Dr. Dan Vermeer
Dan leads Duke University’s Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE) and consults with leading companies and organizations on a broad range of sustainability topics. His focus areas include water management, risk assessment, and business innovation.
Background
Dan is a leading scholar and consultant on business and environmental sustainability. Dan is an Associate Professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where he leads the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE). He has worked with leading companies and organizations including Google, Walmart, Nike, Duke Energy, General Motors, Shell, FedEx, World Wildlife Fund, Business for Social Responsibility, and the UN Global Compact.
Prior to joining Duke, Dan led the Global Water Initiative at Coca Cola. He founded the Company’s Community Water Partnerships program resulting in over 500 public-private partnerships in 90+ countries and designed a new methodology for measuring business risks across Coca-Cola’s global manufacturing facilities. He is the founder of the Global Water Challenge, a multi-partner organization for innovative water and sanitation initiatives. Dan was trained as a cultural anthropologist, with extensive research experience in India and Nepal.
Expertise
Sustainable development
Water management
Business innovation
Renewable energy
Ocean sustainability/blue economy
Food systems
Perspectives
Co-author of the CEO Water Mandate (signed by more than 140 global companies)
Lead contributor to several policy documents issued through the World Economic Forum, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the United Nations Foundation.
Vermeer, D. (2019, August 12). “To create something better: Building a world where our children can thrive.” Duke Magazine, Special Issue on The Future.
Kross, K. and Vermeer, D. (2019, June). Climate Change & Business: What every MBA needs to know.
Vermeer, D. (2018, August 7). Three Reasons Companies are Being Proactive About Climate Change. Phys.org.
Vermeer, D. (2014, August 6). Environmental risk: crisis into opportunity. Dialogue Review.
Doyle, M., Spence, E., Copp, B., Kent, X., and Vermeer D. (2017, June). Environmental impact investing in real assets: What environmental measures do fund managers consider? Nicholas Institute.
Sitkin, S., Vermeer, D., and Kross, K. (2016, September). Triple Convergence: Talent, Strategy, and Leadership Disruptions in a Changing Utility Industry. EDGE Notes.
Vermeer, D. (2016, February 24, 2016). PowerShift: The Business Role in Addressing Climate Change. Video, Fuqua Faculty Conversations series.
Southwell, B., Ronneberg, K., Shen, K., Jorgens, E., Hazel, J., Alemu, R., Ross, J., Richman, L., & Vermeer, D. (2014, December). Energy information engagement among the poor: Predicting participation in a free workshop. Energy Research & Social Science 4, pp. 21-22.
Video (2016): The Business Response to Climate Change
Video (2018): Climate Change – How to Tackle a Wicked Problem
Board, Advisory Board, and other Appointments
The Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster
Conservation X Labs
Ingersoll Rand
SeaAhead
The Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS)
Degrees
Hope College, BA Psychology
University of Virginia, MA in Anthropology
Northwestern University, Ph.D. in Learning Sciences, focusing on organizational chang