Source: Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Press Release, November 2, 2011.
The Bainbridge Graduate Institute, a pioneer in offering Sustainable MBA programs, is launching a certificate program in Sustainable Food and Agriculture taught by industry leaders Tony D’Onofrio MBA and BGI Dean John Gardner PhD. This sector has drastic impact on society’s sustenance and the supply chain providing food, feed, fiber, and fuel. A twelve credit graduate certification, this program will equip working professionals with the knowledge and tools to spur innovation and creativity in the design and operation of businesses that pursue a more sustainable food and agricultural system.
The Sustainable Food and Agriculture Certificate offers an integrated examination of food systems in the US and globally, and examines business opportunities at a broad range of scale, including hyper-local, local, regional, national, and global. The program includes an in-depth practicum, in which students develop and present an entrepreneurial opportunity as a new business or transformational change in an existing business.
Representing an emphasis on whole-systems and the entire supply chain, this program is led by instructors whose careers represent expertise at both ends of the food chain. BGI Dean, John Gardner PhD, brings experience from serving at five land grant universities. He has been a researcher, administrator, teacher, and entrepreneur in mid-west US agriculture and offers extensive knowledge and experience in large-scale farming and ranching, certification systems, food processing, and global marketing of food ingredients and agri-industrial products. Co-instructor Tony D’Onofrio is a Certified Executive Chef and was a regional corporate chef in the food service and restaurant industry. Tony earned his MBA from BGI and currently serves as the Sustainability Director for Town & Country Markets, a progressive chain of Puget Sound retail grocery outlets. D’Onofrio also serves on the Board of the Puget Sound Regional Food Policy Council.
Starting winter 2012, the Food and Agriculture Certificate program will be offered at the Seattle Learning Site, conveniently located in downtown Seattle. This program will be taught in a hybrid format, using monthly face-to-face “intensive” experiences, combined with both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning between sessions incorporating a variety of learning methodologies.
The Bainbridge Graduate Institute was the first school to offer an MBA in Sustainable Business. Founded in 2002, BGI offers evening and weekend MBA and Certificate programs that thoroughly integrate environmental and social responsibility into every subject of the traditional core business curriculum. BGI works to help other business schools become more sustainable.
Contact: Aly Tibbetts at admissions@bgi.edu or 206.780.6232.