Kathleen Klaniecki

About Kathleen Klaniecki

Strategic sustainability leader with 10+ years of experience driving enterprise-wide environmental impact reduction, regulatory compliance, and cross-functional alignment across global organizations. Proven success in developing and operationalizing multi‑year sustainability roadmaps, reducing Scope 1/2/3 emissions, elevating ESG ratings, and embedding sustainability into core business operations. I excel in roles where I work collaboratively with cross-functional stakeholder teams to integrate sustainability initiatives into the fabric of the organization and drive the strategic ESG agenda at scale. About me- 10+ years experience building scalable sustainability programs and policies for organizations- Skilled in GHG accounting, ESG and sustainability reporting, and sustainability strategy- PhD in Sustainability and MS in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management- Big picture thinker, emotionally intelligent leader, and collaborative coalition builder.

Experience

1. Corporate Environmental Sustainability Sr Specialist

   Chemonics International

   May 2022 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Reduced organizational GHG emissions by leading the development of a Net Zero roadmap aligned with near‑ and long‑term SBTi targets, coordinating cross‑functional teams to set reduction goals and map decarbonization pathways- Improved CDP score from ‘D’ to ‘B’ by benchmarking against peers, conducting a gap analysis, and implementing data transparency and policy integration initiatives- Enhanced compliance and procurement competitiveness by designing and executing an ESG disclosure strategy aligned with CDP, UN Global Compact, and U.S. regulatory requirements-Improved ESG data reliability and climate risk management by partnering with senior leadership and external stakeholders to identify KPIs and develop a data management process for annual tracking and reporting- Increased GHG inventory accuracy by conducting a materiality assessment, calculating Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and expanding Scope 3 coverage through data collection from 240+ offices,$400M in purchased goods, and employee commuting/travel records- Strengthened ESG data integrity by developing an assurance strategy, issuing and evaluating an RFP for third‑party verification, and preparing data for the assurance process- Strengthened executive support for sustainability initiatives by regularly presenting progress, risks, and opportunities to senior leadership, the CEO, and the Board- Delivered cost‑effective sustainability outcomes by managing the sustainability budget and $150K+ in contracts, procuring GHG accounting software and services to enhance inventory accuracy and forecasting capabilities- Embedded sustainability into core business processes by collaborating with cross-functional partners to improve data quality and support achievement of organizational climate goals- Advanced industry positioning by engaging with trade associations and industry groups to guide research, share best practices, and inform sustainability strategy.

Education

• The University of Manchester

  M.Sc., Environmental Science, Policy & Management

• Central European University

  M.Sc., Environmental Science, Policy & Management

• Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences

  Environmental Studies, Political Science

• MESPOM - Joint Masters Programme in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management

  M.Sc., Environmental Science, Policy and Management

• Linfield University

  B.S., Environmental Studies, Political Science

• Lund University

  M.Sc., Environmental Science, Policy & Management

• Leuphana University of Lüneburg

  PhD, Sustainability Science