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ESG & CSR Board Meeting

May 22-23, 2024ㅤ•ㅤDallas, TX

Board Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, May 22

11:30 AM

Registration opens

12:00 PM

Lunch Discussion

Get here on time and grab a seat at the table. This sit-down lunch is your first opportunity to meet all of the great ESG and CSR leaders you’ll get to know at the Board Meeting.

12:50 PM

Choose a Show & Tell Talk and Head to the Room

1:00 PM

Show & Tell: Creating impact measurement models through community collaboration


Amanda Schmitt, CenterPoint Energy

Measuring social impact takes tremendous effort and lots of resources, but logic models based on a credible theory of change can save your team major time and money. Join CenterPoint Energy Foundation President Amanda Schmitt as she outlines how they collaborated with university students to create just such a model without laying out big bucks to any consultants.

Show & Tell: Rightsizing regulation prep & data disclosure for both sides of the pond


Katya Hantel, Smith+Nephew

Regulators, customers, employees, and shareholders in the U.S., U.K., and Europe are all moving at different speeds when it comes to climate change, packaging, DEI, upstream labor risks, and other ESG requirements and related data disclosures. How are global organizations supposed to build a strategy and resource programs that meet everyone’s expectations? Join Katya Hantel, VP of ESG at Smith+Nephew as she shares how they are organizing their priorities, teams, and workflows to prepare for the changing landscape.

1:30 PM

Break

1:45 PM

Show & Tell: Repurpose with purpose: Creating unique solutions for sustainable good


Laura Nieto, Southwest Airlines

What do you do when you have more than a million pounds of airplane seat leather destined for landfills? If you’re Southwest Airlines, you partner with nonprofit organizations to upcycle it to create useful items resulting in education, employment, and skills training. Hear from Laura Nieto, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility, as she shares how Southwest built a complex signature program that has delivered 10 years of sustainable good for communities.

Show & Tell: Making it day-to-day: Integrating sustainability into enterprise-wide planning


Stewart Lindsay, Campbell Soup Co.

Join Stewart Lindsay, Chief Sustainability Officer, as he walks us through Campbell Soup Co.’s multi-phase initiative to turn sustainability into a core component of goal-setting, performance measurement, and investment planning throughout every part of their organization. Stewart will share how he and his team activated a network of collaborators and leaders throughout the business to get where they are today, what structures and systems help them drive better integration, and what principles have proven most helpful.

2:15 PM

Break

2:30 PM

Show & Tell: Vota Conmiga: Mobilizing millions to vote


Teri González, TelevisaUnivision

In 2020 TelevisaUnivision registered 1.4 million voters – how can they surpass that in 2024 in an even more potentially fraught political environment? Join Teri González, Senior Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainability at TelevisaUnivision, as she talks about Vota Conmiga, the network’s signature election engagement effort. She’ll share how they are building key partnerships, securing internal investment, and mobilizing their employees and viewers without creating division.

 

 

Show & Tell: Building a commodity risk model without the information you really need


Jeff King, Bath & Body Works

When you’re sourcing commodities, you either expect to have problems or you don’t – unless you’re starting from the negative position of no information at all. Join Jeff King from Bath & Body Works as he walks us through getting a commodity risk assessment off the ground — from collecting critical data, putting an assessment process in place, and leveraging the outcomes to drive the company towards a more sustainable future.

3:00 PM

Snack Break

3:30 PM

Show & Tell: Corporate + social impact priorities: How do you create common ground?


Taylor Amerman, CDW

According to Taylor Amerman, Director of Global Social Impact at CDW, creating common ground comes through care and empathy. Join Taylor as she explains step-by-step how she developed a values-aligning strategy that has led to greater buy-in from leaders, increased engagement from coworkers, and stronger relationships with nonprofit partners. By developing a set of shared commitments and translating those into measurable actions, Taylor forged a closer link between business priorities and her team’s aims – but not without a few unexpected hurdles along the way.

Show & Tell: Streamlining disclosures with a rater/ranker cost benefit analysis


Kay Brown, Kinder Morgan

How can you prove to your team and your leadership exactly which disclosures are worth the work and which are not? Join Kay Brown of Kinder Morgan as she explains how her team quantified the exact benefits – or lack thereof – for specific data requests and rater/ranker protocols as well as what happened when they decided to scale back their reporting to save time and team energy.

4:00 PM

Break

4:15 PM

Show & Tell: Inclusion and social impact: Embedding DEI values into your impact strategy


Teresa Hillis, Expedia Group

Is it possible to shatter the silos between inclusion and social impact at scale? That’s what Expedia Group has aimed for with their Open World™ impact strategy, and it’s changing the way the company does business. Join Teresa Hillis, Director of Global and Community Impact at Expedia Group, as she shares how they are collaborating across teams, stretching scarce resources, and integrating their vision into core KPIs — making a difference for inclusion and accessibility around the world.

Show & Tell: How I learned to stop sulking and influence without authority


Mike Schwartz, Republic Services

Despite our rising profiles, many sustainability and ESG leaders still have lean teams, strapped budgets, and limited formal authority, but that shouldn’t stop us from aiming high. Mike Schwartz, Director of Sustainability (acting) at Republic Services, shares the strategies he’s used to win over colleagues and snag the resources his team needs for ambitious climate and circularity goals that are changing the shape of Republic’s business.

4:45 PM

Adjourn

5:00 PM

Member Dinner

Following our afternoon of conversations and Show & Tell Talks, we’ll all go out for a fantastic dinner together. It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with your fellow members before a big day of brainstorming, discussion, and collaboration.

Thursday, May 23

8:00 AM

Breakfast Discussions

The conversations over coffee and eggs at this event are often more lively than any other conference’s happy hour. You’ll want to be here bright and early (and on time).

8:50 AM

Choose your Member-Led Discussion and Head to the Room

9:00 AM

Member-Led Discussion: Bringing trust-based principles into corporate philanthropy


Dennis Duquette, MassMutual

Trust-based philanthropy centers on the idea that funders need to think about the power dynamics inherent to their community giving – but is that something our corporate executives are really ready for? Join Dennis Duquette, President and CEO of the MassMutual Foundation, as he leads a conversation on what’s been successful, what challenges remain, and how to rethink your company’s role in the communities where you give.

Member-Led Discussion: Building out your ESG tech stack without toppling


Emily Muth, Conagra Brands

More scrutiny on our sustainability reporting means more data to track, more tie-outs to worry about, and more rounds of review to sweat; spreadsheets just won’t cut it any more. Join Emily Muth, Sustainability Director at Conagra, as she leads a conversation on how we’re building the business case for new solutions, planning the selection and implementation of complex platforms, and who needs to be at the table – and chipping in – for this stressful process.

9:30 AM

Break

9:45 AM

Member-Led Discussion: Leveraging DEI to drive employee engagement


Vivian Greentree, Fiserv

In recent years, numerous companies have dedicated themselves to investing in historically underrepresented communities, exemplifying a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These efforts have paved the way for innovation, growth in new markets, and the creation of more inclusive workspaces. Join Vivian Greentree, SVP and Head of Global Corporate Citizenship at Fiserv, for a dialogue on how member companies are leveraging DEI to drive employee engagement, spark innovation, expand into new markets, and foster inclusive environments that benefit everyone.

Member-Led Discussion: Opportunities and obstacles for supply chain carbon collaborations

Mauricio Alanis, Maple Leaf Foods

How do we foster supply chain collaborations that let us all achieve our carbon reduction goals? What strategies encourage suppliers to lean into reduction efforts with us? And what is standing in the way right now of more collaborative approaches? Join Mauricio Alanis, Director of Sustainability Strategy & Regenerative Agriculture Lead at Maple Leaf Foods, as he shares his early wins in this journey and leads a group discussion around removing roadblocks and creating more collaborative opportunities.

10:15 AM

Snack Break

10:35 AM

Member-Led Discussion: Disaster relief programs: Meeting the increasing need, prioritizing resilience


Colleen Wright, Mattress Firm

With natural and human-created disasters happening at an ever-quickening pace, there is more pressure than ever for your DR program to deliver results — quickly — when the next crisis strikes. Join Mattress Firm’s Colleen Wright to talk through how and when your company should respond, finding the right partners, and making the case for funding disaster preparedness and long-term rebuilding efforts.

Member-Led Discussion: ESG reporting: Preparing our teams (and ourselves!) for what comes next

How do we future-proof our teams, our scope of responsibilities, and get ahead of the changes happening for ESG reporting and data needs? What can we do now to make sure we’re ready for what the next wave of regulations may demand of our company and our teams? Join ESG & CSR Board Members to talk through how we’re preparing and how to accept we’ve done our best in the face of increasing change and uncertainty.

11:05 AM

Break

11:20 AM

Member-Led Discussion: Getting credit for CSR as an employee benefit


Katy Phillips, American Airlines

Relief funds, scholarships, matching gifts, and dollars for doers are just a few of the ways that companies can use charitable resources to help attract, retain, and inspire employees – but how do we make sure we get credit for the value we’re creating? Join Katy Phillips from American Airlines for a discussion about how we’re connecting the dots between our work and our companies’ most important asset, our people.

Member-Led Discussion: Making and reaching climate commitments in a volatile time


Rebecca Nalder, Yelp

Gone are the days when you could make an aspirational carbon emissions goal and hope for the best. Regulators, investors, activists, and trial attorneys are all ready to pounce on anything we promise, how are we adjusting? Join Rebecca Nalder, Associate Director, Sustainability & Social Impact at Yelp to talk out what we’re hearing, how we’re thinking about the future, and how we’re explaining the problems and solutions to our leaders.

11:50 AM

Lunch Discussions

12:50 PM

Head to Your Unconference Room

1:00 PM

Unconference Round 1

EXAMPLE TOPICS

  • Employee relief funds: Best practices and guardrails
  • Trust-based philanthropy
  • ESG team structures
  • Tackling Scope 3 measurement & reporting
  • Crisis and disaster response frameworks

1:30 PM

Break

1:40 PM

Unconference Round 2

EXAMPLE TOPICS

  • ESG reporting best practices
  • Climate goal roadmapping
  • Overcoming disconnection and disruption with hourly and non-exempt employees
  • Grant cycle processes and strategies
  • Enterprise risk management and ESG: Coming together without clashing

2:10 PM

Snack Break

2:20 PM

Unconference Round 3

EXAMPLE TOPICS

  • SEC regulations: what to expect and how to get ready
  • Collaborating with your product teams on sustainability
  • Volunteer ambassador programs
  • Working with your communications and community partners
  • Evaluating CSR platforms

2:50 PM

Break

3:00 PM

Unconference Round 4

EXAMPLE TOPICS

  • Maintaining buy-in and momentum for social impact during economic uncertainty
  • Supplier engagement strategies
  • Innovating your social impact measurement
  • Navigating a changing regulatory landscape as a global company
  • ESG executive education
  • Water sustainability strategies

3:30 PM

Adjourn

Please note: This agenda is subject to change based on speaker availability and scheduling.