Events

2024 Renewable Energy Conference

Monday, June 24, 2024–Tuesday, June 25, 2024
The Lubin School of Business, in partnership with The Business Council of New York State, Inc.and The Hudson Renewable Energy Institute, is pleased to share that the 2024 Renewable Energy Conference was again held at Pace University's Pleasantville Campus. The Renewable Energy Conference annually gathers experts to address the state's efforts to expand renewable energy generation, and related issues impacting the state's electric market and overall economy. It features sessions analyzing how state policy affects the competitive electric market, influences the development of renewable sources, and explores the role of renewable energy in achieving the emission reduction mandates of the CLCPA. Importantly, the Conference also evaluates current and developing state policies for the effectiveness and costs and looks at alternative implementation strategies. Hosted at Pace University in Westchester, the conference provides an exciting venue for learning, networking, and addressing crucial issues for individuals, organizations, and businesses.

2023 Climate Week Event

Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. EST
As part of Climate Week 2023, the Center for Sustainable Business facilitated a 60-minute virtual and interactive session, "How a Sustainable Mindset Contributes to Sustainable Living." Topics included:

• What does a mindset for sustainability look like? A sustainability mindset expands our awareness and intentions, leading to actions that create more sustainable living. Understanding our mindset helps us identify how we create and promote positive, sustainable living choices or allow unsustainable choices.
• How can we develop a sustainable mindset to create sustainable living and lifestyles, individually and collectively? Sustainable living means understanding how our lifestyle choices impact the world and finding ways to improve sustainable living choices. The theme of sustainable living is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4, Education, and SDG number 12.8, Responsible Consumption.

Facilitators:

• Dr. Isabel Rimanoczy, author and convener of the United Nations (UN) PRME Working Group on the Sustainability Mindset
• Steven Mezzio, PhD, CPA, former Partner at PwC, founder, executive director of the Center for Sustainable Business at Pace University, and UN-PRME Sustainability Mindset group member

2023 Renewable Energy Conference

Tuesday, June 20, 2023 and Wednesday, June 21, 2023
The Lubin School co-hosted the 2023 Renewable Energy Conference: A Leadership Forum on Energy Policy with The Business Council of New York State, Inc. and The Hudson Renewable Energy Institute. The event was held on the Pleasantville Campus. The aspirational goals established by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) have set New York on a path to green energy, but they aren't without significant challenges for businesses and consumers. It's time to explore how New York plans on achieving 70% renewable energy by 2030, a fully decarbonized electric generating sector by 2040, and state-wide net-zero emissions by 2050. The conference focused on the work of the Climate Action Council established under the CLCPA to implement the Act's mandates. Panels explored the ambitious goals for the development and deployment of offshore wind and solar resources, the reduction in fossil generation, and adding energy storage. How business, resident, and customer requirements will be impacted by CLCPA program roll outs was investigated by a panels of experts.

2022 Renewable Energy Conference

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 and Wednesday, June 22, 2022
The Lubin School co-hosted the 2022 Renewable Energy Conference: A Leadership Forum on Energy Policy with The Business Council of New York State, Inc. and The Hudson Renewable Energy Institute. The aspirational goals established by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) have set New York on a path to green energy. The conference focused on the work of the Climate Action Council established under the CLCPA to implement the Act's mandates. Panels explored the ambitious goals for the development and deployment of offshore wind and solar resources, the reduction in fossil generation, and adding energy storage. How business, resident, and customer requirements will be impacted by CLCPA program rollouts was also investigated by a panels of leading voices in the fields of energy, transportation, technology, academia, government policy, and business.

2021 Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association (AAA) - The 25th Annual Ethics Research Symposium

The Future of the Accounting Profession: Regaining the Public Trust
Friday, July 30, 2021

Moderator

Bill Miller, Professor, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire

Topics and Panelists

Corporate Governance: The Forgotten G Factor in ESG
Steven Mezzio, Executive Director Lubin Center for Sustainable Business, and Professor, Accounting, Pace University
Corporate Governance is the G in ESG, a core component of environmental, social and governance practices that should serve the public interest. Steve will address the G factor and its relationship to ethical decision-making in the context of organizational management, accountability and public trust implications that go beyond shareholder value to encompass a broader notion of key stakeholder value.

The Auditor as Whistleblower
Francine McKenna, Independent Journalist, Adjunct Professor of Management at the American University
Whistleblowers have been in the news, and everyone knows about how the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd Frank-Act's protections for regular whistleblowers promote the public interest and financial reporting integrity. But what are the special requirements and constraints for whistleblowers who are CPAs and internal or external audit firms. Francine will provide the highlights from the Botta v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLLP trial this past spring and other cases to raise awareness of the ethical and legal obligations of these whistleblowers and their firms or employers.

Auditing at a Crossroads
Steven Mintz, Professor Emeritus, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
The auditing profession is under attack for its failure to conduct independent audits and lapses in exercising professional skepticism that raise doubts about whether auditors are protecting the public interest. Audit failures at companies like Wirecard raise a red flag that auditors lack the professional skepticism to conduct an audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Steve will discuss one suggestion to tighten up audits, which is to operationally split audit and non-audit services to deal with the inherent conflicts of interest when providing both services to clients.

Socially Responsible Accounting - Protecting the Public Interest
Rick Kravitz, Editor in Chief, CPA Journal, Adjunct Faculty, Texas A&M School of Law
Absent an effective gatekeeping profession, no amount of regulation or legislation can protect the public. Rick argues that accountants, as gatekeepers, have an inviolate, unique and historical obligation to protect the public; especially today when multinational corporations are larger and may have more impact on global society than sovereign nations.

2021 Renewable Energy Conference

Tuesday, June 29, 2021 and Wednesday, June 30, 2021
The Lubin Center for Sustainable Business virtually co-hosted the 2021 Renewable Energy Conference: A Leadership Forum on Energy Policy with The Business Council of New York State, Inc. and The Hudson Renewable Energy Institute. The aspirational goals established by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act have set New York on a path to green energy, which may pose significant challenges for businesses and consumers. This conference brought together business leaders, environmental experts, and leading voices in the fields of energy, transportation, technology, academia, and government to discuss ways to effectively put New York and its businesses on the right path.