2024 Keynote Speakers

Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability & Finance
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Director, Dynamic Sustainability Lab
Syracuse University

BIO
Dr. Golden is an internationally recognized researcher and academic regarding he dynamics of the global sustainability transition. Golden uses big data, modeling and analytics to analyze the risks, unintended consequences and opportunities of government policies and corporate actions to meet sustainability challenges with a focus on the transition to a Net-Zero Carbon Economy.
Golden is the recipient of the Faculty Pioneer Award from the Aspen Institute which is the "Oscars of the business school world" according to The Financial Times. Golden was also named one of the 100 most influential people in business ethics by the Ethisphere Institute.
In 2017, Golden was appointed to the Board of Scientific Counselors for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he served on the Executive Committee until his second term expired in 2024.
Golden received his Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Cambridge and his master's degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development from a joint program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge. He also holds a Professional Mastery of Project Management Certificate from Stanford University, an MLE in Higher Education from Harvard, and has a B.A. degree in Management.

PRESENTATION ABSTRACT: DYNAMIC SUSTAINABILITY
Dr. Golden will discuss the findings in his new book, Dynamic Sustainability which he uses to define the unique juncture in the history of our epic sustainability transition. At one end of the spectrum government policies and technology advancements are inching us closer to achieving the long sought-after goal of transitioning from a fossil fuel-dependent economy to a renewable green economy. This transition requires a new generation of sustainable technologies which is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. In many cases these policies are meant not to simply ensure a healthier environment but are also intended to achieve near-term and longer-term economic gains.

However, on the other end of the spectrum society is challenged by unprecedented competition and pressures for critical natural resources necessary to power the transition that in part are further driving increased nationalistic policies impacting global trade and raising national security concerns. In the United States, domestic pressures are rising from both the rural-urban divide as well as well the blue-red divide in national and local politics. Concerns over environmental justice and social equity further complicate the sustainability transition and as presented in this book raise the real possibilities for unintended consequences and risks to our environment, our society and the global economy.