Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

New Sustainability Leadership Program Aims to Create Visionary and Ethical Leaders

Tuesday, March 28, 2023, By Lyndy McLaughlin
Share
Climate ChangeCollege of Professional StudiesLeadershipsustainability

Climate change and environmental degradation are among the greatest challenges facing our planet. Humanity has solutions in hand to address the impacts of climate change, yet we are not making the necessary adjustments quickly enough. Sustainability leaders can help address these challenges by promoting sustainable practices and developing innovative solutions.

By taking a holistic approach to leadership, sustainability leaders consider the long-term impacts of their decisions on the environment, society and the economy. They are committed to promoting sustainable practices in their organizations and communities, and they encourage others to do the same.

In partnership with One Earth Leadership, Syracuse University announces a three-phase Sustainability Leadership Program. Phase I of the program is a two-part virtual session engaging participants in discussions facilitated by instructors Karin Botto, senior human resources business partner at Syracuse University and Hilary McManus, professor of biological and environmental sciences at Le Moyne College. Phase II is an in-person, on-site retreat hosted at Syracuse University’s Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake, New York, from June 3-6, 2023. Phase III is an additional virtual session to solidify the key learnings from the program.

Throughout the Sustainability Leadership Program, participants will:

  • Learn about climate change issues by connecting the dots between personal, organizational and planetary thriving.
  • Deepen self-awareness, personal well-being and resilience through learning a variety of contemplative practices aimed at mitigating eco-anxiety.
  • Develop and present SMART leadership goals for yourself, your community and/or your organization.
  • Engage with change management practices to support your leadership goals.
  • Experience a variety of peer coaching methods and professional mentoring.
  • Expand network of change-makers to enhance community engagement.

Upon successful completion of phases I-III of the program, participants will earn a foundations microcredential. Additionally, participants can continue to earn an impact microcredential by completing a portfolio review.

The registration deadline for the Sustainability Leadership Program is Friday, May 5, 2023. Interested participants can register online.

About the Instructors

Karin Botto, Woman smilingsenior human resources business partner at Syracuse University

Karin Botto has worked in higher education for more than three decades in areas such as leadership development, human resources, enrollment management, strategic planning, mission integration and faculty development. She currently serves as senior HR business partner at Syracuse University where she partners with senior leaders to shape, develop and deliver plans and strategy in line with the needs and priorities of the organization including organizational development, performance management, talent management, professional development, workforce planning and employee relations. She also teaches Individual and Collective Discernment in the Master of Business Administration program at Le Moyne College.

Botto holds a Master of Science in Training and Organizational Development from Saint Joseph’s University and earned a Doctorate of Education from Creighton University in Interdisciplinary Leadership. Her dissertation research focused on developing the ecological self for sustainability leadership. She was recently interviewed by Jesuit Schools Network about her research for the Ignatian Inquiry Podcast.

In 2015, Botto co-developed a leadership model published in the Journal of Jesuit Business Education (2015). She co-authored a chapter of Success After Tenure (2019) by Stylus Publishing and wrote a chapter of Women Courageous: Leading through the Labyrinth (2021) by Emerald Publishing.

Botto’s specialties include sustainability leadership, group dynamics and decision-making, leadership development, coaching and mentoring, management training, and integrating contemplative practices into one’s life and leadership. Her most important role is mother to Jack, Gwyn and Gavin.

Hilary McManus, Headshotprofessor of biological and environmental sciences at Le Moyne College

Hilary McManus is a professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. She teaches about the science of the climate crisis in the classroom and local community and aims to nurture the current and next generations of environmental stewards through hands-on experiences connecting with nature. McManus co-chairs Le Moyne’s Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee, developing a comprehensive campus-wide framework for a greener campus, and is also a certified executive leadership and career coach.

In 2018, McManus was selected as a participant in Homeward Bound, a global leadership development initiative for women in STEMM, which culminated in a three-week voyage to Antarctica with 78 other women from around the world. Currently, with over 700 women strong, the network continues to grow as an international collaboration of women scientists aiming to lead and influence decision-making as it shapes our planet. McManus is also a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps founded and led by Al Gore. She delivers presentations with interactive components that offer audience members an opportunity to brainstorm climate action items on the individual, community and policy levels.

McManus’s time away from Le Moyne is spent with her two sons, hiking, camping, gardening and sitting zazen.

  • Author

Lyndy McLaughlin

  • Recent
  • DPS Earns Accreditation From International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators
    Friday, June 6, 2025, By Kiana Racha
  • Rock Record Illuminates Oxygen History
    Thursday, June 5, 2025, By Dan Bernardi
  • What Can Ancient Climate Tell Us About Modern Droughts?
    Thursday, June 5, 2025, By News Staff
  • Blackstone LaunchPad Founders Circle Welcomes New Members
    Thursday, June 5, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Syracuse Stage Concludes 2024-25 Season With ‘The National Pastime’
    Wednesday, June 4, 2025, By Joanna Penalva

More In STEM

ECS Professor Pankaj K. Jha Receives NSF Grant to Develop Quantum Technology

Detecting single photons—the smallest unit of light—is crucial for advanced quantum technologies such as optical quantum computing, communication and ultra-sensitive imaging. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are the most efficient means of detecting single photons and these detectors can count…

Rock Record Illuminates Oxygen History

Several key moments in Earth’s history help us humans answer the question, “How did we get here?” These moments also shed light on the question, “Where are we going?,” offering scientists deeper insight into how organisms adapt to physical and…

What Can Ancient Climate Tell Us About Modern Droughts?

Climate change is reshaping the global water cycle, disrupting rainfall patterns and putting growing pressure on cities and ecosystems. Some regions are grappling with heavier rainfall and flooding, while others face prolonged droughts that threaten public health, disrupt economies and…

University’s Dynamic Sustainability Lab and Ireland’s BiOrbic Sign MOU to Advance Markets for the Biobased Economy

This month at the All Island Bioeconomy Summit held in Co. Meath, Ireland, it was announced that BiOrbic, Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy, comprising 12 leading Irish research universities in Ireland, signed a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Dynamic Sustainability…

Professor Bing Dong Named as the Traugott Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The College of Engineering and Computer Science has named Bing Dong as the Traugott Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. This endowed professorship is made possible by a 1998 gift from the late Fritz Traugott H’98 and his wife, Frances….

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.