Sustainability at the Intersection of Growth and Impact: How Companies Are Addressing Climate
Jan 28, 2024
Larson Hall at American Swedish Institute
Part of the Climate Solutions Series
Tickets: Free
Join us for a panel discussion on corporate sustainability initiatives that create positive impact and progress for business, people and planet. Amanda Nusz, Senior Vice President – Corporate Responsibility at Target; Peter Carter, Executive Vice President – External Affairs at Delta; and Laura Bishop, Independent Consultant, former Fortune 50 chief sustainability officer, and former state environmental regulator; will share their strategies, actions, insights, and challenges for driving meaningful change. Learn from these industry leaders’ unique approaches as they share ways to create a more sustainable future. Moderated by Chris Farrell, Senior Economics Contributor at Minnesota Public Radio and Marketplace, American Public Media’s nationally syndicated public radio business and economic programs.
About the Panelists
Amanda Nusz leads Target’s commitment to co-create an equitable and regenerative future together with its guests, partners, and communities. In June 2021, she led the launch of Target’s sustainability commitments through its enterprise-wide sustainability strategy, Target Forward. As president of the Target Foundation, she works in support of a team that has created a learning lab to shift and transform the systems that create greater equity and opportunity for all.
Previously, Amanda served as vice president of quality and responsible sourcing in Target’s global sourcing organization, ensuring that Target’s vendors and suppliers operated safe, ethical, and efficient factory environments to produce high-quality, sustainable, and consumer-safe products.
Prior to her role in global sourcing, Amanda led the development of one of Target’s owned brands by spearheading the creation of the kids’ line, Cat & Jack, a high-quality and affordable brand co-created with families. Cat and Jack is designed to be durable and responsibly sourced, focusing on inclusivity in its messaging and forward-thinking adaptive and seamless lines.
Amanda received her bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Minnesota and an executive degree from MIT. She is married with two lovely, soccer-obsessed children.
Peter Carter is Delta's Executive Vice President - External Affairs overseeing international, legal, regulatory, government affairs, and sustainability teams worldwide. Peter has also served as Delta’s Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary since July 2015 and is a member of the Delta Leadership Committee.
Peter focuses on optimizing Delta’s international partnerships, ensuring Delta's freedom to operate, protecting Delta's brand, and advocating for Delta's interests before policy makers around the world. He also oversees Delta’s sustainability strategy of becoming a carbon free airline by 2050.
Peter regularly engages with government stakeholders on matters relating to competition policy, alliances, privacy and compliance. During the height of the pandemic, he helped secure support from Congress and administration officials leading to the passage of the CARES Act.
Before joining Delta, Peter was a partner at the international law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP, where he chaired the firm’s Policy Committee. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been recognized by numerous organizations and publications, including being honored with a Burton Award for public interest, being named one of "America's Leading Business Lawyers" by Chambers USA, and being named Antitrust Lawyer of the Year in 2013 by Best Lawyers in America. Before joining Dorsey, Peter clerked for Judge James B. Loken at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Peter serves as a member of the Boards of Virgin Atlantic Airways, the Delta Air Lines Foundation, the Chick Fil-A Foundation, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Business Partnership, Global Citizen, and currently chairs the board of the United Way of Greater Atlanta. He also serves on NYC Mayor Eric Adam’s Business Leadership Council and previously served as a member of the State of Georgia Judicial Selection Commission.
Laura Bishop is an executive leader, corporate board director, former Fortune 50 Chief Sustainability Officer and former state environmental regulator with firsthand experience leading growth and turnaround strategies with sustainability as a key driver. Laura’s extensive executive experience and insights from the private and public sectors helped shape her unique perspective in understanding opportunities and risks to drive strategy and successful growth. Laura has managed an annual P&L of $400M and overseen teams of up to 1,000 employees. She has developed and led global functions in China, Mexico, and Canada. Laura’s industry expertise includes consumer products, energy, renewables, waste and financial services.
Laura currently serves as a non-executive independent board director and member of the Audit Committee for EcoVadis, a private software as a service (SaaS) company specializing in supply chain assessments and ESG ratings. As the first independent board director for the company, Laura provides direction to executive leadership and brings her leadership experience and customer and regulatory insights to the team as the company scales its services and impact. Since joining the board, the company has raised $500 million in private investment to accelerate its growth.
Laura served as Chief Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Officer of Best Buy (NYSE:BBY). While at the company, Laura led sustainability, environmental compliance, supply chain sustainability, social impact, philanthropy, and government relations. Laura established carbon reduction goals that reduced Best Buy’s carbon footprint by 55% by 2020, setting the company on track to be carbon neutral by 2040. She was also instrumental in creating and implementing Best Buy’s consumer electronics recycling program, building a unique customer offering and recycling more than 2 billion pounds of electronic waste and working with vendors to incorporate the reuse of materials. Laura was part of the Renew Blue Operating Council, reporting to the CEO, where she helped lead strategies for a successful business turnaround with sustainability as a focus.
More recently, Laura served as the chief environmental regulator and member of the Governor’s Cabinet for the State of Minnesota where she led a biennial budget of $800+ Million and team 1000 employees with oversight for 80,000 industrial and municipal permits for land, air, and water. The Governor also appointed her as Chair of the Climate Change Subcabinet and Advisory Council where she led efforts resulting in more than $450M in climate investments, funded by a bi-partisan legislature, and accelerated access to electric vehicles and infrastructure.
Laura manages her own consulting firm that focuses on sustainability and ESG as key drivers for business success and serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Laura is skilled at navigating complex environments having served in both regulated and regulator roles. Calm under pressure, discreet and strategic, Laura is a trusted leader sought out for her innovative and reasoned approach to problem-solving.
Chris Farrell (moderator) is senior economics contributor at Minnesota Public Radio and Marketplace, American Public Media’s nationally syndicated public radio business and economic programs. Chris is a columnist for Marketwatch, PBS Next Avenue, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Among his most recent books are The New Frugality, Unretirement, and Purpose and a Paycheck.
The Climate Solutions Series is made possible through the generous support of The McKnight Foundation.