Cornell Business Impact Symposium (CBIS) is a regional event drawing student leaders and professionals from around the northeastern United States focused on the unique, positive impact the private sector is having on social and environmental challenges. Throughout the day we will explore how business can address some of the world’s most pressing problems to create a more sustainable economy. Participants will hear compelling stories on the latest trends and innovative solutions of organizations leveraging business to create a better world. The Symposium provides a unique opportunity for participants to engage with professionals, expand their professional network, learn about career opportunities and be inspired. Hosted by the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, SGE Club, Sustainable Enterprise Association, Social Business Consulting, and Net Impact.
Director of Corporate Citizenship, IBM
In her current position, Gina works to apply IBM’s technological expertise and brightest minds to societal challenges and opportunities in emerging markets, a role that includes leading the Corporate Service Corps. She holds an MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell University. Prior to joining IBM. She also had a successful career in advertising which included roles at McCann Erickson, on the Microsoft account in San Francisco, California, and at Ogilvy & Mather on the IBM account in New York City.
Head of Business Development, Ox Verte
Ox Verte is a plant-forward food company working to reinvent office lunch. At Ox Verte, we want to make seasonally-fresh, locally-sourced food an everyday occurrence, and offer wholesome meals that can nourish our bodies and nurture our communities. Selena is passionate about the intersection of business, food, and sustainability. In the past year, she led the efforts to make Ox Verte a Certified B Corporation. Previously, she spent a number of years at Deloitte Consulting with experience in change management across various industries.
Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Securities Counsel Law Department, Corning
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Linda is the lead on all securities and corporate governance related legal matters for Corning. She also serves as corporate secretary the Corning Incorporated Foundation and the Corning Museum of Glass. Â Prior to that, she was a vice president of legal compliance at Blaylock & Partners LP investment banking firm in New York City, and worked from 1998 to 2003 as an associate in the Global Finance Group of the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in New York City.Â
Founder & President, Technica Communications
Lisa Ann Pinkerton is an award-winning former NPR and PBS journalist, consultant to national and international technology organizations, a keynote speaker and a skilled facilitator/moderator. She specializes in topics related to clean technology, renewable energy, public relations, networking, social media and the rise of women in leadership.
Co-founder and Co-Executive Director, International Youth Alliance for Family Planning
Jillian oversees the work of dozens of young people around the world to advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Her passion for reproductive health, coupled with her ability to connect with youth, has led her to mentor, train, and educate youth locally, nationally, and internationally. Jillian is a two-time valedictorian, a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum, the recipient of the Ontario Women’s Scholarship Fund, and an avid community volunteer.
Corporate Social Responsibility Communications Manager, Marsh & McLennan Companies
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 Georgia spearheads the Company’s corporate citizenship reporting efforts by leading a cross-functional team of key internal stakeholders. Prior to joining MMC in 2016, Georgia was Associate Director of New Media and Marketing for City Parks Foundation (CPF).  Georgia serves as a Peer Group Advisor with Forte Foundation’s MBALaunch Program.
Senior Sustainability Manager, AT&T
He’s responsible for working on external reporting initiatives such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Bloomberg Terminal, FTSE4Good, CDP, AT&T’s Issue Brief library, and AT&T’s Annual Sustainability Update among others. Previously he was a Leadership Fellow at the Port Authority of New York New Jersey, where he wrote the Strategic Sustainability Plan for the World Trade Center site, sustainability requirements for the Site Wide Property Manager, and developed a Sustainability Communications plan.
Senior Manager of Product Analytics, GE
Hilary has leveraged her technical and commercial acumen to forge a career in Strategy and Business Development. She is a graduate of the GE Power Experienced Commercial Leadership Program, formally an Energy Consultant for GE Energy Connections Power Economics group and a graduate of the GE Renewable Energy Development Program. Hilary has built a career in energy, completing roles in Operations, Sales, Product Management and Marketing.
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Brand Manager, Hain Celestial Group
Schuyler is hopeful that his nephew Carter (aged 3) will inherit a world with less inequality, a sensible food policy, and a clear and coherent plan to address a warming planet. At Hain Celestial Group, he built and managed their soups business. Prior to this he spent time at Unilever following his graduation from JGSM in 2012. He lives in New York City with where he spends his spare time as a runner, frustrated musician, and avid fan of Boston sports.
Executive Director, Center for Transformative Action
Anke is a lecturer in the Dyson School and teaches an award winning undergraduate course on Social Entrepreneurship (AEM 3380). She also organizes the Finger Lakes Social Entrepreneurship Institute, and is the lead contact for Cornell’s relationship with Ashoka U, a network of colleges and universities that, like Cornell, are providing leadership in the field of social innovation through hands-on educational opportunities, community-driven initiatives, and research.
Ernesto Archila is an independent consultant focused on labor policy and counter-trafficking in persons. He served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor, where his portfolio included counter-trafficking policy coordination, guestworker protection issues, business and human rights in global supply chains, and work-family policy. Prior to joining the policy team, he served as Special Assistant to the Secretary, and as a Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health. He has also worked at the UNDP and led community organizing efforts in Bogotá, Colombia.
Cornell Professor Glen Dowell researches firms' interactions with their natural, institutional, and competitive environments. Recent projects have explored how CEO educational background affects the firm's responses to institutional pressures, the effect of environmental performance on acquisition probabilities and outcomes, and the influence of behavioral and institutional factors on adoption of energy savings initiatives. At Johnson, Glen teaches the Sustainable Global Enterprise class, as well as courses on Organizational Change and Global Business.
Sonia Mistry is a Senior Program Officer in the Asia Department of the Solidarity Center, where she has worked since 2007. She supports worker rights and union building programs throughout South Asia, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and the Maldives. Prior to working in the Asia Department, she supported the Solidarity Center’s programs throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Sonia also works with the organization’s regional departments to promote child labor elimination efforts through worker rights promotion. Prior to joining the Solidarity Center, Sonia was an organizer with the Service Employees International Union. Sonia holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she provided policy and programmatic assistance to child rights organizations in India and assisted in a project to create the first American Human Development Report.
Adam currently serves a co-Director of Anabel's Grocery. Anabel's Grocery is a project of the Center for Transformative action that will be launching a student-run grocery store on campus to improve food access, affordability, and literacy. Adam focuses his studies on public and community health. He has additionally professional experience in public health research and management consulting and he will be joining Oliver Wyman this summer.
Senior Advisor - Responsible Sourcing, ICTI CARE
Tom is responsible for supporting ICIT CARE toy brands, retailers, and manufacturers in the strategic implementation of the ICTI CARE Process. Tom is committed to the protection and advancement of worker’s rights throughout the global supply chain.  Prior to joining ICTI CARE, Tom held several positions that included working for the U.S. government as well as Calvert Investments, a socially responsible investment firm, where he looked at how companies can generate value from addressing risks in their global supply chains. He was also the Senior Account Manager for North America at Sedex where he worked directly with companies to develop and implement effective responsible sourcing practices.
Kamillah is currently a part of Unilever’s Perfect Store Team focused on Market Development. She joined the company in 2015 and is responsible for helping to expand Unilever’s market in convenience stores as well as around the Perfect Cities (PC) initiative. The PC initiative focuses on building brands like Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Country Crock and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spreads, Knorr, and Lipton tea, aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of underserved communities through access to fresh food and healthy cooking education. Kamillah is the co-lead in the Marketplace Pillar in Unilever Enactus, the company’s business resource group for engaging students around the USLP with sustainable projects. Kamillah has also helped to lead various sustainable initiatives within the company including Sustainable Sourcing trainings for ingredients suppliers, a move to reduce usage of disposable cutlery and cups on Unilever’s campus, and more.
Prior to joining Unilever, Kamillah was a student at Cornell where she received an MPA in 2015, during which she completed the Environmental Finance and Impact Investing program and the Sustainable Global Enterprise program. She also received a BA in Economics, a BA in Sociology and Spanish minor in 2013 from Cornell, where she concentrated on Business, Networks, and Institutions. Â
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Mike is CEO of Natural Cuts, a startup leveraging technology developed at Cornell which greatly extends the shelf-life of produce and reduces energy usage in the processing and distribution segments of the supply chain. Using this technology, Natural Cuts is able to deliver never frozen, preservative and GMO-free produce to foodservice customers without sacrificing product quality or nutritional value. Mike brings a wealth of experience in institutional investing across private asset classes, including the venture capital, private equity, and natural resources sectors. He is a current MBA student at the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management and holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. He is also a CFA Charterholder and active advisor to startups and other members of the entrepreneurial communities at Cornell and beyond.
