Jessica Thurston
- jthurston@middlebury.edu
Jessica Thurston is the Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability at Paramount Global. She is responsible for leading the development and execution of the global media company’s ESG priorities across its operations and brands, from MTV to CBS Sports, and from consumer products to real estate and facilities.
Jessica’s professional background is in ESG and corporate sustainability strategy development and goal-setting, having consulted for major CPG, pharmaceutical, food service, and other companies. She began her career in sustainable procurement policy for the U.S. federal government. Her academic background is in sustainability; Jessica completed her Masters of Science degree in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, where she is now an adjunct lecturer. She teaches ESG-Aligned Corporate Governance and Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Strategy. Jessica joins Middlebury’s faculty to develop sustainability curricula and teach sustainability strategy.
Areas of Expertise
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Sustainability strategy and reporting
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Corporate governance
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ESG governance
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ESG materiality and regulatory compliance
Areas of Interest
Professor Thurston’s academic interests are in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) governance structures and practices, and the use of ESG as an organizational tool for risk mitigation and change management. She teaches students to drill into corporate structures and sustainability narratives and develop comprehensive strategies designed to mediate or remedy environmental and social externalities of their businesses.
Programs
Academic Degrees
Masters of Science, Sustainability Management, Columbia University
Bachelor of Humanities and Arts, Urban Design and Professional Writing, Carnegie Mellon University