Grass Commons Staff

Executive Director: Ethan McCutchen

Ethan McCutchen Ethan McCutchen, caricature Ethan McCutchen co-founded Grass Commons to cultivate the Network of Integrated Consumer Knowledge (NICK), a fusion of his interests in sustainability and software. Having majored in music composition, taught English in Russia and Japan, studied cognitive neuroscience in Scotland, researched primates in Thailand, volunteered in several Latin American countries, and backpacked wherever else he could, Ethan now does most of his exploration online. He’s into system architecture, sustainability indicators, human and computer languages, collaboration, community music, voting systems, and incessant bad jokes.

Technical Director: Lewis Hoffman

Lewis Hoffman Lewis Hoffman, caricature Lewis heads all of Grass Commons’ software development. Previously with Two Radical Technologies (1998-2004) he led development on a powerful, modular, integrated suite of web applications called Advocacy Central. During that time he also completed his master’s in Computer Sciences from George Mason University, focusing on artificial intelligence. He’s also received degrees from Davidson College in German and Physics. An avid outdoor enthusiast and student of sustainability thinking, Lewis was drawn to the NICK project by both its technical challenges and its social and environmental importance. His current software interests include information retrieval and extraction, data integration, and the semantic web.

Development Director: Will Lana

Will Lana Will Lana, caricature Will Lana joined Grass Commons in 2006 as Director of Development, following several years of work in socially responsible investment management. Will attended UCLA where he graduated with honors earning a bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies. Currently he is a candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst program.

Will is an outdoor enthusiast who has worked as a rock climbing instructor, wilderness guide and Forest Service firefighter. When he’s not researching corporations, Will continues to climb avidly at Smith Rock, hike in the Cascades mountains and frisbee golf near Eugene. An interest in environmental stewardship has led Will to volunteer his time at multiple sustainable business events held at the University of Oregon.

Associate Director of Development

Leslie Rutberg Leslie Rutberg joined Grass Commons in an effort to counteract the bad karma of having spent the first eighteen years of her life living in Los Angeles and shopping irresponsibly. She’s since split her time between the highly progressive cites of Berkeley, California — where she received her BA in English Literature — and Eugene, Oregon — where she earned an MFA in Fiction. She’s a reluctant hippie, but an avid proponent of equality and sustainability. Her passions revolve around communication of all kinds: writing, reading, teaching and (unfortunately for the rest of the staff) talking. She’s excited to be part of Grass Commons and looks forward to expanding their community of supporters.

Volunteer Researchers

  • Ethan Adams
  • Annie Bachman
  • Mackenzie Bryant
  • Alex Daniell
  • Kara Gilbert
  • Suzannah Hamlin
  • Matea Haugen
  • Judith Osborn
  • Leslie Rutberg
  • Stan Sandrowicz
  • Eleanor Seelye
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