Jacob Hall Gordon - Resume
I help build positive-impact organizations at the juncture of society and technology. Across a twenty-year career I co-founded and scaled a successful consumer tech company, spearheaded fundraising for a NYC mental health nonprofit, and produced internationally syndicated digital media on science, policy, and sustainability. My education includes an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School and MBA training from the top green business program. I collaborate and lead with tenacity, mindful presence, and a deep commitment to altruistic values.
EDUCATION
HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT; Cambridge, MA
Master in Public Administration
Coursework: macro/micro economics, AI policy and ethics, U.S. democratic institutions, statistics/data, nonprofit management, Adaptive Leadership, policy entrepreneurship
BARD COLLEGE MBA in Sustainability Program; NYC, NY
Advanced Certificate in Sustainable Business
Coursework: finance, accounting, strategy, entrepreneurship, marketing
BARD COLLEGE; Annandale-on-Hudson
B.A., Sociology
WORK EXPERIENCE
The B.R.O. Experience Foundation; New York City, NY
Community nonprofit startup specializing in mental health and education programs for low-income young men of color in Brooklyn, NY
Development and Communications Director
  • Was instrumental in growing organization from $200,000 to $1M+ operating budget and from 3 to 10 employees in two years
  • Wrote grants and managed grant writer, raising over $1M in multi-year funding from prominent philanthropies
  • Managed donor programs including community fundraising campaigns and major gifts
  • Wrote comprehensive budgets covering the organization's five program tracks, providing direct services to 300 participants annually
  • Oversaw digital communications including website, email marketing, newsletters, social campaigns, and press relations
  • Managed development and launch of national BIPOC male mental health website bewellbro.org
Second Street Associates; Boston, MA
Family real estate firm owning and operating The Distillery, a city-block sized mixed-use complex with 100 units of ultra-low energy residential and artist live/work facilities
Finance and Management Consultant
  • Coordinated architecture/construction partnership for planned $60M ultra-low energy Passive House multifamily development
  • Conducted financial analyses and reporting for $3M annual Net Operating Income real estate firm including energy-saving retrofit projects
  • Managed design and development of resident digital user interface for Passive House sustainable residential apartments
  • Coordinated migration to digital enterprise accounting and property management platform
Artiphon, Inc; Nashville, TN
Consumer technology company designing and producing innovative creative electronics, software, and mobile apps that made music-playing more accessible to millions
Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer
  • Led marketing and business development to grow from prototype-stage to a team of 40, over 100,000 global customers, and $20M in revenue
  • Central to raising capital from notable investors including Warner Music Group, AOL co-founder Steve Case, GIPHY founder Alex Chung, Harvard Business School Angels, and many others
  • Launched Artiphon's Education and Wellness division, coordinating with schools, hospitals, and research institutions
  • Led public relations, earning coverage in The New York Times, WIRED, TechCrunch, Buzzfeed, and many others, and earning a TIME Best Invention of the Year
  • Spearheaded company culture initiatives including creating employee handbook and onboarding all new staff
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALIST AND MEDIA PRODUCER;
TreeHugger.com
Leading green tech, design, and lifestyle website, acquired by Discovery Communications
  • Authored hundreds of articles on science, policy, business, architecture, transportation, and fashion, generating millions of page views
  • Launched and hosted TreeHugger Radio, a top podcast featuring 200+ syndicated episodes with leading experts including NASA's James Hansen, Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, IPCC Director Rajendra Pachauri, Sheryl Crow, Margaret Atwood, and many others
MSN.com
Served as main sustainable automotive contributor for MSN's automotive vertical
  • Published more than 40 feature articles, specializing in sustainable transportation and technology, traveling extensively on assignment in the US, Europe, and Asia
Print publications
  • Wrote feature articles and cover stories on transportation and building science for national print magazines Dwell and GOOD.
AMERICAN APPAREL; Los Angeles, CA
Clothing brand and formerly the U.S.'s largest onshore garment manufacturer
Environmental Programs Manager
  • Started as a junior marketer and lobbied C-suite to create the first Environmental Programs position at the country's largest garment factory
  • Reduced energy consumption through an advanced, factory-wide lighting retrofit
  • Reduced waste stream costs through recycling and reuse programs
  • Helped broker organic apparel partnership with Whole Foods stores nationally
CERTIFICATES & OTHER PROGRAMS
Harvard AI Student Safety Team (AISST) Policy Fellow 2026
Nonprofit Financial Success Certificate; eCornell 2025
In-Depth Effective Altruism Program; Effective Altruism Foundation 2023
MBA Math 2023
PUBLICATIONS
"Mindfulness and Sustainability" in Vocabulary for Sustainable Consumption and Lifestyles, [editor, Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative], Routledge Press, 2025
LEADERSHIP & SERVICE
The B.R.O. Experience Foundation; Brooklyn, NY
Board Secretary
Inner Development Goals Ambassador Program; Ekskäret Island, Sweden
Admitted to inaugural cohort of global ambassadors for the nonprofit open-source IDG framework
Mind & Life Summer Research Institute; Garrison, NY
Admitted to week-long research and contemplative science program organized by nonprofit founded by the Dalai Lama and neuroscientist Francisco Varela
Lakota Women Initiative, Rosebud Reservation, SD
Volunteer advisor to Native American Lakota-led housing nonprofit founded by Tamara Stands and Looks Back-Spotted Tail
Red Cloud Renewable & Lakota Women Business; Rosebud Reservation, SD
Pro-bono consulting for Lakota-led sustainable housing initiatives as part of Bard MBA program coursework. Worked with team that prepared application for multi-million dollar Department of Energy grant, delivered communications strategy and startup financial plans
reVillager; Vancouver, BC
Volunteer business advisor for social impact tech company creating digital tools for intentional communities
The B.R.O. Experience Foundation; Brooklyn, NY
Volunteer fundraising and communications
Giving What We Can Pledge;
Signed pledge to donate a minimum of 10% of pretax income to highly effective charities
Newlab; Brooklyn, NY
Member of the deep/green tech venture facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard
NEW INC; NYC, NY
Cohort member and then startup advisor at world's first museum-led creative incubator launched by The New Museum
Nashville Green Drinks; Nashville, TN
Founder and organizer of the Nashville chapter of sustainability networking event Green Drinks International