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Amy Halvorson (MGMT, ’10) has worked on sustainability for large companies like Cargill and Starbucks for almost a decade. She credits her education from Leeds, including classes like Leadership Challenges (CESR 4000), and the skills she learned in her first job (that was not in sustainability) for laying the foundation for her career.

We recently sat down with Amy to talk about why she’s excited to serve on the CESR Advisory Board, values-based decision-making, and lessons she’s learned along the way.

CESR: How has your education at Leeds shaped your career trajectory so far?

Amy Halvorson: When I think back to my time at Leeds, and in particular because of the CESR courses I took, my main takeaway was around the importance of ethics in business. My experience in Leadership Challenges helped me to more easily identify ethical dilemmas that arise in the workplace and how to use a values-based approach to solve them. Tough situations do come up in my day-to-day work, like they do in anyone’s, and there’s not always a black and white answer. There’s rarely a perfect solution. It’s most important to understand the tradeoffs and how you are going to weigh them. I walked away from Leeds and CESR having a clear sense of this business reality. It’s not straightforward, and there is a role for values in making decisions.

CESR: How have you seen this kind of values-based decision making show up at work?

AH: Everywhere I’ve worked, there have been people I could compare notes and work together with on finding a solution to the ethical dilemma. Not necessarily in a formal setting, but there are some very explicit ways that a company can do this. I’ve worked for values-based organizations where values come up in team meetings and leaders model talking through values in conflict. The leaders that are the most authentic are the ones who are willing to express when they are not 100% sure if a decision was the right one. You still come together and move forward to support the organization, but you can do so being clear eyed about what you will and won’t do. Seeing that from the leader allows everyone to have those conversations more openly.

CESR: What are you most excited about regarding your work with the CESR Advisory Board and your upcoming talk at the Sustainability Bootcamp?

AH: It’s such an honor to be a member of the CESR Advisory Board, especially as a mid-career professional. Preparing the next generation of leaders is a huge priority for me, both personally, because it was not super long ago that I was in school and I remember what it was like, but also to make sure that our organizations have a strong pipeline of talent that can come in and look at situations critically and holistically. One of the things that CESR does really well is to create that holistic, systems thinking about business challenges that bring different perspectives into decision-making. The board is a great opportunity to collaborate with faculty, staff, other business leaders, and ultimately students to move forward that mission.

In terms of the bootcamp, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m planning to share an overview of what’s happening in the environmental sustainability space, which is ever-changing, but always comes back to the core issues of protecting the climate, nature and people. I love these types of events because I learn a lot from the students, from their questions and perspectives. It helps me to check my own biases, which is critical in this type of work.

"When I look back, most of the best decisions I’ve made both personally and professionally came with a little bit of risk. You have to believe that you will figure it out; you are your own best advocate."

CESR: Tell me about how you got into sustainability, and some of the most important things you learned along that journey.

AH: I’ll be honest; I really lucked out. When I graduated from CU, I didn’t really know how to break into the sustainability field. It was a passion of mine, but I didn’t really know that those careers existed. Sustainability as a job function was just being stood up. My first job out of undergrad was working in workforce and economic development for the State of Colorado. That job taught me two critical skillsets that helped me land my first sustainability job: project management and stakeholder engagement.

After I got my master’s in international business from CU Denver, I wanted to move into the private sector. I was applying all over the country to jobs with any company that aligned with my values. I got a project management job with a big company, and I was fortunate that the projects I was managing and the relationships I was developing were related to sustainability. From there I learned the issues by working on them. I listened to the experts in the room, asked a lot of questions, read up on things later to learn more, sought out mentors, and asked for stretch assignments to help me learn and grow in sustainability.

So that’s how I got here, but in terms of what I learned along the way, there are a few things.

Any job can be a sustainability job. When I started there wasn’t a sustainability job function at my company. We were more of a center of expertise where we had different functions working on sustainability. While I was there it matured, and a global sustainability team was set up. What I learned was sustainability needs people in all disciplines. Any job function that you can think of, there is a need for people from those job functions and those perspectives to work on sustainability.

Your first job likely will not be your dream job, and that’s OK. My first job was not my dream job, but I came away learning so much. I set goals to pick up certain skillsets that benefitted me down the road. I made connections and embraced the different opportunities that job was offering me. Now I see that organizations most want to see that you are making connections and working to transfer skills. They don’t expect you to have the exact same job that’s posted in the job description, but they want you to be able to make those connections.

Taking some calculated risks is important. When I look back, most of the best decisions I’ve made both personally and professionally came with a little bit of risk. You have to believe that you will figure it out; you are your own best advocate. If it feels a little bit uncomfortable, that might be the right decision. You have to lean into that discomfort.

"In terms of values-aligned careers, recognize that wherever you end up, there will be trade-offs. The existence of trade-offs doesn’t make it a bad fit. It just gives you the opportunity to apply your values-based lens."

CESR: What advice do you have for students who want to pursue values-aligned careers?

AH: Do your research but be open to the possibility that you might be biased. In my experience most companies, not all, but most, are trying to do the right thing. Even the ones in “Big XYZ Industry,” be that “Big Oil,” “Big Food,” “Big Ag,” etc. There are good people in those companies trying to help their company do the right thing.

Try to find at least one person in the company outside of the interview panel to have an informal chat with to get a feel for what it’s like to work there. The interview panel is trying to sell you on the company just as much as you are trying to sell yourself, so you’ll get their corporate talking points. If you can find someone outside of that through LinkedIn, a referral or a connection, that informal chat is really valuable.

In terms of values-aligned careers, recognize that wherever you end up, there will be trade-offs. The existence of trade-offs doesn’t make it a bad fit. It just gives you the opportunity to apply your values-based lens. I don’t want students to end up at a company and the first dilemma that pops up they see it as a red flag and try to leave. There are trade-offs no matter where you are and it’s just a question of figuring out how to navigate them.

CESR: Anything you would like to add?

AH: I’m fortunate that I’m a sustainability professional, but it’s important that students don’t limit themselves to one job title and keep an open mind as they’re applying. For your first job, it’s just important to get a good job. It’s important to start working in a professional environment, building your resume, networking, building skillsets. It might not be what you thought you wanted to do. The competition is high for any job. Be really open to learning from any experience that you’re afforded.

Meet experts and alumni like Amy at CESR’s Upcoming Events, including the Sustainability Bootcamp where Amy will be speaking on Nov. 8th.