Connecting Worlds. Scaling Impact.
Our economies, climate and social fabrics are shifting at unprecedented pace. As the momentum of progress faces new constraints, the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer confirms increasing public expectations for the private and NGO sectors to bridge gaps where governments cannot.
GRC Advising sits at the heart of this transition—working across the sectors to realign priorities and secure the support to transform visionary ideas into measurable, systemic success.
Geof Rochester
Geof founded GRC Advising in 2019 to drive social purpose, optimize networks, and scale the work of organizations in pursuit of a just and thriving future for all.
Geof Rochester, Founder and CEO, is a recognized thought leader in marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental social governance (ESG), and social entrepreneurship. A distinguished C-Suite advisor and business strategist, Geof’s breadth of experience includes leadership and collaborations with some of the world's leading NGOs, philanthropies, major media companies, and consumer brands.
Geof currently serves as Chair of ecoAmerica, a nonprofit climate think tank that works with health, faith, and civic leaders to make climate action a core priority for millions of citizens. He also serves as Chair of MindSpark Learning, a leading nonprofit for K-12 teacher development, and on the Advisory Board of the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association.
Previously, Geof served as Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer at The Nature Conservancy, where he led a global division of 300+ to achieve a 2X acceleration in revenue growth. His tenure was defined by the modernization of the organization’s commercial engine and the expansion of its worldwide donor and partner base. Geof also served as Chief Marketing Officer at AppHarvest, leading brand initiatives through the company's successful IPO, as a Board member of Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and on the Board of Advisors for Sustainable Brands. Prior, he held leadership roles at World Wrestling Entertainment, Showtime Networks, Comcast, Radisson Hotels Worldwide, Marriott, and Procter & Gamble.
A native of Barbados and New York City, Geof earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and bachelor’s from Georgetown University, where he also was a manager of men’s basketball under the leadership of the late Hoyas Coach John Thompson, Jr.
Senior Advisors
Brie Lowry Cox
Brie Lowry Cox is a social impact management consultant specializing in healthcare and agricultural strategy, policy and innovation. Her work began at the intersection of preventive healthcare and food insecurity in the Central Appalachian region. Today it encompasses building cross-sector partnerships and nation-leading models to implement adaptable food-is-medicine strategies, institutional procurement solutions and enabling health access, such as mobile care, across Appalachia.
Brie has served on multiple federal grants with the US Department of Agriculture, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and Medicare FLEX programs–all in pursuit of advancing rural prosperity and driving impact to local economies through agriculture and healthcare industries to meet communities where they are. Brie also owns and operates a digital marketing agency and two independent restaurants in Lexington, Kentucky.
A St. Louis native, she graduated Cum Laude and is an award-winning Honors Laureate from Texas Christian University with a BFA in Ballet.
Sivan Schlecter
Sivan Schlecter, MS, WEDG, is a sustainability strategist with a background in marketing working where water management, climate action and justice converge. She brings three decades of driving visibility, strategic partnerships and leveraged support for social and environmental movements.
Sivan illuminated the untapped value of the “L” in the LGBTQ+ market, winning Showtime Networks the top industry award for her work on The L Word—a playbook adopted by MTV Networks to launch Logo, the world’s first 24/7 LGBTQ+ television network. She also leveraged millions in corporate support for causes like marriage equality—including a decade-lasting investment in the Human Rights Campaign—while leading marketing strategy for four LGBTQ+ media brands.
Applying the same rigor to sustainability and adaptation, Sivan secured strategic partnerships with Rutgers University, National Geographic Channel, MetLife and its foundation, Blackstone Properties, and others to amplify public demand for sustainable development. In the water sector, she served in senior marketing and public affairs roles for a climate-adaptive stormwater technology (OptiRTC) and NYC’s water utility (Department of Environmental Protection). She also served as a board member of a nonprofit founded after the Flint water crisis (WaterRising Institute), playing an instrumental role in securing a founding partnership with the world’s second largest water manager (Suez) and delivering gender diversity guidance for the U.S. EPA Water Workforce Program. Believing water jobs to be our greatest path to community resilience, she also delivered the only youth convening for the UN 2023 Water Conference and a thought leadership series for utilities in the midst of a silver tsunami.
A native New Yorker, Sivan is a product of NYC public schools with an MS in Sustainability from City University of New York (CUNY)’s City College and a BA in Communication from Rutgers University’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Christopher R. Tancredi
Chris Tancredi is a pioneer in the sustainable investment space and an investment finance veteran with over 23 years of experience at leading global financial institutions, including senior roles at Merrill Lynch, Spear Leeds & Kellogg/Goldman Sachs, Instinet, Deutsche Bank AG, Citigroup, and HSBC Bank Plc. Specializing in capital formation, institutional engagement, and structuring investment strategies that align financial performance with long-term sustainability objectives, his work has spanned high-net-worth advisory, hedge funds, public and private pensions, asset management firms, and sovereign wealth funds. His experience also includes private banking, institutional rates sales, proprietary trading, direct market access, algorithmic sales, prime brokerage, and quantitative investment solutions.
Chris currently serves as Head of Capital Formation & Finance at Green Power, where he leads capital strategy and investor engagement for large-scale renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure development. His focus grew out of the evolving framework of sustainable and impact investing, and the need for more disciplined approaches to integrating ESG risk factors into institutional portfolios. Chris has studied the correlation between risk exposure and sustainable investment strategies, helping investors transition portfolios toward measurable sustainability outcomes while remaining aligned with broader fiduciary objectives.
Chris also serves as an advisor for GRC where he advises clients on their financial growth strategies, from biodiesel production in Africa to ad tech expansion in the United Kingdom. Chris holds a BA from Penn State University.
Advisors
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Lesley DeSantis is an Advisor at GRC Advising, specializing in executive operations, strategic communications, and organizational infrastructure. She works closely with leadership to translate strategic vision into structured, executable systems that support growth across sustainability, healthcare, and impact-driven initiatives.
At GRC, Lesley manages investor and client materials, financial oversight, and high-level stakeholder coordination. She prepares strategic presentations and board briefing materials while supporting complex logistics and partner engagement. Her approach combines disciplined execution with thoughtful process design, ensuring initiatives move forward with clarity and precision.
Prior to joining GRC Advising, Lesley worked within philanthropic and advisory environments supporting grantmaking strategy and board governance.
A New York native, she holds a BA in Business from Long Island University.
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Akash is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) executive with a global career spanning the intergovernmental, corporate, and NGO sectors. He brings deep experience aligning sustainability strategy with commercial growth and long-term stakeholder value.
Akash currently serves as Global Head of ESG & Sustainability at Traxys Group, where he leads enterprise-wide sustainability strategy across global operations. He previously served as Global Head of ESG & Sustainability at GRC Advising, helping to shape and scale the firm’s ESG advisory platform and client engagements. Akash continues to advise GRC on an ad hoc basis.
Prior to this, Akash worked with CAA Social Impact, supporting Fortune 500 brands in amplifying their purpose-driven initiatives, and founded Development3, an international advisory firm focused on integrating CSR into mid-market business strategy. He also served at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London as Head of Office, Corporate Services.
Akash holds an MS in NGO Management from Cass Business School in London and a BS in International Business from Brunel University.
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Daniel Krohn has been working in the sustainability field for more than 15 years. He currently works as the ESG and Sustainability Adviser for GRC, helping their clients with strategy development, transformation, implementation, reporting and marketing/branding. In the past Daniel has worked in a variety of industries focusing on ESG and sustainability, marketing and branding, and strategy, and innovation. He has an MBA and a BA in Biology.
Daniel has additional training and education in sustainable business practices and innovation from Institute of Design at Stanford University, Harvard Business School Executive Education in Corporate Social Responsibility, One Planet Leaders (World Wildlife Fund), GRI Sustainability Reporting Certification, Natural Resources Canada (NRC) and Point Carbon – Carbon Trading.
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Alicia is a senior marketing executive and entrepreneur specializing in brand development and integrated marketing solutions. She leads cross-functional teams to develop dynamic strategies and campaigns that positively impact brand awareness and the bottom line.
Alicia has taught the go-to-market plans for new technologies and services for WWE Mobile, Showtime Networks, The Smithsonian Channel, and NYC’s MTA. An ad agency veteran, she has built and led pro-bono teams on behalf of numerous nonprofits, serving as a strategic marketing advisor and delivering compelling, authentic, dynamic marketing solutions.
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With over 10 years of experience in the music industry and from a very young age, Morgan has nurtured her affinity for soundtracks and the way intertwining music enhances visual media. In 2021, Morgan founded Sound Affects, a full service music consultancy that specializes in music supervision, clearances, creative strategy and brand ideation in the music space.
Morgan has also worked for Sony Music and as a music consultant including clearance work on Academy Award-nominated feature films, music supervision for major brands, and strategic alliances and sponsorships with Live Nation Entertainment. Morgan received her BA in Psychology of Entertainment with a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology from New York University.
Our Commitment to Equity, Justice and Resilience
At GRC Advising, we believe that healthy, thriving economies must be built on a foundation of equity, justice and resilience.
Our commitment extends beyond simple advisory; it is woven into the partnerships we cultivate to restore and strengthen the social contract for future generations.
We actively work to dismantle systemic barriers and empower communities, from strengthening American democracy with Vote.org to amplifying social justice movements like access to quality education through Coaching4Change and mindSpark Learning. We have advocated for LGBTQ+ equality with product launches for MTV Networks and Showtime Networks, and guided leaders working to end domestic violence with Day One. We define resilience not just as endurance, but as sustainable growth—championing regional innovation in Appalachia, from fighting food insecurity and unlocking access to healthcare and employment, to protecting natural resources and developing sustainable, renewable energy sources around the world.
Partnership OpportunitiesGRC Advising is a certified New York City Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) providing strategy, advisory, and stakeholder engagement services under NAICS 541611 and NIGP 918. We welcome opportunities to partner with public agencies, nonprofits, and prime contractors seeking qualified NYC M/WBE partners.