Jessica Yinka Thomas

Jessica Yinka Thomas is an Associate Professor of Practice and Director of the Business Sustainability Collaborative at the Poole College of Management, North Carolina State University. She holds an MBA from Duke University (2004) and a B.S. in Engineering from Stanford University (1995). Her expertise focuses on social innovation, sustainable business models, and stakeholder governance, with a commitment to leveraging business as a force for societal and environmental good.

Previously, she served as Managing Director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and led programs like the Business Accelerator for Sustainable Entrepreneurship. Her career includes roles in engineering, new product development, and economic development initiatives with organizations like CFED and Duke University’s CUREs initiative.

Thomas is actively engaged in promoting sustainability through academic leadership and public discourse, as evidenced by her contributions to the Finding Humanity podcast and VoyageRaleigh interviews. She leads the Business Sustainability Collaborative, fostering innovation in sustainable enterprise practices and stakeholder-centric governance models.

Her professional activities emphasize bridging academic research with practical business solutions, particularly in addressing systemic economic challenges through stakeholder-focused strategies.