Project Consultation for Corporate Sustainability Certificate Course
Taught by Professor Tensie Whelan, the 14-week online Corporate Sustainability certificate course provides participants with the ability to help their business be a force for change through ESG (environment, social, and governance) investing, sustainable supply chain management, employee and consumer engagement, sustainability marketing, and more. With companies facing greater demands for transparency, societal challenges such as poverty and inequity as well as natural resource constraints like less available water and a warmer climate, these skills are critical to the future of business and society.
Project Consultation Offering
As part of the course, participants will be asked to complete an in-depth competitive sustainability analysis of a publicly-held company (either their employer or another firm) and provide recommendations on how to embed sustainability and improve performance. Due to the online nature and price point of the course, we are unable to provide individualized feedback on the report, through you will receive the grading matrix which shows how you were graded, on request.
As we have had quite a few students ask for more feedback, we have decided to offer up to 10 students the opportunity to receive an in-depth review and feedback on their final submission, provided by members of the Stern CSB team. The opportunity will include a review of the content of up to 60-minutes, and a 45-60 minute discussion to go over the review and suggestions on how to improve the analysis and recommendations.
Cost: This Project Consultation service is offered at a cost of $1,000, which would be in addition to the course of the online certificate program.
Payment: Upon signing up at this link you will receive an invoice by email with a link to pay by credit card or ACH. If you have trouble accessing the form, please reach out to us at sustainablebusiness@stern.nyu.edu.
Scheduling: Once you submit payment, the Stern CSB team will reach out to you within the next few business days to schedule your review.
About the Consultation Team
The consultations will be delivered by members of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB), Kevin Eckerle and Sophie Rifkin.
Kevin Eckerle is the Stern CSB’s Director of Corporate Research and Engagement and an Adjunct Professor in the Stern Business School. In these roles, he draws upon his more than 14 years’ experience working with private and public organizations to develop and implement transformational strategies that leverage sustainability as a driver of value creation. Prior to NYU, Kevin was a sustainability strategist with Accenture Strategy and Esty Environmental Partners (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers), working with corporate, government and non-profit clients to embed sustainability. Prior to his consulting career, Kevin served in the U.S. Senate as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where he oversaw several of the nation’s largest scientific agencies, including NASA, NOAA and the National Science Foundation. He began his career as a biologist, studying the unending variety of ornaments, dances and songs that birds use to dazzle their mates. Kevin is a frequent speaker on sustainability and the circular economy, and is the author or co-author of 10+ publications on the circular economy, engaging consumers to promote sustainable decision-making and grow business value, the economics of coal-generated electricity, the impacts of climate change on global biodiversity, and the ecology of birds. He earned his Ph.D. from Illinois State University and MBA from The George Washington University School of Business.
Sophie Waskow Rifkin is the Stern CSB’s Senior Associate Director and an Adjunct Professor in the Stern Business School. She has 10 years of experience working with organizations to grow and implement sustainability programs. As a member of the advisory services team at BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), Sophie worked with consumer sector companies to develop and implement sustainability strategies. Previously, she spent three years as a project manager at the George Washington University where she helped launch the university’s inaugural sustainability program. Sophie began her career in sustainability at the consulting firm, SustainAbility. She holds an MPA from George Washington University, and an A.B. in English from Brown University. Sophie is a member of the Pembroke Center Associates Council of Brown University and serves as a mentor in Brown Women’s Launch Pad program.