University of West Georgia

The University of West Georgia McCalman Executive Roundtable met on Wednesday, March 6, to discuss the topic of community sustainability. Denise Quarles, Director of the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, facilitated the roundtable, a Richards College of Business bi-annual event, on Wednesday, March 6, in the Z-6 executive dining room.

The McCalman Executive Roundtable unites students, faculty and industry members for stimulating conversation. These groups meet every six months over dinner. Students and faculty sit at mixed tables. After dinner, experienced speakers talk about the night’s topic and then give challenges or discussion questions to each table. The roundtable sessions promote leadership, communication, equality and free discussion.

Quarles gave a 20-minute presentation about sustainability in communities, and then each table received a specific aspect of community living, such as water, transportation or air quality. The tables spent another 20 minutes discussing ways sustainability could be improved for their topic on a community level, after which each group gave a small presentation on their ideas.

Quarles works closely with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, trying to make Atlanta a top-tier city for sustainability. She previously served as the vice president for environmental affairs at Southwire, the leading producer of electric wiring and cable in North America. She has taught Operations Management part-time at the Richards College of Business.