Sustainability and climate action have always been at the heart of Kogod professor of management Danielle Vogel’s work. With experience fighting for climate legislation on Capitol Hill and establishing an environmentally friendly business in DC, she utilizes her entrepreneurial know-how to benefit her community and, in turn, the world. Through her new roles as a Kogod professor and the assistant director of American University’s Center for Innovation (AUCI), Vogel wants to ensure that students turn their talents into meaningful work.
“I graduated from American University’s Washington College of Law in 2007. I chose to study at AU specifically because of the school’s focus on preparing students to maximize their social impact,” Professor Vogel said. “When the opportunity arose to return and teach classes at the intersection of entrepreneurship and sustainability, it seemed like the world’s most perfect fit.”
Vogel has been pursuing impactful climate protection since earning her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in Massachusetts. She worked in government for ten years as a policy advisor and environmental litigator. In the latter role, she supported the Department of Justice in enforcing the Clean Air Act while pushing for further efforts to protect the planet.
After nearly a decade without real, comprehensive action from Congress on climate change, however, Vogel became disheartened and wondered if her efforts were better utilized elsewhere.