Our Team
The Astrapto team is comprised of an amazing group of mostly women I consider colleagues and friends. They are strong where I am not, they trust me to lead them, we have fun together, and we are deeply passionate about the work we do. They bring diverse experiences to the table and together we are a force for change.
Meet our team
The Astrapto team in Miami developing a destination sustainability roadmap. Pictured left to right: Irene Lane, Aurora Dawn Benton, Diana Catalina Beltran, Laurie Green.We bring diverse experiences to the table and together we are a force for change.
Aurora
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton is Founder and Chief Change Agent of Astrapto LLC, which exists to advance positive impact in the workplace. Her mission is to make sustainability practical and approachable for people whose main job is not sustainability, but who have a passion to improve social and environmental performance in their operations and supply chains.
Aurora comes from a diverse background with a 35 year career spanning software development, retail, financial services, higher education, and consulting.
Aurora loves to empower others through education and mentoring. Aurora has coached social entrepreneurs for the past 20 years and Astrapto has helped more than 130 young professionals launch green teams in their place of work, trained more than 1000 professionals globally on sustainable procurement and supplier diversity, and delivered workshops on food waste prevention to thousands of hospitality and event professionals.
Aurora has been a thought leader in establishing hospitality and event industry standards and education programs for sustainability with industry associations such as Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Sustainable Events Standards and Sustainable Event Professional Certificate online course.
Aurora has a Doctorate in Business Administration in Social Impact Management and was named a 2021 Top 30 Sustainability Champions by the International Hospitality Institute. In August 2024, she published her first book, Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations.
Aurora
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton is Founder and Chief Change Agent of Astrapto LLC, which exists to advance positive impact in the workplace. Her mission is to make sustainability practical and approachable for people whose main job is not sustainability, but who have a passion to improve social and environmental performance in their operations and supply chains. Aurora comes from a diverse background with a 35 year career spanning software development, retail, financial services, higher education, and consulting. Aurora loves to empower others through education and mentoring. Aurora has coached social entrepreneurs for the past 20 years and Astrapto has helped more than 130 young professionals launch green teams in their place of work, trained more than 1000 professionals globally on sustainable procurement and supplier diversity, and delivered workshops on food waste prevention to thousands of hospitality and event professionals. Aurora has been a thought leader in establishing hospitality and event industry standards and education programs for sustainability with industry associations such as Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Sustainable Events Standards and Sustainable Event Professional Certificate online course. Aurora has a Doctorate in Business Administration in Social Impact Management and was named a 2021 Top 30 Sustainability Champions by the International Hospitality Institute. In August 2024, she published her first book, Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations.
Irene
Irene Lane is a Coach of Community Development for Astrapto, bringing in 13 years of experience in developing sustainable tourism products, measuring the return on investment (ROI) of sustainability in destinations, training on sustainable certification criteria, and creating digital storytelling strategies for tourism boards and individual sustainable tourism businesses. Prior to Astrapto, Irene was the founder of Greenloons, a digital sustainable tourism concierge service that partnered with more than fifty certified companies around that world to inspire families, private companies, and university study abroad program participants to travel in ways that benefited communities socially, economically, and environmentally. In addition to being a guest lecturer at George Washington University, the Adventure Travel Trade Association, and the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, she is the only person in the United States who can certify a green travel destination, accommodation, or event under the internationally-accredited Biosphere label. She also served as the Chair of the Market Access Working Group for the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. She presently is serving her second term on the Town Council of the Town of Chevy Chase in Maryland. Irene has a BA in Political Science with a minor in International Relations from Boston University, an MBA in International Finance from American University, and a Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Destination Management from George Washington University.
Diana
Diana Catalina Beltran is the Coach of Sustainable Change for Astrapto. She has been a hospitality management executive for over 15 years. She served as the Americas corporate learning and development manager for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, based out of Florida and California. She has managed the development and implementation of sustainability-based programs and led philanthropic, volunteer, and community outreach initiatives as the Sustainability and Innovation Manager for Wyndham Worldwide. Before Wyndham, Diana held positions at the Grand Hyatt New York, including Sustainability Manager and Social Responsibility Manager. She began her hospitality career at Hotel Sofitel Miami, where she served as lead trainer for the front office, sales and catering intern, and the property’s first green team leader. Diana was a member of the Hotel Association of NYC Sustainability Committee and the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association. She helped develop industry-wide community engagement forums to help association members go green. She has taught sustainability courses in person and abroad at Florida International University (FIU) and Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE). She is presently teaching online from Europe on various subjects as the lead faculty member for the MS Hospitality and Tourism Program at USC. Diana has a BS in travel & tourism management with a minor in hotel & lodging from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. She received her MS in sustainability management from Columbia University in New York City.
Laurie
Laurie Green is the Project and Initiative Manager for Astrapto. She brings years of valuable experience in managing projects in industries such as Commercial Energy Efficiency, Residential Construction, IT Services, Customer Service, Food and Beverage Services and Sustainability Consulting. With successful results in managing projects in various businesses, Laurie uses her experience to relate to employees in various roles from top to bottom ensuring a smooth and communicative project process that is adaptable to any client needs. She assists the Astrapto team in organizing complex projects, performing research on key initiatives, and mapping out timelines and plans. Laurie has helped Astrapto evolve and improve food and materials waste management services, as well as spearhead efforts to make our clients’ pursuit of sustainability certification efficient and successful. Laurie lives out her devotion to sustainability on 80 acres of mostly wooded land in Northeast Missouri where she tends a large garden and forages for plants and mushrooms. In addition to using the land for harvesting edible delights and wood to craft decorative items, she and her husband have created an 18-hole disc golf course where they host an annual tournament.
Passion is what drives us
Astrapto means to illuminate and our mission is to shed light on a path for your sustainability and social impact journey. Let us be a guide for you and your staff.
Our vision is to see any one, in any position, in any organization empowered and equipped to drive positive impact.