Net Impact Conference Report 2017
The North Carolina State University chapter of Net Impact recently traveled to Atlanta, GA for the 2017 Net Impact National Conference. Held October 26-28th, the annual conference gives Net Impact members the opportunity to broaden their breadth of knowledge regarding sustainability issues, network with other students, corporate representatives, and other leaders in sustainable initiatives from all across the world.
NC State brought a diverse group of students to the conference including undergraduate business and communications students, first and second-year MBA candidates, a military veteran, and a masters in innovation and entrepreneurship student, all with a wide array of issue-area interests. One of the often-repeated pieces of feedback that we garner from conference attendance is that each attendee has the ability to have completely different takeaways from their experience at the conference, between the multitude of breakout sessions available to tailor each person’s conference attendance and the cross-section of individuals attending the conference that allow for unique interactions, this year proved to be no different from past conferences!
A few takeaways from our attendees highlight the impact that the two-day conference has on attendees:
Anna Campbell (B.A. Communications, 2017), came away with the following: “The Net Impact 2017 conference empowered me with new connections, employment opportunities, and amazing resources all focused around creating a sustainable impact in my current and future career choices.”
Iman Usmani (B.S. Statistics, 2019) was particularly impressed at the organization of the conference, citing the use of the conference app that allowed her to “easily to navigate the entire conference which helped with not missing any of the great events.” along with the in-depth look at Nike’s sustainability efforts and listening to an array of inspiring speakers.
Jeffrey Terebey (MBA, 2019), found great value in some of the breakout sessions, remarking on a panel discussion, “where representatives from three major corporations discussed how their management teams determined the financial impact of their sustainability projects, how this value is communicated to their stakeholders, and the ways in which shared value initiatives drive innovation across industries.”
Jessica Zappulla (MBA/ MIE, 2018) generated some insightful takeaways from the conference, citing a collaborative atmosphere even amongst competitors, but that, “The biggest takeaway for me was that you don’t have to start your own cause to make a difference – there are so many great organizations that need help now.”
Sofia Abdo (B.A. Business Administration, 2019) echoed this collaborative sentiment and that, “I was left with a desire to act upon these strong calls to action as people from all different backgrounds are ultimately working towards one common goal.”
Net Impact @ NC State University wants to thank all of the wonderful administrative and corporate support for our chapter, including the Poole College of Management, the Business Sustainability Collaborative, and John Deere. Without the support and guidance of our academic, community and business partners, we would not be able to partake in such fantastic experiences.
