Companies take on climate change as economic opportunity

climate change as economic opportunity

Featured this week: Eric Charity, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP; Melissa Skottegaard, Cigna; Bryan Spence and Melissa MacDonnell, Liberty Mutual; AvalonBay; Eversheds Sutherland; Kyndryl; Lam Research; Loomis Sayles; Moody’s; Onsemi; Prudential; RGA Reinsurance Company; Robert Half; SMBC; Tanger Outlets; TELUS; U.S. Bank; Western Digital; Deloitte; NextEra Energy; Xcel Energy; General Mills; Target; Aramark; Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina; Carmen Argersinger, Delta Dental of Michigan; Dominion Energy; KeyBank; Novartis; Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation; Cheryl Parquet, Blue Cross NC; Cari Williams, DPR Construction; Cenovus Energy; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group; Texas Mutual Insurance

The member community convened by Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship is one of a kind. The 500+ companies we serve each year around the globe are leaders in environmental, social, and governance action, and the thousands of individuals who make up this network are some of the best in the field!

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Here is how our members have been working to build better business and a better world:

Spotlight on You

BCCCC members featured prominently among the presentations at Ragan’s DE&I Summit for Communicators this week, taking a practical look at the communicator’s role in facilitating the key milestones along a company’s journey to diversity, equity, and inclusion:

Eric Charity, senior associate at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, has been named as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2022 Leaders in Corporate Citizenship honorees. In an interview with the publication, Charity said, “A leader who wants to make an impact in the area of corporate responsibility must (1) have a desire to help others and be willing to step outside their comfort zone, (2) strategically identify where to focus their energy and (3) make a concerted effort and commitment to the area they have decided to make an impact.”

Melissa Skottegaard has been promoted to chief communications officer at Cigna, a role in which she will lead the company’s COVID-19 response and DE&I initiatives. Skottegaard has served as Cigna’s VP of global communications since 2018. Skottegaard previously worked at TIAA, where she was vice president of communications for eight years.

Bryan Spence was recently promoted national director of programs for the Liberty Mutual Insurance Foundation (LMF). "Bryan joined LMF two years ago and has led our Boston grantmaking, overseen convenings with our partners addressing youth homelessness, and guided our investments in education, from early education through to college completion," says colleague Melissa MacDonnell, president, Liberty Mutual Foundation, and vice president, Liberty Mutual Insurance. "A philanthropic expert with deep ties in Boston, Bryan’s leadership will enhance our foundation’s giving during a period of rapid growth."

Job Postings

AvalonBay Communities
Arlington, VA
Diversity Recruiting Director

Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
Chestnut Hill, MA
Assistant Director, Member Recruitment
Fiscal Specialist

Eversheds Sutherland
Atlanta, GA
Responsible Business Specialist

Kyndryl
Multiple Locations
Various CSR Roles

Lam Research Corporation
Oregon / Remote
Senior Manager, ESG

Loomis Sayles
Boston, MA
Community Investments Manager

Moody’s
Various Locations
Manager, Volunteer Programs
Assistant Vice President - Corporate Social Responsibility, Asia Pacific

Onsemi
Phoenix, AZ / Remote
Senior Director, Sustainability, Environmental Social and Governance
Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility
Spring 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility Intern, Sustainability team
Spring 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility Intern, Global Giving team

Prudential
Various Locations
Associate Manager, Nonprofit Capacity and Learning
Communications Director
Director, Portfolio Management (Inclusive Solutions)
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Metric Reporting Manager
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Implementation Program Specialist
Project Director, Work and Wealth
Program Manager, Inclusive Communities
Senior Manager Community Affairs
Vice President, Culture and Employee Engagement

Robert Half
San Ramon, CA / Flexible Office Location
ESG Project Manager

SMBC 
New York, NY
ESG Reporting & Disclosure Manager, Vice President

Tanger Outlets
Fully Remote or Hybrid
Director, Energy & Sustainability

TELUS
Various Locations
Manager, Community Investment

U.S. Bank
Multiple Locations / Remote U.S.
ESG Program Manager, Climate Strategy

Western Digital
San Jose, CA
Corporate Sustainability Analyst

Member Companies in the News

Several BCCCC member companies based on Minnesota were featured in the Star Tribune for their efforts to tackle climate change as economic opportunity, citing a Deloitte Economic Institute report that inaction on climate change could cost the U.S. economy $14.5 trillion by 2070. Among energy companies taking action, NextEra Energy Resources is building six wind farms to provide energy for Great River, Xcel, and other power buyers; and Minnesota regulators just approved Xcel Energy's long-term plans to cut carbon dioxide, including increases in renewables and other alternatives. The article also mentions that Minnesota-based companies such as General Mills and Target are procuring large amounts of low-cost wind and solar to help achieve their goals of 100% renewable electricity.

Aramark is making it easier for students at 10 U.S.-based universities to make climate-friendly choices, by introducing Cool Food Meals on residential dining menus this semester. The Cool Food Meals badge identifies dishes with a lower carbon footprint and will appear on more than 350 menu items Aramark will serve in residential dining rooms. Since 2015, the company has increased its climate-friendly plant-forward menu options through its Healthy for Life initiative.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina executives this month met with community leaders to analyze challenges facing the local workforce and consider how healthcare providers might help prepare people for high-skilled, high-demand jobs that can improve the entire community. They were featured in Snapshots in Community College Daily.

Delta Dental of Michigan announced its donation of $32,000 to the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge. The company also cooperated with some of its community partners, Auto-Owners Insurance, Serra Auto Campus, and First National Bank of Michigan. Altogether, the companies raised about $67,000 for the American Cancer Society. The goal of the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge is to unite coaches and fans nationwide in the battle against cancer. Manager of Strategic Partnerships Carmen Argersinger shared the announcement on LinkedIn.

Dominion Energy is broadening efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Building on plans to achieve net-zero carbon and methane emissions from power generation and natural gas operations by 2050, Dominion Energy will now work to achieve net zero for emissions outside of the company's direct operations. These include emissions generated downstream by customers and upstream by suppliers, meaning the commitments not only cover Scope 1 emissions direct from the company but also Scope 2 and Scope 3.

KeyBank announced a grant of $150,000 from the KeyBank Foundation in support of the Bobby Miller Opportunity Fund and LaunchVT. The funded project aims to create economic opportunity for small- to medium-sized entrepreneurial founders and accompanying jobs, with a focus on BIPOC business entrepreneurs, rural and female founders, and beneficiaries with below 80% of the area's median family income. The project will accelerate more than 100 small and medium businesses in the next three years through skill development, leadership training, and more.

Novartis released its annual Novartis in Society Integrated Report, in which the company reports on how it creates value for stakeholders and provides comprehensive data for investors and ESG professionals. Novartis announced the steps it has taken to reduce its environmental footprint in the previous year which resulted in a 34% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 40% reduction in water consumption, and a 56% reduction in waste sent for disposal. Additionally, Novartis plans on achieving net-zero status in terms of carbon emissions across its value chain by 2040.

Members on the Move

This week, we proudly welcome new member Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation! Learn more about joining them, along with more than 10,000 professionals in the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship member community: Member Benefits

Cheryl Parquet of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Cari Williams of DPR Construction joined BCCCC Executive Director Katherine V. Smith to explore how corporate citizenship efforts contribute to business objectives. Members can watch a recording of the webinar here. Sign up for future virtual events with BCCCC!

Members from Cenovus Energy, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Texas Mutual Insurance, and more registered this week to attend the International Corporate Citizenship Conference 2022. Learn more about joining them to learn and network with hundreds of professionals in the CSR field: Register today.