Faculty
Bethany Patten is the inaugural Executive Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Climate Policy Center–MIT’s “front door” to provide evidence-based climate research for local, state, national, and international policymakers.
Previous to this, she served as the Director of Policy and Engagement for the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative where she co-founded MIT Climate Pathways Project bringing together faculty, staff, and researchers to advance the adoption of evidence-based climate policy through top tier decision-makers. The project, which leverages the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator co-developed by Climate Interactive and MIT Sloan, has engaged over 12,000 global leaders in government, business, and civil society.
In addition to leading MIT’s Climate Policy Center, she is a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. Her work centers on the translation of academic research into real-world impact in the public and private sector. Specifically, she examines how institutions can best practice ethical political engagement, connecting with and educating leaders ranging from MIT graduate students to members of the United States Congress.
As an MIT Sloan faculty member, she teaches the action-learning based course Sustainable Business Lab (‘S-Lab’) and several MIT Sloan Executive Education courses. Elsewhere at MIT, she is a member of the MIT Climate Policy Working Group and sits on MIT Sloan School of Management’s Faculty DEI Committee.
Bethany is recognized as a national sustainability leader and serves as a board member and treasurer for the Environmental League of Massachusetts and board member of the Climate Beacon Project. She is committed to her community and actively serves on the executive committee and was a past president of Boston’s Bay Village Neighborhood Association.
Prior to MIT, Bethany worked for more than a decade in business and financial operations in the book publishing industry. She holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, a MPA at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a BA from Boston College.
Featured Publication
"Is It Easy Being Green?: MIT Sloan Considers the Opportunities and Threats of Sustainable Building."John D. Sterman, Ankita Kaulberg and Bethany Patten. In Case Study: MIT Sloan School Management Learning Edge, Cambridge, MA: 2020.
Featured Publication
"Climate-Related Financial Disclosures: The Use of Scenarios."Erik Landry, Louis Carranza, James R. Gomes, Henry Jacoby, Donald Lessard, Sergey Paltsev, and Bethany Patten. Cambridge, MA: November 2019.
John D. Sterman, Ankita Kaulberg and Bethany Patten. In Case Study: MIT Sloan School Management Learning Edge, Cambridge, MA: 2020.
A free, updated simulator allows users to visualize environmental impacts and better guide climate decision-making in their organizations.
Over 1,300 Sloanies and their guests returned to campus in early June to attend MIT Sloan Reunion 2023.
Bethany Patten thinks many businesses that take steps with eco-friendliness in mind might want to share their story.
MIT has offered a certificate programme in sustainability since 2011, and the number of students has mushroomed each year.
Demand for workers who understand E.S.G. will likely continue to grow, said Bethany Patten ...
For many companies, the topic of sustainability is at the forefront of business agendas. Consumers and stakeholders are demanding greater accountability from organizations, and the regulatory environment is becoming increasingly stringent. However, pursuing the environmental, social, and governance impacts of business is often met with tension. Leaders now need to manage the misconception within business that meeting sustainability goals means compromising profits.
This systems thinking course provides an intensive, hands-on introduction to system dynamics, a unique framework for understanding and managing complex businesses and organizations. Participants are introduced to a variety of problem solving tools, including mapping techniques, simulation models, and MIT’s “management flight simulators” to help them understand the sources of persistent problems and how business decisions may result in complicated cause-and-effect loops.
