A local woman who leads Granite Construction’s sustainability program traveled to New York on Sept. 17, where she was recognized by the United Nations’ Global Compact Network USA, a program that encourages companies to follow human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption principles.
Sustainability Manager Raven Adams says the 2023 USA Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer award reflects the efforts of the company’s roughly 7,500 employees.
“Sustainability is a core value at Granite, and it’s something our leadership has really put a lot of emphasis on,” she said. “It includes our efforts to be socially responsible, to be good stewards of the environment, to have responsible governance that holds us accountable to achieving those things and to be good transparent actors in the corporate space as we help the world to become a more sustainable place.”
Adams has worked at Granite Construction since 2019. She grew up in Corralitos, and attended Gateway School in Santa Cruz and York School in Monterey. She also serves as a board member at Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust.
In receiving the award, Adams was chosen from a network of more than 1,000 entities from across the U.S., the company stated in a press release.
Granite Construction is one of the largest civil infrastructure companies in the United States.
She is a frequent speaker at industry and sustainability conferences, sharing a unique perspective on sustainability influenced by her education and experience in psychology and natural resources law.
Adams received her BA in Psychology and Neuroscience from Colby College and her JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, with a focus on environmental and natural resources law.
She will now compete in the Global Round along with other candidates for the title of 2023 UN Global Compact SDG Pioneers. The global winners will be announced in September during the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit.
