The Changemaker Speaker Series
A signature program of the Changemaker Collaborative, the Sustainability Institute's partnership with the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and the Carsey School of Public Policy, the Changemaker Speaker Series covers a diverse range of topics related to the world’s most pressing challenges, including the climate crisis and racial injustice. The Changemaker Speaker series aims to shine a light on innovative solutions by bringing inspiring leaders to campus each semester.
Thank you to our Changemaker Speaker Series partners: Responsible Governance & Sustainable Citizenship Project/College of Liberal Arts and New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility
Sustainability Institute Events & More
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December 2, 2024
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December 2, 2024
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December 4, 2024, 5 p.m. - 5 p.m.
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December 18, 2024
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December 20, 2024
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February 5, 2025, 5 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Business and the Climate Crisis
Tuesday, October 8, 12:40-2 p.m.
Granite State Room, MUB
Recording coming soon!
As Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change recently said, “It’s already blazingly obvious finance is the make-or-break factor in the world’s climate fight – in quantity, quality and innovation.” In this panel discussion, leaders will share insights into how the flow of investments into climate solutions can be vastly accelerated, and how this will drive investments towards renewables, create more jobs, and stable economic growth, as well as addressing the climate emergency.
Featuring:
Ed Farrington ’93, President, North America, Impax Asset Management and UNH Sustainability Advisory Board Member
Ed is President, North America at Impax Asset Management and Co-Head of the Client Group. Based in the Portsmouth office, Ed is responsible for distribution of Impax’s full capabilities across North America. Ed previously served as the Head of Distribution for North America. In this capacity, he oversaw institutional and intermediary sales and client service efforts, engaging with consultants, advisers, institutions and plan sponsors on issues ranging from investing in the transition to a more sustainable economy to navigating global retirement systems.
Ed joined Impax in 2021 from Natixis Investment Managers where he held multiple distribution leadership roles in London and Boston over the span of 12 years. Prior to that, he worked in sales and sales management for Fidelity Investments, Fidelity Charitable Services and Pioneer Investments.
With a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire, Ed also holds the FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, and 31 registrations, and is a registered representative of Foreside Financial Services, LLC. He serves on the World Surf League advisory board, the Levitate Foundation and the sustainability advisory board at the University of New Hampshire.
Dr. Stephen Bird, Director, Carsey School of Public Policy
Stephen Bird is the Director of Carsey School of Public Policy and a professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire. He is also a research professor (courtesy) at the Institute for Sustainable Environment at Clarkson University where he was formerly a full professor of political science. In addition, he's a faculty Research Affiliate with the Positive Energy Project at the University of Ottawa.
Stephen's work examines all aspects of energy policy and regulation broadly, with a deep focus on impacting the energy transition. Engagements and research awards have included New York’s Energy Research Authority, the U.S. State Department, the European Commission, National Resources Canada, a 2016 Fulbright Research Chair, and the National Science Foundation. Corporate partnerships have included the NY Power Authority, GE, National Grid, AMD, the US Green Building Council, and IBM.
His current research and engagements focus on energy conflict & polarization, drivers of energy acceptance (fracking, solar, wind), split incentives and smart housing, and energy technology governance & implementation (microgrids, green data centers). Stephen completed his PhD at Boston University and his Masters at Harvard University.
Clara Miller, ’72, Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and President Emerita of the Heron Foundation
Clara Miller writes, speaks and advises on investing and finance in the social sector. Miller is a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and President Emerita of the Heron Foundation, which she led from 2011-2017. Prior to assuming Heron’s presidency, Miller founded and was President and CEO of Nonprofit Finance Fund from 1984 through 2010.
Miller is a Sorenson Global Leader, a corporator of Walden Mutual Bank and a member of the Sustainability Advisory Board of the University of New Hampshire. She is a board member of The Song Cave, a publication dedicated to literature and graphic art, an investment committee member of UpStart Co-Lab (Impact Investing for the Creative Economy) and an advisory board member of Open Road Alliance.
In 1996, Miller was a Clinton appointee to the U.S. Treasury’s first Community Development Advisory Board for the then-newly-created Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. She later became its Chair. She chaired the Opportunity Finance Network board for six years during her nine-year tenure (1992-2001) and was a member of the Community Advisory Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 2001-2007. She was a member of the inaugural Nonprofit Accounting Advisory Committee of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) from 2010-2014. Miller was a board member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) from 2014 to 2019, serving as chair of its Development Committee and a member of its Executive Committee. Miller was a member of the initial U.S. Impact Investing Delegation to the G7.
Miller was awarded a Bellagio Residency by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2010. In 2015, she received the Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy, the “Shining Star” Award from NYC performance venue PS 122, and was named Institutional Investor Magazine’s Investor of the Year. She was named to Nonprofit Times “Power and Influence Top 50,” for seven years, from 2006-2010, 2016 and 2017 and to Inside Philanthropy’s “50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy in 2016 and 2017. In 2017 she was honored as Social Innovator of the Year by the University of New Hampshire and named the “Foundation President We’ll Miss Most,” by Inside Philanthropy. Miller’s work at the Heron Foundation was featured in a 2018 case study by Stanford Graduate School of Business, “The Heron Foundation: 100 Percent for Mission and Beyond.”
Ms. Miller speaks and writes extensively and has been published in The Financial Times, Medium, The Atlantic Blog, Alliance, Impact Alpha, Impact Entrepreneur, Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Nonprofit Quarterly and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. She has spoken recently at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Impact PHL, The Rockefeller Foundation (for Upstart Co-Lab) and debated ESG investing at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Other speaking engagements include Edinburgh International Culture Summit, Yale School of Management, Aspen Ideas Festival, Sciences Po, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Columbia Graduate School of Business, Fuqua Business School at Duke, Oxford Said Business School, Bloomberg L.P., SoCap, and Mission Investors Exchange.
Past Events & Recordings
Threads of Change: Rethinking Fast Fashion Supply Chains
Watch or listen to the recording
Featuring:
Zack Angelini ‘14, 16G, Co-Founder of Public Good Provisions
Walt Bailey, Senior Sales Director North American Wholesale, Patagonia
Brian O'Connor, Director, Sustainability and Global Compliance, L.L.Bean
Colleen Vien, President & CEO, Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA)
Moderated by: Wendy Pothier, Associate Professor, Business & Economics Librarian, University of New Hampshire
A Clean Energy for NH: How do we make the necessary transition?
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Addressing the climate crisis at the scale and urgency required necessitates a decline in greenhouse gas emissions through a significant transition to electrification. Decarbonizing our economy requires a 3x increase in electricity generation and transmission, which has major implications for investment in infrastructure and for the role of public utility companies, other businesses and lawmakers. Guest speakers include:
- Sam Evans-Brown, Executive Director, Clean Energy NH
- Fortunat Mueller, President & Co-Founder, ReVision Energy
- Thomas Meissner '04G, CEO, Unitil
- April Salas, Executive Director, Irving Institute, Dartmouth
Additional thanks to event co-host, UNH Library.
Beyond Zero: A roadmap for how business can reverse climate change
October 2022
Guest speakers:
Lisa Conway, VP of Sustainability, Americas, Interface
Nathan Havey, Writer/Director, Beyond Zero Documentary
After a life-changing epiphany, the CEO of Interface, a global public company, charged the leadership team with a high-stakes quest to eliminate all negative environmental impacts by 2020. This inspirational keynote by the company's VP of Sustainability, Americas will discuss how leaders overcame deep skepticism, had the courage to abandon the status quo, and ignited a new gold standard for industrial manufacturers. She will also talk about the company's current bold strategy, Climate Take Back, their total commitment to running the business in a way that creates a climate fit for life.
About Lisa
Lisa Conway serves as VP of Sustainability, Americas for Interface – the global flooring manufacturer that is leading industry to love the world. She and her team are responsible for regional activation of the company’s mission: Climate Take Back. To drive understanding of the need for transparency and prioritization of embodied carbon in specifications within the building industry, she co-founded the materials Carbon Action Network (materialsCAN) in 2018. Lisa also serves as the Chair of the Sustainable Advisory Board for Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business and is on the Executive Board of Directors of the non-profit Building Transparency.
About Nathan
Nathan Havey unlocks companies to become the greatest version of themselves. A believer in the transformative power of stories, Nathan wrote and directed an acclaimed podcast series, "10 Things You Should Know About Stakeholder Capitalism" and an award-winning documentary film, Beyond Zero, which is being used by companies like KKR and UPS to show their teams how business can rise to meet the global challenges we face.
Thank you to our event partners NH Businesses for Social Responsibility, UNH MUB Leadership Labs, and UNH Library.
Building a Life and Career of Changemaking: From student activist to accomplished social entrepreneur
December 2022
WATCH THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Ten years after winning UNH's first SVIC, Alex Freid returned to campus to accept one of UNH's most prestigious honors, the 2022 Social Innovator of the Year Award. Founder of the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN), Alex and team have engaged with over 50,000 students in the last decade. In conversation with current and former students that he has advised at UNH over the last decade, Alex talked about how we can support students to become transformational changemakers who can lead sustainability solutions on their campuses and in their future careers.
Alex's panel included:
- Luke Doverspike ‘20, Inventory Analyst, Timberland
- George Anderson '22, Sustainability Coordinator, Endicott College
- Emily Abrusci ‘25, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability, dual major in EcoGastronomy
- Chloe Gross ‘24, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability major
- Phoebe Adame ‘23, Environmental Science and Sustainability major
Careers for Impact
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
UNH alumni discussed how they are aligning their careers with positive impact, covering a diverse range of topics related to the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges, including the climate crisis and racial injustice. Alumni guest speakers:
- Masami Dustin ‘21, Strategic Projects Manager, FamilyAid
- Jonathan Gagne ‘19, Sustainability Program Coordinator, Greater Portland Council of Governments
- Sam Kitfield ‘21, Site Acquisition, BlueWave
- Sarah Wilkinson ‘22, Client Services Analyst, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
A Clean Energy for NH: How do we make the necessary transition?
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Addressing the climate crisis at the scale and urgency required necessitates a decline in greenhouse gas emissions through a significant transition to electrification. Decarbonizing our economy requires a 3x increase in electricity generation and transmission, which has major implications for investment in infrastructure and for the role of public utility companies, other businesses and lawmakers. Guest speakers include:
- Sam Evans-Brown, Executive Director, Clean Energy NH
- Fortunat Mueller, President & Co-Founder, ReVision Energy
- Thomas Meissner '04G, CEO, Unitil
- April Salas, Executive Director, Irving Institute, Dartmouth
Additional thanks to event co-host, UNH Library.
Beyond Zero: A roadmap for how business can reverse climate change
October 2022
Guest speakers:
Lisa Conway, VP of Sustainability, Americas, Interface
Nathan Havey, Writer/Director, Beyond Zero Documentary
After a life-changing epiphany, the CEO of Interface, a global public company, charged the leadership team with a high-stakes quest to eliminate all negative environmental impacts by 2020. This inspirational keynote by the company's VP of Sustainability, Americas will discuss how leaders overcame deep skepticism, had the courage to abandon the status quo, and ignited a new gold standard for industrial manufacturers. She will also talk about the company's current bold strategy, Climate Take Back, their total commitment to running the business in a way that creates a climate fit for life.
About Lisa
Lisa Conway serves as VP of Sustainability, Americas for Interface – the global flooring manufacturer that is leading industry to love the world. She and her team are responsible for regional activation of the company’s mission: Climate Take Back. To drive understanding of the need for transparency and prioritization of embodied carbon in specifications within the building industry, she co-founded the materials Carbon Action Network (materialsCAN) in 2018. Lisa also serves as the Chair of the Sustainable Advisory Board for Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business and is on the Executive Board of Directors of the non-profit Building Transparency.
About Nathan
Nathan Havey unlocks companies to become the greatest version of themselves. A believer in the transformative power of stories, Nathan wrote and directed an acclaimed podcast series, "10 Things You Should Know About Stakeholder Capitalism" and an award-winning documentary film, Beyond Zero, which is being used by companies like KKR and UPS to show their teams how business can rise to meet the global challenges we face.
Thank you to our event partners NH Businesses for Social Responsibility, UNH MUB Leadership Labs, and UNH Library.
Building a Life and Career of Changemaking: From student activist to accomplished social entrepreneur
December 2022
WATCH THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Ten years after winning UNH's first SVIC, Alex Freid returned to campus to accept one of UNH's most prestigious honors, the 2022 Social Innovator of the Year Award. Founder of the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN), Alex and team have engaged with over 50,000 students in the last decade. In conversation with current and former students that he has advised at UNH over the last decade, Alex talked about how we can support students to become transformational changemakers who can lead sustainability solutions on their campuses and in their future careers.
Alex's panel included:
- Luke Doverspike ‘20, Inventory Analyst, Timberland
- George Anderson '22, Sustainability Coordinator, Endicott College
- Emily Abrusci ‘25, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability, dual major in EcoGastronomy
- Chloe Gross ‘24, Environmental Conservation and Sustainability major
- Phoebe Adame ‘23, Environmental Science and Sustainability major
Climate Action: The Public and Private Sectors Roles in Meeting the Urgency
April 2022
On the occasion of Earth Day 2022, this event is built on the premise that the world needs urgent action to address the climate crisis, and that government and the business sectors, because of their scale and influence, must be major drivers of solutions in the next pivotal decade to 2030. While the current reality demands that both business and government make radical changes, the real power will lie in the nexus of the two sectors, with innovative collaboration between government and business to drive change on the scale needed. This event will explore examples of cross sector collaboration on climate, as well as opportunities for greater partnership to accelerate climate action.
Moderated by:
• Michael Ettlinger, Director, UNH Carsey School of Public Policy
• Luciana Echazu, Associate Dean, UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics
Meet the speakers:
Kate Gordon
Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy
Kate Gordon has spent the past two decades working at the intersection of climate change, energy policy, and economic development. Most recently, Gordon served under California Governor Gavin Newsom as the Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor on Climate. Trained as a community organizer, and later in law and regional economic development, her focus has long been on bringing diverse groups together to work toward a more sustainable, inclusive economy. Prior to being appointed OPR Director, Gordon was the founding director of the Risky Business Project, which focused on quantifying the economic impacts of climate change on key U.S. regions and sectors. Gordon has served in senior leadership positions at several nonpartisan think tanks including the Henry M. Paulson Institute, the Center for the Next Generation, the Center for American Progress, and the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Gordon got her start on energy and climate issues working at the national Apollo Alliance, where she ultimately served as co-Executive Director until the merger with the Blue-Green Alliance in 2011. Under her leadership, the Apollo Alliance drafted key parts of the American Recovery And Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) including the Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit, and also partnered with the AFL-CIO to draft "just transition" proposals for several key energy and climate bills.
Gordon earned a J.D. and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of California-Berkeley, and an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University.
Corley Kenna '00
Head of Communications and Policy, Patagonia
Corley Kenna is a public affairs and communications professional with 20 years of experience and currently leads Patagonia’s Communication and Policy team.
Corley began her career in government and politics. She got her start with Congressman John Lewis (GA) and Senator Zell Miller (GA) and later worked for Senator Tom Carper (DE). Corley is also a seasoned campaign operative, having spent election cycles with the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Hillary for New York and Hillary for President. She rounded out her time in government in the Obama administration, serving as a Senior Advisor in the US State Department in the office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
As Managing Director and Chief of Staff to the CEO of Burson-Marsteller (WPP plc), Corley built and maintained global client and media relationships at one of the world’s leading communication agencies. As Vice President for Public Affairs and Corporate Communications at Ralph Lauren, she led media response and strategy for corporate affairs and crisis situations.
At Patagonia, Corley is responsible for the development and execution of Patagonia’s global communication strategy and the advancement of key policy issues related to the company’s business and advocacy priorities. She leads strategy for the company’s environmental activism campaigns, advancing responsible business practices, and strengthening democracy/civil engagement. Corley also oversees the strategy for Patagonia’s election efforts and is a leader in the Time to Vote movement, a nonpartisan, business-led initiative aimed at increasing voter participation in US elections.
Corley is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and she currently resides in Santa Barbara, California. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Arthur W. Page Society. She serves on the advisory board of the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire and is a board member of Regenerative Organic Alliance, The Outdoor Policy Outfit and Civil Rights Tours Atlanta.
Cathy Koch
Global Sustainability Tax Leader, EY
Cathy Koch re-joined EY in February as Americas Tax Policy Leader and was appointed Global Tax Policy Network Leader and Global Sustainability Tax Leader in 2019. She previously worked for the firm at Washington Council EY from 2000 to mid-2004.
Prior to joining EY, Cathy served as Chief Policy Advisor to the Senate Majority Leader for Tax and Economics. She also led business outreach for the Leader and the Democratic Caucus. In this role, Cathy led all tax and economic policy initiatives for the Leader’s office and was central to strategy and communications on a broad spectrum of issues. She was deeply involved in almost every Congressional tax and budget measure during her tenure in Senator Reid’s office.
Cathy’s prior experience on the Hill included three and a half years on the Finance Committee, first as Staff Director for the Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure, and then as the Tax Chief of the full committee. As the chief tax policy staffer on the Finance Committee, Cathy led the Committee’s tax policy legislative efforts, and she coordinated all communications and negotiations regarding tax issues with the Administration, Republican and Democrat Leadership and tax-writing committees in the House. Significant legislative efforts during her time as the Committee’s Tax Chief included the TARP, 2008-2009 stimulus legislation, and the ACA.
Key among the issues Cathy worked on while on the Hill were energy and sustainability tax policies.
In addition to her experience on Capitol Hill, Cathy spent two years as the Director of U.S. Tax Policy for General Electric. She also served as a Director of Global Government Affairs at Amgen, Inc. where she was involved in site selection negotiations. Cathy began her private sector career working on tax policy at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Cathy started her tax career as an economist at the Joint Committee on Taxation.
How Purposeful Business Creates Remarkable Competitive Advantage and Changes the World
February 2022
Watch the recording
Unlike other purpose-focused books that spotlight large consumer companies and brands (think Ben & Jerry’s, Microsoft, Toms, Starbucks, IKEA, Unilever, Patagonia, Disney, Dove, Google, etc.), The Purposeful Nine and Soulful Advantage introduces a fresh group of highly successful, yet largely under the radar organizations, that have been authentically purposeful for decades. Charismatic leaders will join us to discuss how purpose transformed their own lives, made their companies better and changed the world.
Keynote & moderator:
Andre Beaupre, co-founder of Soulful Advantage
Panelists:
Kenyatta London Brame, Executive Vice President, Cascade Engineering
Phil Coupe, Co-Founder, ReVision Energy
Jenny Levy, Executive Vice President of People, Community & Environment, Hypertherm Inc, and President of the Hypertherm HOPE Foundation
Andre Beaupre ‘75
Co-founder, Soulful Advantage
Entrepreneur and communications strategist Andre Beaupre has worked closely with hundreds of founders and C-suite leaders of B2B companies, venture-backed startups, and privately held corporations, helping them increase purpose, credibility, and valuation.
He is the author of The Purposeful Nine and Soulful Advantage, which tells the stories of nine inspiring founders, CEOs and sustainability leaders who share why they became more purposeful, what they did and how it created remarkable competitive advantage.
In 2017, he co-founded Soulful Advantage, a strategic communications consultancy intersecting purpose and profit. The firm helps businesses authentically expand social impact, increase stakeholder support, gain competitive advantage and meaningfully communicate purpose.
Kenyatta London Brame
Executive Vice President, Cascade Engineering
Kenyatta Brame is the Executive Vice President of Cascade Engineering. Cascade is a manufacturer and marketer of plastic products and services supporting a variety of industries including furniture, automotive, truck & bus, solid waste, and pallets/bins. Cascade is a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) company, a leading proponent of sustainable business practices, and a widely recognized employer of choice.
Brame is responsible for directing Cascade’s cross-organizational services, which include the company’s lean, legal/risk management, human resources, benefits, marketing, talent management, IT, corporate quality and ESS (environmental, safety and sustainability) functions. In addition to ensuring the alignment of those services with Cascade’s business objectives, he also leads Cascades Returning Citizen, Welfare to Career and B Corp initiatives.
Prior to joining Cascade, Brame served as Senior Vice President of Operations and General Counsel at SYSCO Food Services of Grand Rapids, a Midwest-based unit of the largest distributor of food service products in North America. In this position, Brame had responsibility for operations, warehousing and transportation, merchandising, marketing, and all employee relations functions.
Brame’s extensive community affiliations include serving as a trustee/board member of the Grand Rapids Community College, West Michigan Works, Alternative Directions, Spectrum Health Healthier Communities, Grand Rapids Jury Commission, Civil Service Board of the City of Grand Rapids, the Tipping Point Initiative and he is the Scouts Master of the Omega Scouts, Troop 258 (BSA).
Jenny Levy
Executive Vice President of People, Community & Environment, Hypertherm Inc, and President of the Hypertherm HOPE Foundation.
Jenny has worked at Hypertherm in Hanover for 17 years in various roles. Her leadership now focuses on Hypertherm’s human resources, talent, and corporate social responsibility strategies.
Her most notable work in these areas has included setting their 2010 to 2020 environmental stewardship goals, and related transformation approaches, expanding their paid global community service time benefit to 32 hours annually, defining their SHAPE for STEM middle school program, sponsoring their Recovery-friendly workplace practices, establishing financial instability workplace resource support, navigating the global organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, and sponsoring their inclusion and diversity strategies.
Jenny holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA with Honors from Wesleyan University.
She proudly serves on the Boards of WISE in Lebanon, New Hampshire, which seeks to end gender-based violence, and of the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont, and of GI Rising, which builds capabilities and resources for medical training in the specialty of Gastroenterology in the country of Rwanda.
Jenny has previously served on the Boards and as the Chair of COVER Home Repair, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, and Vital Communities.
Phil Coupe
Co-Founder, ReVision Energy
As a Founder and Managing Partner, Phil is responsible for leadership in marketing, sales and strategic direction. In 2011 he helped launch the company's highly successful foray into Power Purchase Agreements, enabling northern New England schools, nonprofits and municipalities to acquire solar at zero up front cost while achieving immediate savings and carbon reductions. This program morphed into ReVision Solar Impact Partners (impact.revisionenergy.com) in 2017, when the company became a 100% employee-owned ESOP.
In addition to helping more than 100 nonprofit organizations acquire solar at no cost, Phil has led the company's philanthropic community initiatives in the form of financial donations, volunteer activities, and free or deeply discounted installations of clean energy systems for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. During the 2020/2021 pandemic, he led the company's internal communications strategy to protect co-owners' physical and mental health, and companywide morale.
Prior to co-founding ReVision, he served as Vice President & Director of Corporate Philanthropy at a startup company in Washington, D.C. that received numerous awards for its socially responsible business initiatives to serve disadvantaged children and support organizations working on the front lines of society’s most challenging problems. The D.C.-based startup twice made the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies in the U.S. and continues to thrive today (along with two spin-offs that are also doing well).
An active member of the local community, he serves on the boards of the Conservation Law Foundation and the Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2Tech). Since 2001 he has been a mentor in the Big Brother/Big Sister program. Phil lives in southern Maine with his wife, three kids and a surfing Chihuahua named Kodak.
Bridging the Resource Gap for Entrepreneurs to Transform America’s Most Inequitable System
December 2021
Featuring UNH's Social Innovator of the Year and Keynote Speaker:
Co-CEO of New Profit, Inc.
Tulaine discussed her work at New Profit to transform America’s most inequitable systems by identifying and supporting entrepreneurs who arise from the communities and issues they serve because they have the experience, relationships, data, and knowledge that are essential for developing enduring solutions. She will share more about New Profit’s Inclusive Impact strategy and Proximate Capital fund, bridging the resource gap faced by Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, rural and other underinvested social entrepreneurs.
Building a Sustainable Food System Through Democratic Empowerment and Enlightened Leadership
October 2021
How do we build a powerful food movement that democratically transforms our world’s food system so that it is sustainable, just, and resilient? This panel featured food system thought leaders and pioneers who are leading by example through a shared set of sustainability values around collaboration and trust, democratic empowerment, racial equity and dignity for all.
Guest speakers:
Tom Hayes, CEO of Ocean Spray
Niaz Dorry, Coordinating Director of North American Marine Alliance
Gerardo Espinoza, Executive Director of Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF)
Moderated by: Tom Kelly, Chief Sustainability Officer of UNH and Executive Director of UNH Sustainability Institute
Uncharted: Navigating to a Sustainable Future
April 2021
Margaret Heffernan, author of the new book, Uncharted, nominated for the Financial Times/McKinsey Best Business Book Award 2020
A timely topic for these turbulent times! Creating a sustainable future demands navigating uncharted territory to address highly complex challenges and to work across silos and sectors to develop bold, effective, sustainable solutions. Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and CEO Margaret Heffernan will draw from her latest award-nominated book, Uncharted, which highlights people and organizations who aren’t paralyzed and daunted by uncertainty.
Creating Real Value in a Changing World: Bringing Stakeholder Capitalism into Practice
February 2021
Deborah Merrill-Sands | Dean, Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics
Jason McBriarty | Levi Strauss & Co. | Levi Strauss Foundation
Judy Samuelson | Executive Director, Aspen Institute, Business & Society Program, author The Six New Rules of Business: Creating Real Value in a Changing World
Guest speakers reflect on the progress being made and discuss tangible examples of how companies are radically altering “business as usual” to ensure alignment of positive impact on people and planet, as well as profits.
Stakeholder Capitalism in Action: Transitioning to a Net Zero Future, Advancing Racial Equality, and Addressing other Challenges of our Time
December 2020
Featuring the 2020 Social Innovator of the Year, Anne Finucane, UNH alum, and Bank of America’s Vice Chairman.
Anne is one of the 50 most powerful women in the world on the Forbes Magazine list (#39). Anne is a major force behind Bank of America’s commitment to building a low carbon economy, and a major force in the investment community for advocating that capital must flow in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Accountable Business Leaders: On a Mission for Justice and Equity
October 2020
Pernell Cezar | Co-Founder and CEO of BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages
Geeta Aiyer | President of Boston Common Asset Management
Katie Bouton (COLA ’96) | Founder & CEO of Koya Leadership Partners and President of Diversified Search
Anthea Kelsick | Co-CEO of B Lab
This timely panel explores how certified B Corps and other pioneering businesses are building an inclusive economic system that addresses fundamental injustice and inequity.
