Monica L. Nakielski

Monica L. Nakielski is the director of sustainability and energy, chief sustainability officer, at the University of California San Diego Health. Monica and her team are responsible for providing vision and leadership in the design and development of UC San Diego Health’s sustainability strategy. Her team works with UC San Diego Health’s senior business leaders, vendors and manufacturers, and community partners to align and implement the sustainability strategy and to create business, environmental, and societal value.

Monica has over 18 years of experience as a sustainability practitioner and consultant to Fortune 500 organizations, governments, institutions, and nonprofits.

Previously, Monica led sustainability as the VP of Sustainability at Advocate Aurora Health, was the NA Healthcare Practice Lead at Anthesis, a global sustainability consultancy, managed the sustainability program at MassGeneral Brigham (formerly Partners HealthCare), and served as the head of sustainability at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Monica’s influence extends beyond her executive roles, as she chairs the board of Habitable (formerly Healthy Building Network) and sits on the steering committee for The Chemical Footprint Project. Monica’s contributions garnered industry recognition, notably as a recipient of the 2022 Women in Sustainability Leadership Award. Monica is a published author on ESG, sustainability, communications, and driving actionable results. Monica holds an MBA from the Simmons School of Management, a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Certificate from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.