The executive education program prepares business leaders for a career in sustainable management and investment

By Jill Nuelle, Communications Intern in the Office of Marketing and Communications

Marquette has partnered with Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and CFA Institute offer a comprehensive four-module non-credit program to prepare business leaders for a career in sustainable management and investment.

Participants will emerge with the skills required to fill positions in sustainability management, product development, sustainable accounting, or environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. Upon completion, students can be certified in both the Fundamentals of Sustainable Accounting and ESG investingthe two main global certifications.

Dr. Christopher Merker, a senior instructor in the Sustainable Finance and Business program who helped develop the program, recognized an opportunity for Marquette to take a leadership position in executive education in the area of ​​sustainability and began speaking with his SASB and CFA Institute colleagues to determine their interest. Both groups signed enthusiastically.

Merker met Noelle Brigham, a practice instructor professor at Opus College of Engineering, at the Sustainability 2.0 conference in 2019 – the two recognized the value of collaboration between business and engineering.

Today, Brigham and Merker, along with Dan Romito, director of ESG strategy and integration at Pickering Energy Partners, and John Mueller, vice president of marketing at Dana Investment Advisors, serve as instructors for the program.

Merker explains the value of the program to recent graduates and mid-level professionals, saying learning these skills is essential for employers as companies across all sectors seek to make sustainability a fundamental part of their business model. ‘business.

“Every business sees sustainability management functions as ultimately necessary. So when you consider the number of companies and investment firms that need to provide qualified talent with the knowledge and experience to fill these roles, there is a real demand,” he says.

According to Merker, for anyone working on the side of the business in sustainable product development, operations management, marketing, compliance, corporate financial reporting, or investor relations; and on the investment side of these companies, there is a significant need for management training in sustainability.

In addition to the new executive education program, Merker also highlights the success of the Sustainability 2.0 conference, which began in 2019 and continues each year, as a pillar of the sustainable finance and business program as it evolves. is developing to broaden its offerings and partnerships.

This year’s conference, held last fall, featured the chairman of SASB as the keynote speaker and had 24 sponsors, including top asset managers and top Wisconsin corporations.

Merker notes that the executive education program is positioning itself to help develop customized programs for companies that directly offer business support at a time when many companies are rethinking their strategies in the face of new SEC climate-related disclosure rules.

“Marquette continues to be a leader in delivering education for sustainability, and this new program will equip professionals with the knowledge and experience to maintain that leadership within their organizations,” he said. -he declares.