Professor Michael Greenstone runs the Energy Policy Institute at The University of Chicago and also serves as their Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics. A former member of The White House Council of Economic Advisors, he is the nation's foremost expert on the costs of climate change, and he has quietly been building a new market-based solution to it, called Carbon Vault.

On the behalf of corporations and foundations, Carbon Vault buys and holds carbon pollution permits in California, New England and Europe to limit the supply available to polluters. Since these states and regions limit the total number of permits available, every permit they retire into their vault means that one metric ton of pollution is prevented from happening this year.

Carbon Vault also supports removal of carbon emissions through challenge grants to innovators, as well as offering market pricing to anyone who can remove a significant amount of carbon pollution from the atmosphere.

Join us for this Earth Day discussion as one of the nation's foremost experts on climate change explains how business can be a part of the solution.

Juan R. Luciano is Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADM and the recipient of the International Executive of The Year award 2021. Join us on June 9th as Luciano highlights the company’s transformation into a global powerhouse in human and animal nutrition, specializing in a broad array of food, beverage, health and wellness solutions, from alternative proteins to probiotics and natural flavors. Luciano will dive deep into how the company’s commitments to innovation and sustainability have helped drive business performance amid a global pandemic.

During the initial phases of COVID-19, Luciano displayed exemplary leadership by prioritizing employee health and safety to successfully guide ADM through a period of significant disruption for the food and beverage industry. As a result of its preparations, ADM’s 800 global facilities have remained in operation and some even recorded record levels of production during the past several months.

Throughout, Luciano has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to solving global food challenges, whether it be addressing food security issues amid a global pandemic or reducing greenhouse gas emissions as climate change intensifies. His impact within and beyond ADM is helping to move the food industry toward a more accessible, sustainable and ethical future for customers and consumers alike.

In the spring of 2020, the nation and world wrestled with events that exposed systemic racism and police brutality. At that time, The Executives’ Club of Chicago brought you the first installment of “Moving from Discrimination to Diversity to Equity.” Our panelists spent time unpacking how systemic racism has long been present in corporate America. Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, our panelists spoke to what those championing work in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion were noticing, and presented action items that leaders could implement to move toward equity in the workplace, noting this move would be met with difficult conversations along the way.

Almost a year later, we bring back our panelists to address our progress as a community: what has stayed the same? What are the new challenges of widespread social unrest and how are we reckoning with white fragility, how can we restore faith in society after countless hate crimes across communities and what crucial actions must leaders take in this moment, a year later to ensure we don’t lose momentum in the fight for equity?

On May 25th Sabina Gebczyk, Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead, Ingredion Incorporated; Wil Lewis, Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer, Experian; Val Lopez, Partner, Hanold Associates; Xavier Ramey, Chief Executive Officer, Justice Informed and our Moderator Julie M. Félix, MSc, PHR, Senior Manager, Diversity Recruiting & Programs, Western Digital sit down to discuss where we are now, and where this work is heading in the years to come.