Women Leading Atlanta's Sustainability
Marianna Faloni is Founder and CEO of BoldImpact ATL and BoldImpact VENTURES, leveraging major sports and entertainment events like the 2026 World Cup to drive sustainable innovation, resilient housing, mobility, workforce development and community activation. A futurist and ecosystem builder, Faloni turns visionary ideas into actionable strategies that advance inclusive, resilient cities.
Tia Robinson is a Sustainability Expert, TEDx Speaker, and the CEO & Founder of Vertical Activewear, the first B Corp-certified apparel manufacturer in Georgia. She leads the charge in on-demand, waste-free production and travels nationwide educating others on the hidden complexity of fashion supply chains and how rethinking fashion choices can transform the industry.
Jennifer Chirico
Associate Vice President of Sustainability, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jennifer Chirico
Associate Vice President of Sustainability, Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Jennifer Chirico is an executive leader with over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, energy, circular economy, supply chains, waste, stakeholder engagement and finance. She develops and executes enterprise-level strategies for private sector partners, higher education and government. A published author, keynote speaker and educator, she brings global experience and measurable impact worldwide.
Michelle Wiseman is a sustainability consultant who connects people to move impactful projects forward. She previously served as Director of Waste Diversion & Outreach for the City of Atlanta, advancing partnerships, policy, and programs aligned with the city’s resilience strategy.
She has led innovative recycling initiatives that reduced contamination and improved operational efficiency through technology-driven solutions.
Dr. Quinta Warren
Airport Senior Director of Sustainability, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Dr. Quinta Warren
Airport Senior Director of Sustainability, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Dr. Quinta Warren is a Ph.D. chemical engineer, energy and sustainability expert, consultant, and business owner. She is the author of Energy and Sustainable Development and specializes in energy policy, power generation, data analysis, science communication, and advancing sustainable solutions, with deep experience across Africa.
Sandra Leyva Martinez is a results-oriented Sustainability Director and former Product Management leader who drives transformative change through scalable, sustainable solutions that reduce environmental impact.
She has led global sustainability strategy and decarbonization initiatives and builds high-performing teams that advance impact across operations and products.
The panel framed Atlanta’s sustainability leadership as a collaborative, systems-based movement shaped by women across higher education, aviation, fashion, circular logistics, civic engagement and entrepreneurship. Participants emphasized that sustainability is not one sector or one solution. It is a connected practice involving people, infrastructure, finance, culture, education and care. The conversation positioned Atlanta as a city with the talent, influence and visibility to model sustainability during a major global moment.
Participants consistently described sustainability as a system rather than a single issue. Energy, water, waste, finance, housing, transportation, fashion, education and community wellbeing were treated as connected parts of one whole. The most important nuance is that sustainability was not framed as a department or checklist. It was framed as a way of seeing how every decision affects people, resources and future generations.
Collaboration Is the Operating Model
A repeated theme was that no institution can deliver sustainability alone. Participants emphasized bringing together universities, airports, city programs, businesses, students, manufacturers and community partners. The “gumbo” metaphor captured the shared belief that the strongest outcomes come when different ingredients are combined intentionally. The caveat is that collaboration requires structure, patience and shared ownership. It is not enough to gather people in the same room.
Several participants described sustainability leadership as an influencing role. They often do not control every budget, construction decision, procurement process or operational team. Instead, they create alignment by understanding others’ priorities, identifying overlap and making sustainability easier to adopt. This insight is subtle but important: real progress often happens through trust, timing and translation rather than formal command.
Atlanta’s Global Visibility Is a Sustainability Opportunity
The panel repeatedly returned to the opportunity of welcoming the world to Atlanta. Participants saw the city’s airport, universities, apparel makers, sustainability ambassadors and civic organizations as part of a larger story visitors can experience. The goal is not simply to host a major event well. It is to show that Atlanta is a progressive Southern city with sustainability expertise already embedded across institutions and industries.
Participants connected women’s leadership to communal thinking, future orientation, soft skills, lived experience and the ability to navigate complex environments. The discussion did not reduce sustainability to gender but emphasized that women often bring approaches well suited to the work: listening, connecting, influencing and considering long-term impacts. The key point is that sustainability requires more than technical expertise. It also requires care, relationship building and the ability to move systems not originally designed around all voices.
The panel emphasized education as a foundation for change. Examples included student advocacy, city ambassador programs, consumer education around fashion, airport passenger awareness and internal stakeholder learning. Participants showed that people act differently when they understand how systems connect. This insight matters because sustainability cannot scale if it remains expert language. It must be translated into practical choices people can make at work, at home and in public spaces.
Sustainability Must Be Financially Credible
Participants tied sustainability to green bonds, business value, circular economy and the balance between financial and non-financial systems. This was not framed as abandoning values for profit. Instead, it showed that sustainability becomes more durable when it is tied to funding, investment and measurable value. The airport example was especially important because it showed how sustainability performance can unlock capital for major infrastructure.
The panel imagined Atlanta becoming known for sustainable fashion, sustainable aviation, circular logistics, urban forestry, civic education and campus leadership. The most compelling insight is that Atlanta does not need to copy another city’s model. It can build from its own strengths: cultural influence, transportation reach, higher education, manufacturing capacity, entrepreneurship and community networks.
The presentation positioned women leaders as accelerators of Atlanta’s sustainability future. Their shared message was that sustainability becomes powerful when it is connected, practical, inclusive and visible. Atlanta already has many of the pieces. The next step is turning that vision into coordinated momentum that the world can see, experience and learn from.
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