Integrating ESG into CSR
Discover how corporate philanthropy leaders infuse their community investment work with corporate priorities in environment, sustainability and governance (ESG). Leaders will discuss how they are adapting their strategies to address this need, among others. Then spend time in conversation with colleagues across the Midwest about your own CSR and ESG strategies.
What you’ll take away
- An understanding of environmental, social and governance (ESG) approaches in corporate philanthropy
- The opportunity to share insights with corporate peers on a variety of job-specific needs
- Connections to corporate funders in the Midwest
Who should attend
- Staff members of corporations and corporate foundations with philanthropic and sustainability roles
Speakers
Jessie Cannon, Vice President, Community Relations, Cardinal Health, Inc.
Jessie Cannon currently serves as the Vice President for Community Relations at Cardinal Health. In this role, she leads enterprise-wide Cardinal Health Community Relations efforts including corporate and foundation-funded initiatives and employee engagement activities.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Cannon served as the Director of Community Wellness Initiatives for Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Partners for Kids, the affiliated physician hospital organization (PHO). In this role Jessie was responsible for the development and implementation of initiatives that help to reduce infant mortality and improve perinatal outcomes, improve the connection between school and health services and improve the quality of life for children and families as part of the Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families initiative. In her work with Partners for Kids, Ms. Cannon was responsible for wellness activities and partnerships to improve health outcomes for children across a 34-county region of central and southeast Ohio.
Ms. Cannon has more than 20 years of public policy experience. She served as a consultant to the Ohio Business Roundtable on the development of early childhood education policy and directed a national collaborative of children’s hospitals focused on harm reduction in pediatric institutions across the country. Ms. Cannon has also consulted with state government clients on state budgeting and fiscal issues and assisted the Ohio State Medical Association and its members in the development of a health care reform agenda.
Ms. Cannon served as the assistant director of the Office of Budget and Management, the executive agency responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of the budget for the State of Ohio. As the assistant director, she led the development of the state’s capital improvement budget; development of the budget outlining the use of the state’s share of tobacco settlement dollars; and development of operating budget materials for the incoming administration.
Ms. Cannon has also served as the director of the state’s Family and Children First initiative, a collaborative effort between state and local governments, public and private agencies, and parents designed to streamline and coordinate services to children and their families.
Ms. Cannon also served as the manager of federal relations for the Ohio Hospital Association where she represented Ohio hospitals before Congress and federal agencies. She has also served as a human service analyst with the Office of Budget and Management where she provided budget and program analysis for the state’s multi-billion dollar Medicaid program and other human service related agencies and led an outcome-focused performance review of state activities and programs. She also served as an aide to the House Finance Chairman in the Ohio General Assembly.
Sonya Higginbotham leads as senior vice president and chief of corporate affairs, communications and sustainability of Worthington Enterprises. She is responsible for the Company’s internal and external communications, brand strategy, government relations and sustainability efforts, as well as philanthropic activities as president of The Worthington Companies Foundation.
Higginbotham joined Worthington Industries in 1997 in the corporate training and development department. In 1999, she was named community relations coordinator where she helped form the Company’s first corporate communications department. In the following years, she grew the department and her responsibilities. In 2007, Higginbotham was named director of corporate communications. In 2011, she was named to Business First’s 40 Under 40 list and in 2014 received Otterbein University’s Young Alumni Award for Professional Achievement. Higginbotham was named vice president of corporate communications and brand management in September 2018.
Higginbotham is active in a number of local organizations. She currently serves as vice chairperson of the advisory board for the Salvation Army and is a member of the Community Shelter Board. Higginbotham served on the board of Junior Achievement of Central Ohio for 10 years. She is past president of the Columbus Chapter of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries, past trustee of the Westerville Library and delivers Meals on Wheels to the elderly in Columbus.
Higginbotham is a graduate of Otterbein University with a bachelor’s degree in business & organizational communications and Franklin University with a master’s degree in marketing. She is married to husband, Carl, and together they have two children.
This program is part of the Midwest Partnership Series, a collaboration between IPA, Council of Michigan Foundations, Philanthropy Missouri, and Philanthropy Ohio.
