DURHAM, N.C. – Beth Stevens, senior vice president for corporate citizenship for The Walt Disney Company, will speak to graduates of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment at the school’s annual Recognition Ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 9.

Stevens will address Master of Environmental Management, Master of Forestry and doctoral degree candidates and their families in a private ceremony at the Chemistry Lot on Circuit Drive on Duke’s West Campus.  

A reception at Duke Environment Hall, located at 9 Circuit Drive, will immediately follow the ceremony at 11 a.m. The Duke University Marine Lab will hold a reception for its masters and doctoral degree graduates and their families at noon at the Energy Initiative Central Atrium in Gross Hall on Towerview Drive.  

As senior vice president of corporate citizenship for The Walt Disney Company, Stevens is responsible for developing and enabling the implementation of the company’s environment and conservation programs. This includes the work to minimize the company’s footprint, conserve nature for future generations, and help children develop lifelong conservation values through nature exploration. Under her leadership, Disney has set aggressive environmental goals and targets, engaged employees across the globe on sustainable practices and launched major initiatives to connect kids and nature.   

In recognition of her pioneering work, Stevens was named a 2010 Rachel Carson Award honoree by the Audubon Society’s Women in Conservation Program.

In addition to her leadership at Disney, she serves on the boards of the Jane Goodall Institute and the World Environment Center, is past president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and is a past board member of the International Rhino Foundation. She received her bachelor’s degree in zoology at Duke University and studied behavioral physiology at the University of Tuebingen in Germany. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Biology.

A recognition ceremony for graduating students in the Nicholas School’s undergraduate programs will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Chemistry Lot. A reception will be held at Duke Environmental Hall immediately following the ceremony.

For more information about the day’s graduate and undergraduate ceremonies and receptions, including inclement weather policies, go to nicholas.duke.edu/upcoming-events/2015graduation.