University Park, Pa. -- The Sustainability Council at Penn State's Smeal College of Business has formed a corporate advisory board consisting of sustainability executives from some of the world's leading corporations. The eight-member board is made up of representatives from Alcoa, Caterpillar, Dell, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo and Xerox.
Advisory board members will lend their experience and expertise to the Sustainability Council and serve as conduits to the latest corporate developments in sustainable business practices. The board will assist in guiding Smeal's sustainability agenda by helping to match the college's strengths with the sustainability issues that the board members encounter as they lead their corporations' sustainability efforts.
Additionally, the advisory board will benchmark Smeal's sustainability efforts with those of other business schools, identify essential sustainability research areas, explore collaborations with other University sustainability initiatives and evaluate the college's graduate and undergraduate sustainability curricula.
"I couldn't be happier with the diversity and level of talent that exists on our advisory board," said Smeal Dean James B. Thomas. "With the counsel of these proven leaders in corporate sustainability, Smeal is poised to become even more of a leader in the teaching and research of sustainable business. All of us at Smeal are grateful for their involvement in this important initiative."
Smeal's Sustainability Council was formed earlier this year to foster collaboration across the college on sustainability-related research and education and to enhance visibility for the college's sustainability initiatives across the University and externally. Consisting of the directors of six of Smeal's research centers and other key faculty, the Sustainability Council meets monthly to develop new collaborative initiatives, further the college's sustainability agenda and encourage cross-disciplinary programs.
The advisory board membership:
Kevin L. McKnight
Director, EHS and Sustainability
Alcoa Inc.
Jim Baumgartner
Director of Corporate Sustainable Development
Caterpillar Inc.
Tod Arbogast
Director of Sustainability
Dell Inc.
Dawn Rittenhouse
Director of Sustainable Development
DuPont
David M. Kiser
Director of Health, Safety, Environment, and Sustainability; Vice President
Eastman Kodak Company
Dennis Canavan
Director, Global Energy
Johnson & Johnson
Carl Pfleger
Vice President Manufacturing and Logistics
PepsiCo International
Patricia Calkins
Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety
Xerox
More on Smeal's Sustainability Council is available at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/latest-news/february-2009/faculty-research-center-directors-form-smeal-sustainability-council/ online.