Responsible Purchasing Network Staff

Kathy Hedge, Acting Executive Director
B.A., Indiana University; MBA, University of Maryland.  Kathy brings to New American Dream both a passion for its mission and over 20 years of experience working for the nonprofit sector in program management, organizational capacity-building and fund-raising.  Prior to joining New American Dream, she worked for 14 years at BoardSource, advancing its mission to improve the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations by strengthening their boards of directors.  Kathy served as BoardSource’s chief fundraising officer and later as strategic initiatives advisor, and co-authored the report, Advancing Good Governance:  How Grantmakers Invest in the Governance of Nonprofit Organizations.  Prior to BoardSource, Kathy served in leadership and fundraising positions at American Red Cross, Hostelling International-USA, and the Hariri Foundation. 

Outside of New American Dream, Kathy and her husband are busy with their two young boys –  both with school and extracurricular activities and preserving unstructured time for play and reading. 

Phillip Kobernick, RPN Manager
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Political Science and Environmental Systems and Society.  Before joining the New Dream team, Phillip has been involved in several environmental groups in California.  He was Chapter Chair of UCSD’s CalPIRG chapter, working to promote the use of solar energy on California campuses and also worked with Environmental California to pass a state renewable electricity standard.  At UCLA, he helped draft and eventually pass The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), a green fee referendum that is raising over two million dollars for student led sustainability projects over ten years. In his spare time, he enjoys backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas, bike riding, cooking and facial hair advocacy.