cal State Long Beach, Angela Guidi has accumulated a wealth of professional expertise working in graphics and design for the retail and entertainment industries. After several years painting in the art department at The Disney Company, Ms. Guidi went on to hold senior positions focusing on retail design for the Surf/Skate Industries, for such labels as Billabong, DVS and Matix. In addition to having co-owned a design/fabrication agency catering to the surf industry, Ms. Guidi is an artist in her own right, having had her paintings shown in art shows in the LA area. While serving as artist-in-residence for Cool the Earth, Guidi currently lives “off-grid” in a Yurt on the Big Island of Hawaii which utilizes water catchment and solar energy to create a self sustaining small farm.

Chloe Martin, Program Manager

Chloe is a clinical psychologist by training and received her Ph.D. in Psychology in 1999. While taking time off to raise her young boys, she started learning more about global warming and decided to get involved. After changing her light bulbs and recycling like mad, the next thing she knew, she was a coordinator for the Cool The Earth program at her son’s school, Wade Thomas Elementary. As one of the first coordinators of Cool the Earth, she has been a tremendous resource and sounding board for the development of material. She and her two boys like to walk and bike to school because they know “Mr.Carbon would hate this!”

Sara Peraca, Regional Manager

Sara has worked with a range of environmental NGOs throughout the world over the last 20 years. Her experience includes research and work on projects focused on population environment dynamics, education, reproductive health, livelihoods and ecosystem management, among others. She has a BA in Environmental Science and Political Science from Columbia University, an MS in Resource Ecology Management, an MPH in Population Planning and International Health, and a PhD in Social Demography from the University of Michigan.

Sarah Starbird, Program Director

Sarah brings over 19 years of solid business skills and accumulated wisdom to Cool the Earth. As a logistical coordinator for the active travel company, Backroads, she learned how to navigate through a complex web of trip scheduling and logistics while maintaining the highest level of integrity and quality control. After spending the past nine years serving as an independent real estate mortgage broker, she decided to set her sights on the noble goal of applying her business know-how to the woes of climate change. She landed at Cool the Earth, where she is thrilled to be working hard to save the polar bears and all the other cute and fuzzy creatures. Sarah has a BS from Boston University which she received in 1989.

Kathryn Nevard, Development Manager

Kathryn has spent the past eight years working on community development projects worldwide. Prior to this position, she worked as the Executive Director of KnowledgeBeat which worked to educate children in rural Zambia through innovative education programs pertaining to health and the environment. Prior to KnowledgeBeat, she worked as an Operations Manager for the company Dissigno, Inc. where she established renewable energy projects in remote villages throughout Tanzania. She organized and led teams of internal staff and external consultants from the company’s start-up to the projects commencement; developed a multi-year strategy and business plan; and completed a high-level assessment and evaluation of the eight major projects. Additionally, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa where she tackled issues such as malnourishment, deforestation, and community development while immersing herself in the local life and culture. Kathryn received a BA in Landscape Architecture from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Outside of the office, Kathryn enjoys backpacking, yoga, traveling, and photography.