The Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at the Leeds School of Business and the SPIKE Center of Sustainability Education Announce Partnership
Carly Simmons
The Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR) within the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder has partnered with the SPIKE Center of Sustainability Education (SPIKE Center) to empower future sustainability leaders by funding four additional CESR Sustainability Scholars, contributing to 150% growth of the program for the 2026-2027 cohort.
The CESR Sustainability Scholars program supports Leeds undergraduate and MBA students with membership in a cohort of values-aligned business students, mentorship, and a financial stipend to enable transformational learning opportunities in sustainability and social impact. Thanks to the partnership with the SPIKE Center, these students will also connect with student leaders from across disciplines at CU through the SPIKE Student Emissaries Program.
Carly Simmons (BusAna, SupChnMgmt SRE'27), a 2025–2026 Sustainability Scholar, used her funding to enable her work at the Sunflower Seeds for Ukraine initiative, where she is helping convert solar panels into phone chargers and providing warm clothing for Ukrainian communities.
“Being part of the Sustainability Scholars cohort connected me with people who are values-driven and excited to think bigger,” Simmons said. “The networking alone has opened so many doors.”
The SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education is newly founded in Fall 2025 and seeks to accelerate the development of sustainability education at CU Boulder. It does so by working with students and faculty to envision the future of sustainability education on campus, and by supporting key partnerships such as the one with CESR. CESR empowers Leeds students to solve social and environmental challenges.
“The vision of the SPIKE Center is to empower sustainability across all academic disciplines,” said Max Boykoff, Faculty Executive Director of the SPIKE Center. “The business world is a critical driver of progress in sustainability, and so we are delighted to be partnering with CESR on this student-centered program.”
“Sustainability is a crucial challenge for businesses in the 21st century,” said CESR’s program manager, Katherine Ratledge. “Thus, we are excited to be partnering with the SPIKE Center to provide more transformative educational opportunities for Leeds students around the intersection of sustainability and business.”
“This CESR and SPIKE collaboration creates a dynamic alliancewheresustainability curriculum meets business acumen – turning classroom training into real world solutions.” said Vice Chancellor for Sustainability Andrew Mayock.