Jacob Weissman is the Program Director at Young Planet Leaders, where he designs programs, builds community, and forges partnerships that support young leaders from around the globe working to create a better planet. He is the architect of YPL’s mentorship and scholarship programs, YPL Academy, and its international clubs initiative.

Jacob holds a degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is currently completing a joint master’s degree in Global Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Buenos Aires. His academic work spans political ecology, post-development theory, and social philosophy.

A writer, musician, and former organizer with the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, Jacob’s work has appeared in The Progressive, Global Voices, Earth.org, and elsewhere. He is passionate about building a more just and sustainable world by supporting youth to realize their full potential as changemakers.

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Mary Kinirons Ed.D. is a mother of three with a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, a masters in Nonprofit Management, and a bachelors in Oceanography. She is excited to use her role as Executive Director to lead Heal the Planet to new heights and levels of impact. She is passionate about educating our youth in both mindfulness and the importance of respecting and nurturing the world around them.

Mary was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to sunny South Florida in 2010 to live by the ocean. Her hobbies include snorkeling, boating, reading, writing, traveling, and painting. She has served the community through the nonprofit sector for over 12 years. She is on the Board of the Heart Gallery of America and supports advocacy efforts in child welfare in her spare time having adopted her three children from foster care.

Mary was raised in the woods with one family home nestled in a valley with a creek in the back yard and another next to a large field to play in. She spent summers at a camp that hosted many outdoor adventures including overnight camping, canoeing, horseback riding, rock climbing, and more. She was taught to leave no trace and to love the natural world. She was also a camp counselor and helped educate youth at the summer camp she was raised at. She instills these same beliefs in her children through outdoor activities and by supporting signing them up for the Boy Scouts of America.

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Kenneth Fisher, founder and chair of Young Planet Leaders, is a born entrepreneur. At 17​, he​ ​purchased his first business, a Carvel-type ice cream store. Ken always had a love for​ ​real estate since he was a young boy, and at 19, he purchased his first four residential properties. His interest in business continued to soar, expanding across multiple industries including retail and telecommunications. His two telecommunications companies were twice featured in Inc. Magazine’s list of Top 500 Fastest-Growing Companies.

Ken’s success led him to make a conscious choice to give back. He became what he refers to as a philanthropreneur, supporting the fundraising efforts of many charities over the past 30 years, including City of Hope, Joint Distribution Committee, Kids in Distress, JAFCO, HANDY, and Jack & Jill Children’s Center, to name a few. Ken also sits on numerous non-profit boards locally and globally. Yet, Ken felt there was more he could do.

As a successful businessman, Ken understands the power of commerce. How we spend our money and what we choose to consume have a direct effect on our planet. Making conscious choices on what we do or buy today has a direct impact on the planet’s sustainability, the health and well-being of all its inhabitants, and what we will leave for future generations. Ken is an unstoppable force who lives this vision every day. He is a two-time Ironman, having competed in New Zealand and Brazil. He is committed​ ​to pursuing personal growth and living an eco-conscious lifestyle. Still, he knew he​ ​could do more.

That’s when the magic happened. Ken enrolled in a two-year Master’s Program in Spiritual Psychology, founded and taught by Dr. H. Ronald Hulnick and Dr. Mary R.​ ​Hulnick, world-renowned pioneers and innovators in this field, at the University of Santa​ ​Monica. After 25 years in the making, Ken finally realized his dream and launched Heal​ ​The Planet, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving life on the​ ​planet through educating, inspiring, and empowering the next generation of children.

Like Aristotle and many other philosophers, Ken believes in the concept of entelechy. It is the idea that everything in the universe has an innate ‘possibility’ held within, like a seed, and that potential needs only a supportive environment to be fully expressed. Ken’s entelechy is to leverage his natural enthusiasm, business acumen, and​ ​love of people to enhance and uplift the quality of life for others. The joy that comes​ ​from supporting others has become the fuel that gets Ken out of bed every morning​ ​with a smile and a desire to ​Heal ​The ​Planet.

“There is no greater feeling than to utilize my life experience and innate gifts to inspire others and co-create a more loving, compassionate, and sustainable planet.”    

Charles Brutten is a lawyer who is passionate about his work, family and other pursuits.  Charles enjoys traveling abroad and always has a list of future destinations that he would like to explore.  He also enjoys domestic travel, hiking, kayaking, going to concerts and shows, and spending time with his family and friends. One of the global causes that is most important to him is providing wells for fresh water so that more people have access to an ample supply of clean water. He believes that nobody should be relegated to spending the majority of each day of their lives trying to obtain a sufficient quantity of water in order to live to see the next day.

He believes that there is so much potential on the planet if the technologies and information known to and possessed by the first world are shared.  He looks forward to maintaining the direction in which Young Planet Leaders has been led by its founder and providing his support in advancing its scope and reach.

Avi Weintraub is the manager and owner of various real estate-related ventures under the Weintraub Companies’ umbrella.

He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Building Construction from the University of Florida where he also studied architectural design. He is a Certified General Contractor and real estate broker.  Mr. Weintraub has successfully taken and built on that knowledge to create a multi-faceted full-service company engaged in real estate development, construction and residential property acquisitions, holdings and management.

Mr. Weintraub has been active in the South Florida business community for more than 25 years and his experience encompasses commercial and residential development as well as the construction of scores of projects with over 2,000,000 square feet throughout South Florida, including office complexes, retail centers, schools, warehouses, apartments, condominiums and attached/detached single family homes.

His companies have received many accolades from various municipalities for design and construction as well as achieving the INC 500 list of Fastest Growing Companies in 2007 and 2008 for Weintraub Construction Company.

Mr. Weintraub is highly involved with, and has volunteered on the boards of several charitable organizations, including the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, and as a board member of the Young Entrepreneur’s Organization.

He is an avid boater and skier and currently resides in Aventura with his wife Maria and their two son’s Sami and Daniel.