Robert & Mary Neher Global Sustainability Lecture Series

Bridging Science, Society, and the Arts in the Climate Conversation

Mission & Purpose

The Neher Global Sustainability Lecture Series is the University of La Verne’s signature forum for bringing science, art, and community together to confront one of the most pressing challenges of our time: climate change. Each year, the series brings together voices from science, the arts, and public life to explore how people around the world are understanding, responding to, and living with a changing planet.

As we move further into the 21st century, we are called to approach complex problems in new ways. In the last century, progress often followed the model of the assembly line – each discipline focused on its own part, working in isolation, with the expectation that everything would come together in the end. Today, we recognize that the greatest challenges – climate change foremost among them – cannot be solved by partitioning them into separate pieces. They require us to build diverse teams around the problem itself, drawing on scientists, artists, policymakers, educators, and community voices to work side by side.

This lecture series embodies that shift. At its heart, it is about conversation and collaboration – creating a forum where multiple perspectives converge, where students see how disciplines complement one another, and where ideas can be tested, challenged, and reimagined. In honoring the Neher family’s vision, the series helps our university live out its mission: to be a Minority-Serving Institution that celebrates diversity of thought, prepares students for leadership in a complex world, and cultivates the kind of inclusive dialogue that real solutions demand.

Our Format

Each year’s program brings together three keynote experiences designed to connect different corners of the University of La Verne’s learning community.

Global Keynote – An international voice, often a community-engaged researcher, who joins virtually to share perspectives on climate challenges in their local contexts. These talks highlight the truly global nature of climate change and resonate strongly with our students.
	Creative Keynote – An artist, storyteller, or creative practitioner whose work translates climate change into cultural, emotional, and visual dimensions. Whether through photography, installations, or performance, these contributions remind us that science is only part of the story.
Campus Keynote – A distinguished scholar or leader whose work offers fresh insights into climate science, sustainability, or human–environment relationships. This in-person event gives our students and faculty the chance to engage directly with a leading voice in the field.

We believe this three-part model works because it makes the series inclusive and dynamic. Science provides rigor, global voices bring immediacy and inspiration, and the arts engage the imagination. Together, these elements broaden the conversation about climate change and make it relevant to all of us.

Past Speakers

A legacy of global thought leaders shaping conversations on sustainability, justice, and our shared future.

2025 – Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo, Dr. Jeremy Pal, and Maxim Shapovalov

This year’s program featured a dynamic trio of voices from science and the arts, each illuminating a different dimension of climate change. Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo, Bing Professor of Environmental Science at Stanford University, shared groundbreaking research on biodiversity loss and the cascading impacts of species decline on ecosystem health and human wellbeing. Joining virtually from Italy, Dr. Jeremy Pal of the University of Venice Ca’ Foscari reflected on his journey from Southern California to global leadership in climate science, highlighting his role as a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which collectively shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Complementing these scientific perspectives, National Geographic photographer Maxim Shapovalov invited the university into the lived experiences of Indigenous Arctic communities through his Beyond the Ice gallery exhibition, blending visual storytelling and soundscapes to reveal resilience at the frontlines of a warming world.

2024 – Dr. Jane Zelikova

This year’s program featured Dr. Jane Zelikova, a climate scientist and co-founder of 500 Women Scientists, whose work bridges ecological research with advocacy for equity and inclusion in science. Dr. Zelikova highlighted the importance of diversifying scientific leadership and ensuring that climate solutions are informed by a broad range of voices and lived experiences. Her lecture challenged the campus to see sustainability not only as an environmental imperative, but as a social and institutional one.

2023 – Candice Dickens-Russell

This year’s program featured Candice Dickens-Russell, President and CEO of Friends of the Los Angeles River, who leads major efforts in urban ecological restoration, environmental justice, and community resilience. She spoke about the transformation of urban waterways as hubs for climate adaptation, environmental education, and public health, emphasizing that sustainability begins at the local level and thrives through community engagement.

2022 – Andy Carrasco

This year’s program featured Andy Carrasco, Vice President of Communications and Regional Stakeholder Engagement at SoCalGas, who spoke about the evolving role of industry in advancing sustainability and energy resilience. He explored how private enterprise, public policy, and community partnerships can work together to accelerate clean energy transitions and address the environmental challenges facing Southern California and beyond.

2021 – Dr. Renée Comly

This year’s program featured Dr. Renée Comly, whose work bridges environmental issues with social equity and community engagement. Her lecture emphasized that climate change is not just a technical challenge, but a human one—requiring inclusive participation, shared responsibility, and public discourse. Dr. Comly invited the campus to reflect on how sustainability is shaped by the values, voices, and decisions of communities.

2020 – No Lecture Held

This year’s program was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the event did not take place, the pause helped shape the renewed multi-speaker format introduced in later years, reflecting a deepened commitment to inclusive and interdisciplinary dialogue.

2019 – Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

This year’s program featured Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, an Indigenous climate activist, hip-hop artist, and internationally recognized youth leader. Martinez spoke on environmental justice, cultural resilience, and the moral obligations of younger generations in the fight against climate change. His message underscored the power of youth leadership in shaping a sustainable future.

2018 – Marcus Eriksen

This year’s program featured Marcus Eriksen, a scientist, activist, and adventurer who co-founded the 5 Gyres Institute and famously sailed a “junk raft” from California to Hawaii to raise awareness of ocean plastic pollution. His lecture at the University of La Verne explored the concept of “plastic smog” and connected marine environmental science to social justice. By bringing this explorative, resilient voice to campus, the series underscored how sustainability work often starts in unconventional places — in ocean voyages, grassroots activism, and community action.

2017 – Dr. John Meyer

This year’s program featured Dr. John Meyer, a political theorist and environmental scholar, who explored how environmental ideas resonate in everyday life. His presentation, “Climate Change, Environmentalism, and the Resonance Dilemma,” examined how theory, meaning, and political possibility intersect in the broader public sphere, helping to establish the series as a forum for reflective and interdisciplinary inquiry.

2016 – Dr. David W. Orr

This year’s program featured Dr. David W. Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics (Emeritus) at Oberlin College and a visionary behind the Oberlin Project. In his inaugural lecture, “Dangerous Years: Education in a Hotter Time,” Dr. Orr challenged the University of La Verne community to rethink the role of higher education in a changing climate, emphasizing ecological literacy, civic responsibility, and institutional leadership.

2015 – Scott Russell Sanders

This year’s program featured author and environmental philosopher Scott Russell Sanders, whose writing explores the moral and cultural dimensions of sustainability. His lecture reflected on humanity’s relationship with the natural world and emphasized ecological responsibility as a shared ethical endeavor.

2014 – Elizabeth Kolbert

This year’s program featured Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction. Kolbert’s lecture offered a profound exploration of biodiversity loss and the human forces driving planetary change, inviting the campus community to confront the realities of the Anthropocene and consider new pathways toward ecological resilience.

A Legacy of Vision and Generosity

The Robert and Mary Neher Global Sustainability Lecture Series exists because of the extraordinary vision and generosity of Robert and Mary Neher. Their support has made it possible for the University of La Verne to bring world-renowned voices to our campus – from Nobel Peace Prize – recognized climate scientists to leading conservation biologists, innovative industry leaders, and internationally acclaimed artists.

Through their commitment, the Neher family has created a space where our community can engage in truly global conversations about sustainability – conversations that reach across disciplines, connect generations of students and faculty, and honor the diversity of thought that defines our university. We are deeply grateful for their investment in the future of our learning community, and for the legacy of dialogue and discovery that their generosity continues to foster.

Join the Conversation

At the University of La Verne, a federally recognized Minority-Serving Institution, we believe our strength lies in the diversity of our community and the conversations we create together. The Neher Global Sustainability Lecture Series is one way we bring those voices into dialogue, connecting students, faculty, and partners across disciplines to consider climate change from many perspectives.

We invite faculty, staff, students, and community partners to share ideas, suggest speakers, and collaborate on events that connect with Earth Week programming. If you have suggestions, recommendations, or would like to participate, please reach out to Dr. Víctor Carmona-Galindo (vcarmona@laverne.edu).

Each year builds on the last, and together we look forward to expanding these conversations as we prepare the next generation of leaders to meet the challenges of a changing planet.

Event Logistics – April 22, 2026 (Earth Day)

All events are open to the University of La Verne community and the public.

Schedule

Accessibility

All event venues in the Sara & Michael Abraham Campus Center are fully accessible.

•  Elevator Access: Elevators serve both the West Gallery (2nd floor) and Ballroom (3rd floor).
•  Ground-Level Access: The Quay Davis Executive Board Room is located on the ground floor and includes automatic door access.
•  Wheelchair Accessibility: All pathways between venues are wheelchair accessible.

Accommodations:
ASL interpretation and other accessibility accommodations are available upon request. To ensure timely coordination, we kindly encourage attendees to make requests at least two weeks in advance.

To request accommodations, please contact Dr. Víctor Carmona-Galindo at vcarmona@laverne.edu, who will connect you with the University’s Accessibility Services Office.