A GreenBiz 30 under 30 sustainable business leader, James Connelly is the Vice President of Strategic Growth at the International Living Future Institute. In this role, he leads ILFI in developing strategy and cultivating new business and partnership opportunities to grow the Institute’s impact and capabilities globally.

He previously oversaw the Institute’s corporate and manufacturing initiatives including the Living Product Hub (a center of innovative manufacturing in southwestern Pennsylvania), Living Product Challenge (a program that re-imagines the design and manufacturing of products to function as elegantly and efficiently as anything found in the natural world), Just (a social justice and corporate responsibility label for leading progressive organizations), and Declare (an innovative ingredients transparency label and database of non-toxic sustainably sourced products).

Prior to joining the Institute in 2012, James received a Fulbright fellowship to conduct research on green building rating systems in China. James is frequent national and international speaker on regenerative design, sustainable business, ecological manufacturing and affordable housing. He is an avid writer and his research and commentary has been featured in news outlets such as China Dialogue, Trim Tab, BuildingGreen, GreenBiz and Engineering News Record.