Abrams Climate Academy Explores Innovative Solutions

A new fellowship program is helping Northwestern MBA and graduate students address the urgent challenges of climate change. 

Thanks to a gift from University Trustee Wendy Abrams ’90 MBA and Jim Abrams, the Abrams Climate Academy will empower the next generation of leaders in business, science, engineering, product design, communication, law and public service to act on climate problems. 

The Kellogg School of Management will administer the academy in collaboration with the McCormick School of Engineering; Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications; and Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy. 

“This generous gift from Wendy and Jim Abrams advances Kellogg’s enduring commitment to sustainability and social impact,” says Kellogg Dean Francesca Cornelli. “The academy will help bring to fruition our work to shape sustainability-minded leaders poised to drive meaningful progress in this critical area.” 

Starting this fall, the academy will welcome fellows from across the University. The program aims to admit 25 Northwestern graduate students to its first cohort and scale the program to 50 students within three years. It will be led by a full-time director plus an advisory board of industry leaders and faculty from the partnering Northwestern schools.  

Students will be organized into interdisciplinary teams and paired with corporate partners to address those companies’ climate-related needs. Students also will experience field trips, internships and intensive boot camps, with a goal of engaging participants in yearlong projects that will immediately affect climate change. 

“We’re excited about the opportunity to create an interdisciplinary forum to find real-world solutions to the existential climate crisis,” Wendy Abrams says. Wendy and her husband, Jim, are co-founders of the Eleven Eleven Foundation, which is devoted to sustainability, education, health care and justice. 

A highlight of the academy’s calendar will be the annual Climate Action Summit, where student teams will present their projects to a panel of CEOs and other industry leaders. The summit will be part of the Kellogg Climate Conference, an annual student-run event that has taken place at the Evanston campus’ Global Hub since 2023. A prior gift from the Abramses funded the creation of the Climate Conference as well as climate-related case studies and MBA curriculum development. 

The Abrams Climate Academy supports the University priority of advancing sustainability. Learn more.