Want the backstory? Read our first piece on rethinking sustainable business education.
As we were co-authoring our chapter, “The Bard MBA in Sustainability: Baked In, Not Bolted On” for the new book Breakthroughs in Sustainable Business Education: Breakthroughs in Action, our team—Unique Brathwaite, Lauren E. Graham, Janice Shade, Dr. Eban Goodstein, and I— found ourselves discussing what this actually means to us and our respective disciplines.
What does sustainable business education really look like across disciplines? How do we each show up in this work? And what does it mean to lead during such uncertain times?
That conversation turned into something bigger—an honest, energizing exchange about what it takes to lead and teach sustainability in this moment. Read on for a glimpse into the questions we asked each other—and the powerful insights that emerged.
Unique Brathwaite: By rethinking sustainable business education, we prepare future leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to create a more sustainable world. It’s no secret that we are facing unprecedented environmental challenges exacerbated by social inequalities. What we think of as more traditional business education prioritizes profit over people and sustainability; sustainable business education equips future leaders with the skills and critical understanding to address these challenges.
Lauren E. Graham: We are in an uncharted territory with the future of higher education, especially the research university - value for cost, the role as an institution in society, the value of formal education in a modern society, attacked from the current [US government] administration, etc. It’s just not sustainable business education that we need to rethink, it’s really everything. We are seeing the deep flaws of neoliberal ideology and capitalism which have not worked for most people and the planet. But I believe that it could, and sustainable business education (SBE) can model a new pathway forward for business.
Janice Shade: A key component of any business education is an understanding of the flows and uses of capital into, out of, and within a business. Additionally, a broad understanding of capital markets — how they operate, and the limitations and opportunities they present — is essential knowledge for emerging business leaders. After all, the core subject matter of accounting and finance is what puts the “capital” in capitalism, the most common system of economic and political organization in the world, and we ignore its role in sustainable business practices at our peril.
Renay Loper: The business landscape is shifting - rapidly (notice I didn’t say sustainable business, but rather, business). Generally speaking, education and industry have had an all too distant relationship. Education needs to be simultaneously responsive and proactive in real time reflecting and demonstrating the agility of the landscape. We now need to imagine new - radical - approaches and new strategies to sustainable business education.
Dr. Eban Goodstein: Sustainable business had a great run from 2000 to 2023. As the political landscape shifts globally, students need to get even better at making the business case, and in particular, talking with the 40% of business folks in the middle, who are skeptical, but not hostile, to a sustainability approach.
Unique Brathwaite: My discipline is nonprofit leadership and management. I approach my nonprofit practice through a broad ecosystem perspective, understanding the interconnectedness of people and systems. This approach is layered through intersectionality, an understanding of how race, class, gender and other forms of social identity overlap with systems and power. I fully believe that a core structural analysis combined with a deep sense of purpose can lead to transformative leadership.
Janice Shade: My discipline is finance and accounting. I recognize that many students may not choose to pursue a career in finance, and thus strive to demonstrate how a comfort level with accounting and finance concepts will support them in their chosen fields. This is why I find such encouragement when former students tell me how their new-found understanding of financial reporting and capital flows within a company has improved relationships and outcomes in their current workplace, as well as prepared them for future course work at Bard MBA.
Renay Loper: My discipline is organizational leadership. I am deeply encouraged by the acceptance of our students to learn to lead themselves and lead change in new ways. They come to us with a willingness to challenge themselves and the status quo. That is a prerequisite for leading change. I believe leaders lead from where they are - not a title, office, paycheck - and this means every one of us has the ability, and dare I say called, to lead in some capacity and on some level wherever they are. It may look different than our traditional views of “leadership” - and that’s exactly what we need!
Lauren E. Graham: Strategically use the superpower of saying “I don’t know” when you are faced with daunting challenges. No one expects you to be perfect, only committed to gathering resources, balancing perspectives, and communicating openly. “I don’t know” helps open the door for innovation and creativity because learning occurs at the cusp of ignorance.
Renay Loper: You are not alone, we are not alone. Leading change (from wherever you are) can sometimes feel like a lonely endeavor. It is important to find community to restore with, learn from, and lead with. It reminds me of the African Proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Eban Goodstein: One of the challenges for sustainability MBAs (and all of us in a polarized world) is finding people to talk with who we disagree with. AI* (artificial intelligence) is an excellent sparring partner. Tell it you want to persuade it to do X, and tell it to be a “bit of a jerk” in responding to your ideas. Practice, practice, practice is the key to effective communication and persuasion.
* In the summer of 2025, our MBA students will participate in a 3-day workshop around practical and ethical frameworks for integrating AI and large language models into sustainable business practices.
In essence, this dialogue underscores a pivotal shift in sustainable business education. It's not merely about adapting to change, but actively shaping it. From equipping future leaders with the tools to navigate a complex, interconnected world, where profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive, to understanding the financial underpinnings of capitalism and the need for continuous learning and adaptation, our leaders of tomorrow will be leading in unprecedented ways and need to be prepared to do so.
If this conversation sparked something in you—whether it's rethinking the role of business, exploring your own leadership path, or diving deeper into systems change—we invite you to learn more about the Bard MBA in Sustainability.
At Bard, sustainability isn’t an add-on. It’s integrated into everything we teach—from impact finance and circular economy to change management, storytelling, and climate innovation.
Curious what that looks like in action?
Download The MBA of the Future guide to explore how Bard prepares students to lead boldly and responsibly in a rapidly changing world.