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.

Peter Schlosser

Arizona State University Vice President and Vice Provost of Global Futures and Director of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute for Sustainability

Peter Schlosser is the University Global Futures Professor in the Schools of Sustainability, Earth and Space Exploration, and Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at Arizona State University. He also serves as Vice President and Vice Provost of Global Futures and Director of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute for Sustainability. Schlosser’s research focuses on the hydrosphere, primarily the circulation of water in the oceans and groundwater including studies of problems caused by human impact. He is co-chair of the Earth League, Chair of the Steering Group of the International Study of Arctic Change, and member of the Board of the Sustaining Arctic Observing Network. He is a member of the German National Academy of Science, and Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Explorers Club. He has served on numerous national and international science steering and advisory committees.

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.

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.