Noelle Eveland

Chemical engineer Noelle Eveland came to Stanford GSB from the front lines of American manufacturing, hoping to gain a deeper knowledge of how businesses operate so she could infuse her work with environmentally sustainable industrial policies.

Inspired by her father, also a chemical engineer, her first job was at BP. “I loved working at an oil refinery. It’s organic chemistry meets chemical engineering. It was intellectually stimulating, fast-paced, and challenging,” says Eveland, who is pursuing both her MBA and an MS in Environment and Resources (E-IPER). “But I was starting to understand my place in the world and all the problems we were facing, especially with climate change and environmental crises.”

In her next role, at Kimberly-Clark, Eveland worked on the diaper manufacturing line. “The plant was fun and had a great culture. But every day, we were just pumping out more and more diapers made from virgin plastic materials. I knew all of those diapers were going to landfills, and I couldn’t sit with that. It was the same tension when I was at BP. I loved that job, but I’d go home at night and think about the impact on the planet. I saw the limitations of being in spaces where other people are setting the policies and coalitions. Being able to be one of the people who is pushing those constraints felt important to me.”

What was the transition to the GSB like?

I listened to a feminist podcast about why women don’t go into politics. The takeaway was that women are less likely to want to be publicly rejected. We hold ourselves back that way. So I thought about why I was not applying to Stanford. It felt like a challenge to try to do something really bold, and I worried that I might get rejected.

When I came to Admit Weekend, there were just so many terms I didn’t know. People would say they were in VC, and I would look them in the face and say, ‘I don’t know what VC is.’ There are institutions of power, and most people don’t know the driving forces. You have to learn to navigate those spaces, speak the language, and advocate for things you know are important.

What drives you?

Often, leaders go into leadership because they want to be somebody. It’s important to me that we have people who want to do something in the world rather than be someone. If you have skills and abilities, I feel there’s some sort of responsibility to give that to the world.

You said that in order to make systems-level change, one must understand the systems and who has the power to change them. How has the GSB helped you come to that understanding?

You can’t interact with power if you don’t know how it’s structured and who is behind the scenes. I took a class on board governance because I didn’t understand the role of the board of directors. Who are these people? Why are they there? What do they do and not do? How do I make these arguments about what’s good for the environment in a way that will resonate with them? As an engineer, all of those things were mysterious to me.

What attracted you to the role of Chief Investment Officer for GSB’s Impact Fund, and what have you learned from that experience?

The Impact Fund focuses on impact, returns, and educating students. As someone who didn’t have an investing background, I went from knowing nothing to feeling like I could do an internship or start a career in impact investing. That felt powerful to me. Having a chance to educate people who care about making the world a better place is a great way to amplify that power. Plus, I wanted to be a part of this community. The Impact Fund is where dreamers come together at Stanford to feel supported and not alone as an optimist who believes these problems are solvable.

You played varsity volleyball at Michigan Tech. What did you learn through sports that applies equally to your business career?

Volleyball is about supporting your teammates. It’s a game of momentum where it’s not just about who wins each point but how that point feels to your team. And that change in momentum from any moment can completely change the game. If you can be that rock for your teammates, there’s so much power in that. That translates into organizations — sometimes, the most important thing is to support your team. I’ve always tried to sense who needed a pat on the back, who needed encouragement, or who needed to be pushed. In volleyball, we always talk about the next point, because if you get hung up on what has happened before, you can’t be present to keep going to the next moment.

How do you balance the workload of pursuing dual degrees at Stanford?

The biggest challenge for me last year was carving out any space for myself. I love learning, so I enjoy being in classes. The MBA is stretching me in a lot of ways, and it’s one perspective on addressing environmental and climate issues. E-IPER stretches different portions of my mind. They reinforce each other and help me not burn out.

Your work with the Natural Resources Defense Council, as a SMIF fellow, focused in part on cement decarbonization. Why do you feel that’s important?

We need to build more infrastructure globally, and the projected demand for cement is growing. Cement is a reasonable portion of global emissions, about 8%. We know there are alternatives we can use, but none of them are perfect and ready right now. I’m focusing on spaces where I can use my skills: chemical engineering, manufacturing, policy, and business. I’m optimistic about the cement decarbonization future.

You’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about refrigerant leaks and their environmental impact.

Most of our current refrigerants are not depleting the ozone layer, but they are contributing to climate change. We’re trying to find refrigerants with lower global warming potential. We also need strong policies like the AIM Act at the federal level, and state-level initiatives, to force the hands of big and small companies to make a change. Refrigerants are everywhere, and there’s a lot of work to be done.

Have you had any helpful mentors along the way?

Two come to mind. The senior government R&D program manager for 3M encouraged me to lead the Climate Chapter. We organized speakers for the 3M community about climate change. I was a younger, newer employee, and some colleagues thought I was too inexperienced to lead this group. The program manager trusted me, encouraged me, and helped me grow. The role gave me an opportunity to interact with sustainability leaders and establish myself as someone who was passionate about climate change and had a vision.

Another mentor at 3M was a true partner. I came from a chemical engineering background and ended up in an environmental engineering role with global responsibility. Many people gatekeep their knowledge and feel threatened by new people coming into their space. The environmental manager supported me and never made me feel small. As a female engineer, I’ve felt small so many times. He believed in me beyond what I believed in myself and imparted me with his knowledge.

Have you had any instructors at Stanford who have been especially inspiring?

I admire my natural resources law and policy teacher, Barton “Buzz” Thompson. He’s had such a prolific career as a lawyer fighting for natural resources and still has so much care and patience for students and people who disagree with him. It’s great to just be in his presence.

Photos by Elena Zhukova