WNSF believes that integrating responsible, sustainable practices throughout organizations is key to building sustainable enterprises – and a sustainable future. That’s why WNSF welcomes participation from women in all parts of business including marketing, communications, legal affairs, human resources, finance, strategy, philanthropy, corporate citizenship and environment, health and safety. There are no formal membership requirements. To get regular email updates on WNSF activities, send your contact information to: info@wnsf.org.
Who We Are
Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future (WNSF), a 501 (c) 3 corporation, is the premier sustainability organization for women in business. Its substantive and highly practical programs featuring responsible, high-performance business practices, help businesswomen assume major roles championing sustainability.
WNSF works to achieve an important outcome -more businesswomen providing strong sustainability leadership in more organizations, demonstrably advancing companies’ progress in applying sustainable practices.
Our programs engage businesswomen in sustainability; advance women’s knowledge of sustainability principles and practices; and advance women’s skills in developing and leading sustainability initiatives in their companies. They are highly effective because they promote learning from best practices, including the formal sharing of how companies have achieved high performance by applying sustainability principles, as well as through creative collaboration and on-going peer-to-peer support.
WNSF reaches more than 5000 executive women annually who want to make a difference in their companies and the world – through regional in-person programs and increasingly, through web-based programming and communications. Anyone is welcome to attend WNSF programs – fees are charged for most events.
Recent Accomplishments
Since 2002, WNSF has held some 50 Peer-Learning Sessions, and since 2003, its flagship Annual Businesswomen’s Sustainability Leadership Summit in New York. Programs in New York, Atlanta, Washington, DC and on the West Coast have reached thousands of executives through sustainability education.
- The seventh annual Summit attracting some 100 executives was successfully initiated in 2007.
- Peer- Learning Sessions on critical sustainability issues draw more than 100 participants.
- BeST (Business Sustainability Training) workshops, to help companies accelerate sustainability efforts, are now available.
- A partnership with the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs has included a sustainability competition for Chinese businesswomen with winners from small, medium and large companies who were honored in 2009.
- wnsf.org has become a go-to source of information for executive women.
Leadership
WNSF has an active, committed and internationally accomplished Board of Directors.
Board of Directors
- Kathy Robb, WNSF Board Chair; Environmental Practice, Hunton & Williams
- Marlys E. Appleton, Vice President Market Risk Investment Strategy and Chair, Sustainability Steering Committee, AIG Asset Management Group
- Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, Board of Directors, Interface, Inc.
- Shelly M. Esque, Vice President Corporate Affairs and President, Intel Foundation, Intel Corporation
- Karen Flanders, Senior Associate, Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership
- Joanne Fox-Przeworski, Ph.D., Former UNEP Director for North America and founding director of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy
- Helle Bank Jorgensen, CEO, B. Accountability and United Nations Special Advisor to Global Compact in Canada
- Michele Kahane, Professor of Professional Practice, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy
- Louise Raymond, Senior Director, Global Corporate Responsibility, The McGraw-Hill Companies
Women's Network for a Sustainable Future 