Strategic Sustainability Leadership

Turning sustainability ambition into measurable business outcomes.

I help organizations build and lead sustainability programs, partnering with executives and cross-functional teams to strengthen governance, align stakeholders, and turn ESG priorities into decisions the business can act on. Ten-plus years across entertainment, real estate, and global operations.

Portrait of Cherita Young
My Story

From regulator to strategic leader

My career didn't start in a boardroom. It started in air quality permitting, learning firsthand how regulation, data, and accountability intersect. That grounding shaped the throughline of everything since: building the strategy, governance, and cross-functional alignment that let organizations lead on sustainability with confidence, not just comply with it.

Over the past decade, I've moved from technical compliance into enterprise sustainability leadership, advising executives, aligning finance, operations, legal, and facilities teams around shared goals, and building the programs and governance structures that turn sustainability ambition into business strategy. Strong data and reporting underpin that work, but they're the foundation, not the headline.

2013 – 2016

Environmental Compliance Engineer · Eastern Kern Air Pollution Control District

Built the regulatory foundation for everything that followed, advising industrial operators and government stakeholders on air quality compliance, and learning firsthand how policy, data, and accountability have to work together to hold up under real scrutiny.

2016 – 2019

Sustainability Reporting Analyst · Anschutz Entertainment Group

Stepped into corporate sustainability leadership, driving stakeholder engagement across global sports and entertainment operations, aligning operations and finance teams around shared environmental goals, and building the reporting foundation that made those programs credible.

2019 – 2021

ESG Reporting & Data Governance Manager · Alexandria Real Estate Equities

Led portfolio-wide ESG strategy and governance for a national real estate footprint, setting sustainability targets alongside property and executive leadership, standardizing onboarding for new acquisitions, and aligning investor-facing disclosure with business priorities.

2021 – 2024

Global Sustainability Data & Reporting Lead · Netflix

Directed enterprise-wide climate strategy and governance, uniting 20+ global teams across corporate and production operations and advising executives on climate risk and disclosure priorities, backed by expanded Scope 3 coverage and audit-ready reporting.

2024 – Present

Sustainability & ESG Strategy Consultant · Independent Advisory

Now advising organizations directly on sustainability strategy, helping leadership teams design governance structures, build stakeholder alignment, and turn ESG priorities into long-term business roadmaps.

How I Lead

Strategic leadership, backed by technical depth

01

Strategic Advisory

Trusted advisor to executives and boards, translating sustainability priorities into business strategy, investor-ready roadmaps, and decisions leadership can act on.

02

Program & Governance Design

Building the scalable sustainability programs and governance frameworks that turn ESG ambition into execution.

03

Cross-Functional Leadership

Aligning finance, operations, legal, procurement, and facilities around the shared sustainability goals that make enterprise programs actually work.

04

Executive Communication

Turning complex sustainability topics into clear, actionable narratives for boards, executives, and stakeholders.

05

ESG Reporting & Data Foundation

GHG inventories, Scope 1–3 emissions, and disclosure aligned with GRI, SASB, CDP, GRESB, and TCFD: the credible data foundation strategy is built on.

06

Assurance & Regulatory Readiness

Audit-ready processes and governance that keep organizations ahead of evolving regulation, from CSRD to ISSB.

Track Record

Impact you can point to

Numbers alone don't tell the story, but they show the scale of the programs I've built and led, along with the kind of business impact that comes from strong sustainability strategy and governance.

0+

Properties brought under one unified ESG governance framework

0M+

Square feet of real estate portfolio under integrated sustainability strategy

0%

Growth in supply chain emissions visibility, strengthening climate risk strategy

0%

Reduction in reporting gaps across an enterprise climate program

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Automated systems designed to scale enterprise ESG reporting

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Global teams aligned across corporate and production operations

How I Work Today

Staying ahead of an evolving field

ESG reporting is moving fast: new frameworks, tightening regulation, and rising expectations for data that can withstand real scrutiny. Keeping a program credible means constantly re-examining how the work gets done, not just what gets reported.

That's part of why I've leaned into AI-assisted workflows, including hands-on work with Claude Code, as another tool for tightening data governance, speeding up reporting cycles, and freeing up time for the higher-value work: interpreting what the data actually means and helping leadership act on it. The tools change; the discipline of governance, accuracy, and clear communication doesn't.

Work With Me

Let's build something credible

I'm focused on full-time and fractional sustainability leadership roles, partnering with an organization to build and lead the strategy and governance that make ESG programs last.

Looking for project-based consulting instead? That work runs through SAGE Impact Co.

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