Growing up on the outskirts of the Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico, my days were shaped by proximity to land and water. I spent hours hiking through piñon and juniper, watching monsoon storms roll in, and learning to pay attention to the systems that shape our world.
Over time, I’ve watched those landscapes change. Droughts are lingering. Fires are intensifying. Seasons increasingly arrive out of rhythm. Witnessing these shifts has brought climate change into focus not as an abstract policy concept but instead as something that will increasingly dictate how we exist in relationship to our surrounding environment.
A commitment to climate action directly shaped my path before business school. I earned a degree in environmental health science from UNC-Chapel Hill and, as a complement to my academic studies, consulted with organizations focused on sustainable resource management. During this time, I founded a startup aimed at improving coastal resilience through nearshore seaweed cultivation.
In January 2020, I joined Ocean Rainforest to support its work under a multi-million-dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) to demonstrate the feasibility of offshore seaweed cultivation in Southern California. The project required coordination across federal agencies, scientists, NGOs, industry partners, and local communities while navigating operational, regulatory, and commercial constraints. I learned quickly that meaningful climate solutions have to work for multiple stakeholders. They require rigor, patience, empathy, and a spirit of creativity that allows one to bridge environmental objectives with financial incentives.
That insight is part of what led me to Fuqua.
Over the past year and a half, I’ve seen growing curiosity around climate — from classmates thinking about infrastructure investing and sustainability consulting to peers exploring ocean-based solutions through student groups like Oceans@Duke. But I’ve also noticed that while interest is high, the pathways for integrating climate across the business curriculum are still emerging. Many students who care about these issues have to assemble their own mosaics of electives, internships, and independent projects.
The new joint degree between the Nicholas School of the Environment and Fuqua — the Master of Business, Climate, and Sustainability — represents an important signal. In speaking with the deans of both schools this fall, they affirmed the degree recognizes that climate is not just a standalone environmental issue but a strategic context in which every business will operate.
What stayed with me from that conversation was not only the creation of a clearer pathway for students seeking deeper training across both fields, but that specialized programs alone are not enough.
If climate change touches capital allocation, supply chains, insurance markets, workforce planning, and long-term value creation, then it belongs across the entire business curriculum. Corporate finance should contend with transition and physical risk. Operations should examine resilience and decarbonization tradeoffs. Strategy should explore how climate policy and technology reshape competitive advantage. Leadership courses should help students navigate the ethics and uncertainty that come with long-term, system-level decisions.
I believe Fuqua has an opportunity here. Not simply to add more sustainability electives, but to ask a broader question: What does excellent business leadership look like in an era defined by climate risk and transformation? How do we prepare students to sit in rooms where the consequences of those decisions stretch decades beyond a quarterly earnings cycle?
My hope is that we continue moving in that direction — steadily, honestly, without pretending we already have it all figured out. The work ahead will require experimentation, better data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a willingness to rethink what “value creation” means over a longer time horizon. From my perspective, preparing leaders who understand that business will either accelerate or hinder the transitions we need seems like one of the most meaningful contributions a school like Fuqua can make.
As I approach graduation, I’m thankful to learn alongside others who understand that business and climate cannot be disentangled. The task now is to let that insight inform more of our curriculum and culture — and I’m optimistic Duke will continue to lean into that responsibility.
The post Business Education in an Era Defined by Climate Risk appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.
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I'd be glad to learn your thoughts on this story : Business Education in an Era Defined by Climate Risk
Over time, I’ve watched those landscapes change. Droughts are lingering. Fires are intensifying. Seasons increasingly arrive out of rhythm. Witnessing these shifts has brought climate change into focus not as an abstract policy concept but instead as something that will increasingly dictate how we exist in relationship to our surrounding environment.
Putting Climate Values into Practice
A commitment to climate action directly shaped my path before business school. I earned a degree in environmental health science from UNC-Chapel Hill and, as a complement to my academic studies, consulted with organizations focused on sustainable resource management. During this time, I founded a startup aimed at improving coastal resilience through nearshore seaweed cultivation.
In January 2020, I joined Ocean Rainforest to support its work under a multi-million-dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) to demonstrate the feasibility of offshore seaweed cultivation in Southern California. The project required coordination across federal agencies, scientists, NGOs, industry partners, and local communities while navigating operational, regulatory, and commercial constraints. I learned quickly that meaningful climate solutions have to work for multiple stakeholders. They require rigor, patience, empathy, and a spirit of creativity that allows one to bridge environmental objectives with financial incentives.
That insight is part of what led me to Fuqua.
Duke’s Climate Focus
Over the past year and a half, I’ve seen growing curiosity around climate — from classmates thinking about infrastructure investing and sustainability consulting to peers exploring ocean-based solutions through student groups like Oceans@Duke. But I’ve also noticed that while interest is high, the pathways for integrating climate across the business curriculum are still emerging. Many students who care about these issues have to assemble their own mosaics of electives, internships, and independent projects.
The new joint degree between the Nicholas School of the Environment and Fuqua — the Master of Business, Climate, and Sustainability — represents an important signal. In speaking with the deans of both schools this fall, they affirmed the degree recognizes that climate is not just a standalone environmental issue but a strategic context in which every business will operate.
What stayed with me from that conversation was not only the creation of a clearer pathway for students seeking deeper training across both fields, but that specialized programs alone are not enough.
If climate change touches capital allocation, supply chains, insurance markets, workforce planning, and long-term value creation, then it belongs across the entire business curriculum. Corporate finance should contend with transition and physical risk. Operations should examine resilience and decarbonization tradeoffs. Strategy should explore how climate policy and technology reshape competitive advantage. Leadership courses should help students navigate the ethics and uncertainty that come with long-term, system-level decisions.
A New Era of Business Education
I believe Fuqua has an opportunity here. Not simply to add more sustainability electives, but to ask a broader question: What does excellent business leadership look like in an era defined by climate risk and transformation? How do we prepare students to sit in rooms where the consequences of those decisions stretch decades beyond a quarterly earnings cycle?
My hope is that we continue moving in that direction — steadily, honestly, without pretending we already have it all figured out. The work ahead will require experimentation, better data, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a willingness to rethink what “value creation” means over a longer time horizon. From my perspective, preparing leaders who understand that business will either accelerate or hinder the transitions we need seems like one of the most meaningful contributions a school like Fuqua can make.
As I approach graduation, I’m thankful to learn alongside others who understand that business and climate cannot be disentangled. The task now is to let that insight inform more of our curriculum and culture — and I’m optimistic Duke will continue to lean into that responsibility.
The post Business Education in an Era Defined by Climate Risk appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.
More...
How does this impact your International MBA decision?
I'd be glad to learn your thoughts on this story : Business Education in an Era Defined by Climate Risk