Sustainability-Inspired Successes with Dr. Jason Rohr

Introducing our first Sustainability-Inspired Successes speaker, Dr. David Rohr.

Hello everyone - and welcome. I’m Kelly Burton, a member of the Executive Board here at the National Sustainability Society and one of the co-chairs of our Programming Committee. I’m so glad you’re joining us today as we kick off a brand-new speaker series we're calling “Sustainability-Inspired Successes.”

This series is designed for members and non-members alike- because we believe the work of sustainability should be shared, celebrated, and learned from across every sector and discipline. And I truly can’t think of a more powerful way to launch it than with today’s guest.

But first, for those who are new to NSS, let me share just a little bit about us. The National Sustainability Society is a fast-growing community // committed to advancing integrated sustainability research and practice. We bring together scholars, practitioners, and changemakers around a vision of a future where all people and nature thrive with dignity.

If you joined us at our inaugural conference in Seattle last fall, you know how transformative that gathering was—over 600 participants, from every corner of the sustainability world, collaborating across disciplines to imagine- and design -  what just transitions and equitable solutions really look like. It was electric.

One of the highlights of that event was our connection with the Frontiers Planet Prize, a global award recognizing groundbreaking science that protects and regenerates Earth’s planetary boundaries.

And that brings me to today’s speaker: Dr. Jason Rohr.

Dr. Rohr is the Galla Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, and a 2024 International Champion of the Frontiers Planet Prize. He and his team were awarded 1 million Swiss francs for their groundbreaking work in Senegal, which uses an innovative, systems-based approach to combat parasitic disease while simultaneously improving agricultural yields, water access, and economic opportunity.

It’s the kind of success that lives at the heart of NSS’s values: community-rooted, interdisciplinary, and deeply committed to human and planetary well-being.

We’re honoured to have Dr. Rohr with us today to share the story behind this work and the ripple effects it’s already creating.

So thank you again for being here. Settle in, feel free to add questions to the chat as we go—and now, it’s my pleasure to turn it over to Dr. Jason Rohr.