Meet our Purpose Earth Production Team and Grant Selection Council Members, a collective of visionaries, entrepreneurs and creatives based around the world.
Our Purpose Earth co-founders are passionate about the transformative impact of purpose-driven projects and financially support the operational and administrative costs of the organization at this time, allowing 100% of your donation to go directly to our grant recipients.
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Laura’s personal mission is to support young people in becoming global leaders. She’s the co-founder of Purpose Earth overseeing business strategy and working closely with the team to ensure clarity and coherence. She also plays a key role within the Purpose Earth Grants Council helping to review and vet all grant applications. She currently mentors four Purpose Earth grant recipients. Laura is a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle and recipient of The Visioneers ‘Heroes and Heroines of Humanity” award in 2022 and Unity Earth’s ‘Keepers of the Flame' award in 2021. Read more about her work here.
Emanuel Kuntzelman is an entrepreneur, writer, philosopher, philanthropist and activist for social transformation. He’s the co-founder of Purpose Earth and visionary in developing the theory of the Holomovement as a movement to unite humanity through our collective purpose. Emanuel is a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle and recipient of The Visioneers ‘Heroes and Heroines of Humanity” award in 2022, and Unity Earth’s ‘Keepers of the Flame” award in 2021. Learn more at emanuelkuntzelman.com
Sarvin is at the forefront of Purpose Earth's grant application process, ensuring each submission aligns closely with our mission and objectives through meticulous evaluation. She not only assists the Grants Council, but also creates processes to enhance efficiency in resource allocation for maximum impact. Beyond her pivotal role in grants, Sarvin spearheads physical fundraising events in Chicago, leveraging her passion and network to bolster our cause. Serving as a key liaison for external stakeholders, she exemplifies our organization's values by cultivating authentic partnerships and refining communication with finesse and effectiveness. Read more about her work here.
Jill is a writer, content creator and editor supporting mission-driven leaders and organizations through purposeful storytelling. She is the Lead Writer for Purpose Earth’s communication efforts, crafting the stories found on their website, newsletters and marketing content. You can read more of her work here.
Vanessa is the Creative Brand Director, crafting captivating video narratives and stunning visuals that tell the story and philosophy of Purpose Earth across their social media and online presence. Vanessa is also passionately involved in the creative production of Purpose Earth's in-person fundraising experiences, connecting donors with grant recipients and their projects in unique and meaningful ways. Read more about her work here.
Rhiannon serves as Event and Programs Creative Director and Co-Producer. Guiding grant recipients in their own content building & storytelling journeys, she also acts as a creative liaison in key collaborative partnerships with global organizations. You can learn about her work here.
Laurence is the Executive Producer for Purpose Earth online events and programs. He serves on the Board of Directors and as legal counsel for Unity Earth. Laurence is also a valued Purpose Earth mentor, bringing an unusual range, depth, and diversity of experience to support grant recipients and their project success. Read more about his work here.
Grants Selection
Council Members
All our incredible Grant Selection Council Members generously volunteer their time to support the Purpose Earth mission, allowing 100% of all donations to go directly to our grant recipients and their projects.
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Laura Rose is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit Greenheart International, a nonprofit organization that has facilitated the cultural exchange experiences of more than 150,000 participants from 85 countries while also supporting fair trade artisans from numerous developing nations through the Greenheart Shop.
Laura’s personal mission is to create global leaders through providing opportunities to young people from around the world to recognize their ability to positively impact the world through leadership training, empowering them to be change-makers within society.
Under Laura’s leadership, service-learning grants at Greenheart have been provided to more than 100 young people from more than 25 countries to help overcome daunting challenges in their home countries. Grant recipients learn to recognize the positive impact that they as individuals can have on their on their home communities undertaking projects from providing drinking water to school children in rural Colombia, to building playgrounds for toddlers in Jamaica, to the creation of literacy programs in Georgia, and computer training for children in Uganda.
To help young people to articulate the scope of their experiences, Laura provides public speaking workshops to international students and assists them in preparing presentations on the impact of their cultural exchange experiences to members of the Department of State in Washington, DC.
Laura has worked extensively in a voluntary capacity with members of the U.S. Department of State, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, community leaders and international representatives to further the causes of public diplomacy and mutual understanding
She has served on numerous boards in Spain, the U.S. and the UK, recently completing a three year term as Vice Chair of the board of the Council on Standards for International Education and Travel in Alexandria, VA. She also recently served two terms as Vice Chair for the board of the Alliance for International Exchange based in Washington, DC. Both associations are dedicated to promoting and preserving the value of cultural exchange as a tool for public diplomacy.
As an experienced public speaker, Laura facilitates public speaking workshops and has been a panelist and speaker in numerous forums. In fall of 2018, she moderated a panel on the #MeToo Movement at an Alliance Conference in Washington DC. In November 2018, she was a panelist on Privilege and Purpose: Healing Our Collective Conscience at the Purpose Summit in San Francisco.
Kevin is a firm believer in adopting sustainable development goals as a tool for world peace and healing. He has/is involved in several activities inclined towards sustainable agriculture and the environment.
In 2013, Kevin attended the Youth Encounter for Sustainability workshop in Serbia, with individuals from around the world where he lived in a model "sustainable eco-village." The experience stimulated him to work with the World Student Community for Sustainable Development (WSCSD) as the Programs Director. WSCSD's goals were to harness young people's creativity and energy across universities in Kenya to 'adopt-a-forest' and 'adopt-a-river' initiatives. WSCSD has collaborated with numerous stakeholders, including the Ministry of Higher Education in Kenya. This initiative later led to the Kenya Green University Network (KGUN), launched in 2016, by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
Kevin co-founded the Kenya Youth Biotechnology & Biosciences Network (KYBNet) to advocate for better government funding and investment in STEM courses. As a social entrepreneur, Kevin also ran an eco-tourism company that worked with local communities to create recreational trails and income-generation activities. Kevin is currently interested in adopting agricultural technologies for small scale holder farmers in developing countries to maximize productivity.
Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies and Environmental Education at Florida Gulf Coast University. He has been a faculty member at College of the Atlantic, Swarthmore College, and Bates College, and has held appointments as a visiting
professor at universities in Australia, The Netherlands, Fiji, Malaysia, and Kenya.
He has long served as a Research Fellow at the Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development at University for Peace in San José, Costa Rica. Earth Ethics Institute at Miami Dade College has designated him as an Elder.
New posts since his recent retirement include appointments as Senior Advisor to UNITY EARTH in Melbourne, Australia and Senior Fellow at the International Council for Environmental Economics and Development in New York City. He also serves on the Grant. Selection Council of PURPOSE EARTH, a new organization which supports community and environmental activism worldwide. In 2020, University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia appointed him as an Adjunct Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Education.
He continues to be active as a scholar on a range of topics in educational and environmental studies through various chapters, journal articles, and lectures. His most recent books include
Envisioning Futures for Environmental and Sustainability Education, Wageningen Academic Publishers (2017), and Intergenerational Learning and Transformative Leadership for Sustainable Futures, Wageningen Academic Publishers (2014).
Dr. Marty K. Casey’s portfolio of contributions and body of work continues to evolve, as she continues to combine her passion for the ARTS with her compassion for her community. Dr. Casey asserts; “Hurt people, Hurt people, but Healed people can Heal people.” She has set out to do just that with her latest development of UnGUN Institute, focused on disarming Trauma in individuals to heal from collective trauma events, which plague the black communities.
In addition, Dr. Casey has co-created the global observance of Black SON Day. The inaugural event took place August 9, 2020 with more than 100 global networks and 50,000+ viewers engaged in a 12-hour interactive presentation and discussion, focused on implementing strategies and action plans to rebuild and uplift the black community.
It is no wonder Dr. Casey was chosen for the cover and celebrated as one of the top 25 Most Influential Businesswomen in St. Louis in 2020, by the St. Louis Business Journal. She has taken the stage in her city, nationally, and internationally playing the role of her lifetime as evidenced by her philanthropy and activism track record.
She is the Founder and President of Show Me Arts Foundation, the first arts organization formed immediately following the unrest of Ferguson, Missouri. She has tirelessly served more than 3,000 children, at no cost to their families, providing classes centered around the arts and educating the youth in poetry, singing, dancing, theater, visual arts, and DJ Engineering. Marty’s success has been acclaimed by numerous awards, interviews and acknowledgments, including being featured on the Beyonce’ #Beygood foundation https://www.beyonce.com/show-me-arts-academy/ and recognized by this highly acclaimed Artist for her work in the community.
Dr. Casey has written a 7-day self-help guide instructing individuals to journal their inner thoughts to help them tap into their own personal success. The book and DVD are available for purchase on Amazon as well as at historical museums like the Alex Haley Museum, where she has performed and was celebrated for both her community work and career successes.
Dr. Casey has written and produced a one woman show; titled “It’s Not A Man’s World,” depicting the early trials and tribulations of her life where she plays 6 characters of her family. She performed her one woman show to a SOLD-OUT crowd presented by AARP, Brooklyn New York the same week that Broadway was shut down due to the Coronavirus, making history as one of the last shows to play in 2020.
Dr. Casey’s career traverses entertainment and community service. She is an anointed singer, gifted actress, writer, producer, and director. Through her Nationally acclaimed youth singing group Spreading The Love (STL), Marty rearranged the Beatles hit song, All Together Now. The video was featured during the St. Louis Blues NHL home game during the 2017- 2018 season, just one season prior to their Stanley Cup historical win!
Amongst other career highlights, Marty sang the National Anthem at the St. Louis Monster Truck Show for an audience of 30,000+ fans. She also completed a 12-year successful run as a National touring actress for Menopause The Musical. In 2018 she was inducted into the United Nations as the first female Goodwill Ambassador of Peace in the Midwest. She received her first Honorary Doctorate and she also became an Ambassador for Shine Ministries Orphan children in Uganda, Africa.
Dr. Casey is a member of an Arts & Healing Council. She also sits on three boards.
A true nationalist and internationalist, Dr. Akpezi Ogbuigwe serves as Adviser for the African Region, United Nations University (UNU) Regional Centers for Expertise (RCE’s). She is the Founder of Anpez Centre for Environment and Development (ACFED), founded in 1991 to respond to the huge environmental neglect and pollution of the Niger Delta Region. She is the promoter of The Star Advantage Network founded to mobilize and proliferate change actions to lighten up our world in every dimension.
Akpezi served as Dean of Law at the Rivers State University, was former Head of Environmental Education & Training, and later Coordinator of Ecosystems Management Sub-Programme at the United Nations Environment Programme. She has several publications including; The Imperative for Legal Education Responsiveness to the Climate Change Exigency, Rivers State University anniversary publication (2022); Legal Issues in the Niger Delta Resource Dilemma, 2nd Edition, ACFED (2018); Birth Pangs of Africa’s Renaissance (2007); SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals: A view from inside Africa’s Higher Education Institutions, Approaches to SDG 17 Partnerships for the SDGs (SDGs), GUNI, 28-36 (2018).
She is a recipient of awards and honors such as the Environmental Creation Awareness Award by the Environment Outreach Magazine (2010); and The Outstanding Young Persons of Nigeria Award in recognition of contribution to Moral and Environmental Leadership by the Nigeria Junior Chamber.
Akpezi continues to contribute internationally to the field of environmental law, environmental education and sustainability, climate change research and transformation of the teaching profession and higher education in Africa. She is a volunteer with The Christian Care for Widows, Widowers, the Aged and the Orphans (CCWA).