Climate Connections: A Duke Alumni Networking Night During Climate Week NYC

Join DukeNY, the Duke Climate Commitment, and Duke Alumni in Climate & Sustainability for a special evening to connect with Duke alumni—across all undergraduate and graduate schools—who work in the climate, energy and sustainability sectors. Launched in 2025, the Duke Alumni in Climate and Sustainability industry group aims to connect alums across these sectors to create a dynamic community for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration – helping members advance their careers, exchange insights, and spark innovative opportunities that catalyze climate action.

In addition to opportunities for open and structured networking, the evening will include brief welcome remarks by special guest Toddi Steelman Ph.D.’96, Vice President and Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability at Duke University. Toddi will share updates about how the Duke Climate Commitment is developing sustainable solutions to the climate challenge, and how Duke alumni can engage and support Duke’s efforts.

Special thanks to Rita Stephanz A.B.'83, P'15, P'17 and Clifford Chance for generously providing space for this event.

Dr. Toddi Steelman is Vice President and Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability at Duke University. She is the administrative and academic lead for the Duke Climate Commitment—a university-wide initiative to unite Duke’s education, research, operations, and public service missions to engage the entire community in the pursuit of climate change solutions. She previously served as Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment (2018-2023). An AAAS Fellow, she is best known as a wildland fire expert and has brought her expertise to bear in a variety of venues including the Royal Society (UK), National Academy of Sciences (US) and as an invited keynote speaker in Portugal, Canada, Germany, Australia, and the United States. She a past-President of the International Association of Wildland Fire. Her research agenda has focused on understanding community responses to wildfire, wildland fire communication and how communities and agencies interact for more effective wildfire management on large, interjurisdictionally complex wildfires.  The author of four books, Steelman has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, as well as opinion and editorial pieces in Nature, the Globe and Mail, The Hill and the Los Angeles Times.