Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business Celebrates Sustainability Community at Tenth Anniversary Party

Responsible Stewards: The Center could not have achieved its tenth anniversary without the generous support of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. “Ray (IE ’56, Honorary Ph.D.’11) was a pioneer in his understanding and application of sustainability in business through a multifaceted, systems-based lens. He was ahead of his peers in recognizing business as a complex ecosystem,” says James A. Lanier, Jr., trustee of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. “We are incredibly proud of how the Center has taken what Ray taught us and put it into practice broadly across all disciplines and majors at his beloved Georgia Tech. Today, this Center is producing graduates who value traditional measures of business success, like efficiency and profitability, while also placing equal emphasis on the financial and social reward that comes through cross functional, creative collaboration.”

Prioritizing Students: As stated by the Georgia Tech Strategic Plan, “Students are our top priority.” The Center offers courses and an abundance of extracurricular activities, including the Sustainability Fellows and Ambassadors program, the Carbon Reduction Challenge, and the Sustainable-X entrepreneurship initiative. Brandon Bermudez Bolivar, a third-year math major, first got involved with the Center as a 2022-23 Undergraduate Sustainability Ambassador after a friend said it was a “must-do experience.” He says, “Attending the tenth anniversary celebration was a delight, filled with great people, food, and scenery.” Reflecting on the “truly rewarding” experience of being an Ambassador, Brandon explains, “Collaborating with the team to tackle challenging problems was both enjoyable and enriching. The ability to work for actual stakeholders on a real-world problem allowed me to understand the applicability of the skills that I am learning in class.”

Supporting Faculty: The Center supports an ever-growing number of affiliated faculty who are committed to researching sustainability topics and to infusing sustainability into the curriculum. Bradford Baker, assistant professor of organizational behavior, who comes from a family background in farming, is particularly interested in regenerative agriculture and researches greenwashing, carbon capturing, and behavioral ethics. He values the opportunity to mentor MBA students. “The presence and the existence of the Center at Scheller plays a critical role in highlighting sustainability issues to MBA students,” he says. “MBAs are some of the most powerful gatekeepers of the world. Throughout their careers, they control a huge litany of assets. The Center plays a key role in giving students a lens through which they can view how to steer assets for the improvement of the world.”

Impact on Industry: Opportunities for engagement with industry abound at the Center, such as through the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact and the Sustainable Business Consulting Practicum. Cherry Street Energy, which makes solar power attainable for large-scale customers, is both an active Compact participant and a two-time project sponsor for the practicum. Ben Damiani, the company’s chief technology officer, reflected on how the Center has helped to connect Cherry Street Energy to potential partners and customers. He says, “Scheller MBA students have evaluated renewable power generation opportunities for us. We love the exposure to local talent and driven students. We had the opportunity to accelerate deployment of a mobile solar/battery trailer for disaster relief. Our engagement has been a great learning experience and resulted in an outcome that exceeded our expectations.”

Alumni Engagement: The Center proudly continues relationships with its alumni. The location of the celebration, The Third Door, was in fact inspired by an alumni connection. During her time at Scheller, the speakeasy’s co-owner, Lara Ferreira (MBA ’18), was involved in diversity and inclusion efforts, ILE’s Global Social Venture Competition, and Scheller’s Net Impact – MBA Chapter. She reflects, “It was deeply meaningful to me to have the Center celebrate its tenth anniversary at The Third Door. I am proud of the Center’s growth and accomplishments, and it was a pleasure to reconnect with the dedicated people I respect so much!” Ferreira’s business reflects the sustainability lessons she learned at Scheller. For instance, the space was renovated using mostly reclaimed materials, and inclusivity is listed as the highest value on the mission statement.

Leading with Humility: Beril Toktay and Michael Oxman, the Center’s faculty director and managing director, respectively, shared the following reflection: “Thinking about our celebration, the word that comes to mind is ‘community.’ Our sustainability family came together to celebrate both Ray’s legacy and the people who are committed to extending that legacy in higher education. We are so grateful for all of our constituents: students, alumni, faculty, practitioners, staff, and of course the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. Everyone in attendance had meaningfully contributed to the vision. It’s exciting to see how many are now taking sustainability skills forward in their workplaces and communities. That evening, it was wonderful to hear stories of impact. We look forward to continuing to innovate in our programs and to building the partnerships that make our impact possible.”