KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2023 – What is it like to make a career doing work you feel is important?

Sustainability leader Rachel Calomeni and ocean conservationist Richard Vevers will discuss the role and realities of purpose-driven work when they lead a panel discussion at the 2023 University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium Tuesday, Oct 3, on “The Good Life: Making the Switch to Purpose-Driven Work.”

Calomeni is the senior vice president of growth and innovation at HowGood, the world’s largest product sustainability database. Her passion for preserving the planet stems from her childhood growing up in the picturesque Blue Mountains in Australia. Vevers is best known for pioneering underwater 360-degree panoramic photography and taking Google Street View underwater, as well as his leading role in the Emmy Award-winning documentary Chasing Coral on Netflix, revealing the impact of climate change on coral reefs. He is also an adjunct professor at URI.

Calomeni and Vevers will speak at 7 p.m. at Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus and online, as part of the University’s fall Honors Colloquium, “Not Business As Usual: Business for the Common Good.” The talk will be presented in person and streamed live (video links are available the day of each event, at the link above).

Vevers is the founder and CEO of the ocean conservation nonprofit the Ocean Agency. His imagery has had huge global impact and his ideas and projects have made him a leading voice in the fight to save reefs. He led the most comprehensive underwater photographic survey of the world’s coral reefs and is also a pioneer of virtual reality ocean education, currently available to over 90 million students.

As senior vice president at HowGood, Calomeni helps brands measure their environmental and social impact, as well as identify opportunities to improve sourcing practices to create products that are better for our planet. She has 25 years’ experience working in and alongside consumer goods companies, such as Procter & Gamble and Boehringer Ingelheim, and holds marketing and law degrees from the University of Western Sydney and an MBA from Fairfield University.

The URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. Hosted by URI’s Honors Program, this is the 60th edition of the University’s premier lecture series, and it marks the centennial of the College of Business. Lectures will be held most Tuesday evenings, Sept. 19 through Dec. 5, and will also be available online. Learn more about the fall colloquium. Register for updates and reminders here or email urihonors@etal.uri.edu.