Morning Breakout Session
11:00am-12:15pm
(M6) Food & Employee Wellness– M
Businesses have integrated corporate wellness programs within their sustainability programs and within company culture. Providing healthy options ensures that employees learn about portion size and what foods are good for them and how to prepare them. Employees (and often their families) benefit and employers benefit from a more committed (and happier and healthier) employee. This breakout session will feature companies that have invested in corporate wellness programs and examines the impact a corporate wellness program has on creating a healthier workforce.
Lisa Bote - UW Health
Lisa Boté is the Manager of Retail and Catering Operations for UW Health and the American Family Children’s Hospital. She is responsible for retail strategy development and implementation, menu development and relationship building with farmers and local producers. She is keenly focused on using locally sourced products and sustainable practices to change the perception of hospital cafeteria food. Lisa leverages 20 years of culinary experience to effectively serve more than 6,000 guests per day in five retail venues.
Mary Larsen - Aurora Health
Mary Larsen leads the Advocate Aurora Health (AAH) system’s environmental sustainability initiatives, driving sustainable operations, green building and environmentally preferable purchasing best practices, community partnerships and AAH team member engagement. Mary’s extensive experience in healthcare administration includes nearly 25 years of leadership in hospital-based operations and enterprise-wide experience in supply chain and support operations. Mary’s key accomplishments include earning Advocate and each of its hospitals top honors in environmental excellence for ten consecutive years from Practice Greenhealth, the creation of an employee recognition program celebrating staff for exemplary demonstration of environmental stewardship and/or personal health and development of a green building and operations certification checklist for major renovations and new construction projects.
In 2018, she was appointed to lead environmental affairs and sustainability for the newly merged AAH system, which now includes legacy Aurora Health Care, effectively doubling the health system footprint. Mary currently serves as the vice chair for Vizient’s Environmental Advisory Council, Advocate’s group purchasing organization, and received a Sustainability Award in 2015 from Advocate Health Care for leadership and contributions toward the reduction of Advocate’s environmental footprint.
Scott Louks - Mercury Marine
Scott Louks has over 20 years’ operational experience in project management, manufacturing, engineering, quality and continuous improvement at Mercury Marine. Scott coordinates Mercury’s global sustainability efforts revolving around four key pillars: responsible consumption of energy, caring for the environment, product stewardship and quality of life. Scott holds a BS Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University.
The session will be moderated by...
Moderated by Taylor Weiss – Conference Planner, UW Madison
Taylor Weiss is a Senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Economics and Environmental Studies. She attributes her passion for the environment to the many years spent at summer camp where she was living on a lake, camping, hiking and enjoying the outdoors. Taylor knew she wanted to pursue a career in sustainable business practices after taking a course called “Challenges & Solutions in Business Sustainability.” Throughout Taylor’s education she has recognized the part business has to play in order to ensure stability for future generations. After graduation this upcoming Spring she plans to return home to New York where she hopes integrate her two majors by working on sustainability teams within big business.