Presidian Blog

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with Melynnie Rizvi who is Deputy General Counsel and Senior Director of Employment, Inclusion, and Impact at SurveyMonkey. Melynnie holds a powerful role which includes leading both diversity and sustainability. We talked about her journey in this work and some of the important things she …

As COVID-19 rages around the world and antiracists agitate against police brutality, climate change remains the existential threat in the background. It may not always be the breaking news story or the latest viral video, as has been the case with the recent series of devastating wildfires on the West Coast, but its disastrous impacts …

In our Changemakers in Action series, we meet dedicated sustainability and social justice leaders and learn how they are bringing about positive change. We’re pleased to launch this series by interviewing PGS alumna Chandra Alexandre, Ph.D., CEO of Community Action Marin, the largest nonprofit human services provider in Marin County. Chandra, who received her MBA …

We regularly interview Presidio Graduate School alumni to learn how they are applying their degrees to address sustainability and social justice challenges in their lives and work. We recently caught up with Bay Area locals Tessa Rudnick (MPA, 2011) and Chance Cutrano (MPA, 2019) on their respective campaign trails. Tessa was most recently the IT …

The way questions are framed, the order in which they are delivered, and the tone of voice used to ask them are all part of the delicate art of asking questions. Good questions inspire change, challenge mindsets, and create bridges. As part of the PGS Consults team, my colleagues and I are tasked with understanding …

Each summer, the Presidio Graduate School team works on annual goals to take us through the next fiscal year to align with our top organizational goals and three-year strategic plan. Last summer, we created Presidio’s first official DEI workgroup, which launched a student advisory committee under the leadership of faculty advisor Donna LaSala. Last academic …

We recently caught up with Peter Glenn (MBA, 2011), who co-founded EV Life, a new startup dedicated to building a safer, more sustainable world. The company’s first audacious goal: helping to make it easier and cheaper to find and finance an electric car than a gas vehicle. (Full disclosure: Peter and I worked together for …

Presidio Graduate School has long equipped leaders to meet the increasing social justice and sustainability expectations placed on organizations. After graduating in 2019 with an MBA in Sustainable Systems from PGS, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely alongside consultants from PGS Consults to empower businesses in implementing sustainable solutions, whether our clients are seasoned …

As an institution integrally focused on sustainable business and management practices, Presidio Graduate School (PGS) has long recognized that the delivery model of its programs creates a paradox for the school’s carbon-conscious community. Reducing carbon emissions and virtual education Employing a hybrid delivery model designed to increase accessibility, classes meet in-person in San Francisco just …

Welcome Andrea Prebys-Williams We’re very happy to welcome Andrea Prebys-Williams as a new Adjunct Professor teaching the Civil Leadership, Diversity and Systems Thinking course this spring term. Throughout her life, Andrea has advocated for social justice, worker power, and community organizing. She has proudly helped to train and develop many incredible organizers for worker justice. …