Written by Elise Carlsten, BSC Associate

We started our Spring 2026 BSC Career Speaker Series with Manali Jadhav, a 2024 NC State alumna from the Master of Engineering Management program. Manali shared insight on her leap from IT to corporate sustainability, providing key pieces of advice for students interested in using data to drive real impact change in business sustainability. Read more about Manali and watch the recording below:

Speaker:
Manali Jadhav has a unique career path that has led her to be an active member in corporate sustainability. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Engineering from Rajarambapu Institute of Technology in Maharashtra, India, and a Master of Engineering Management from NC State University (2024). After working three years in the IT industry in India, she decided to pursue a more meaningful and interdisciplinary career path. 

During her master’s program, she explored the fields of sustainability, supply chain, and data systems. NC State courses, like Sustainability & Business and Strategic Operations Management, helped her understand how companies balance financial, operational, and environmental priorities. These experiences strengthened her interest in the intersection of business, technology, and environmental impact.

Currently, Manali works as a Project Leader on the Sustainable Living team at Kohler, a global leader in kitchen, bath, and power solutions. Over the past two years, she has been involved in the company’s corporate sustainability efforts, focusing on carbon accounting, sustainability reporting, and data analysis for water and waste management across global locations. Manali was an active participant in B Local Triangle in Raleigh and now volunteers through various Business Resource Groups at Kohler. She is connected to all of her previous schools and programs, from her early education to her university communities, and stays involved through mentoring, volunteering, and community activities. She is committed to staying vocal about ESG topics and helping younger students learn about sustainability as a career path.

Key Career Advice:

• Sustainability is a pressing and important issue that can sometimes be lost in business models and promises; continue to do the work, share the message, and create concrete data to show the importance of sustainability goals and change. 
• Soft skills, like communication, leadership, and teamwork, are essential in dynamically evolving fields such as sustainability, and technical skills from STEM are transferable in many ways. 
• Continue to follow your passions and deepest interests when seeking your career path, even if that means going against the grain or changing subject matters.