Education

Master’s in Environmental Management

Yale University (May 2009)

Yale has afforded me amazing opportunities to combine classroom lessons with real-world experience. Learning is powerful; doing is empowering. I will graduate with the knowledge and experience I need to create positive social and environmental change, while benefiting the bottom line.

Master’s Thesis:

Achieving an ROI on Green Actions at REI

Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI) has taken several actions – such as constructing “green” stores and printing catalogs on recycled and FSC-certified paper – which may have resulted in financial savings or improved brand perception among customers. REI takes these actions based on analysis which suggests that the actions are good for both the environment and the bottom line, but the company has yet to conduct a comprehensive retrospective assessment to discover whether anticipated benefits were actually achieved. This project aims to add some rigorous analysis to support and improve future efforts.

REI constructed a LEED-certified distribution center in Pennsylvania, and wants to see whether it has achieved any ROI on this project. The company also builds LEED-certified retail stores, but the company wants to understand whether an ROI exists even for places that customers never see. Any investment in green building at a distribution center must be based on

business merit rather than a more tenuous connection to customer-perceived brand value.

Relevant Coursework

CSR: Social Venture Management

Corporate Environmental Management & Strategy

Greening Business Operations

Industrial Ecology

Green Design & Engineering

Designers Designing Design

Business & Environment Clinic

Negotiation Strategy

Economics of the Environment

education