About Us

We are a team of passionate professionals committed to helping others on their journeys toward true sustainability using best-in-class Design for Sustainability resources. To move towards true sustainability, it must be baked in and we can help.

Meet The Team

For the last decade, our founding team laid the base of the sustainability program in a global, multibillion-dollar company by building and executing Design for Sustainability (DfS) processes from the ground up.

Jeff Zeman

Accomplished Sustainable Design Engineer and Strategist. Spending over two decades deploying sustainability strategy in manufacturing and product development through the use of credible data sourced from life cycle assessment. Jeff has built global, multidisciplinary teams and led professional and industry groups in the advancement of sustainability practice.

Olivia Fritz

Collaborative sustainability professional focused on normalizing triple bottom line as a valued way of business. Olivia is an expert in material health, transparency-at-scale innovations, and systems thinking. She enjoys connecting sustainability to normal business decisions and functions using data to show the utility it provides.

Theresa Millard

Trained as an artist and Biomimicry Professional, Theresa has +30 years in the corporate environment working in Design, Product Development, Manufacturing, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. She is an experienced developer and facilitator of Design for Sustainability, and human-centered experiential learning.

Sasha Drumm

Passionate about creating and embedding holistic solutions to preserve water resources, Sasha is experienced with embedding Water Stewardship into corporate sustainability strategies. She is also an expert in material health disclosure creation, global supplier engagement, and an upcycling non-profit entrepreneur.

Cher Xue

Sustainability professional and expert in carbon accounting and management, specializing in Scope 3 GHG emissions. Cher is passionate about using her technical expertise in unit process life cycle assessment, and ability to translate data into visuals, language, and decision-making tools for business application, to deliver and scale sustainability innovation.

Jana Fogarty

Experienced Facilitator and Sustainability Design Engineer dedicated to helping others integrate sustainability practices into their everyday. Jana is experienced in bringing clarity to incorporating concepts such as DfS, Life Cycle Thinking, Product Material Health and Program Development into multi-discipline teams.

Mandy Montazeri

Passionate about data-driven innovations and sustainable business strategies, Mandy is an expert LCA practitioner experienced in creating LCA models, design and process optimization tools and environmental disclosures. She has worked in research, business and consulting roles and describes herself as a lifelong learner.

Chris Carter

Problem solver who loves creating and tailoring tools & processes to bring life cycle thinking and LCA data into decision making process, so sustainability is embedded into every part of the organization to add value and support mission & goals. Passionate about culture and the change management necessary to support a company’s vision.

Shelly Severinghaus

With extensive experience guiding organizations in product development and sustainability programs, Shelly is an expert LCA practitioner, leveraging findings to decrease environmental impacts and build brand value. She enables corporate professionals, product engineers, and academics alike to incorporate environmental sustainability into every step of the work they do.

Emily Vanderheyden

Emily enthusiastically fosters creative collaboration in pursuit of enhancing education, inspiring, and cultivating thoughtful action around sustainability. She has 15+ years experience in product development, brand design for global brands and a passion for human centered design.

TrueNorth Collective

A diverse team committed to bringing sustainability to the forefront in business. With backgrounds in science, engineering, arts, non-profits and industry. Accomplished in LCA, carbon management, strategic sourcing, material health, product transparency, water stewardship, education and sustainability inspired innovation.

The TrueNorth Approach

Our goal is to make it simple for you to embed sustainability into your design process. Make it normal, and feel good talking about it whether you’re just getting started or want to raise the bar.

Your work with us will focus and energize your sustainability effort and will leave you with an enduring, embedded process that feeds the business without compromise.

Mission

Guide meaningful change by making Design for Sustainability a simple path to navigate.

Our Values

A simple path is best

Relationships are fundamental

Growing people is foundational

Creativity and innovation are key

Business as usual is not sustainable

Life Cycle thinking provides the full picture

True north is the inner compass that points us in the right direction. Just as a magnetic needle aligns with the underlying field, true north pulls us towards purpose. It guides our passions and motivations as we seek out the greatest sources of satisfaction in life. Sustainable living, respect for our Earth and consideration of all peoples embody the virtues of true north. The “Collective” represents the contributions of many, no one completes this journey alone.

With the tools, knowledge and skills acquired in the field of sustainability, the TrueNorth Collective was created to provide services to others in the search for their own true north.