New Executive Director Named to Lead Duke University’s Corporate Sustainability Initiative
Sept. 22, 2008
Contact: Dan Vermeer, 919-660-1966, daniel.vermeer@duke.edu
DURHAM, N.C. – Dan Vermeer, former director of the Sustainability Value Chain initiative at The Coca-Cola Company, has been named executive director of the Corporate Sustainability Initiative (CSI) at Duke University.
CSI is an interdisciplinary program designed to examine corporate environmental practices from the perspectives of both business strategy and public policy. It pools the academic resources and research expertise of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, Nicholas School of the Environment and Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.
“Dan’s extensive business experience at Coca-Cola, his training as a cultural anthropologist in Nepal and India, and his strong academic background make him the ideal person to lead CSI as its expands globally in coming years,” says William L. Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School.
Vermeer says, “I am thrilled with the opportunity to connect Duke’s world-class strengths in business, environment and public policy to the most urgent sustainability challenges of the 21st century. We are well positioned to be a force for positive change at a crucial time.”
At Coca-Cola, Vermeer directed company-wide efforts to integrate sustainability into Coca-Cola’s core business practices, including business planning, procurement, employee engagement, customer relationships, communications and brand positioning. He founded and led Coca-Cola’s Community Water Partnerships program, resulting in 125 public-private water sustainability projects in 50 countries. Vermeer also designed an industry “gold standard” Environmental Assessment Methodology, identifying risks and priorities at more than 800 manufacturing facilities in 200 countries.
He is the founder and chief architect of the Global Water Challenge (GWC), a multi-partner organization for innovative water and sanitation initiatives; co-author of the CEO Water Mandate, which was signed by several Fortune 500 companies; and lead contributor to policy documents issued through the World Economic Forum, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the United Nations Foundation.
Vermeer received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Hope College, his master of arts degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Virginia, and his Ph.D. in learning sciences from Northwestern University.
CSI’s mission is to develop greater understanding, through rigorous academic research, of the opportunities and limits of policies and strategies to create sustainable businesses. It actively works to link business practitioners, researchers and policymakers from around the world with Duke faculty and students, to leverage their shared environmental, policy and economic expertise.
In addition to its research and outreach functions, CSI coordinates curricular and extracurricular programs at Fuqua and the Nicholas School, including a joint degree program, certificate programs, and career counseling.
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Editor’s Note: For help reaching Vermeer, contact Tim Lucas, 919-613-8084 or tdlucas@duke.edu
