Laura Turner Seydel
Chairperson

For Laura Turner Seydel, living an eco-sensitive lifestyle has always been a priority.  Growing up green with her father, environmental pioneer Ted Turner, Laura was taught the values of respecting nature's resources, taking care of the environment, and giving back whenever possible.  These lessons learned formed the foundation to a life-long dedication to the protection of the planet and inspired her quest to become an advocate for environmental causes and community involvement.  Today, as a national environmental activist and eco-living expert, Laura believes that the path to a sustainable future can be made possible through a collective effort and she aims to inspire families, youths, and individuals alike to do their part by educating them on the benefits and opportunities of earth-friendly living.

With an unrelenting passion, Laura plays an integral role in Atlanta's environmental movement and spearheads community initiatives to spread the environmental message, whether it is teaching composting techniques to her daughter's Girl Scout Troup or creating a non-profit to tackle a tough issue.  Such was the case in 1993 when, together with her husband Rutherford, she co-founded the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to secure measurable improvements in the health and future of the river, and later in 2004 when she helped found Mothers & Others for Clean air to raise awareness of the undeniable connection between asthma and air pollution.   Laura is also chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation, chair of Atlanta's Zero Waste Zone, an active board member of many organizations including Earth Share of Georgia, Nature Conservancy of Georgia, League of Conservation Voters and Defenders of Wildlife, and serves as Trustee to the Turner Foundation and Jane Smith Turner Foundation, whose funding priorities include the arts, children's health, and the environment.

As an extension of her environmental upbringing and sustainable message, in 2007 Laura and her husband Rutherford built their home EcoManor (www.ecomanor.com), the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified residence in the Southeast.  The home is a showcase for healthy living and energy-efficient design and serves as educational tool for builders, architects, interior designers, landscapers, and homeowners to promote green living, conservation options, and improved residential building practices.  Ultimately through EcoManor, Laura is able to demonstrate real-world applications and offer hands-on experiences to further support her eco-living message. 

A Georgia native, born in Macon, Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oglethorpe University and has spent time working with Greenpeace.  In addition to her philanthropy work, Laura is the eco editor of Southern Seasons magazine and pens a regular "Going Green" feature, writes a monthly "green insider" column for Atlanta INtown, and is president of Laura Turner LLC.  She currently resides in Atlanta with her husband and their three children, John R, Vasser, and Laura Elizabeth.

For more information about Laura Turner Seydel, visit: www.lauraseydel.com.

Ira Blumenthal
President

A self-proclaimed "environmentalist in training," Ira Blumenthal leads the Foundation's efforts to support hands-on, environmental projects for youth by building relationships within the environmental, educational and business communities as well as overseeing the Foundation's grant portfolio. 

For over 20 years, Ira has counseled world-class clients like The Coca-Cola Company, Nestle, Disney, Marriott, Wal-Mart and Kroger to "capitalize on change" and extend their brands through strategic alliances. He is the founder of the Atlanta-based consulting group, CO-OPPORTUNITIES, Inc., and a sought after keynote speaker who has addressed groups on sustainability, green practices, branding and strategic partnerships, among others.  He has also been privileged to open for leaders such as President George Bush, Sr., Tommy Lasorda and Henry Kissinger, and quoted in media sources such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN and BrandWeek. Additionally, he is the author of two marketing books, Ready, Blame, Fire! and Managing Brand You with co-author Jerry S. Wilson. Further, Ira has been a visiting instructor at The University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University. And ever expanding his repertoire, Blumenthal is the recipient of the coveted "George Washington Honor Medal" for literary excellence from The Freedoms Foundation.

At present, he sits on the board of Atlanta's Green Business Works Expo, the Green Foodservice Alliance's Executive Advisory Board and is a board affiliate with The Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association. He also currently serves as the Executive-In-Residence at Georgia State University's School of Hospitality as well as the board of their Green Hospitality Consortium.

As a father of two daughters, three sons as well as a grandfather to one, Blumenthal is a dedicated parent, community activist and children's advocate.  Love for his kids and passion for mentoring the next generation resulted in coaching over 50 youth baseball and basketball teams. Blumenthal further invested in them by serving as a former board member of Oregon Park, a Cobb County youth sports complex, and a board member and president of the Harrison High School Basketball Boosters. 

"What an amazing opportunity to be able to apply my experience, network and abilities to help educate and inspire children to become great stewards of our planet, notes Blumenthal. "There comes a time in every person's life when they should move from focusing on success to focusing on significance.  This is my time and I am thrilled to be a Planeteer."

Taryn Murphy
Senior Director of Educational Programs

Taryn Murphy is the Senior Director of Educational Programs for the Captain Planet Foundation and is going on her seventh year as a full-time staff member helping the foundation carry out its mission and goals. Over the course of her tenure at Captain Planet she has worked with over 900 organizations around the world to implement hands-on environmental projects in schools and small nonprofits. Taryn is responsible for managing the foundation's grantmaking program, seeking out new environmental education initiatives with which to partner, developing outreach programs for the foundation, fundraising and assisting with special events. She is currently involved in the planning stages of a statewide, environment-based school improvement initiative aimed to launch in Georgia in 2009.

Please contact Taryn Murphy, with any questions about projects, the grant application process or the foundations charity auction.

Kristi Porter
Director of Communications

Knowledge, experience, passion and drive have proved to be a successful combination for Kristi Porter. Serving as Director of Communications at Captain Planet Foundation, she works in a variety of areas including marketing, public relations, operations, fundraising, events and promotions, revenue generation and forming strategic partnerships. Her initial Foundation involvement began in 2006 by assisting with the X-MAS Party for two years and overseeing the new website launch in 2007, and continued from there until her current position. Prior to joining the CPF team, Kristi was self-employed as a freelance writer, having written professionally for over six years. Her professional introduction to both worlds began through tenure at a public relations and marketing firm in Atlanta, The Reynolds Group, Inc., which focuses on hospitality, lifestyle and entertainment.

Kristi left full-time public relations and marketing in February of 2006 to venture out on her own as a freelancer where her clients included public relations, web design, nonprofit and creative companies around the Atlanta area such as The Reynolds Group, In The Loop Atlanta and TannerMark. From time to time, Kristi also wrote for local magazines such as Points North, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Southern Screen Report and The Piedmont Review where she specialized in the areas of hospitality, lifestyle and entertainment. Before that, Kristi held multiple roles in Atlanta and New York City restaurants.

In May of 2006, Kristi became affiliated with Mind Altering Love Ministries, an arts and entertainment organization, and now serves as a board member. The following year, she began the process of starting a nonprofit business with two friends that involves leadership and team training. Additionally, she is very involved in her local church.

Kristie Andrews
Director of Operations

Kristie joined Captain Planet Foundation as an independent production assistant for the 2005 X-MAS Party. She lent her combined office and production skills on a temporary basis until she became the full-time Office Manager in February 2007. Her abilities became a highly-valued asset to the Foundation and therefore, she was promoted to Director of Operations in January 2009. As Director of Operations, Kristie manages CPF?s budget and accounting, online store, Captain Planet appearances, volunteers and interns as well as oversees our two annual events, X-MAS Party and Earth Day Kids Fest.

Please contact Kristie Andrews with general Captain Planet Foundation questions and comments.