Corinna Kester

Nonprofit; 51-200 employees; Management Consulting industry

February 2011 – August 2011 (7 months)

• Advised Fortune 500 companies on sustainability/CSR strategy and stakeholder engagement.

• Assessed the stakeholder landscape in emerging markets for a global food and clothing retailer.

• Co-wrote a report on social and environmental leadership in the retail and consumer products sectors.

• Researched best practices and tracked emerging initiatives related to ecosystem services.

Nonprofit; 11-50 employees; Environmental Services industry

May 2010 – May 2011 (1 year 1 month)

• Served as an internal expert on sustainability in existing buildings.

• Resolved advanced technical issues with projects undergoing LEED for Existing Buildings certification.

• Assessed more than 200 LEED projects.

Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry

October 2010 – January 2011 (4 months)

• Co-developed a two year marketing strategy for the brand relaunch for a natural foods company.

• Created internal guidance on marketing metrics.

• Contributed to campaign messaging for a natural products company expanding into new distribution channels.

• Supported focus groups.

Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Oil & Energy industry

August 2008 – May 2010 (1 year 10 months)

• Worked with businesses to implement sustainable practices in their offices and buildings, including energy and water efficiency, greenhouse gas assessment, renewable energy, environmentally preferable purchasing, alternative transportation, solid waste management, and indoor environmental quality.

• Helped clients establish internal sustainability policies, training programs, and management systems.

• Managed client relationships, business development, and project timelines/budgets.

• Worked with a global hotel franchise to develop a comprehensive sustainability platform addressing hotel design, construction, and operation. Conducted gap analyses, trained hotel staff, co-developed a measurement and tracking system implemented at more than 1,000 hotels to date, and identified sustainability measures to integrate into brand standards.

• Coordinated the LEED implementation process for three LEED-NC and four LEED-EB buildings.

• Collaborated with an international team of five Directors to lead KEMA's Corporate Sustainability Initiative. Developed the 2010 Sustainability Plan for Board approval. Benchmarked sustainability practices across all 25 KEMA offices in the Americas. Co-developed the internal and external CSR communications plans and initiated a sustainability employee engagement program for all US offices.

March 2008 – December 2009 (1 year 10 months)

• Developed and managed the Stakeholder Score, a best practice guide and evaluation tool for companies' stakeholder engagement programs and sustainability reports.

• Used the Stakeholder Score to evaluate and compare engagement practices within various industry sectors.

• Worked in collaboration with The Environment Council, a London-based nonprofit organization that specializes in stakeholder engagement.

• Designed the Stakeholder Score to complement existing corporate social responsibility guidelines, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and AA1000.

Nonprofit; 201-500 employees; Semiconductors industry

April 2007 – September 2007 (6 months)

• Developed draft LEED-NC and LEED-EB green building rating systems for semiconductor facilities.

• Facilitated six technical advisory groups addressing energy efficiency & renewable energy, water conservation, waste minimization, land use, indoor environmental quality, and design innovation.

Educational Institution; 10,001+ employees; Higher Education industry

September 2004 – May 2007 (2 years 9 months)

• Served as the first UT staff person to address sustainability issues across the organization, including strategy, policy, and governance.

• Advised the Vice President of Employee and Campus Services.

• Built partnerships across departments in order to launch new initiatives addressing energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, recycling, sustainable food, and green procurement.

• Created and chaired the UT Sustainability Network, the first organization to connect stakeholders and build consensus regarding sustainability on campus.

• Spearheaded employee outreach efforts and helped staff create Green Teams in their departments.

• Supervised student workers and taught leadership development courses.

June 2002 – April 2007 (4 years 11 months)

• Founded this nonprofit organization to implement sustainability programs and promote institutional change at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Expanded the organization to 15 programs, 500+ student volunteers, a half-time staff person, and an $85,000 budget.

• Created and ran an end-of-year goods recycling fundraiser that brought in $35,000/year and collected more than 50 tons per year of materials for reuse.

June 2004 – August 2004 (3 months) Washington, DC

• Conducted research and wrote publications on renewable energy technologies, Mexico’s energy market, and corporate use of renewable energy.

Nonprofit; 11-50 employees; Environmental Services industry

January 2002 – 2004 (2 years)

• Helped build and shape this new grassroots sustainability organization.

• Served as the Steering Committee member responsible for communications and membership.

• Led youth lobbying teams at United Nations climate and sustainability negotiations, including preparatory meetings for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.