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Professor & Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Sustainability, American University: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
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"My actionable research enables organizations to address complex and critically important sustainability challenges. Boldness has been the driving force behind my journey, allowing me to tackle these formidable issues directly, foster innovation, and lead transformative sustainability changes." - Nicole Darnall, Professor & Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Sustainability, American University, United States & The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
Dr. Nicole Darnall serves as the Arlene R. and Robert P. Kogod Eminent Scholar Chair in Sustainability at American University, holding appointments in the Kogod School of Business and the School of Public Affairs. She is also a Foundation Professor Emerita at Arizona State University, where she previously held the role of Associate Dean of Faculty Success and Strategic Initiatives at the School of Sustainability. As the founding Director of ASU's Sustainable Purchasing Research Initiative (SPRI), Nicole has led groundbreaking work in sustainable procurement and its transformative potential for organizations worldwide.
Nicole’s research focuses on sustainability behaviours in organizations and individuals, emphasizing the role of innovative structures, technologies, and incentive systems in achieving impactful outcomes. She is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a congressionally chartered organization advising on governance and public management, and holds numerous international fellowships, including from the Social Science Research Council and the Erasmus Mundus Programme. Her work has earned her global recognition as a leader in sustainable enterprise.
Beyond academia, Nicole actively shapes policy as a Commissioner for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Acquisition Policy Federal Advisory Committee, influencing sustainability in federal acquisitions exceeding $660 billion. As President of the Group for Research on Organizations and the Natural Environment, Nicole leads nearly 2,000 scholars worldwide in advancing sustainable business practices.
Her bold leadership is exemplified in projects like the SPRI, where Nicole challenged traditional procurement models focused solely on cost by integrating sustainability into purchasing decisions. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, SPRI has guided public and private organizations to reimagine their supply chains, impacting practices in cities like Tempe, AZ, and contributing to international initiatives, including the United Nations Environment Programme.
Nicole’s philosophy, “Bold leadership is daring to challenge the status quo to create transformative solutions,” drives her work. She emphasizes that real progress comes from co-creating sustainable strategies with stakeholders and fostering a shared vision for change. Her approach has inspired organizations to take bold steps, proving that sustainable practices can lead to tangible environmental, social, and economic benefits.
A dedicated advocate for gender equity, Nicole envisions a future where women lead sustainability efforts with equal visibility and influence. She calls for inclusive opportunities, mentorship, and platforms that amplify women’s voices in sustainability decision-making. Nicole’s work exemplifies this vision, inspiring future leaders to embrace boldness and drive change.
Receiving The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 is a testament to Nicole’s impactful contributions to sustainability. This honour underscores her dedication to actionable research, transformative policy influence, and fostering leadership in sustainability. For American University, it highlights the institution’s commitment to innovation and leadership in advancing global sustainability goals.
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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