AASHE Conference & Expo 2026

Dr. Jane Smith has over 20 years of experience in cosmetic formulation and ingredient research.

Dr. Akpezi Ogbuigwe, the former Head of Environmental Education and Training at the United Nations Environment Programme, will draw on three decades of experience and research in transformational change in higher education in Africa, environmental law and policy, and sustainable development to show how the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present an opportunity for higher education to reinvent itself and to rethink teaching, research, and community engagement.

Dr. Paul Shrivastava, the Chief Sustainability Officer and Professor at Penn State University, will pull from his experience as the founding director of Future Earth – global research community working to develop the knowledge and tools that nations across the globe need to meet the SDGs – and as a scholar focused on organizations and the environment to highlight how Pennsylvania State University is rising to meet the challenge of the SDGs.

Climate Scientist; Chief Scientist, The Nature Conservancy; Distinguis...

Shevanthi Daniel-Rabkin, director of programs at The Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), will chronicle the growth in worker-owned cooperatives and show how these enterprises are essential to building a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Working to expand economic development models and practices that advance equity and broad-based employee ownership, Shev directs the strategy and growth of programs at DAWI. Her work brings together city municipalities, business advisors and capital providers to strategically advanced equity, broad-based employee ownership across large metropolitan cities around the country.

Aaron Tanaka, co-founder and director of the Center for Economic Democracy, will highlight the Boston Ujima Project, an inspirational model for the democratization of finance capital to create a sustainable economy at the local level. Tanaka is a Boston-based community organizer, economic development practitioner, philanthropic advisor and impact investor.

A leading climate futurist, marine biologist, and bestselling author of What If We Get It Right? , Dr. Johnson is known for her visionary work at the intersection of science, policy, and justice. As co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab and The All We Can Save Project, she is shaping a more hopeful and sustainable future.

Dedee DeLongpré Johnston is a seasoned changemaker and architect of new initiatives who has established and directed offices and programs across a range of organizations, from independent schools and global NGOs to U.S. universities. She launched the Office of Sustainability at Wake Forest University in 2009, driven by a deep commitment to empowering distributed, cross-functional leadership for campus-wide sustainability transformation. Her leadership extends beyond sustainability; she was a key member of Wake Forest’s pandemic recovery team, leading the Human Resources function for four years, and now serves as Chief of Staff to the university’s Executive Vice President/CFO. Dedee has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership and sustainability at both Wake Forest and the University of Florida. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration/Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California and an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio Graduate School. She has served on several boards, including the founding board of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), as well as local organizations such as the Piedmont Environmental Alliance and the Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem.