ENSP Faculty Profile: Tonya Boone, Business School

Some of the hottest jobs in the environmental field are those in business management, so we are lucky, indeed, to have Tonya Boone as an ENSP program collaborator.  With a Ph.D. in Operations and Technology Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler School of Business, Professor Boone joined the Mason School of Business in 2000. Prior to joining the faculty of the College of William and Mary, she was a faculty member at the Fischer College of Business at Ohio State University.  Professor Boone has taught courses in Operations Strategy, Sustainable Business Operations, Quality Management, Systems Analysis, and Technology Management.  She has been actively involved in the College Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) program, and since 2007 has served on the ENSP executive committee.

Professor Boone draws on her undergraduate experience as an engineer in developing research projects. One stream of her research focuses on professional service environments—the role of experience, technology, and network relationships in supporting organizational performance.  Currently, Dr. Boone is working on several projects including: sustainable product design; service supply chain strategies; inter-organizational knowledge transfer; and diffusion of environmental innovations.  Dr. Boone's work has been published in some of the top academic management journals, including Management Science, Journal of Operations Management and Decision Sciences.

Professor Boone’s special topics course, entitled Environmental Consulting (BUAD 492), joins the ranks of Sustainable Commerce and the Seas, Sustainability & Green Supply Chain (BUAD 480), and several other environmentally-minded courses offered by the Mason School of Business.  In it, both ENSP and business school students act as consultants for local businesses, engaging them in projects dealing specifically with aspects of sustainability.  Businesses that participated in the course’s exchange include Aromas, Harbor Coffee, Morrison’s Flowers, and The Green Leafe, as well as internal programs such as William and Mary Residence Life and campus dining services.The class’s major components are twofold.  Using case studies of businesses – such as Ikea and Wal-Mart – students develop a better understanding of the consulting process and how to manage the consulting dialogue, yielding a positive experience for both the consultant and the firm.  

In her course, Dr. Boone also addresses how sustainability manifests itself in business settings and how businesses implement and manage sustainability projects.  Guest lecturers, such as speakers from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, provide valuable information on Commonwealth programs and policies, such as the Virginia Green Program that looks to reduce the environmental impacts of Virginia’s tourism industry, and the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program that acknowledges organizations demonstrating excellence in environmental management systems.   For the aspiring Business/ENSP double major, Dr. Boone’s courses and mentoring are stepping stones toward professional development…and green jobs!