Biographies

President, Founder of Vireo Advisors

Dr. Jo Anne Shatkin founded Vireo Advisors in 2013 to provide guidance and leadership– raising the bar on sustainability in innovation. She collaborates with organizations on environmental aspects of new product development and on commercialization of technologies for environmental applications. She brings nearly 20 years of expertise in environmental leadership, stakeholder engagement, health and environmental risk analysis, sustainability science, nanotechnology and life cycle impacts of materials in the environment.

Since 2005, Jo Anne has provided leadership on the responsible development of nanotechnology and on approaches for decision making under uncertainty. She serves on several international committees addressing cutting-edge science policy issues and standardization for emerging nanoscale materials. She teaches courses, has published papers and book chapters on topics of environmental health and safety and is working to advance life cycle approaches to risk analysis for nanotechnology, including for product design and development. Jo Anne is author of Nanotechnology Health and Environmental Risks Second Edition (CRC Press 2012). She received an Individually Designed Ph.D. in Environmental Health Science and Policy and her MA in Risk Management and Technology Assessment from Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester Polytechnic University in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

Jo Anne brings extensive experience in working with entrepreneurs to guide responsible product development and commercialization.  As CEO of CLF Ventures, she worked with early-stage and large organizations on new technology introduction strategies, including business planning, environmental impact assessment and networking for financing. 

Jo Anne is an environmental health scientist and recognized expert in environmental science and policy, human health risk assessment, emerging contaminants policy and environmental aspects of nanotechnology. She combines her business acumen and technical expertise into strategies for sustainable innovation.

Jo Anne has extensive experience in risk assessment, from working on complex mixtures on hazardous waste sites, to bioavailability and dermal exposure research, to working with EPA on prioritizing drinking water contaminants, to solid waste and microbial risk issues. At CLF Ventures, she translated that work to business risk assessment and management, working with investors, energy and new material technology companies and sustainable agriculture entrepreneurs.  She works on innovations in intersection of science, policy and communication.

biologist and environmental scientist, Sustainability Expert at Vireo Advisors

Vireo Advisors toxicologist and sustainability expert Kimberly Ong, PhD, consults with a wide range of industry, government, and academic clients on the safety, benefits, and risk assessment of bio-based and other advanced materials and technologies. Kim helps organizations develop efficient strategies to achieve regulatory approvals and meet stakeholder needs for novel food, consumer and related applications to support safe and sustainable commercialization. Experienced in development of safety testing plans, she assesses and develops tailored safety-testing protocols for emerging technologies – such as cell cultured meat and seafood, genetically modified foods, nanomaterials, and bio-based products.

With Vireo Advisors since 2014, Kim has been involved in many international collaborations and has helped create and manage large cross-disciplinary teams. She helps groups develop and execute strategic roadmaps to thoroughly assess safety of new products and ensure efficient commercialization. Kimberly has presented at numerous international conferences, meetings and events and helped organize workshops, as well as published book chapters and peer-reviewed publications.  

Kim received a PhD in physiology, cell, and developmental biology from the University of Alberta (Canada). Her PhD work consisted of testing the biological effects of nanoparticles in embryonic zebrafish, the physiological effects on adult trout, and in vitro testing of mammalian and fish cells. She received an MSc in environmental management and policy at Lund University (Sweden) – with a thesis that assessed the relevance of sustainability assessments for companies producing cellulose nanomaterials – and a BSc in marine and freshwater biology from the University of Guelph (Canada). She also has education and training in environmental management within companies and organizations, and with international policies regarding sustainability.

Nanotoxicologist and Risk Assessor at Vireo Advisors

Vireo Advisors toxicologist and risk assessor James Ede, PhD collaborates with new technology researchers, developers and manufacturers to identify and address hazards and reduce risk. James helps organizations characterize human health and environmental hazards of new and emerging materials to inform safety and policy decision making in occupational, consumer, and environmental scenarios. He also has helped manufacturers of advanced materials navigate regulatory authorizations for chemical, food, food-contact, cosmetic, medical and dental applications in internationally, including in US, Canada, European Union, Japan and China. James has contributed to several projects addressing the safety, sustainability and market strategies for emerging and bio-based materials, including work with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Defense, and Health Canada.

James has extensive experience characterizing potential exposures and associated health risks of nanomaterials across the product life cycle. James is well versed in risk assessment frameworks for advanced materials and international regulatory requirements for nanomaterials and other novel substances and works with industry associations, non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies to develop and updates tools, techniques and approaches for the risk assessment and risk management of these materials.

A recipient of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, James received a PhD from the University of Alberta, developing testing strategies for nanomaterials. For his dissertation, James utilized molecular, biochemical and cellular techniques to help evaluate the hazard of several high-aspect-ratio nanomaterials and fibers, including cellulose nanomaterials and carbon nanotubes.  He received a BS in physiology, cell, and developmental biology from the University of Alberta.

Chemist at Vireo Advisors

Shaun joined Vireo Advisors in 2018, after 16 years at Evonik Corporation, where he directed product stewardship, advocacy and compliance. While with Evonik, Shaun led company and industry activities on nanotechnology and chemical control issues and worked closely with regulatory agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Prior to his work at Evonik, Shaun directed safety, health and regulatory affairs at Crompton Corporation. He has published and presented widely on chemical and nanomaterial risk and regulation.

Shaun is active in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 229 (ISO TC229) on Nanotechnologies, served as the US lead for the ISO Technical Committee on Nanotechnologies Working Group on Environmental Health and Safety and has represented the US chemical industry on ISO, American National Standards Institute and Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) nanotechnology groups. Shaun participated in the Nanotechnology Committee of the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD and was the industry lead to Steering Group SG-AP of the Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials on Cooperation on Risk Assessment and Regulatory Programs. Shaun previously chaired the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Health, Product and Science Policy Committee and served on the external advisory board of the University of Michigan Risk Science Center.  

Shaun received a PhD in inorganic chemistry, with an emphasis on solid-state electrolytes, from Northwestern University and a BS in chemistry from the University at Buffalo/SUNY.