Nicole Rawling is Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of the Material Innovation Initiative, a nonprofit accelerating innovation in more sustainable and animal-free materials for the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries. Ms. Rawling works with key audiences around the world, including companies, entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, and government officials, to promote the development of next-gen materials.

Previously, she was an attorney advising Silicon Valley boards of directors, executives, and companies on financial matters and spent significant pro bono hours suing companies for environmental law violations. Earlier, she worked for two years at the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, on high profile cases like the civil cases arising out of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the anthrax scares at the Morgan Post Office facility.

Ms. Rawling earned her B.S. in international politics and philosophy with a concentration in international law, institutions, and ethics from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. She received her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.