Each fall, the Ethics Institute helps host a symposium event, bringing together a diverse range of professionals to explore a relevant and timely topic. The event continues to grow and become more collaborative, reaching partners across campus to shape perspectives, educate our community and explore intersections of important areas of focus.
The Sustainability and Ethics Symposium was held on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, bringing together faculty, staff, students, practitioners, and community members to explore pressing challenges and bold solutions at the intersection of ethics, innovation, and sustainability. This dynamic and interdisciplinary event was hosted by the Ethics Institute, Center for Bioethics and Social Justice, the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, the Frank J. Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession, and the Office of Sustainability. The symposium explored ethical sustainability issues from a global perspective, highlighted current research topics, and showcased practices happening on the campus of Michigan State University.
Sustainability is more than an environmental concern. It is a comprehensive framework for shaping ethical, equitable, and enduring systems across every facet of society. From values to action, sustainable practices challenge us to think long-term, act with integrity, and prioritize the well-being of people and the planet.
At the heart of this symposium is a commitment to exploring sustainability not as a siloed discipline, but as a guiding principle for decision-making, leadership, and innovation in education, policy, industry, and community life.
Sarvesh Suri
World Bank Group Regional Industry Director for Infrastructure & Natural Resources in Africa, International Finance Corporation
Sarvesh Suri is IFC’s Regional Industry Director for Infrastructure & Natural Resources sector (INR) in Africa, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sarvesh is an Indian national and holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi University, India. He leads a continent-wide team of finance specialists, who develop and implement the sectoral strategy and business priorities on the continent, working alongside the country governments, private sector investors and development partner institutions.
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. It works in over 100 countries, providing financial investments, expertise, and advice to governments and private sector players, to create markets and support businesses in developing countries. Under Sarvesh’s leadership, IFC’s INR team is growing its business and impact in the region, and is launching initiatives to mitigate the critical, sustainable infrastructure gaps facing the region today.
What sustainability conversations are we avoiding—and why? This bold and timely panel opens up space for the tough, often overlooked questions shaping our collective future. From political tensions and shrinking budgets to the hidden environmental costs of innovation, “The Elephant in the Room” explores the complexities and contradictions that too often go unspoken in mainstream sustainability conversations.
Panelists from diverse sectors will engage in a candid, solutions-focused dialogue that challenges assumptions and sparks new ways of thinking about what it really means to build a sustainable future.
Samantha Gailey, Moderator
Assistant Professor, Forestry and Public Health
Michigan State University
Samantha Gailey is an 1855 Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Equity in the Department of Forestry and CS Mott Department of Public Health. Her research, teaching, and outreach are informed by a commitment to environmental justice. Gailey’s scholarship examines how inequities in access to neighborhood resources perpetuate health disparities—and how these place-based inequities can be addressed. Much of her work seeks to understand whether expanding access to green space, in particular, can serve as a tool to advance health equity, especially when combined with access to affordable housing, healthy food, and other, more fundamental resources. She focuses her research on mothers, infants, and children: populations highly susceptible to the salutary and deleterious effects of neighborhoods.
Alessandra R. Carreon, Panelist
Chief Climate Officer
Office of Climate & Energy
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, & Energy
Alessandra Carreon is the Chief Climate Officer. In this role, Carreon oversees the Office of Climate and Energy (OCE), driving action to fulfill the state’s mission to address climate change impacts as outlined in the state’s MI Healthy Climate Plan. Before joining EGLE, Carreon was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Public Service Commission as the first Asian-American commissioner in state history.
Carreon brings nearly two decades of experience in sustainability and an equitable clean energy transition, including environmental consulting, regulatory compliance, and corporate responsibility. Her extensive experience and passion for environmental sustainability, clean energy, and public engagement are at the forefront of Michigan’s climate initiatives.
Alessandra is a licensed Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Rice University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.
Elliot Smith, Panelist
CEO & Co-founder,
Motmot Inc.
Elliot Smith, PE, is a civil engineer and entrepreneur focused on tackling the nation’s aging water infrastructure. As Co-Founder & CEO of Motmot, he leads the development of an Autonomous Underwater Robot designed to inspect live, pressurized water main.
Elliot’s background includes six years as a municipal engineering consultant across Southeast Michigan, and he now works with utilities and partners nationwide to bring scalable, data-driven asset management solutions to the water sector.
Anjana Susarla, Panelist
Omura-Saxena Professor of Responsible AI
Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University
Anjana Susarla is the Omura-Saxena Professor of Responsible AI at the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. She earned an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai; a graduate degree in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta; and Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work has appeared in several academic journals and peer-reviewed conferences. She has been interviewed and published op-eds in several media outlets such as the Associated Press, BBC, Fast Company, Fox News, National Public Radio, NBC, Newsweek and Washington Post. Her research has been funded by prestigious organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH). She is a contributing writer for Forbes and currently serves as a faculty director for the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership (CESRL).
Keith D. Underkoffler, Panelist
Assistant Attorney General
Michigan Department of Attorney General
Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Division
Keith Underkoffler is an Assistant Attorney General in the Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Division. He represents state actors and state agencies in environmental disputes. Keith holds a B.A. in philosophy from Iowa State University, an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Alberta, and a J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law. Before joining the Department of Attorney General, he clerked for Judge Danny C. Reeves on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, the Senior Judges on the D.C. Court of Appeals, and Judge Jane Kelly on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He also worked in private practice at Honigman LLP.
What does sustainability look like in everyday campus operations? At MSU, it’s a practice woven into daily campus life, it means rethinking how we manage food, resources, and landscapes to create a healthier future for people and the planet. This panel highlights the often-unseen work of staff who are turning ethical commitments into tangible change, whether through greener dining practices, repurposing surplus materials, or cultivating sustainable campus grounds. These leaders demonstrate what it means to put sustainability and ethics into action.
Laura Young, Moderator
Assistant Director
Office of Sustainability, Michigan State University
Laura Young has spent over a decade fostering sustainable and resilient communities that benefit both people and the planet. With a focus on systems thinking and collaboration, she partners with diverse stakeholders to find common ground and develop forward-looking solutions to complex sustainability challenges.
At Michigan State University, Laura leads efforts to embed sustainability across the institution, developing strategies with partners to meet university goals and coordinating programs that empower Spartans to make sustainable choices. Above all, her greatest passion is mentoring the next generation of sustainability leaders– encouraging connection, curiosity, and creativity to shape a more sustainable world.
Katie Deska Radigan, Panelist
Education & Upcycle Coordinator
MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center
Katie Deska Radigan is the Education and Upcycle Coordinator at the award-winning MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center (SSRC), which transforms campus waste into educational, economic, and environmental resources. Katie leads Spartan Upcycle, the student-centered creative reuse branch of SSRC that fosters creativity, community, and sustainable habits.
Katie’s approach to outreach and education has led to a significant uptick in student engagement with SSRC since she started seven years ago. This impact is driven by and helps expand academic collaborations, a thriving upcycling community, repeat thrifters, and engaging events that showcase how, in the last year alone, SSRC kept over 13 million pounds of waste out of the landfill and returned $3.5 million in value to MSU through reuse, composting, and recycling.
Katie Fry
Collections Manager
Beal Botanical Gardens, Michigan State University
Katie Fry is the Collections Manager of Beal Botanical Garden. Since joining Beal in 2013, Katie has held several positions, all with the common thread of supporting our connection with plants. She recently led the garden's new collection plan that centers around people and plant relationships.
Katie believes in creating gardens that nurture belonging with each other and nature. She is an MSU alum with a Bachelor of Science degree in plant biology and a Master of Arts in museum studies.
Carla Iansiti, Panelist
RHS Sustainability Officer, Planning and Projects Office
Division of Residential Hospitality Services, Michigan State University
Carla has worked at MSU for 28 years. She started as a food Supervisor and worked her way up to the position of the RHS Sustainability Officer. She is the primary point of contact for sustainability initiatives within the Division of Residential Hospitality Services, demonstrating expertise as a dynamic, self-driven leader committed to advancing sustainable practices.
With a wealth of experience, she has inspired constructive shifts in behavior and cultivated a culture of sustainability through innovative campus programs with an adherence to industry standards. Carla embraces her role as a catalyst for change, prioritizing integrity and unwavering determination, leveraging collaborations to forge meaningful partnerships and foster cohesive teams across the university and beyond.
For the first time, all four of MSU’s Ethics Centers and Ethics Initiative came together to host the Professional Ethics Symposium on Nov. 11, 2024. The centers partnering to host this event together were the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice, the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, the Frank J. Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession, and the Ethics Institute. Together, they gathered professionals, faculty, staff, students, and community members to explore the convergence of leadership, ethics, industry, and professionalism in the workplace.
Highlights of the Symposium
Additional information can be found on the Broad College of Business website.
The Ethics Institute and the Broad College of Business Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, with support from the Office of Research and Innovation and the Office of International Studies and Programs, partnered with True Elements to host The Ethics and Water Symposium on Nov. 6, 2023. Together, they explored how C-Suite and Government leaders can tackle water management challenges while creating new opportunities. The symposium was dynamic and multi-faceted, much like water itself.
Highlights of the Symposium
The Ethics of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Conference occurred on Nov. 3, 2022. The featured speaker was JoAnn Stonier from Mastercard, who provided a high-level overview of the ethical issues and challenges she faces in her industry. Scholars from the MSU community also delivered five-minute flash talks to share an overview of their work in big data and artificial intelligence. Flash talks were organized into five thematic panels, with an integrative discussion closing out each panel, which explored various topics ranging from “Bias and Data Sourcing of AI” to “Societal Applications of AI and STEM.”
Highlights of the Conference
View the flash talk speaker abstracts to learn more about discussion topics.
The inaugural MSU Ethics Symposium, held on Oct. 14, 2021, helped further the goal of establishing an MSU Ethics Institute, where leading-edge research in ethical theory shapes global ethical practice and knowledge of ethical practices inform the further development of theory.
Highlights of the Symposium