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Purpose + performance: How Leeds is preparing next-generation business leaders for a sustainable future.

When the Leeds School of Business was named 25 years ago, business leader Michael Leeds envisioned ethics, social responsibility and sustainability as integral parts of a business education—not as electives or add‑ons, but foundations for shaping future leaders. Since then, that commitment has taken shape across Leeds’ curriculum, research and experiential learning opportunities, reflecting a belief that purpose and profit are intrinsically intertwined.

Following are just a few ways Leeds continues to put that vision into practice.

An undergraduate curriculum rooted in values

Sustainability is embedded in the undergraduate experience through coursework and Leeds’ Sustainable Business area of emphasis. The emphasis introduces students to values-based decision making and examines how responsible corporate governance can drive lasting social and environmental impact.

Students may also pursue the Social Responsibility and Sustainability Track or the Social Responsibility and Ethics Certificate through the Division of Social Responsibility and Sustainability. For Sarah Reice Kohn (Fin’18), the certificate paid off. She joined Anthropologie, where she works as a sustainability manager and was named to the GreenBiz 30 Under 30 list in 2024.

Graduate programs meeting a changing workplace

At the graduate level, Leeds’ newest cross‑campus partnership reflects sustainability’s growing momentum in the workplace. The MS in Sustainable Business, developed with the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s MS in Sustainable Engineering, responds to rising demand for leaders fluent in both strategy and systems.

“We are known as a school that has deep roots in sustainability and we are in a community that really supports that work. Boulder embraces these ideas, not only as ideals or values, but also through the industries that come here.”

—Kristi Ryujin, associate dean for Graduate Programs

For Eliza Homorodi (Mktg,Fin’26), who will join the inaugural cohort this fall for the MS in Sustainable Business, the program offers a chance to sharpen her focus. “I’m excited to deepen my knowledge in sustainable business strategy and ESG principles while applying these concepts to real-world business challenges,” she said.

That intersection matters, noted Kristi Ryujin, associate dean for Graduate Programs. In a , she said, “We are known as a school that has deep roots in sustainability and we are in a community that really supports that work. Boulder embraces these ideas, not only as ideals or values, but also through the industries that come here.”

Leeds has also launched a dual MBA and MS in Sustainable Business degree, blending broad management training with sustainability across business, science, policy and engineering. And for MBA students seeking targeted exposure, the Sustainability MBA Pathway connects coursework with experiential learning and professional networks. Mary Boling (MBA’24) credits the pathway with helping her successfully pivot from a career in education to a role with the Clean Energy Buyers Association.

CESR: 25 years of building bridges

CESR joins Leeds this year in celebrating a 25th anniversary. Founded to help business leaders address social and environmental challenges through applied learning, CESR works across industries—from clean energy to consulting to natural products and beyond.

CESR offers workshops, case competitions and internships. Its annual Sustainability Case Competition draws students from around the country to tackle real-world challenges. This year’s prompt focused on designing the “Warehouse of the Future” for Iron Mountain, an asset management company.

Last year, CESR launched its Impact Internship program. For Charlie Tell (Mktg’26) who interned at Greenhouse supporting youth-led change, the experience reshaped how he views nonprofit work and its long-term influence.

Boulder Climate Ventures: driving climate entrepreneurship

In 2025, CU Boulder became the first public university to join Breakthrough Energy’s �Թ��� Climate Ventures network. Boulder Climate Ventures (BCV), led by CESR and the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, serves as a regional hub for climate‑tech founders, researchers and investors.

BCV supports students interested in launching or joining scalable climate ventures. For Alex Kaindl (MBA’26), participation has helped clarify her ideas for community-based wildfire insurance and biodegradable packaging alternatives. “BCV offers a support system for being an entrepreneur and also for being someone who cares about climate change and improving quality of life for people, planet and animals,” Kaindl said.

Research shaping global impact

Launched in fall 2025, the Initiative for Global Business Impact and Citizen Well‑Being supports interdisciplinary research focused on sustainability and consumer financial decision making. Distinguished Professor John Lynch, who leads the��initiative, noted “the challenges are complex, but we believe there’s promise for solutions realized through interdisciplinary research."

Initial efforts include seed grants supporting Leeds faculty collaborations with researchers in Munich and the Netherlands. Together, those projects reflect a broader pattern across Leeds, where faculty scholarship and interdisciplinary collaboration shapes how sustainability is studied, taught and advanced. Sebastián Villa and Jeff York were named inaugural Research Fellows in CU’s Sustainability Research Initiative.

Alumni and students carrying it forward

Leeds alumni continue to advance sustainability practices across sectors and career paths. MBA Alumni Board members Nancy Schoemann (MBA’16), Mary Boling (MBA’24), Grace Dennis (MBA’21) and Hilary Corsi (ChemEngr’11, MBA’18) launched the Women Investing in Sustainability Education Scholarship to support future leaders in the field.

“You don’t need to have ‘sustainability’ in your title to be a sustainability leader,” Schoemann said. “People working in finance, marketing or operations can all have a huge impact.”

That same thinking helped Jake Davis (MBA’16) in his transition from the military into conservation finance. He now leads NatureVest at The Nature Conservancy, applying core business skills to mobilize private capital for environmental outcomes. For Alex Corren (MRelEst’26), sustainability has reshaped how he approaches the built environment, clarifying a long-term goal of developing regenerative communities that align economic value with ecological resilience.

That momentum is also evident among current students.��For Lucy Treccia (Mktg’27), sustainability work began after noticing the amount of waste generated while working at a major coffee chain. At CU Boulder, she joined CU’s��Zero Waste outreach team, where that awareness led to a proposal to expand campus access to hard-to-recycle materials collection, including electronics, plastic film, clothing and more. Her Sustainable CU Grant was approved for $18,570.

“[Sustainable choices] connect business with supportive consumers who will stay loyal to your company as long as you are loyal to the Earth.”

—Lucy Treccia (Mktg’27)

"This funding will expand access to hard-to-recycle material collections across campus, helping more students and staff dispose of items that do not belong in traditional recycling streams,” Treccia shared on��.��

As she looks ahead to next year's graduation, she said: “It feels really good to be leaving CU next spring knowing I helped implement this resource.” ��