Melanie Nakagawa
Melanie Nakagawa | |
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Education | Brown University (BA) American University School of International Service (MIA) |
Occupation | chief sustainability officer |
Employer | Microsoft Corp |
Melanie Nakagawa is an American attorney, former government official, and the current chief sustainability officer for Microsoft Corp. Her career began in Washington, D.C. as a part of various energy projects from the U.S. Department of State to the National Security Council. In 2023, Nakagawa was identified as a leader in the climate crisis.[1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]Melanie Nakagawa attended Brown University. Nakagawa has a Juris Doctor degree as well as a masters in international affairs from American University, Washington, DC.[3][4]
Career
[edit]Nakagawa's career began as Energy and Environment Counsel on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee for Chairman John F. Kerry.[2] She reviewed issues of energy security, climate change, and environmental issues as well as developed policy recommendations and drafted legislation. Afterwards, she followed Secretary Kerry as a part of his Policy Planning Staff in the United States Department of State.[5] In this role, she continued her policy development, noting in one instance that the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) would be a good investment for USAID projects. She highlighted that gender was tied closely to these initiatives, where the impacts of climate change are compounded by inequity for many women.[6]
Microsoft chief sustainability officer
[edit]Nakagawa joined Microsoft as their chief sustainability office in January 2023.[7][2]
Publications
[edit]- Nakagawa, Melanie. "The Millennium Challenge Account: A Critical Look at the Newly Focused Development Approach and its Potential Impact on the U.S Agency for International Development." Sustainable Development Law & Policy, Fall 2005, 13–19, 76–77.
References
[edit]- ^ Boudreau, Catherine. "Women in Climate Leadership: Meet 10 leaders who refuse to let the climate crisis go unchecked". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ a b c Slavin, Terry; Luckhurst, Karen (2023-03-07). "Twenty-five trailblazing women leading the fight against climate change". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Melanie Nakagawa, Michael Marino". The New York Times. 2012-05-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ "Melanie Nakagawa". Columbia | School of International and Public Affairs. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- ^ "Nakagawa, Melanie". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Borenstein, Donald (2014-05-30). "Melanie Nakagawa on Integrating Gender Into REDD+ at the Department of State and USAID". New Security Beat. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Stiffler, Lisa (2022-12-15). "Microsoft's new chief sustainability officer will draw on skills from White House, VC and law background". GeekWire. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
Further reading
[edit]- Peters, Adele. "A day in the life of a chief sustainability officer: Q&A with Microsoft's Melanie Nakagawa". Fast Company. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- Jackson, Anna-Louise Jackson. "Environmental risks will loom large by 2034. Davos leaders still see reason for optimism". Fast Company. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- Cleveland-Peck, Perry. "Microsoft Wrestles With Rising Emissions From AI Ahead of Its 2030 Carbon-Negative Goal". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
- Vanham, Peter. "The promise and peril of Microsoft's ESG policy plays". Fortune. Retrieved 2024-08-16.