On Tuesday, April 25, 2017 Michael Kinstlick, MBA,  and former Head of Standards Setting of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) spoke to a large audience from UVM, and other local colleges, about the mission of the SASB to develop and disseminate sustainable accounting standards. After his talk he took questions from the crowd.

Student Hannah Averill stated "I really enjoyed hearing from Michael Kinstlick of the SASB because he gave us insight on a topic of accounting that I was not familiar with until this semester. I like the idea of holding companies accountable for their impact on the environment. I think his talk really fit into our coursework for Capstone, as well as the UVM community." 

Mr. Kinstlick has long been involved in the research, analytics, consultation, codification and maintenance of the SASB standards.

Another attendee MAcc student, Brian Cuseo, said "Michael Kinstlick’s presentation was helpful to round out our classroom study of sustainability accounting standards. While exploring the standards and how to apply them in class, several questions arose regarding the motivation for companies to adopt them, and the value they might bring to the financial services landscape. Mr. Kinstlick provided an insider’s perspective into why investors and other stakeholders want to adopt such standards, especially on a voluntary basis."  

He continued "He was honest about some of the challenges that the SASB is currently facing regarding widespread adoption and other long-term goals. I appreciated how his perspective of the SASB's work offered more for us students to consider when developing our own opinions about the viability and value of sustainable financial reporting."

Stephanie Preter was also impressed, she said "It was very rewarding listening to Michael Kinstlick speak, as I was able to apply all of the SASB knowledge I've gained from the MAcc capstone course to understand in great depth what Mr. Kinstlick was referencing during his speech. I was even able to ask him a couple of questions, and our correspondence further enhanced my ability to understand the future implications of the standards on corporate social responsibility reporting."   Klinstlick's career has included nearly a decade at quantitative equities firm AXA Rosenberg and as founding CEO of Coppersea Distilling, a field to glass farm distillery in New York’s Hudson Valley. He graduated from Columbia University with degrees in Economics and Philosophy as well as an MBA from UC Berkley and an MS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern.