Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and WCA Host 4th Annual Sustainable Business Conference Showcasing Student-Driven Solutions

For the fourth consecutive year, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University partnered with the Westchester County Association (WCA) to host its Profit & Purpose Sustainable Business Conference, a premier forum designed to advance a more climate centric and sustainable future in Westchester and beyond. This year’s conference also debuted the inaugural Profit & Purpose Actionable Solutions Competition, spotlighting student-driven solutions to real-world sustainability challenges. Held Friday, September 12, 2025 on the Pace Haub Law campus, the conference drew more than 100 changemakers and leaders from business, government, nonprofits, and academia to explore practical strategies for sustainable impact.

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The half-day conference opened with remarks from Horace E. Anderson, Jr., Dean of Pace Haub Law, Michael N. Romita, WCA President and CEO, and Professor Josh Galperin, Faculty Director of the Law School’s Sustainable Business Law Hub. Justin E. Driscoll, President and CEO of the New York Power Authority, delivered the keynote address, underscoring New York’s leadership in clean energy and the critical importance of cross-sector collaboration in meeting climate goals.

“Dean Anderson, Professor Galperin, and their team at Pace Haub Law understand the critical intersection of policy and business. The WCA is fortunate to have them as our partners in putting on Westchester’s sustainable business conference each year,” said Michael N. Romita. “With the federal government’s sudden pivot away from sustainability concepts and concern for the environment, getting state and local government working together with the private sector is even more important.

“Our partnership with the Westchester County Association reflects a shared mission to educate and inspire the next generation of sustainable business leaders and to invest in the ideas and innovations that will strengthen our region’s resilience and prosperity,” added Dean Anderson.

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This year’s Sustainable Business Conference featured four dynamic panel discussions that examined urgent issues at the intersection of policy, business strategy, and public health. Conversations ranged from how state and local governments are filling gaps in environmental policy when federal action lags, to strategies for navigating sustainability challenges in a changing political and investor climate, and the essential links between climate change and healthcare—highlighted by insights from major health systems in the region.

A highlight of the 2025 conference was the launch of the Profit & Purpose Actionable Solutions Competition, a special addition to this year’s conference designed to showcase student-driven solutions for real-world sustainability challenges. Following submissions from more than ten Pace Haub Law students, judges selected as finalists second-year SJD student Ayman Irfan, 2L Alexa Williamson, and Lauren Lynam, in her final year of Pace’s joint-degree program with the Yale School of the Environment. They presented their original proposals before conference attendees and an expert panel of judges including Professor Josh Galperin, Michael Romita, Angela Iraldi of Skanska USA Building, Mohita Sinha of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council Education Committee, Bobbi Scroggin of J.P. Morgan Chase, and Pace Haub Law alumnus Paul Adler ’88, Esq., SIOR of Rand Commercial.

Ayman Irfan received the inaugural Profit & Purpose Action Award for her proposal, “Private Environmental Governance and the Crisis of Underwater Noise.” Her presentation highlighted the hidden threat of ocean noise pollution to marine species and ecosystems. Her proposal outlined critical legal gaps and introduced an innovative “Blue Quiet Certification” system. This third-party auditing framework would incentivize vessels to reduce noise more swiftly than traditional regulatory approaches.

“Sustainable business law is an emerging field that demands cutting-edge, real-world solutions. Students in the Pace | Haub Environment Law Program consistently rise to that challenge, which is why we wanted to highlight their skills and insight for leaders in the field” said Professor Galperin. “The caliber of talent we saw in this inaugural Profit & Purpose Actionable Solutions Competition—creative, driven, and pragmatic—shows how the next generation of legal leaders are poised to shape the path toward sustainability.”

The conference concluded with a networking reception, providing attendees with opportunities to build partnerships and plant the seeds for collaborative action across industries.

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