Jon Johnson

University of Arkansas Professor, Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas | Chairman of the Board, The Sustainability Consortium

Jonathan Johnson is the Walton College Professor of Sustainability in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, where he has been on the faculty since 1996. He graduated with a BS in zoology and an MBA from the University of Arkansas before earning a Ph.D. from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. His research?which has appeared in numerous academic journals?focuses on corporate governance, social networks theory, and corporate sustainability, and he has served on the editorial review board of the Academy of Management Journal. Jon teaches strategy, organization theory, sustainability and ethics. Jon has led several sustainability initiatives at the University of Arkansas, including establishing the Applied Sustainability Center in 2007, and co-founding The Sustainability Consortium in 2009.

Tanysa Ashton

Head of Sustainability Walgreens Boot Alliance

Tanya Ashton, Head of Sustainability – Europe, is a multi-award-winning Head of Sustainability with over 15 years’ experience reducing risk through transformational sustainable supply chains. She is responsible for Walgreens Boots Alliance Global Sourcing sustainability strategy across owned and own-brand products, where she is working to embed sustainability into their operations and practices. One of her top priorities is improved supply chain visibility which is where her relationship with TSC and Thesis has grown.

Tanya’s accomplishments include:

• Internal engagement: Developed and implemented internal sustainability engagement program “My Sustainability Plan” where colleagues are building individual plans around 3 buckets; Simple Everyday Sustainability Changes, Getting Curious and Supporting WBA Global Sourcing Sustainability Objectives.

• Carbon Foot-printing: Led colleagues in Boots to launch an inaugural, end to end carbon foot-printing tool which quantifies carbon reduction potential from alternative materials and ingredients as opposed to offsetting.

• Work with TSC: Led the Global Sourcing sustainability team to launch Thesis with WBA own-brand suppliers where in the last 12 months they have recruited >100 suppliers to submit 300+ assessments, enabling WBA to pinpoint the most pressing sustainability hotspots in their supply chains.

• Mentoring: Tanya is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability where she mentors upcoming sustainability stars.

Patrick Beary

Bruce H. Bailey Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships

Patrick Beary is an accomplished leader in cross-sector partnerships and collaborations for impact. He joined the Atkinson Center in February 2019 and serves as the Bruce H. Bailey Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships. Beary actively engages with Cornell researchers and external private- and public-sector entities—such as NGOs, corporations, and government agencies—in order to create partnerships and consortia that take sustainability ideas from the academy and turn them into real-world impact. While supporting and deepening the center’s current strategic partnerships, he builds and maintains new relationships with organizations committed to joining Cornell in co-creating large-scale, long-term sustainability initiatives.

Sheila Bonini

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) SVP Private Sector Engagement at WWF

Sheila Bonini has joined WWF as our new senior vice president of Private Sector Engagement (PSE).

Most recently, Sheila served as the chief executive officer of The Sustainability Consortium, a global organization focused on making consumer products more sustainable. In that capacity, she helped develop more sustainable consumer products across the full product lifecycle.

Prior to joining TSC, Sheila spent more than 15 years with the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company in Europe, South America, and the US. Sheila served as senior expert consultant and co-leader of McKinsey’s Sustainability Transformation Service, and her work at the company focused on the link between social and environmental impact and financial value creation. Prior experience includes investment banking at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs, as well as positions with the Hewlett Foundation and Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation.

Sheila has a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University. She’s a frequent speaker and writer on sustainability, and has a strong network of corporate leaders in this field.

Challey Comer

Senior Corporate Engagement Advisor, Global Agriculture

The Nature Conservancy

As a senior corporate engagement advisor, Challey Comer actively engages with food and agriculture supply chain companies to help advance The Nature Conservancy’s regenerative agriculture work in North America and internationally. As part of that work, Challey collaborates across the broader organization priority areas to advance the North America Agriculture program’s regenerative crop systems and grazing lands strategies to achieve resilient, profitable and climate-smart working lands. Prior to joining TNC in 2022, Challey was a principal in the sustainability practice at a strategic consulting firm. Before that, Challey was the sustainability manager at Blue Apron; chief of staff for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets; director of farmer technical assistance for GrowNYC; and she held several roles with the New York Watershed Agricultural Council. Challey has a B.S. in environmental engineering and ecology from Drexel University and a M.S. in sustainability management from Columbia University.

Mark Hillhouse

US Head of Sustainable Finance HSBC

Mark Hillhouse is the US Head of Sustainable Finance at HSBC. Mark works with teams across the US and the globe to support ClimateTech firms, renewable energy developers, and companies looking to reduce their carbon footprints, increase diversity and improve governance. He joined HSBC in San Francisco in 2011, became a team leader in 2014, began focusing on sustainable finance in 2015, and moved to Atlanta to lead the team covering Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi in 2017.

Before joining HSBC, Mark led teams at Comerica Bank, worked at GE Capital, and was an officer in the US Air Force. He has Bachelors and Masters degrees from Santa Clara University. In his spare time Mark enjoys travel and a wide variety of outdoor activities, particularly cycling, kayaking, skiing, and backpacking.

Niki King

Head of Sustainability Unilever North America

Niki King is the Head of Sustainability for Unilever North America.  In her role, she is responsible for ensuring the development and implementation of North America roadmaps for Unilever’s Sustainable Business Strategy, the Compass, commitments.  She also partners with Unilever’s customers to develop collaborative partnerships to deliver on mutual sustainability goals.  In addition, she works with Unilever North America brands to guide their sustainability and purpose activation.

 Throughout her career, Niki has held roles at companies including Brilliant Earth, Novo Nordisk and 10 years at Campbell Soup Company, where she developed and executed sustainability strategies to reduce sustainability risks and impacts across value chains, created sustainable business value, and increased stakeholder engagement in sustainability.

 She earned a B.A. degree in Social Sciences, a M.S. degree in Business Management and a Certificate in Organizational Leadership from Thomas Edison State University.

Rob Melnick

Arizona State University Director, International Programs, ASU School of Sustainability

Dr. Melnick was appointed Executive Dean of the Global Institute of Sustainability by Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow in 2008. Prior to this position, he served ASU as Director of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy from 1987-2008 and also as Associate Vice President for Economic Affairs from 2002-2008. Dr. Melnick holds academic appointments as research scientist in GIOS and as Presidential Professor of Practice in the School of Sustainability. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Melnick conducts research on urban growth and economic development. He has co-authored three books and numerous public policy research studies.

Jack van der Vorst

Wageningen UR Member Board of Directors Wageningen University & Research General Director Social Sciences Group (SSG)

Professor Jack G.A.J. van der Vorst is member of the Board of Directors of Wageningen University & Research and General Director of the Social Sciences Group comprising about 800 fte in three institutes: the Department of Social Sciences of Wageningen University, Wageningen Economic Research, and Wageningen Center for Development Innovation. Jack is Chair of the Steering Board of Wageningen Data Competence Center and is member of multiple national and international Advisory Boards, e.g. Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), Cocoa Horizons Foundation, The Sustainability Consortium, Platform Multi-functionele Landbouw, Netherlands Food Partnership, and Supervisory Board of Florensis BV. Jack is Professor in AgriFood Supply Chain Logistics at Wageningen University, supervised over 20 PhD students and published 200+ academic and business papers. His research focuses on the development of innovative logistics concepts in AgriFood Supply Chain Networks.

Matt Waller

Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair, and Professor of Supply Chain Management.

Matthew A. Waller is the Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair, and Professor of Supply Chain Management. He is an inventor on the following patent: Waller, M.A. and Dulaney, E.F. System, Method and Article of Manufacture to Optimize Inventory and Merchandising Shelf Space Utilization, Patent No. US 6,341,269 B1. Date of Patent: January 22, 2002. His opinion pieces have appeared in Wall Street Journal Asia and Financial Times. Dr. Waller is an SEC Academic Leadership Fellow. He is coauthor of “The Definitive Guide to Inventory Management: Principles and Strategies for the Efficient Flow of Inventory across the Supply Chain” published by Pearson Education; “Integrating Blockchain into Supply Chain Management: A Toolkit for Practical Implementation,” published by Kogan Page; and “Purple on the Inside: How J.B. Hunt Transport Set Itself Apart in a Field Full of Brown Cows,” published by Epic Books. He received a B.S.B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Missouri, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. He is the former Co-Editor-In-Chief of Journal of Business Logistics.

Laura Phillips

Strategic Advisor/Consultant, Sustainability

University of Arkansas Walton College of Business

Laura Phillips spent +25 years at Walmart working in various leadership positions across Merchandising, Sourcing and Sustainability. Laura began her career in Walmart US Merchandising, where she led categories across General Merchandise, Consumables and Food as a buyer, Vice President Divisional Merchandise Manager, and then as a Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Manager. Throughout her career, Laura has been active in advancing Sustainability, helping to start Walmart’s initial Sustainability program in 2005, and implementing Sustainable and Responsible Sourcing programs in her Merchandising roles across various categories. Laura was promoted to SVP, Walmart Corporate Sustainability, and in this position the team launched new ambitious Sustainability programs including Project Gigaton (Walmart’s climate action platform), Sustainable commodity sourcing across food and textiles, and developed new Private Brand Sustainable Packaging goals. Laura last served as SVP, Global Sourcing where she led Business development and created new revenue models selling Sourcing as a Service for International retailers.

Laura received her Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Florida, her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas and completed the Dartmouth Tuck Global 2020 Executive Education program. Laura has served on The Sustainability Consortium Board of Directors and has been an active member of the University of Arkansas MBA Advisory Board.

In her free time, Laura enjoys exploring all the fun activities that Northwest Arkansas has to offer with her teenage children, Jack and Kate, husband John, three dogs and horse.