Sustainability Leadership Initiative (SLI)

Courtney Quinn, Ph.D.

Courtney E. Quinn, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in Leadership Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is the Founder, President & CSO of Nested Sustainability Consulting. She has worked in the field of sustainability and environmental leadership, consulting for businesses, non-profits, and governmental organizations and has taught in higher education for 15 years at Furman University and the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Dr. Quinn served as Furman’s Faculty Leadership Development Coordinator under a special grant from The Duke Endowment from 2018-2020. Courtney also has a deep interest in the role of Emotional Intelligence in our personal and professional lives. She teaches Interpersonal Skills for Leadership at Furman with a special focus on empathy. Dr. Quinn brings a deep enthusiasm for both the process and the outcomes of sustainability initiatives. Her goal is to help organizations make the transition from the industrial revolution to the sustainability revolution one of excitement, innovation, and ultimately, joy.

Andrew Predmore

Andrew brings extensive expertise in sustainability to Furman, having worked in both private industry and higher education. He most recently served as sustainability manager for Milliken & Company, where his work focused on reporting environmental, social and governance metrics, integrating life cycle assessment methodologies into Milliken’s business, and developing greenhouse gas reduction and climate mitigation strategy.

Prior to Milliken, Andrew was Director of Sustainability at Indiana University, where he was responsible for improving sustainability education and operations across seven campuses, serving more than 90,000 students. He led efforts to standardize waste and recycling at the Bloomington campus, created a cohesive approach to greenhouse gas emissions accounting, and developed an externally funded, climate-focused internship program serving cities, businesses, and non-governmental organizations across Indiana.

Andrew was previously a tenure-track professor of environmental studies at the University of Illinois-Springfield. In his academic career, Andrew has authored over 15 peer-reviewed papers on natural resource management and sustainability. Working at Furman is a return home to the Upstate, as Andrew is originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Ethel Bunch

Ethel Bunch is the Founder of Sustain SC. Ethel began cross-boundary work with both commerce and conservation as a consultant with clients like Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Lowcountry Land Trust, and Congaree Land Trust, serving as the liaison between corporation sustainability commitments and conservation efforts. She founded the Lowcountry's Business Engagement Partnership with Lowcountry Land Trust and expanded it into Sustain SC, a similar statewide model convening cross-sector stakeholders working together towards a strong economy and natural resource-based infrastructure.

Before this Ethel served as the Director of Advancement for EdVenture Children's Museum, Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina and Heathwood Hall Episcopal School. Ethel is wife of Bill Bunch, and mother of two wonderful daughters, Caroline and Claiborne Bunch — her most prized accomplishments.

Cynthia Davis

Dr. Cynthia Davis has been at the forefront of South Carolina's economic growth and development for decades. Since 2017, she led the Existing Industry program at the South Carolina Department of Commerce, a role she undertook following her 10-year tenure in workforce development and 15 years of dedication in the educational sector. While working in the public school system, Cynthia taught middle school science and math and served as an assistant principal at the middle and high school levels. Cynthia has developed collaboration with local economic development organizations and allied partners throughout South Carolina.