The School of Professional Studies congratulates Senior Vice Dean Steven Cohen on being named a 2025 Notable Leader in Sustainability by Crain’s New York Business. This recognition reflects not only Cohen’s decades-long dedication to sustainability, but also the far-reaching impact of his work as an educator, adviser, and builder of community.
Each year, Crain’s recognizes executives advancing sustainability initiatives across the New York metro area, spotlighting “pacesetters who are propelling the city’s business community toward a greener future.” Awardees are selected for their impact on the industry, their commitment to sustainable innovation, and their engagement in community efforts such as mentoring and public service.
“We are thrilled that Steve Cohen has been recognized by Crain's New York Business as a Notable Leader in Sustainability,” said Troy Eggers, dean of SPS. “This honor is a testament to his unrelenting efforts—both as a mentor to current and future sustainability managers and as a champion for bringing sustainable practices into the mainstream of business.”
“I’m honored to be selected and reminded of the work that’s still ahead to integrate sustainability management into routine organizational management,” Cohen said. “As always, this recognition reflects the many hard-working students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the Sustainability Management program who make our community so strong.”
Cohen has had a long and distinguished career in sustainability, environmental policy, and public management. In addition to serving as senior vice dean, he is the director of the M.S. in Sustainability Management program at SPS and the Sustainability Management concentration within the M.S. in Project Management program. At Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), he is a professor in the practice of public affairs and director of the Environmental Science and Policy program. He also leads the research program on Sustainability Policy and Management at Columbia University’s Climate School.
A prolific writer and public voice on sustainability, Cohen has authored numerous articles on public management innovation, public ethics, sustainability management, and environmental policy; contributed op-eds to The Messenger and The Hill; and is a regular contributor to Columbia publications such as the Climate School’s State of the Planet and the SPS news blog. His forthcoming book, Sustainability Metrics and Management: The Path from Innovation to Routine, co-authored with William Eimicke and Guo Dong, will be published by Columbia University Press in 2026.
As an educator, he has taught courses on public management, policy analysis, environmental policy, management innovation, and sustainability management. As SPS senior vice dean, he has played a significant role in guiding the School through its transition into the age of AI.
Before assuming his leadership roles at SPS, Cohen served as executive director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University from 2006 to 2018. He also spent nearly three decades at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1977–2004) as a policy analyst, consultant, and member of the Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology. Earlier in his career, he was a Ford Foundation Fellow in Urban Environmental Policy (1976) and a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow in Public and Environmental Policy and Implementation (1978).
Read more about the Crain’s Notable Leaders in Sustainability honor here.
