Meet our Advisory Panel: Christine Bader
Christine Bader speaking at TEDxMcMinnville about The Life I Want, Jan 2020. Photo credit: Liam Pickhardt.
Who are you?
I am a half-Filipina, half-white native New Yorker, currently living in Oregon wine country with my husband and young twins; proud author of The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil; and the grateful product of more organizations and experiences than I can reasonably list here (but a few: City Year, Amherst College, the Yale School of Management, Hunter College High School, The OpEd Project, and TED and multiple TEDx events).
What drew you to sustainability?
I’ve always been driven by a desire to understand how the world works and how different parts of systems fit together; so going into the corporate world wasn’t really about being in the corporate world—it was about understanding how business interacts with and impacts everyone else. Sustainability is at the heart of that interaction.
Specifically? After earning my MBA in 2000, I joined BP as a commercial analyst in Indonesia. I was crunching data related to BP’s purchase of ARCO, helping figure out how the new assets fit into the company’s portfolio. One liquified natural gas project was straightforward from a technical standpoint, but had some gnarly human rights challenges. Back then there wasn’t an army of corporate responsibility professionals to deploy; I put my hand up and expressed an interest in working on those issues, and the rest is history.
Why do you think diversity in sustainability is important?
The work of corporate sustainability practitioners is building bridges between our companies and the rest of the world. We can’t do that effectively if we’re not representative of that world. But it’s not just about our own effectiveness: It’s about equity. There are more than enough talented people who are not white and/or cisgender and/or heterosexual and/or economically-privileged and/or male to fill every sustainability leadership role there is; but the paths to leadership have not been paved for everyone.
What do you hope to contribute to the Diversity in Sustainability Advisory Panel?
On the “Sustainability” part: I’ve worked in the field for twenty-plus years and from every possible angle, including in corporate headquarters, as a consultant, supporting multi-lateral processes, on the ground in the field, as a writer, commentator, teacher, and more.
On the “Diversity” part: I am half-Filipina but pass as white, so have been privy to conversations where others assume that no people of color are in the room, and have spent a lifetime navigating my biracial identity.
So I hope to contribute my experience, as well as my training in coaching and motivational interviewing to help people in the DiS community find the right opportunities with the right organizations.
You’ve spent time in the corporate sector in sustainability and human rights, and are now focused on building a future of work that works for all. What is broken about the world of work right now, and from all your discussions – what needs to change?
“The demands of the modern workplace and the lack of supportive infrastructure (healthcare, value of caregiving), are such that even people like those in the DiS community, who care deeply about the world, have little time or energy to give to anything beyond the day-to-day demands of their jobs. This leaves our families and our mental health short of the time and energy they warrant, and precludes the sort of community and civic involvement that our world really needs right now.”
Eva Dienel is a fellow sustainability writer and twin mom who also left full-time work to build a freelance life that builds work around life rather than vice versa. We launched The Life I Want (thelifeiwant.co) together in 2019 to share stories showing how work can enable the lives we want.
Do you have a mentor? How have they helped you in your personal growth?
I have had great mentors over the years!
“The interactions that have helped me the most have been when a mentor shared stories rather than advice. When people dispense advice, they’re usually drawing a conclusion for you based on their experiences, expectations, and biases—some of which they might not even be aware of. I strongly encourage people to look out for when someone gives you advice that begins with “You should”; thank them and ask them to turn it into “I did.”
(I expanded on this in a LinkedIn post.)
What has been your proudest moment to date?
Every time my kids use some incredible new vocabulary word! On the work front: I’m still so proud of my book, which came out in 2014; I still receive emails out of the blue saying what an impact it had on someone’s life, either by providing a perspective or laying out a career path that they didn’t know existed, or by spelling out the tensions and challenges of their work that they hadn’t quite articulated.
What advice/quote do you most live by and why?
I didn’t choose to live by this E.B. White quote, but I find myself thinking about it a LOT: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
What development(s) have excited you most in the field?
The racial reckoning of 2020 has been painful and hasn’t by any means solved what ails us. But we are seeing companies commit resources to figuring out specific, concrete, impactful actions to address longstanding inequities. Most exciting to me is how the tools that the sustainability field has embraced for a long time, such as impact assessments and reporting, are starting to be applied towards social justice.
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future, and why?
My book is called The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist—of course I’m an optimist! I’m being a little bit glib: I am deeply concerned about the loud voices in our society that demonize and polarize and make collective collaborative conversations really, really hard. But the more I look for solutions, the more I find: Braver Angels, Citizen University, and Hollaback! are just a few of the organizations that have inspired me recently, with super practical and specific offerings that speak to what is most needed right now.
What’s next for you?
I’m chairing my city’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee, which is enabling me to connect with my relatively new hometown while doing anti-racism work, exercising my facilitation and leadership muscles, and geeking out on local government stuff (which I haven’t done since working for New York City government over twenty years ago). I’m continuing to prioritize time with my kids while they still want to hang out with me, and enjoying the slower pace of small-town living, which is allowing me to listen carefully for where my interests and skills overlap with what is needed.
More details on Christine at her website.