Dr. Hal Hinkle is the CEO of BamCore and its parent Global Bamboo Technologies, Inc. His focus on climate change began after his second retirement (22 years at Goldman Sachs, then 5 years running and selling a global online bond exchange). His initial climate focus began in 2004 when he started a non-profit foundation to focus on climate change education. Following a PhD in Neuroscience and a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, he returned to California to build an organic and climate-conscious vineyard and winery in Sonoma County, where he was introduced to BamCore for his building projects. Intrigued, he spent nearly a year researching timber bamboo and other fast-growing structural fibers and their ability to quickly capture carbon from the atmosphere, which could then be stored long-term in buildings. Today, his wine label is managed by others but continues as the first dually certified organic and climate-adapted winery in the world. Now, his full research and commercial focus is on bringing structural fibers from bamboo and select fast-growing trees into the construction and industrial markets. He holds a BS degree (Cum Laude) in biochemistry from UC Irvine, an MBA (Beta Gama Sigma) from Columbia Business School and MS, MPhil, and PhD degrees from Columbia Medical School. He is also a certified University of California Climate Steward and was named 2022 Construction Visionary by the Construction Institute in the US.