Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society, will deliver the keynote address at the Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability’s conference, “Sustainable, Just, & Abundantly Wild: Effective Action at Every Scale,” on November 13 at Wake Forest University. The event, which is free and open to the public with required registration, will take place in Broyhill Auditorium in Farrell Hall, with daytime sessions in the Sutton Center.
Tiefenthaler’s keynote, titled “From Exploration to Action: Accelerating Impact to Meet This Moment,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tiefenthaler has led the National Geographic Society since 2020 and is the first woman to serve as its CEO in the organization’s 137-year history. She previously served as president of Colorado College and as provost at Wake Forest University.
“We are incredibly honored to have a visionary leader of Dr. Tiefenthaler’s stature return to Wake Forest to share her perspective on building a more sustainable and just world,” said Miles Silman, Sabin Center Founding Director and the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Professor of Conservation Biology. “The issues she champions at a global scale—from dauntless exploration to critical conservation—resonate deeply with our mission. We’re especially proud to showcase how our faculty and students are living out our Pro Humanitate motto, applying cutting-edge science to make a tangible difference right here in North Carolina.”
The conference aims to connect local and global environmental action, addressing topics such as ecosystem preservation and water quality improvement for communities in North Carolina. A session at 11 a.m. will feature Wake Forest Business Professor Pelin Pekgun and Nikki McCormick, Vice President of Partnerships & Impact at Second Harvest Food Bank, discussing food resilience and supply chains. At 3:30 p.m., Wake Forest engineering faculty and community partners like the Yadkin Riverkeeper will present on technology and data partnerships to improve water quality at High Rock Lake.
Tiefenthaler stated in a recent issue of National Geographic magazine, “Each of us can be a knowledge seeker, boundary breaker and changemaker for our planet.”
Scott Schang, interim executive director of the Sabin Center, highlighted the urgency of the event: “As the environmental challenges of our time grow in scope and complexity, the need for effective collective action accelerates. We must prioritize systems and relationships to ensure just and sustainable outcomes for people and place. This conference will explore how we can integrate scholarship, enterprise, policy and community to drive meaningful change.”
The Sabin Center brings together over 130 faculty and fellows from various disciplines to address environmental challenges, reflecting Wake Forest’s Pro Humanitate mission both locally and globally.
Media are invited to cover both the keynote and the conference sessions.
