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Kaia Roman is a public relations consultant with more than fifteen years of experience working in a diverse range of fields including sustainability, education, entertainment, natural medicine, technology and renewable energy.
In 2004, Kaia established a successful public relations consulting business in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia in which she focuses on the planning and implementation of communication strategies for her clients, mainly in the various fields of sustainability.
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Kaia’s interest in sustainability started at a young age. At 7 years old, Kaia moved from her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia to a solar-powered intentional community in New Mexico. At University in the early 1990’s, Kaia wanted to major in Sustainable Living but found that no University program existed at that time in the United States. With cooperation and support from her professors, Kaia created and designed a new major for her University, New College of Florida, in Sustainable Living, which still exists today.
In the late 1990’s, Kaia led a massive publicity campaign to introduce biodiesel fuel to the United States, after learning about the fuel on a biodynamic farm where she was studying in Germany. In 1997, Kaia organised a United States tour of the “Veggie Van,” a van which filled up on used fryer oil from fast-food restaurants across America. Kaia secured sponsorship from many high-profile businesses for the tour. Her publicity efforts led to the rapid popularisation of the diesel-alternative fuel made from vegetable oil, and rapid growth of the biodiesel industry in the United States.
Kaia co-produced an informational video about the Veggie Van from video footage taken during the tour. A documentary, “The Veggie Van Voyage,” was made about the tour and has shown at film festivals across the United States.
In 1998, Kaia toured Australia to introduce and promote biodiesel fuel through extensive media interviews (including the front cover of ReNew Magazine, interviews on Triple J and ABC Radio National), and met with community activists who later founded the Biofuels Association of Australia and the Biodiesel Association of Australia. Kaia was the co-author of the first book ever published about biodiesel, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, published in 1999.
Kaia was also instrumental in launching one of the first green power companies in the United States, Green Mountain Energy. At the time of electricity deregulation in the United States, Kaia successfully promoted Green Mountain’s renewable energy through extensive marketing campaigns in California and Pennsylvania. As part of an overall promotional plan, Kaia helped to organise a massive free music festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania attended by more than 50,000 people and sponsored by Green Mountain Energy (featuring James Taylor, The Wailers, Shawn Colvin, Kenny Loggins, and more). Thousands of new clients signed up for Green Mountain energy on that day alone. It was also the first ever biodiesel-powered music concert in America, thanks to Kaia’s efforts. |
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In 2000, at an exciting time for Internet companies in the San Francisco, California area, Kaia joined Schwartz Communications, one of the top technology PR firms in the United States. As a Senior Account Executive, Kaia led extremely successful publicity campaigns for her clients, leading many of them into successful initial public stock offerings. Kaia then joined Five Branches University of Chinese Medicine in Santa Cruz as the Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and Continuing Education and successfully doubled the University’s enrolment and provided the growth the school needed to expand into opening a second campus in San Jose.
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Since moving to Australia in 2004, Kaia has led successful publicity campaigns for such businesses as The Permaforest Trust, Climate Friendly, and the Ramada Ballina Hotel, propelling each company into great success. She has managed and promoted major events such as product launches, grand openings, spade ceremonies, public forums, and musical entertainment events, and secured extensive media coverage of all events. She has also provided pro-bono work for many non-profit organisations including Aussies for Orphans, Girls for a Change, and the Northern Rivers Community Gallery in Ballina.
In addition to her professional experience, Kaia has also volunteered her time as a teacher of Sustainable Living classes, as a worker on organic farms across Europe, and as a sustainable agriculture educator in Guatemala. Kaia was a founding Board member of the U.S.-based national organisation Young Women Social Entrepreneurs (YWSE), which promotes women with socially-conscious agendas to reach high positions of leadership in business, government, and not-for-profit work. Kaia is currently a member of the Byron Bay Sustainable Ventures Network, an influential group of Byron Bay area business owners.
Kaia has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences, schools, and corporate events on the topic of sustainability, and has been interviewed by hundreds of newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and television shows, including four magazine covers, and featured in television specials on the Discovery Channel, Fox TV, the Today Show, Dateline, and CNN.
Kaia holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sustainable Living from the New College of Florida and a Certificate 4 in Small Business Management from the Business College in Coffs Harbour, NSW. She lives with her husband Dan and daughters, Kira Rose and Nava Joy, on the far north coast of New South Wales.
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©2005 Kaia Roman Public Relations
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