Michael Oxman joins the Scheller College of Business as the new managing director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business.
Oxman’s diverse 25-year international career spans senior-level consulting, corporate, non-profit, and government roles. In addition to two master’s degrees (Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Master of Business Administration from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Management), he has teaching experience at secondary and graduate levels.
Oxman comes to the Georgia Institute of Technology from Acorn International LLC in Houston, Texas where he worked as a partner and consultant leading company-wide initiatives and directing strategic assignments in local content, human rights, corporate social responsibility (CSR), social performance, and risk management. Prior to this role, Oxman oversaw the advisory activities of the energy and mining team at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) after working for many years in the energy sector both in the U.S. and internationally (including seven years in Central Asia).
“We are delighted to welcome Michael to Scheller College,” said Maryam Alavi, dean of the Scheller College of Business. “With his help, we will enhance and expand our sustainability-related educational programs, an area of differentiation for our College.”
The Center, launched in 2013 as the Center for Business Strategies for Sustainability with support from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and the Kendeda Fund, focuses on conducting high-impact research, educating tomorrow's business leaders, and partnering with industry to accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable business practices. In January 2015, after receiving a $5 million commitment from the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, the Center was renamed to honor Ray Anderson’s legacy and is now known as the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business.
Recently, the Center completed its new strategic plan, “Creating a Sustainable Future,” to support the Scheller College’s overarching vision. The goal of the Center is to empower the leaders of tomorrow to create sustainable businesses and communities. Their mission rests on two pillars: sustainability-driven innovation and sustainability integration in business and education. They accomplish their mission by creating and sharing the knowledge that current and future leaders depend on to incorporate sustainability into their organizations and beyond by driving innovation in business models, products, technologies, and governance. Oxman will be leading efforts to advance the Center’s vision and implement their new strategic plan.
“I am both thrilled and humbled to join the Scheller team and to build on the terrific reputation of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business,” said Oxman, managing director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business. “The opportunity to integrate sustainability into business education and practice is very significant and I can think of no better place to contribute than at the Center. I look forward to working with Georgia Tech’s faculty, administration, students, partners, and stakeholders in advancing sustainability as both a key priority and benefit for business.”
The search committee for the Center’s managing director was comprised of Scheller students, faculty, and department administrators, and was led by Beril Toktay, faculty director of the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, professor of operations management, and Brady Family Chair in the Scheller College of Business.
“Michael's deep and rich cross-sector experiences in sustainable business will be invaluable for our student engagement and partnership development initiatives,” said Toktay.
The Scheller College ranked first nationally in the 2015 Corporate Knights’ Better World MBA Rankings. This ranking reflects which MBA programs are doing the best job preparing students to tackle the social and environmental challenges of our time.
