Net Impact holds discussion on Sustainabilty + Careers

NC State’s Net Impact chapter, based in Poole College, held its first interest meeting of the academic year on Thursday, December 5, 2013.

Chapter officers spoke on the topic, "Sustainability + Careers," welcoming students and faculty representatives from across campus. Participants learned about the student organization that is empowering a new generation to drive social and environmental change on campus and throughout their careers.

The NC State Net Impact chapter is part of a global network of over 300 chapters and more than 30,000 student and professional members. The lunch was catered by Eat Love Raleigh, co-founded by Poole College alumna Kelly Vernon (Business Administration ‘12).

The current chapter leadership, including Allan Carr (JD/MBA ‘14), Lauren Wright (MBA ‘14), Aude Baylet (MGLM ‘14), Nicholas Mullen (MBA ‘14), Lynn Clark (MBA ‘14), and Kyle Barth (BS Electrical Engineering ‘14) spoke about membership opportunities and upcoming events including an Industry Speaker Series co-hosted with the Poole College Sustainability Initiative. The spring 2014 speaker will be Bruno Sarda, director of global sustainability operations at Dell. He is speaking at 4:30 p.m. on March 20 in Nelson Hall. 

The leadership team members also described their experience at the 2013 Net Impact National Conference held in October 2013 in San Jose, California, as well as opportunities for fellow students to get involved as members and part of the leadership team.

Poole College alumnus Jacob Traverse (MBA ‘06) (center in image), who was part of the founding leadership team of the NC State Net Impact chapter in 2005, spoke of the history of the chapter, growing career opportunities in driving social and environmental change and his role as director of AgBiotech Enterprise and Technology Development at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Also in attendance were Dr. Bart Danielson, associate professor of finance and real estate, and Dr. Gilroy Zuckerman, professor of accounting, both in Poole College. They discussed opportunities for students to get involved in ongoing sustainability-related research. The Net Impact chapter has worked in close partnership with the newly established Poole College Sustainability Initiative led by Jessica Thomas, who serves as the chapter’s advisor and was also in attendance at the event.

Upcoming events hosted by the NC State Net Impact chapter include a series of lunch & learns with local business leaders working in sustainability.

The first in this series is a lunch with Kal Trinkner in the EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services group. The chapter will also be working with the Poole College Sustainability Initiative and the NC State Sustainability Office, in partnership with More Than Money Careers, to provide an online platform for students interested in careers in sustainable business.

The chapter’s goal is to provide educational, networking and career development opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students across NC State who are interested in the business aspects of sustainability.

For any students or faculty interested in learning more about the NC State Net Impact Chapter, please contact Net Impact or visit Net Impact online. 

For more information on the Poole College Sustainability Initiative, please visit the Sustainability Initiative's website.