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Director of Sustainability, Aether Fuels Inc: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
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"Bold leadership in sustainability means persevering through challenges to ensure that our global footprints are made with care, not carbon. We must strive to make sustainability affordable, reliable, and responsible, so everyone can see the world without compromising its future." - Alyssa Norris, Director of Sustainability, Aether Fuels Inc, United States & The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
Alyssa Norris, Director of Sustainability at Aether Fuels, is a driving force in the pursuit of sustainable aviation and marine fuel. Raised on an airstrip in North Pole, Alaska, Alyssa developed a unique connection to aviation and environmental stewardship, which has defined her career path. Before joining Aether Fuels, she worked with McKinstry on energy projects across the U.S. and served as a contractor at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she focused on advancing the clean energy transition. At Aether Fuels, she leads sustainability initiatives with a particular emphasis on decarbonizing fuel for aviation and marine shipping, aiming to make sustainability in travel accessible and impactful.
In addition to her work at Aether Fuels, Alyssa serves on the board of JetPerfect, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing alternative energy for aviation, and she actively mentors women in STEM from underserved communities. Her work reflects a passion for mentoring the next generation, empowering them to become essential contributors to the future of engineering and sustainability. Alyssa’s personal journey is one of resilience; overcoming a cardiovascular complication and a transient ischemic stroke at 25, she embodies the tenacity required to pursue sustainability objectives with boldness and conviction.
Alyssa’s bold approach to leadership is evident in her efforts to integrate sustainability into core operational strategies. During her time with the U.S. Department of Energy, she played a transformative role in the Energy Jobs Strategy Group, where she spearheaded initiatives to transition fossil-based jobs toward green energy, particularly in regions like Alaska and West Virginia. This impactful project not only facilitated community development but also demonstrated her commitment to aligning economic stability with a sustainable future.
Believing that bold leadership in sustainability means persevering through challenges to ensure progress, Alyssa sees her role as pivotal in shaping an inclusive and innovative industry. She envisions a future where women lead sustainable energy advancements, emphasizing that achieving gender equity in STEM will require inclusive policies, mentorship programs, and the amplification of diverse perspectives. For Alyssa, this award holds deep significance, acknowledging the efforts of women who, like her, are redefining the role of gender in sustainable fuel innovation.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024
The SustainabilityX® Magazine proudly presents its third edition of the Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ for 2024. This annual recognition celebrates extraordinary female leaders who embrace boldness in their pursuit of groundbreaking sustainability initiatives, reshaping industries, and driving transformative change towards a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.
This year also marks a broader strategic mission expansion for The SustainabilityX® Magazine, with a stronger focus on aligning with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in addition to the original foundation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This evolutionary expansion reflects the magazine’s ongoing commitment to advancing women's leadership in sustainability while championing social equity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive growth.
“Empowering women to lead in sustainability is at the heart of our mission,” says Supriya Verma, founder of The SustainabilityX® Magazine and one of Corporate Knights' Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership and one of The Peak's Emerging Leaders. “These trailblazers are breaking barriers and redefining what sustainable leadership looks like—showing that it’s about more than policies and practices, but also about social justice, economic resilience, and a regenerative future.”
Rooted in the magazine's guiding pillars of environmental protection, economic prosperity, social inclusion, and ethical governance, The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ showcases women from all sectors, industries, and regions, igniting crucial conversations on the intersection of gender equality and sustainable development.
Amidst global challenges and uncertainties, this year’s awards highlight the critical role of women in steering the world towards a more resilient, equitable future. With a continued digital format, the awards amplify voices across borders, bridging the gap between global sustainability efforts and local impact.
As Verma states, “The future of sustainability hinges on bold, inclusive leadership, and these women exemplify the courage and vision needed to transform our world. The SustainabilityX® Magazine remains steadfast in our mission to celebrate and elevate those who are shaping a future where every voice counts and every effort contributes to a thriving, sustainable world.”
View the full list: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024
Read the full press release: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Announces 3rd Annual Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ Under the Theme "Embrace Boldness"
About The SustainabilityX® Magazine
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is an award-winning, digital, female-founded, and female-led non-profit initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a sustainable future through dialogue, and now transforming the environment and economy for a sustainable future through the power of women's leadership. Founded on May 8, 2016, and inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by Canada's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership awardee, Supriya Verma, the digital media initiative focuses on approaching the world's most pressing challenges with a holistic, integrated, systems-based perspective as opposed to the traditional and ineffective siloed approach with a single lens on interdisciplinary topics like climate and energy. This initiative ultimately seeks to explore how to effectively bring the environment and economy together through intellectual, insightful dialogue and thought-provoking discussion amongst individuals across sectors taking an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to untangling the intricate web of sustainability while championing women's leadership in sustainability.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is built upon the four foundational pillars of sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, which emphasizes the importance of improving environmental health; Economic Prosperity, which promotes sustainable economic growth that transcends traditional capitalist models; Social Inclusion, which focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized or vulnerable communities; and Just Governance, which highlights responsible leadership, the equal application of the rule of law, and the creation of fair systems for all.
As we expand our mission to align with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we continue to explore the diverse and interconnected factors that influence sustainability. By recognizing how these elements interact across local, national, and international levels, we aim to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals. In essence, this aligns with The SustainabilityX® Magazine's vision of integrating environmental and economic progress for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through thoughtful dialogue.
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