Michael Chen

About Michael Chen

I’m a Sustainability Program Manager at Okta, driving ambitious climate action across our global real-estate operations. I lead programs in renewable energy, green building certification (LEED + WELL), waste & circular economy, and GHG data management making sustainability tangible and measurable across our offices and remote workforce.At Okta, I’ve helped us achieve 100% renewable electricity (via REC purchases), embedded green-lease language, electrified real estate, and secured LEED & WELL Silver certifications for our global portfolio. I also manage our utility, waste, and emissions data, working with assurance partners to ensure rigor and transparency. I\'ve built engagement through high-impact activations from scaling Earth Month and Climate Week to growing our Sustainability Employee Champions network. These efforts help make climate action part of our culture, not just our goals.Previously, I\'ve stood-up and led sustainability programs at JLL, Google, and Meta and has has a strong track record of corporate sustainability knowledge, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration.I\'m honored to be named one of Trellis’s 2025 “30 Under 30” Rising Stars in Climate. This recognition reflects my commitment to integrating sustainability into business strategy and scaling meaningful impact at the corporate level.As mentioned by the Dean of Hult International Business School (Ted Ladd),\"Michael Chen motivates, encourages, and inspires me, and the 400 students on this entire campus, to be at their very best!\"

Experience

1. Workplace Sustainability Program Manager

   Okta

   Oct 2024 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   Renewable Energy & Climate Goals Achieve 100% renewable electricity for all offices and remote work via REC purchases Source 100% social benefit RECs in the U.S. and encourage global adoption Integrate Green Lease language to prompt landlords to use 100% renewable electricity Champion real estate electrification and energy efficiency to achieve the Scope 1 and 2 SBTsLEED & WELL Certifications Oversee LEED and WELL Silver certification and recertification across the global office portfolio Develop templates for streamlined certification tracking, submission, and ongoing reporting Guide the implementation of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring for WELL compliance Manage the annual Post Occupancy Survey to capture employee feedback for WELLWaste & Circular Economy Launch global waste audits to assess diversion rates and reduce stream contamination Scale compost rollout to direct-leased offices, including sourcing local vendors in new markets Establish Sustainable Procurement guidelines to eliminate single-use plastics and bulk purchase Implement universal signage and triple-stream bins to standardize sorting behavior globallyData Management & GHG Inventory Manage the collection and QA/QC of global utility, waste, and emissions data for the inventory Partner with third-party assurance of all data uploaded to the Watershed platform Secure monthly waste actuals from key offices, improving data accuracy over estimates Collaborate cross-functionally to collect essential utility data from landlords twice per yearEmployee Engagement Develop and execute employee activations such as Earth Month and Climate Week, extending the event for greater site and team flexibility with employees engaged Drive high employee participation through campaigns like the Sustainable Travel Quiz and virtual Bingo Cultivate the \'Sustainability Employee Champions\' channel to grow engagement throughout the year

Education

• University of Galway

  Study Abroad

• Willamette University

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Mathematics and Economics

• Hult International Business School

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Sustainability and Business Analytics