Alumni Spotlight: Sustainability Management Alumni, Mark Wolf-Career and Executive Coach, CEO
Mark Wolf, SUMA Alum 2014
Sustainability Management alumni Mark D. Wolf is a career and executive coach, CEO of LavaFish Advisors (a sustainability consulting company), successful career changer, and founder and founder of the International Association of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) Co-chair New York Chapter. He recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from ISSP Global, the largest professional association of global leaders in the field of sustainability, in recognition of his leadership in establishing a premier chapter in New York City.
Mark has professional experience in the Fortune 500 company ecosystem, from highly technical and regulated industries to emerging vertical industries. In addition to working with executives one-on-one, he also mentored and mentored experienced and emerging sustainability professionals. Mark has previously led teams at Guardian, Castrol, Verizon Wireless and Prudential Financial; previously worked in advertising companies (Y&R, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi), and was a social worker before that.
He posted on Sustainable Banking and Finance Magazine And in National Advertiser Magazine Association. Mark is also the co-author of this book Thriving in the new business environment-why strategic supply chains are important.
What attracted you to pursue a master’s degree in sustainable development management?
After decades of very successful work, I realized that something important was missing. I feel dissatisfied, empty, and depressed. I find myself wondering if my existence is really important. The critical moment came the day after I buried my father (a highly respected psychotherapist) and Colombian alum. A former patient told me:
“Your father played an important role in the transformation and enlightenment of my life!”
His respect literally shook me to the core. It raises an urgent question, “What is my legacy? How will I make an impact?”
Soon thereafter, I left my position as a market research and strategy officer for a Fortune 500 company and spent a year thinking about what really matters. In that year, I reviewed what was important to me outside of my career.
I find that I am always active outside of work—for example, civic advocacy, serving professional organizations, purchasing a Honda Civic Hybrid in 2003, and empowering others around me to change their behavior to reduce waste.
This made me realize that I have spent my whole life serving others, contributing to the community and caring for the environment.
Interestingly, in the first three years, there was only one item hanging on my refrigerator door: the original advertisement for the SUMA project came from New York TimesAfter attending an information conference hosted by Dr. Steve Cohen, I realized that SUMA meets these needs, so I applied, registered and served on the SUMASA board of directors, and graduated in 2014.
What do you think is the most beneficial aspect of the SUMA program for your career goals?
My education has many outstanding features: I have the opportunity to learn about my New York “backyard” from students from 90 countries/regions around the world; educators who are engaged in professional education; and international students who speak on campus and in the classroom National and local experts.
I also found a gap in professional development in the project, and I think it is necessary to solve this problem-apart from LEED, there is no identifiable professional organization for sustainable professional development and contact.
Soon after graduation, I founded the New York Chapter of the International Association of Professionals in Sustainable Development. I currently serve as the co-leader; I currently provide industry certifications through LEED. Since our establishment, we have hosted more than 50 events through volunteer-led, self-reliant non-profit organizations covering a wide range of key sustainability and professional development topics.
What skills have you acquired through this program? Can you apply these outside the classroom?
When I started my Encore career, the most important skill was learning the language of sustainable development. This allows me to integrate highly developed (Fortune 500) strategy, leadership, analysis, promotion, coaching, research, and organizational skills into consulting and coaching practices.
As part of my current practice, I provide career guidance to experienced professionals with or without certificates, degrees, or previous sustainability experience. They have 10-25 years of professional experience.For more information on the next sustainable career plan starting on September 21, please visit www.sustainabilitycareercoach.com.
What do you think are the most important sustainability/environmental policy challenges?
The climate emergency is our most important challenge. Since the 1970s, science has been telling us that our current challenge comes from human behavior and has provided a road map for many actions that need to happen. Many people do not listen, or would rather kick the jar down and let others solve it; the actions needed to meaningfully address the climate emergency require difficult policy decisions.
Lolo (CC ’24) is a sophomore who plans to study architecture and sustainability. On campus, she is the co-communication chairman of EcoReps in Colombia and serves as the project liaison for the Morocco project of the Colombian Engineers Without Borders branch. She also participated in the people-oriented design organization “American Design” and volunteered with “Artists Reaching Out”.
