Guest Speakers

Spring semester was filled with alumni and industry guest speakers in many of our courses. Connecting students with industry professionals brings the learning into focus as students learn careers that may be of interest to them after graduation. Thank you to all of our speakers who took time out of their schedules to come and meet with our students and to all our incredible faculty for providing students with the opportunity to see the various career paths available.

ENVM 4380-Environmental Management and Sustainable Business Practices-Dr. Hashida

Next, students heard from Jacob Yarbrough, the Sustainability Manager at Creature Comforts. They heard of his journey to becoming a sustainability manager at Creature Comforts after proposing the program to his bosses. He discussed the research that he has done into making the process of making alcoholic beverages less carbon and resource intensive, such as installing solar panels on facilities and encouraging reuse of materials. He also provided the class with Creature Comfort's impact report for 2024.

To wrap up January, students heard from Brandon Solie, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Career Consultant in the Career Center. In his presentation, he discussed networking, the UGA Mentor Program, LinkedIn, Handshake, and how to utilize all of these tools to become a confident job market candidate. He also took questions and guided students to many resources that are provided on the website of the Career Center for students.

To begin February, students heard from Frances Bowles, an alumna of the Environmental Economics and Management program who now works for PureSky Energy. They heard her perspective on community solar farms, a program in which solar is owned by a group rather than private rooftop solar which is more prevalent in Georgia. She informed the students on the viability of solar power, and how customers who participate in community solar can receive rebates on their power bill.

The next week, students heard from Kirsten Flinn, another alum of the Environmental Economics and Management Program who is a current student at Harvard Law School. Students heard of her life growing up in rural Georgia, the time that she spent at the University, and of her vast multitude of internships from her time with a local law office in Athens to her time as an ORISE Research Intern with the Environmental Protection Agency, she was a fantastic resource to learn how to maximize the education these students are receiving to apply it to the job market.

Before Spring Break, Brian Megali, Director of Green Energy Policy at Constellation, zoomed in from his office in Maryland to discuss energy markets and how different sources of energy compare to each other. Students saw ELCC (Effective Load Carrying Capacity) Ratings, including nuclear energy's reliability and solar energy's potential problems with providing consistent power. They also learned of potential solutions to address resource inadequacy, such as a surplus interconnection service or a diversification of power source offerings.

Upon returning from break, David Eady, a Director of Industry Management at the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology, joined the class. During his presentation, he explained that sustainability is about a future where people and nature thrive together. He also discussed how sustainability reporting has evolved, changed, and been adopted over the past couple of years to display that the field is incredibly dynamic. He closed by discussing the necessity for partnerships in the sustainability field to solve issues.

In mid-March Gabriella de la Vera visited class via Zoom. She discussed her role as a Sustainability Consultant in Wellness at the Sustainable Investment Group. In her role, she helps to certify buildings for corporations and works largely with implementing green buildings. Some certifications that she has worked with are LEED and Fitwel. She helped to explain how these work and how a corporation can work to develop a construction plan which prioritizes the same concerns, such as energy auditing, as these certifications. She also emphasized the necessity of soft-skills, such as communication.

To finish the guest speakers for Environmental Management and Sustainable Business Practices off, students heard from Casey Cox Kerr, who is the President of Longleaf Ridge Farms. Students heard of sustainable farm management practices and balancing production efficiency with environmental protection. Students also heard about the necessity for adaptability as the climate continues to change, leading to more frequent and powerful storms.

AAEC 4200/6200-Advanced Agricultural Selling-Dr. Ben Campbell

AAEC 4200/6200 is a new course that builds upon AAEC 3200 diving deeper into the business of selling.

AAEC3100-Food and Fiber Marketing-Professor Shonkwiler