Dr. Neil Hawkins is a member of the graduate faculty of Harvard University Division of Continuing Education where he leads the consulting capstone track for the Masters degree in Sustainability. He is also President of Michigan Sustainability Associates. A highly experienced executive at Dow Chemical across 31 years, he served his last ten years as Chief Sustainability Officer and Corporate Vice President, part of the C-suite. As President, he led the Erb Family Foundation from 1999 to 2023, focusing on arts and culture in Metro Detroit, environmental justice, sustainable business, and the Great Lakes ecosystem. He has held many executive and board leadership roles across a wide variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations.

Resources:

• Follow Neil Hawkins on LinkedIn
• Reading: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
• Follow Marshall’s daily post on LI https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallgoldsmith/
• Theater: Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Dave Stangis is a Partner at Apollo. He previously oversaw the firm’s cross-functional sustainability efforts including strategy, reporting, climate initiatives, and employee engagement. He is also a member of the Firm’s Leadership Team. Prior to joining Apollo, Dave founded 21C Impact, an advisory firm dedicated to delivering a differentiated impact on business results with a focus on reputation and corporate sustainability initiatives. Previously, he was Chief Sustainability Officer at The Campbell’s Company where he created and led the company’s ESG, Corporate Citizenship, Sustainability & Public Affairs strategies. Dave joined Campbell from Intel Corporation, where he served as the Company’s first Global Director of Corporate Responsibility. Dave currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Babson College and Instructor in Villanova University’s Sustainable Enterprise Executive Education program. He previously served as Executive Adviser at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and a as mentor to the AgFunder Network. Dave earned his BS in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Detroit Mercy, MS in Occupational & Environmental Health from Wayne State University, and MBA in Finance and General Management from the University of Michigan.

Resources

• Follow ⁠Dave Stangis⁠⁠ ⁠on LinkedIn
• ⁠John Elkington⁠ books recommended by Dave such as:
• ⁠Cannibals With Forks⁠
• ⁠The Power of Unreasonable People⁠
• ⁠Tickling Sharks⁠
• ⁠Green Swans

Elizabeth leads climate impact and net zero acceleration at the Environmental Defense Fund, where she works with major companies like Walmart, Airbnb, Lyft, and FedEx to drive meaningful climate action. Elizabeth leads EDF’s cross-sector coalitions to bring science-backed solutions directly to businesses, including the Beyond Alliance and the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance. Under her leadership, EDF launched the Net Zero Action Accelerator (NZAA) and the Pathways to Net Zero report series—equipping companies with practical tools to cut emissions, set interim targets, and invest in solutions for hard-to-abate sectors. She oversees Net Zero Value Chains programs at EDF, working with teams of experts to decarbonize global industries.Show Notes

• LinkedIn: Elizabeth Sturcken
• Net Zero Action Accelerator
• Degrees Podcast
• Open Door Climate
• Corporate Climate Action Essentials E-learning course