Elizabeth Peterson

Elizabeth Peterson is a Vice President of Sustainability Consulting at Governance & Accountability Institute, focusing on delivering research which informs and recommends improvements for clients’ sustainability strategies and disclosure. She has been associated with the G&A team since beginning as a Sustainability Report Analyst intern in 2017 starting out on several important research projects (including the S&P 500 Flash Report and SDGs What Matters). In this role, Elizabeth has analyzed hundreds of sustainability reports for inclusion in the GRI Sustainability Disclosure Database.

Since joining the G&A Team as Senior Sustainability Analyst, Elizabeth has handled research behind various G&A client projects including; ESG Benchmarking, Materiality Assessments, ESG Investor Data Reviews, and RobecoSAM’s Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) responses. Additionally, she has contributed to the improvement and development of internal project management tools to enhance the value of client deliverables.

The majority of research conducted relates to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and ESG Investor Data (including MSCI, Sustainalytics, ISS, Bloomberg, and Thomson Reuters / Refinitiv). Elizabeth’s client work expands across various sectors including; Energy, Insurance, Personal Household Products, Communications, Real Estate, Semi-Conductors, and Aerospace & Defense.

Elizabeth has completed her current coursework for the MA Sustainability program at Hofstra University, and looks forward to contributing to the ESG research realm with the publication of her related master’s thesis. Elizabeth also holds a BS in Community and Economic Development with a concentration in Sustainability from Pennsylvania State University. She has also received a minor in International Agriculture supporting her interests in global sustainability.

Elizabeth has been GRI-Standards Certified Trained by ISOS Group. She also holds certifications as LEED-GA (Green Associate) and ISSP-SA (International Society of Sustainability Professionals - Sustainability Associate).  Elizabeth continues to look for opportunities to stay up to date with and expand knowledge of current emerging ESG trends.

While at Penn State, Elizabeth co-founded the University's Net Impact chapter. With over 1,000 student organizations, Net Impact was the first sustainability-related organization of its kind at Penn State, and was awarded "Chapter of the Year" in their second year of operation by Net Impact National. Elizabeth was also involved in volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity and Red Cross while at Penn State. In recent years, Elizabeth has also volunteered as Community Organization Outreach, working with non-profits and community organizations, for the Cape May Coast Guard Community Foundation.