UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When the Penn State Smeal College of Business Sustainability Advisory Board convened today in the Business Building on the University Park campus, three new voices joined the conversation.
Andy Kaufman, chief investment officer of Community Capital Management; Stephan Levitsky, vice president of sustainability for Perdue Farms; and Lori Michelin, president and chief executive officer of the World Environment Center, have agreed to serve on the board.
“We are pleased to add three respected sustainability leaders to our Sustainability Advisory Board,” said Erik Foley, Smeal’s director of sustainability. “Their combined knowledge and varied expertise will add new dimensions to the ideas and initiatives our board advances.”
As CIO, Kaufman oversees Community Capital Management’s portfolio management team and is responsible responsible for overall strategy formulation for the firm’s portfolios. Additionally, he is responsible for all portfolio analysis including asset allocation, rebalancing, and fundamental research for the firm’s mutual funds, separately managed accounts, and private funds. Kaufman also oversees the portfolio management team’s fundamental economic analysis, cash flow modeling, and returns forecasts. He is a member of the Investment Management and Trading Committee and the Compliance Committee.
Kaufman earned a bachelor’s in finance, with distinction, from Smeal.
As vice president of sustainability, Levitsky oversees Perdue Farms’ environmental stewardship programs and is responsible for creating a vision for sustainability within the company. This includes advancing the company’s progress in achieving sustainable growth by working with fellow associates to identify improvements related to the social, environmental and economic aspects of Perdue’s operations, and working collaboratively with the company’s stakeholders.
Levitsky has served on the board of directors of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals since 2012. He is on the Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities by appointment of the governor.
Levitsky holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental resource management and an MBA, and has completed graduate degree soil science classes to obtain soil scientist certification. All his degrees are from Penn State.
Michelin has served as president and CEO of the World Environment Center (WEC) since May 2018. Michelin oversees WEC’s world recognized programs and strategic mission to advance sustainable development and corporate sustainability in partnership with governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector and other stakeholders. Michelin comes from the Colgate-Palmolive Company, where she led their global sustainability initiatives as the vice-president of sustainability and environmental, health and safety.
She is a member of the board of directors of the EcoHealth Alliance and a former member of the Closed Loop Fund Advisory Board, the World Resources Institute Corporate Consultative Advisory Board, the Consumer Goods Forum Sustainability Steering Team, The Sustainability Consortium, Sustainability 50, and the Conference Board EHS Leaders Group.
Michelin holds a degree in civil engineering from Penn State and a master’s in civil engineering from Villanova.
Smeal Sustainability Advisory Board members lend their experience and expertise to the Smeal Sustainability Council and serve as conduits to the latest corporate developments in sustainable business practices. The board assists 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.
The board also benchmarks Smeal’s sustainability efforts with those of other business schools, identifies essential sustainability research areas, explores collaborations with other University sustainability initiatives, and evaluates the college’s graduate and undergraduate sustainability curricula.
About Sustainability at Smeal
The Smeal College of Business is committed to sustainability in education, research and practice. In 2013, the college's Sustainability Strategic Plan was developed by a college task force and authorized by the dean. Sustainability is infused into courses across the Smeal curriculum, including a two-piece sequence for undergraduates and an option in the Penn State Smeal MBA Program. The college also supports faculty research efforts related to business and sustainability, promotes outreach efforts through educational units and research centers, and leads by example in promoting sustainable behavior among current faculty, staff and students.