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NC State Net Impact chapter officers attend annual conference

Lynn Clark, a second-year Jenkins MBA student, was one of four NC State Net Impact officers who attended the annual Net Impact conference in Silicon Valley on the first weekend in November 2013. They were among the nearly 2,500 attendees from as far as South Africa who came to share, learn and be inspired to make change.

Information Session Nov. 5

The NC State chapter leaders are holding an information session for all NC State students to learn about Net Impact and how involvement may help them achieve goals related to career and other activities in sustainability. The meeting will be held Thursday, Dec. 6, in 1521 Nelson Hall, the graduate student lounge. Among speakers will be Jacob Traverse, who founded the NC State Net Impact chapter while a student in Poole College's Jenkins MBA program. The event is being catered by Love Food Raleigh, co-founded by an NC State alumn. Read more about this event and register.

Photo of graduate students at national Net Impact Conference

Conference take-aways

Also attending the Net Impact conference in November were Aude Baylette-Diesel, a student in the Jenkins Global Luxury Management program, and Allan Car and Nicholas Mullen, Jenkins MBA students. Jessica Thomas, director of the Sustainability Initiative in Poole College and the NC State Net Impact chapter advisor, also attended.

Clark cites two key take-aways from the experience. He came to realize that sustainability is not just a "fad" but truly a part of business and the world today. He also gained tips for growing and developing the Net Impact chapter in the Jenkins Graduate School of Management

Clark said he joined Net Impact because “the business case for sustainability is the new competitive advantage in business. Businesses that embrace sustainability are the ones that will lead in their industry.”

Clark said he had five learning objectives for attending the conference:

  • How the businesses who lead in sustainability got to where they are today and how they plan to move even further with their sustainability efforts into the future.
  • How businesses have embedded sustainability into their entire business to create value.
  • How companies' sustainability and corporate social responsibility efforts have not only benefited their bottom line, but have led to increased employee engagement, enhanced recognition and reputation, and improved customer loyalty.
  • How company strategy can be better aligned to take advantage of the tremendous benefits of sustainability.
  • How businesses can embed sustainability in their own business & align their business strategy to gain business opportunities with companies who are focused on sustainability.

Providing insight on these topics were presenters at sessions on:

  • Employee Engagement: Encouraging Sustainability from the Inside Out
  • Rules of Engagement: Building Authentic Stakeholder Relationships
  • How to Walk the Talk: Cause Marketing for Real Impact

The conference also provided an opportunity for the NC State chapter officers to network with students from Net Impact chapters at Duke Fuqua and UNC Kenan-Flagler during an evening reception.

Photo, in story:

Left to right, are: Allan Carr (JD/MBA '14), NC State Poole College Net Impact leadership team; Aude Baylet (MGLM '14), NC State Poole College Net Impact leadership team; Liz Love, president, UNC Kenan-Flagler Net Impact chapter; Jessica Thomas, Poole College Sustainability Initiative Director; Nicholas Mullen (MBA '14), NC State Poole College Net Impact leadership team

About Net Impact

There are more than 40,000 student and professional from 300 volunteer-led chapters across the globe, all working for a sustainable future. The conference at Silicon Valley drew nearly 2,500 attendees from as far as South Africa to share, learn and be inspired to make change.

Read more

Net Impact Conference blog

NC State Poole College Sustainability Initiative

Note: this story was updated December 4, 2013.