Kellie Kreiser
Director of Thunderbird for Good at Thunderbird School of Global Management maintains this blog with contributions from members of the Thunderbird community who are passionate about ethics, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
Melanie Marks ’97 describes herself as a marketer for sharks. The avid diver grew up in San Diego and developed a love for the ocean at an early age. “Even if you’re not at the beach,” she says, “you’re always aware of its presence.” Marks, 37, has always felt protective of sharks because the creatures are often misunderstood.
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By Albert J. Waszok ‘78, senior director for development at CARE USA
New York’s garment factory workers are often credited with inspiring the first National Women’s Day, celebrated 100 years ago on Feb. 28, 1909. Fast-forward a century. The economy has gone global. So has what’s now called International Women’s Day. But the core spirit — an understanding that empowered women are the key to social progress — remains unchanged.
That’s why, on Thursday, March 5, I’ll join thousands of people in 450 movie theatres across the country. We’ll watch the acclaimed documentary “A Powerful Noise,” which chronicles the lives of three inspirational women working for change in developing countries: Vietnam, Mali and Bosnia.
Afterward, an expert panel will lead a discussion, simulcast live across the country, of the global women’s empowerment movement.
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By Laura Libman ‘05
What is self-development? No, really. I’ve commiserated with a number of nonprofit execs, trying to come up with a clear and succinct definition of self-development for the lay person. We have yet to come up with a satisfactory definition. Self-development is the paramount goal for my organization, the Tia Foundation, and many other worthy NPOs. I can point to a variety of instances of self-development occurring in the field.
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Hello. My name is Laura Libman. I grew up spending summers with my cousins on a family ranch near Guadalajara, so I feel a special connection to Mexico. I had corporate job offers when I graduated from Thunderbird in 2005, but I wanted to do something different with my life. I was a single mom who had raised two children, and I already had developed a successful career as a contractor in global project management, knowledge engineering and marketing. I didn’t return to school at age 40 to do more of the same.
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By Suzanne Thornton Henricksen ‘06
I wanted to quickly post a great opportunity for a $10,000 grant being given out by Green Works to support eco-friendly community projects. I know it’s a bit last-minute in terms of the deadline, but feel free to pass the info on to anyone who might be interested! Green Works, the brand of natural cleaning products I work on, is supporting eco-projects around the country through the “Green Heroes Grants” program that just launched. The program will award five grants of $10,000 each to eco-friendly community projects across the country, and the call for nominations is now!
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Hi there! I am Suzanne Thornton Henricksen, a December 2006 Thunderbird graduate. I am honored to be a part of this amazing group of bloggers, especially since I may bring a slightly different perspective due to my work being right smack dab in the middle of Corporate America. Since graduating from Thunderbird, I have been working for the Clorox Company as an Associate Marketing Intelligence Manager for Brita. The reason I joined Clorox was largely due to their new CEO’s commitment to environmental sustainability as a strategic imperative. This lined up perfectly with my passion for making a difference through corporate social responsibility … especially since Clorox was just embarking on this journey.
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By Whit Allen, 1992 Thunderbird graduate
The Thunderbird Mission to “educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide” is a clear statement of purpose. But as alumni and members of the global community, what can we do to build a more prosperous, livable and peaceful world? “Sustainable prosperity worldwide” is a big phrase and noble goal, especially given the current economic crisis, climate change and conflicts around the globe. It is the ultimate expression of “good business” that affords economic, social and other freedoms underpinned by individual responsibility, mutual respect and provision for those in need.
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NPR featured Global Citizenship blogger Rangina Hamidi on Feb. 11. She told anchor Marco Werman that Washington shouldn’t give up on trying to support development goals in Afghanistan. Listen to the broadcast.
By Joel Montgomery, Thunderbird graduate
Micro Drip is a company that is committed to demonstrating the highest level of ethical behavior. Unfortunately in Pakistan, that makes our job even more difficult than it already is. Besides the obvious benefit of helping farmers earn more with less, Micro Drip’s work has the added benefit of helping Pakistan address its impending water crisis.
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Hello, friends. I am Rangina Hamidi, and I am honored to be part of Thunderbird’s network as a graduate of Project Artemis. I am an Afghan woman with a little twist to my personal story about how I got involved with working with other Afghan women. My family fled Afghanistan in 1981 following the Russian invasian, when I was about 4. We eventually made it to the United States and settled in Arlington, Virginia, in 1988. I grew up partly in Pakistan as a refugee child, and then the remaining years in the U.S.
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