CESR Impact Stories
As program manager for the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, Katherine Ratledge is a conduit for hope, empowering students to take meaningful steps to foster a just and sustainable world.
Backed by continued support from Breakthrough Energy, Boulder Climate Ventures will kick off its fall seminar series Aug. 21, with Fractal Climate's Alice Havill joining as Executive-in-Residence.
This year’s Impact Interns show how real-world work gave them the chance to put their business skills—and values—into action.
This year, CESR connected students with 58 industry leaders through bootcamps, treks, workshops, career conversations, and experiential learning programs. From corporate sustainability executives to climate tech entrepreneurs and investors, these speakers helped bring classroom concepts to life while preparing students to lead in a rapidly changing business landscape.
BCV is giving Leeds MBA students a hands-on opportunity to engage with climate tech innovation through real venture-building experiences. Through seminars and an incubator program, students apply their MBA skills to early-stage climate startups while developing the next generation of climate entrepreneurs, operators, and investors.
Meet Carly, a 2025–2026 Sustainability Scholar at the Leeds School of Business and a student who’s steadily transforming passion into impact. The Sustainability Scholars Program has helped her take her passion for sustainable business even further. With the program’s stipend and the connections she’s made through its networking opportunities, Carly has been able to pursue projects that create meaningful change. One of her most powerful experiences has been working on the Sunflower Seeds for Ukraine initiative, where she is helping convert solar panels into phone chargers and providing warm clothing for Ukrainian communities. Read more about her!
Former Microsoft sustainability leader Mark Kroese shared practical insights on innovation, skills and market-driven solutions for climate progress at CESR’s Sustainability Bootcamp.
This summer, CESR’s Impact Internships program supported Leeds student Charlie Tell to take an internship with a mission-driven nonprofit. Through the program, Charlie gained new insight into how nonprofits operate, how business skills translate into meaningful impact, and how his values continue to shape his journey.
This fall, when students from the Leeds School of Business set out on the CESR ĢӰ by Bus Trek, they were journeying into the heart of our state’s sustainability movement. From Aspen to the ĢӰ River, this year’s trek brought
Through CESR’s Sustainability Scholars Program, Wes Obmascik (Fin’26, SRE) discovered how sustainability could shape both his studies and his career. “I originally worked at a renewable energy developer during my sophomore year,”