Renee Barker
Director of Circularity, LiquiDonate
📍Nashville, United States
Pledge 1% is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. What can companies do (or do more of) to have a positive social impact in the next 10 years?
Companies can lean into the storytelling side of sustainability and social impact. Perfection is the enemy of progress, and to move forward we shouldn't downplay how and why we support and build programs to have a positive social impact in our varying businesses. Companies should be proud to report climate and people friendly actions and goals and be transparent about their progress.
What’s the legacy you hope to leave for future generations?
I hope that folks see the benefit in listening to and providing structure for community organizations to voice their needs and have a seat at the decision-making table in tech. There is incredible value in fostering collaboration to build a more resilient and equitable future, and we cannot do that under only assumptions.
If you could choose one word to define your leadership style, what would it be and why?
Empowerment - building from a place of trust to guide folks to use their strengths to accomplish our goals, while always offering support and the capacity that we can work together to make it all happen.
If you could give one piece of advice to the next generation of women leaders, what would it be?
Build a strong network and always reach out for connection. We can learn so much from those around us, and I have found that vast majority of time that people are willing to share their learnings and perspectives to those interested in their work. Low stakes virtual coffees are a great way to reach out without a lot of pressure.
Looking ahead, what are you most excited about—whether in your professional journey or personal life?
In the short term - wow I am excited for warmer weather after a long winter! In the longer term, I'm excited to keep growing LiquiDonate and expand our impact. Systems change takes time, but I am confident that we can transform the retail industry to be more impactful, sustainable, and efficient -- at an even faster rate as we continue to learn from the needs of our current and future clients.
We can learn so much from those around us, and I have found that vast majority of time that people are willing to share their learnings and perspectives to those interested in their work.
