On Sept. 26, Appalachian State University held its annual Global Good Conference, a half-day event featuring a keynote address, interactive breakout sessions, and career-focused panels. The conference explored sustainability and resilience across industries, communities, and career pathways.
The timing and theme of this year’s conference — Resilience — aligned with the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, framing the event around strategies for recovery, adaptation, and sustainable progress in the face of climate disruption.
The conference opened with a reading by Dr. Joseph Bathanti, North Carolina Poet Laureate and professor in App State’s Department of English. His poem, “The Vilas Flood,” reflected on the emotional and environmental toll of Hurricane Helene, setting a contemplative tone for the day’s discussions.
Keynote Address
Frank Nutter, former president of the Reinsurance Association of America, delivered the keynote address. Nutter addressed the rising frequency and severity of extreme weather events and emphasized the urgent need for climate resilience in communities worldwide.
Drawing on decades of experience in the insurance and reinsurance sectors, Nutter explained how reinsurance — often described as “insurance for insurance companies” — plays a critical role in stabilizing financial outcomes following catastrophic events. He highlighted 2024 as a record-breaking year for disaster-related losses, including Hurricane Helene, which caused an estimated $75 billion in economic damage.
Nutter shared personal stories of loss and survival from Hurricane Helene, including the destruction of a family member’s home in Erwin, Tennessee, and the tragic flooding of a local manufacturing plant, Impact Plastics. These stories underscored the human toll of climate disasters and the importance of proactive mitigation.
He called for a shift in public policy and personal decision-making, advocating for stronger building codes, improved hazard disclosure, and increased investment in pre-disaster mitigation. He urged students and community leaders to embrace sustainability and resilience, noting that “sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.”
After the keynote, attendees participated in two rounds of breakout sessions — one offering deep dives into sustainability topics and another focused on career development and industry engagement.
Sustainability Breakout Sessions
Sustainability topics such as carbon savings accounts, sustainable fashion, forced labor in supply chains, and the sustainable outdoor economy provided participants with a deeper dive into industry-specific sustainability strategies, featuring global experts and regional leaders.
Forests and Bioeconomy: Victor Salviati, formerly of the Sustainable Amazon Foundation, presented the bioeconomy as a tool for forest conservation, emphasizing how economic incentives can align with ecological preservation.
Food Systems and Equity: Brian Sibeko-Ngidi of the Uthingo Network explored sustainable business practices through the lens of critical food studies, connecting global supply chains to South African food justice movements.
Fashion and Circular Design: Andrew Gibbs-Dabney and Abby Hollis of Livsn shared practical steps for embedding sustainability into apparel design and production, highlighting circularity and durability as key principles.
Outdoor Economy and Regional Development: A dynamic panel featuring Eric Woolridge (Destination By Design), Jason McDougald (Camp Grier), and Noah Wilson (Mountain BizWorks) discussed how stewardship and economic opportunity can co-exist in Western North Carolina’s outdoor recreation sector.
Labor Rights and Supply Chain Risk: David Ledbetter Jr. (Owens Corning) and Calvin Huelsman (Elevate Textiles) led a session on forced labor and ethical sourcing, urging businesses to confront hidden human rights impacts in global supply chains.
Corporate Climate Literacy: Charlie Sellars (Microsoft) and Lizzy Kolar (ScopeZero) demonstrated how companies can integrate sustainability into employee benefits, including innovative tools such as carbon savings accounts.
Career-Focused Panels
Career-focused panels connected students with industry leaders to explore emerging sustainability roles in strategy, supply chain, consulting, nonprofit management, and the outdoor economy.
Speakers Miriam Makhyou (EQ Research), Joe Daniels (Walmart), Sirisha Karra (Gartner), Hannah Richardson (Truist), and Rachel Greenland (ERM), along with sustainability session speakers Brian Sibeko-Ngidi, Eric Woolridge, Noah Wilson, Jason McDougald, David Ledbetter Jr, and Calvin Huelsman, shared insights on emerging opportunities. They discussed skills needed for jobs of the future and ways to embed sustainability into future careers.
A faculty-focused session led by App State’s Shea Tuberty and Laura England offered practical ideas for integrating climate literacy into campus curricula.
“We’re empowering future leaders to think critically about risk, resilience and sustainability in their careers and communities,” said Dr. Jim Westerman, director of sustainable business at App State.
“Global Good is about inspiring our students and local community to use their knowledge and skills in the business of building a better world,” added Meredith Pipes, director of global engagement. “We’re connecting across disciplines and borders to create meaningful change.”
“I found it refreshing that there was no pessimism or divisiveness,” said one attendee. “Rather, there was optimism as to what we can do and how we can work together.”
Hosted annually by the Walker College of Business, the Global Good conference brings together sustainability thought leaders to address pressing global—and local—challenges and foster global engagement across campus and beyond. See a list of past speakers at business.appstate.edu/global-good.
The event concluded with an awards luncheon, where outstanding students, faculty, and staff were recognized for their contributions to global engagement and sustainable business.
Related: Walker College of Business celebrates global and sustainability champions at annual luncheon
Attendees at App State's Global Good conference on September 26
Photo by Chase Reynolds