Strategies for System Change – and Tackling Wicked problems

Originally aired February 18, 2021

Solving today’s wicked sustainability challenges requires system change — but as the nation grows more divided, sustainability professionals can’t rely on elected officials, executives, or institutional authority alone. This session, co-hosted with Island Press, explores strategies for working across the sectors where business, government, and nonprofits intersect — where the most pressing sustainability challenges live and where real change is forged. Drawing on the new book Leadership for Sustainability, panelists offer case studies, tools, and insights for becoming an effective systems change agent.

Speakers

Bruce Hull, PhD

Senior Fellow, Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability; Author, Leadership for Sustainability

Dr. Bruce Hull is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability and the author of Leadership for Sustainability, which presents a toolbox of strategies for tackling complex, cross-sector sustainability challenges. His work equips professionals with frameworks for extending their influence beyond their organizations to drive meaningful change at the systems level.

Arlin Wasserman

Founder & Managing Director, Changing Tastes

Arlin Wasserman is the founder and managing director of Changing Tastes, where over two decades he has helped identify, create, and catalyze some of the most significant shifts in how business and consumers think about food — from the connection between organic food and health to today’s plant-forward dining trends and the link between food choices and climate change.

Brian G. Macnamara

Senior Advisor, Host Hotels & Resorts; Board Member, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Brian G. Macnamara serves as a Senior Advisor to Host Hotels & Resorts, where he previously held roles including Senior Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Corporate Controller. He sits on the Board of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, connecting his financial expertise with broader environmental stewardship and sustainability goals at the regional and global level.