DURHAM, N.C. – Holly Emerson, a corporate sustainability professional with nearly 20 years’ experience at companies including Johnson Controls, Ingersoll Rand, and Trane Technologies, has joined the Nicholas School of the Environment as executive-in-residence for the Master of Environmental Management (MEM) program in Business & Environment.

Starting this fall, she will teach courses, foster networking opportunities, and provide one-on-one mentoring designed to give students the advanced knowledge and training they need to become leaders and innovators in the corporate sustainability sector.

“Holly Emerson brings deep expertise in corporate climate and energy policy, climate risk management, carbon accounting and benchmarking, renewable energy procurement and policy advocacy, and organizational management for environment, social and governance (ESG) optimization,” said Toddi Steelman, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School.

“Equally important, she brings a passion for sharing her expertise with the next generation and a talent for communicating complex concepts in easy-to-understand terms—qualities that make her the perfect teacher and mentor for Nicholas School students,” Steelman said.

Prior to joining the school’s faculty, Emerson helped develop and lead sustainability initiatives at numerous Fortune 500 companies, including as sustainability manager and analyst at Ingersoll Rand; enterprise climate impact leader at Trane Technologies; and, most recently, as senior director of global environment and social sustainability at Johnson Controls.

She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Nicholas School’s MEM program in Business & Environment provides students with the practical training needed to help organizations of all sizes and in any sector implement environmentally sustainable business practices. Students hone their skills and knowledge through solutions-based coursework, client-based consulting projects, and interactions with industry leaders.

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