World Renowned Sustainable Business Leaders to Teach in Presidio School of Management Executive Program

For Immediate Release

SAN FRANCISCO (May 14, 2008) – Presidio School of Management, which offers MBA and executive programs in sustainable management, has appointed some of the most experienced and inspiring thought leaders in sustainable business as core faculty for its Executive Program in Sustainable Management, which starts this July.

Hunter Lovins, Gil Friend, Jay Ogilvy and Sissel Waage are among the Executive Program faculty who will work with senior-level professionals on the practical applications of sustainable business frameworks, tools and metrics. All are experienced business leaders who have worked with and consulted for major corporations and governments around the world. Their sustainable business expertise ranges from strategy, climate protection, energy policy and the environment to international development, scenario planning, management and leadership. Their courses will teach participants how to apply sustainability principles to achieve greater profitability and integrated bottom line results.

“Presidio is excited to have such distinguished and proven sustainability and business experts leading our inaugural executive program,” said Seyed Amiry, CEO, Presidio School of Management. “Our world-class faculty will share their expertise and innovative ideas in sustainability, leadership and organizational and financial performance with participants who want to learn from the best and brightest.”

Millennium TIME Magazine Hero of the Planet, Hunter Lovins has been instrumental in framing the sustainability movement. She brings to the executive program more than 30 years as a social entrepreneur and consultant to major corporations, the U.S. government and dozens of nations around the world. A founding faculty member for the Presidio MBA program, she was recently called by Newsweek the “green business icon.” She is president and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions and co-creator of the “Natural Capitalism” concept. Previously, she co-founded the Rocky Mountain Institute and led it for 20 years as CEO. A co-author of hundreds of papers and 11 books, including the landmark work, Natural Capitalism, Ms. Lovins travels the world advising private and public sector clients including Wal-Mart, Interface, Bank of America, Royal Dutch/Shell, the International Finance Corp. and the government of Afghanistan.

As a leading authority in sustainable business, Gil Friend is President and CEO of Natural Logic and brings more than 35 years of experience in this field to the executive program. As a systems ecologist and business consultant, he has expertise in business strategy and management, economic development, public policy and marketing. Mr. Friend is a published author and frequent lecturer on sustainability issues, including "The Natural Step" environmental management system.

Jay Ogilvy is a well-known business authority and scenario-planning expert who is expanding his role at Presidio to teach in the executive and MBA programs. Mr. Ogilvy is co-founder of Global Business Network where he advises Fortune 500 companies on strategic planning based on alternative scenarios and intelligence based on the global social, economic and political environment. He has taught at Yale University, Williams College and the University of Texas and authored numerous articles and books, including Creating Better Futures. Mr. Ogilvy received a Ph.D. from Yale University and was a Danforth Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow to Germany.

Leading Bay Area sustainability consultant and researcher, Sissel Waage, Ph.D., brings more than 16 years of experience in sustainable design, markets and payments for ecosystem services, community-based conservation and conservation-based development to Presidio’s executive program. A Fulbright Scholar who has worked in North America, Europe and Africa, she is currently consulting with Business for Social Responsibility’s Environmental Markets Working Group (comprised of BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Shell) and Forest Trends. She launched and directed the R&D program at The Natural Step, a sustainable business consultancy, and advised companies such as McDonald’s, Nike and FedEx Kinko’s on integration of sustainability into strategy, operations, reporting and philanthropy. Her work has been published in industry journals, and she has edited books such as Ants, Galileo and Gandhi: Designing the Future of Business through Nature, Genius and Compassion, and Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement.

Additional faculty equally distinguished in their fields will round out Presidio’s Executive Program teaching team. The program will also feature guest lecturers from pioneering sustainability companies such as Nike, HP and Interface as well as leading experts in climate, energy, carbon markets and policy.

Presidio’s Executive Program takes place over five months from July to November 2008. Participants will meet two days per month (Friday and Saturday) with weekly online sessions and podcasts throughout the program. For more information, please visit: www.presidiomba.org/certificate.

About Presidio School of Management
Presidio School of Management in San Francisco, California, offers innovative MBA and executive programs in Sustainable Management that integrate environmental, ethical and socially responsible concerns into every course. Since 2003, Presidio features world-class faculty members, bringing the latest in the fast-growing sustainable business field. Close to 300 Presidio MBA students and graduates earn practical experience working with businesses and organizations to deliver sustainable results and bottom-line value. Presidio School of Management is an affiliate of Alliant International University, accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). For more information, please visit us at: www.presidiomba.org.

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Lori Sinsley

Public Relations

Presidio School of Management

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