John Picard is Vice President of The Ray and an Advisory Board Member for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation.

John understood the “internet of things” long before connectivity became the driver that it is today. Celebrated for his keen understanding of the innovative principles of natural systems designs, John connects visionary thinking with emerging technologies to drive successful projects for corporations, commercial buildings, college campuses, and even entire towns.

One of John’s most personal and profound experiences was with Interface, Inc., the company founded by Ray Anderson, who was inspired in 1994 by John’s sea-changing question, “what is Interface doing for the environment?” John was an integral part of the team that helped the petroleum-dependent company imagine a future without oil and chart a course towards it, and he was recruited to join the Ray C. Anderson Foundation in 2011.