Karen Weigert

Karen Weigert is an Executive Lecturer in the Department of Management at the Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago, where she also serves as Director of the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Graduate Program Director of the Baumhart Scholars MBA program. Her role integrates academic leadership with practical innovation in sustainability and social impact.

Her research and professional interests focus on sustainability, social enterprise, and responsible business leadership. She is deeply engaged in advancing climate solutions and cross-sector collaboration to drive systemic change. Her work emphasizes equipping business leaders with tools to integrate purpose and profit, particularly through education and policy innovation.

While no recent publications are listed in the provided text, her thought leadership is widely recognized through media features in the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, CBS This Morning, and as a regular sustainability contributor to WBEZ’s Reset. Her expertise spans sustainable urban policy, climate resilience, and ESG strategy.

• Former Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chicago
• Producer and Writer, Carbon Nation documentary
• Strategy Consultant, McKinsey & Company
• Executive Vice President, Slipstream
• Senior Fellow, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• Co-founder, Chicago Women in Green
• Co-founder, Greencorps Chicago Youth Program

She advises on leadership development and social innovation through the Baumhart Center, which supports the Baumhart Scholars MBA program for professionals committed to social impact. She has also been involved in grant-funded initiatives and public-private partnerships aimed at accelerating climate solutions and equitable sustainability practices.

Karen Weigert is affiliated with several key organizations advancing sustainability: she is a founding board member of ecountabl (a B Corp), a board member of the U.S. Green Building Council (promoting LEED certification), and an Illinois Trustee for the Nature Conservancy. Her work bridges academia, government, and the nonprofit sector to foster systemic change.