Businesses Rally to Support EPA’s Safer Choice Program
Podcast
Protecting Human and Planetary Health. Meet Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks.
President & CEO of ECOS®
She’s leading the charge in sustainable cleaning, creating eco-conscious products that protect the health of people, pets, and the planet. No harmful ingredients—just powerful, affordable solutions that are redefining what it means to clean green.
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Kelly’s Full Bio
Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks
As President and CEO of ECOS plant-powered cleaning products, Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks is passionate about human and planetary health. She leads four manufacturing facilities across the U.S. as well as a European manufacturing platform. Vlahakis-Hanks is widely recognized for her highly effective leadership at ECOS and her influential voice in corporate social responsibility, safer chemistry, and sustainable manufacturing.
Vlahakis-Hanks led ECOS to become a Climate Positive company in 2021 after achieving carbon neutrality, water neutrality, and TRUE Platinum Zero Waste certification. ECOS is also the first manufacturer to receive LEED® Zero certifications in net-zero energy, carbon, and waste. The company has received many awards for its innovations in safer green chemistry, including the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice Partner of the Year eight times.
As a woman of African American and Greek descent, Vlahakis-Hanks has made environmental and social justice a cornerstone of ECOS’s mission. She actively promotes a corporate culture of diversity and empowerment; 60% of her C-Suite and top executives are women and 40% are BIPOC. She is proud to lead a company that is a WBENC-certified women-owned business and an NMSDC-certified minority-owned business.
Vlahakis-Hanks supports the green economy by creating sustainable manufacturing jobs across the U.S. and offering excellent wages and family-friendly benefits. She also offers financial incentives to employees who make sustainable living choices, such as buying a low-emissions vehicle or solar panels.
Vlahakis-Hanks received her undergraduate degree at UCLA and her MBA at Chapman University. She has been featured on CNN, CBS News, ABC News, FOX News, NBC News, Bloomberg and MarketWatch and in publications such as Fortune, Entrepreneur and the Los Angeles Times. She has received several awards for her sustainable leadership, including Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Powerful Women in 2020 and Conscious Company’s World-Changing Women in Conscious Business.
Vlahakis-Hanks is an active member of several boards of directors, including the XPRIZE Foundation, which is incentivizing solutions to some of the world’s greatest problems, like climate change. She is active in industry councils and public policy advocacy, including the American Sustainable Business Network, working to promote higher standards for consumer products to protect human health and the planet. She is also a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) and Abundance 360, a select community of executives and entrepreneurs using exponential technologies to transform their businesses.
Vlahakis-Hanks resides in southern California with her husband Eric, an acclaimed African American art gallerist, their daughter, and rescue dog.
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- In the Press
- Community Involvement
- Professional Affiliations
- Premios
Kelly in the press
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Recent Events
Hosting CASA at ECOS Earth Day Event
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Hosting CASA at ECOS Earth Day Event
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) empowers youth in foster care by providing dedicated advocates who support and amplify their voices. We hosted over 50 youth and their CASAs at ECOS, giving them a glimpse into careers in sustainable manufacturing and green science—while sparking curiosity and fun with Mad Green Science experiments!
5th Ward Elementary Event in Louisiana
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5th Ward Elementary Event in Louisiana
ECOS hosted a green cleaning science lab at Fifth Ward Elementary in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. An area called “Cancer Alley” due to nearby petrochemical pollution. The event included hands-on activities where students made their own cleaning products and learned about safe cleaning options. ECOS also donated eco-friendly cleaning products.
Currently active on the boards of
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XPRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and hosts public competitions intended to encourage technological development for the benefit of humanity through incentivized competitions.
Celebrating 30 years of scientific discovery, cutting-edge innovation and critical thinking. To date, we’ve launched 30 prizes with over $500 million in prize money, achieving an impact of more than 30x on every dollar of our collective prize purses.
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Kelly is part of The Chapman University Board of Governors, serving on the Diversity Task Force.
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CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocates Association, is an organization in the U.S. supporting youth in foster care through advocacy, awareness, connection, support, and training.
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Global leadership community of over 35,000 chief executives coming together to become better leaders and better people.
Member of
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Abundance 360 is Singularity University’s highest-level program run by Singularity Founder Peter H. Diamandis, MD.
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Kelly sponsors Companies for Safer Chemicals coalition to fight for legislation that supports safer consumer products and ingredient disclosure.
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“The health and wellness of people and our beautiful shared planet is my passion and the driving force behind the work to bring safer, affordable cleaning products to families around the world.”
– Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks
Speaking Engagements
Platforms have included:
- TEDx Talks – Business for Good: Creating A More Sustainable World
- U.S. EPA Safer Choice Summit
- Harvard University Environmental and Leadership Summit
Podcasts include:
- CPG Launch Leader
- EMA Talks
- Eric’s Perspective
Radio includes:
- Bloomberg Radio
- KABC Radio
- SiriusXM Business
- Go Green Radio
Download Press Kit
Hi, I’m Kelly
There’s nothing I’m more passionate about than human and planetary health. I believe everyone should have a healthy home and that means that won’t harm you or the planet. For over 55 years, we’ve been making eco-conscious cleaners in the U.S., leading the industry in green science and sustainability, using zero-waste manufacturing and 100% renewable energy.
It’s my mission to educate audiences on the importance of safer products and reducing our footprint on the planet to help make a better future for all. If you’re interested in speaking with me, please drop me a note below.
Drop us a note to find out more on Kelly’s media and speaking availability.
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