Category Archives: Issues In Depth Calls
Dec. 5: Leading an Entrepreneurial Life: Extraordinary Leading and Living
Leading an Entrepreneurial Life: Extraordinary Leading and Living
Net Impact “Issues in Depth” Teleconference
Date: Friday, December 5th
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Led By: Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek; co-authors of the book Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives
For Details and to Register: http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2
More and more people today are relinquishing lives of safety, security, and status and instead building their lives around purpose, connection, and impact using a distinctively entrepreneurial mindset.
Join authors, entrepreneurs, and Net Impact alums Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek for a lively discussion about creating an extraordinary life by embracing the entrepreneurial mindset. Drawing on interviews with 55 high-impact leaders, the conversation will cover such topics as: building a strong personal foundation, developing your own personal vision of the good life, taking risk in uncertain times, building a “personal board of directors,” and embracing renewal and reinvention. Through this interactive dialogue, participants will be challenged to formulate their own entrepreneurial life plans, providing a road map for extraordinary leading and living. The discussion is especially directed at those seeking greater direction, considering a major transition, wanting to take their leadership and quality of life to the next level, or yearning to increase their social impact.
Gergen and Vanourek have more than 20 for-profit and non-profit start-ups under their belt that have yielded more than $100M in revenue and affected thousands of lives. They are the founding partners of New Mountain Ventures, a national leadership development firm (www.newmountainventures.com) and write regular columns and blogs for Harvard Business Online, Inc.com, and The Washington Times. Their nationally acclaimed book, Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives has been reviewed or otherwise featured in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Business Week, Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and other media outlets.
About the speakers:
Christopher Gergen is a founding partner of New Mountain Ventures and a visiting lecturer and Director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative at Duke University within the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy’s Hart Leadership Program. He is the co-founder and chairman of SMARTHINKING—the leading online tutoring company in the country serving over 200,000 students. Other entrepreneurial ventures include starting a coffeehouse/bar dedicated to promoting the arts and music in Santiago, Chile and helping to launch the “Entrepreneur Corps.” Previously, Christopher started LEAD!, and is a founding board member of the E.L. Haynes Public Charter School also in D.C.
Further professional experience includes serving as Vice President of New Market Development for K12 Inc. and Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for New American Schools. Christopher received a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Duke University, a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the George Washington University, and his M.B.A. from Georgetown University. He lives with his wife and two children in Washington, D.C.
When he’s not at work, Christopher can be found competing in triathlons, traveling the world (including past adventures creating literacy programs in South Africa, teaching on a sheep-farm in New Zealand, and hitching a ride on a Chilean naval vessel), oil painting, and hiking through Rock Creek Park with his family including Mango the Big Dog.
Gregg Vanourek is a Founding Partner of New Mountain Ventures. Previously, Gregg founded and ran Vanourek Consulting Solutions, served as Senior Vice President of School Development for K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), Vice President for Programs at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, and Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute.
Gregg has co-authored a book on charter schools, several national research reports and book chapters, and dozens of articles for leading newspapers across the country. Gregg holds an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College (magna cum laude). He serves on the Board of the Vail Leadership Institute. Gregg lives with his wife and daughters in Colorado.
When he’s not at work, Gregg can be found playing guitar in jam sessions, songwriting, enjoying the wonders of Colorado, writing a book with his father, and exploring the wonders of Scandinavia with his wife’s Swedish family.
Nov. 21: Brewing a Successful Sustainability Program: A Case Study from a CA Brewing Co.
Brewing a Successful Sustainability Program: A Case Study from a CA Brewing Co.
Net Impact “Issues in Depth” Teleconference
Date: Friday, November 21st
Time: 11:00-12:00pm
Led By: Cheri Chastain, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
For Details and to Register: http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2
Listen in to hear how Sierra Nevada Brewing Co has successfully implemented sustainable business practices into all aspects of their operation. Learn how they have become almost 100% off the electrical grid, how CO2 and heat are recycled back into the plant, how recycling solid by products and veg oil can become profitable, and how to make transportation of goods less environmentally impactful. Sierra Nevada’s Sustainability Coordinator, Cheri Chastain, will discuss how Sierra Nevada markets their environmental program as well as challenges they have run across and how they were overcome.
About Cheri:
Cheri Chastain is the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, CA. At Sierra Nevada, Cheri is responsible for educating employees on environmental issues and programs, runs the recycling and waste diversion program and energy conservation program, and manages the green house gas inventory and emission reductions projects. She also makes biodiesel, researches “green” procurement, and works to conserve and recycle water. Cheri has been with Sierra Nevada for two years and has worked in the environmental education field for six years. Cheri holds a Bachelor’s degree in physical geography and a Master’s degree in Environmental Geography.
Nov. 7: The Power of One: How you can embrace and communicate the environmental ethic
The Power of One: How you can embrace and communicate the environmental ethic
Net Impact “Issues in Depth” Teleconference
Date: Friday, November 7th
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Led By: Paul Murray, Director of Environmental Safety and Sustainability at Herman Miller, Inc.
For Details and to Register: http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2
As a leading voice for corporate environmental responsibility, Herman Miller has learned enough lessons about “going green” to fill a textbook. Lesson number one: Never doubt the power of one person to create profound organizational change. Herman Miller’s Director of Environmental Affairs, Safety and Sustainability, Paul Murray, says many of the company’s most significant green initiatives have come from employees “who knew we could do better.” Due to countless individual insights and efforts, Herman Miller today stands as a noteworthy example of how good business and environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand. Join Paul as he discusses how the actions of just one person can inspire greater environmental awareness within your company and among your clients.
About Paul:
Paul Murray carries the message of corporate environmental responsibility to business and academic audiences throughout the country. “The Power of One,” his presentation to the design community and other audiences affirms that each individual, company, and industry can champion environmental awareness among co-workers and clients alike, whether by promoting the use of sustainable products or through a simple commitment to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” whenever possible.
Paul grew up in Selby, a small farming community in north central South Dakota. He attended Northern State College in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry; he holds a Master’s in management from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, He is also a LEED accredited professional. Initially credentialed as a high school teacher, Paul taught math and chemistry, and served as a high school coach, before leaving his teaching career to work as a research chemist with PPG Industries and Boise Cascade Corporation.
Based on his experience developing wood coatings and finishes, Paul joined Herman Miller in 1988 as a production manager responsible for wood finishing operations. Long interested in environmental work, Paul felt a connection to the company’s history of environmental stewardship. However, it was not until he sought an air quality permit for a wood finishing area that Paul discovered a growing need within Herman Miller to identify and coordinate numerous “green” initiatives underway. Paul and others soon established EQAT, the Environmental Quality Action Team, and through the group’s ongoing efforts Herman Miller has earned several environmental awards, including a Presidential citation, as well as national recognition as an environmentally progressive company.
Paul was named Environmental Affairs manager in 1992 and director of Environmental Safety and Sustainability in 2006. In May 2006, Vanity Fair magazine acknowledged Paul’s efforts by including him in its special “Green” issue, in the section entitled, “The Re-Inventors: Green Architects and Designers.”
In addition to his responsibilities with Herman Miller, Paul participates in several work groups with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; holds memberships with the Air and Waste Management Association, the National Association of Environmental Managers, and the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum; and serves on the Board of Directors for both the University of Michigan’s Corporate Environmental Management Program and the International Design Center for the Environment. Additionally, he sits on the boards of several non-profit environmental organizations.
In 2002 Paul co-founded the Sustainable Research Group (SRG), an environmental consulting service created to help other companies implement green initiatives similar to Herman Miller’s.
Paul and his family live in Hudsonville, Michigan.
