Through the Eyes of a CEO: The Many Paths to Making a Positive Environmental Impact

Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend this special lecture by Jim Rogers, 2014-15 Duke University Rubenstein Fellow and former CEO of Duke Energy. Jim Rogers is an inaugural Rubenstein Fellow at Duke University, where he has spent the 2014-15 academic year teaching on energy and environmental issues, advising on the future of the utility sector, and mentoring students. Until December 2013, Mr. Rogers served as chairman and CEO of Duke Energy, which he is credited with building into one of the largest utilities in the world and the largest utility in the U.S. Mr. Rogers was a utility CEO for more than 25 years. While Mr. Rogers is well known as a businessman, he also developed a reputation as one of the most progressive utility leaders in the nation, particularly on issues related to climate change, energy efficiency and renewables, and environmental protection. Mr. Rogers has now turned his attention to the international stage, seeking ways to increase energy access in the developing world through low carbon solutions. Mr. Rogers began working on energy access for the world¿s 1.2B rural poor while CEO of Duke Energy through the Global BrightLight Foundation and has made it the focus of his next career. As part of the Special Lecture, Mr. Rogers will discuss his experience as a CEO and the ways in which he was able to make progress on environmental protection, as well as the challenges he faced in doing so.