This Q&A series highlights McKinney Climate Fellows alumni and their professional journeys within Indiana and beyond. The McKinney Climate Fellows program, administered by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute and Integrated Program in the Environment, connects IU undergraduate and graduate students interested in climate, sustainability, and community resilience with career experiences.
When Jonathon Lewis arrived at IUPUI as a freshman in 2018, he didn’t know what sustainability was. Growing up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, he developed an affinity for conserved land running cross-country trails. His first semester of college opened his eyes to the connection between people, the land, and the economy.
Looking to apply this newfound perspective to the workplace, Lewis joined McKinney Climate Fellows in summer 2020, getting placed with the manufacturing company Hillenbrand. The next year, he was hosted by August Mack Environmental, an environmental consulting firm in Indianapolis.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in sustainable management and policy and a master’s degree in environmental policy and sustainability—both from the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Lewis was hired by Zionsville, Ind.-based Cornerstone Environmental Health and Safety in November 2022.
The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What called you to pursue a career based on climate and sustainability?
I used to run cross-country in high school, and we would run on these park trails. I was chosen to be representative of all the cross-country runners in our county for this County Conservation Congress, which was a meeting of stakeholders in the conservation areas that we would run in. That experience made me really think, “Wow, environmental stuff is important. This is what I want to do.”
I got to IUPUI, and I admit at first I didn't know what sustainability was. I thought it was another word for environmental policy. On the first day of classes, my first class was Intro to Sustainability with IUPUI Sustainability Director Jessica Davis. That first day I learned that sustainability is not just about the environment but all about society, the environment, and the economy—major things that impact everybody. And that's where I fell in love with it.
What made you decide to work in Indiana?
I feel like there's a lot of change that can be done here, and there's a lot of change that needs to be done here. I could go to the East Coast or West Coast or Colorado where a lot of sustainability work is, but the thing is, there's tons of sustainability work there because there’s tons of people already doing sustainability work there.
One of the things that stuck with me from McKinney Climate Fellows was the importance of getting people with sustainability knowledge from IU and IUPUI to stay in Indiana. We need to address issues in places where there isn't as much support. I like living in Indiana and I want to make Indiana better.
What is your current position and what are your responsibilities?
My official title is EHS and Sustainability Associate at Cornerstone Environmental Health and Safety. My main responsibility is working on almost anything sustainability-related, whether its projects for our clients or our own internal projects and initiatives, though I also assist wherever I can on other projects.
Cornerstone’s primary work area is environmental health and safety services. I've helped in some of those areas, and I've been able to learn quite a lot, which is allowing me to develop new skills and build my resume.
How did McKinney Climate Fellows prepare you to succeed in this specific role?
McKinney Climate Fellows put me in the right spot to get me here. My internship with August Mack Environmental was extended past my time as a fellow through the company itself. They wanted to keep me on for a full year. I was able to see how it works. I got to do a little test run of things. And now I work for a company where I'm actually doing that stuff and where I'm actually able to develop things for real.
I definitely think without McKinney Climate Fellows, I wouldn't be where I am today. It was such a great program because it let me get that experience in Indiana where I wanted to work.
What did you do in your McKinney Climate Fellows roles?
It sounds really basic, but I mainly was the go-to sustainability guy at my internships. My role centered around research of various sustainability-related areas, from renewable energy to ESG. That’s what I like about my current job, I’m not just doing research, I’m actually doing something for the company and our clients.
What advice would you give to someone interested in applying to the program?
My internship experience, my real-world experience, that has helped me most. So, I'd recommend just applying, because even just applying for the program helps prepare you for the real world.
What advice do you have for someone considering a career in sustainability and the environment?
It's awesome. Come work with us. Everybody in the sustainability field is so great and open to sharing ideas. People want to help each other.
It's growing, too. More and more companies are looking at sustainability. Even governments are starting to look at sustainability and seriously consider it. It's gonna become a bigger and bigger thing. Having a sustainability mindset or even taking a class in sustainability will be so useful to so many industries. I have talked to plenty of people where their job is actually something entirely different but they can still incorporate sustainability. Sometimes, all it takes in a company is just a sustainability champion to really push for these things.
