Center Spotlight: Travis Lesser, CBoS Director of Curriculum and Engagement

In this interview with Professor Travis Lesser, current Director of Curriculum and Engagement at the Center for the Business of Sustainability, Travis reflected on his Penn State experience, the pursuit of sustainability, and what drew him to work with the Center.

Why did you decide to join the Center for the Business of Sustainability? 

Since attending Smeal for business school and graduating with my MBA in 2014, it became apparent to me very quickly that I have a passion for ensuring the long-term viability of our planet, and that can best be done through responsible business practices. When the role with CBoS became available, it was an obvious fit to align my passions with the next step in my career.

What do you hope to bring to the Center?

My hope is that my knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship and innovation will bring a unique perspective to the already great work the Center is doing. I would like to grow the Student Sustainability Summit into a “must attend” event over the coming years, I am looking forward to getting the Office of Impact Entrepreneurship off the ground, and finding ways to better communicate sustainability-focused internship and career opportunities for Smeal students interested in changing the world for the better through business.

How did you become interested in sustainability, and how have you explored that at Penn State?

During business school I worked on a project in Beaver Stadium that focused on attaining 100% waste diversion from landfills, starting in the President’s Box and Nittany Lion Club. I quickly began to understand the impact a focused endeavor such as this can have, not only on reducing waste, but on the viability of compost and recycling markets. From there, I was able to envision the long-term strategy that needs to be implemented by business today if they wish to build a company that wishes to thrive over the coming decades.

How have you integrated sustainability into the courses you teach? 

Whether I am teaching entrepreneurial mindset (MGMT 215), social entrepreneurship (MGMT 365), or responsible business leadership (BA 342), I stress the importance of thinking about how business operators must let go of focusing on short-term metrics (e.g., quarterly reports, stock price), and shift to an approach that is more holistic and long-term thinking. If you are not setting your business’s sights on enduring the ebbs and flows that come with running an enterprise, you are doing employees, investors, customers, yourself, and the planet a massive disservice.

What companies and/or organizations are, in your opinion, succeeding in sustainability, and why? 

It can be hard to tell whether companies today are actually backing up their social and environmental promises, or if they are just using marketing to tell the customers what they want to hear. Companies like Patagonia are case studies in responsible business practices. I am very interested to see how other large tech companies like Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet are balancing their growing needs for electricity infrastructure with burgeoning alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and nuclear, as smaller companies that have already aligned these practices with their operations continue to grow and threaten these giant companies’ market share.

What advice do you have for current Smeal students interested in sustainability?

Find the problem that makes you the most upset and look for solutions to that problem within the industry that you most want to work. For me, I hate to see anything go to waste, especially food when we consider the number of people in this country who go to bed hungry every night. We are also going to run out of landfill space if we keep dumping all of these non-biodegradable products into these very large holes in the ground. I am also a big sports fan, so being able to work on the Beaver Stadium Zero-Waste Project was the perfect fit for me, and it set me up to creating my first business after completing my MBA :creating zero-waste programs for golf courses. Align your passion with your skillset and tackle those wicked problems. If you don’t, who else will?

Thank you to Travis Lesser for sharing his experiences with us. We cannot wait to see all that he brings to the Center for the Business of Sustainability, and are thrilled to welcome him aboard.