CHAMPION STORIES
Advancing Climate Solutions Across Sectors
Melanie Nakagawa ’05 on leading global sustainability across government, business and innovation BY KEITH PIERCE
Melanie Nakagawa ’05 has built a career at the intersection of law, policy, and global sustainability, taking her from Capitol Hill to the White House and now to the private sector as chief sustainability officer at Microsoſt. At the core of her work is a foundation shaped at American University Washington College of Law.
Nakagawa describes her experience at AUWCL as transformative, noting that Washington, D.C. served as an extension of the classroom, where internships, events and proximity to global institutions brought policy to life.
“My time at American University was hugely formative in how I built my career,” she said. “I was constantly learning what policy looks like in practice.”
Faculty mentorship and hands-on experience were equally influential. Nakagawa points to her work with the Sustainable Development Law and Policy Brief as a defining moment.
“It wasn’t just a chance to write about issues I cared about. It was a chance to build something,” she said, noting that with support from professors such as Durwood Zaelke, David Hunter, and Ken Markowitz, the student-led publication grew into a lasting platform for environmental law discourse. “They treated us as real partners and opened their networks, helping create something
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that inspired other students to pursue environmental law.”
In hindsight, she sees those experiences as early lessons in leadership, particularly the importance of building something wthat lasts.
“You start to think about how to create something durable,” she said, “so that when you move on, what you’ve built continues to thrive.”
A pivotal moment early in her career came while working in the U.S. Senate on cap- and-trade legislation.
“That was when it crystallized for me that climate policy touches everything,” she said, explaining that “You can’t treat climate and energy as separate issues if you want real results.”
That insight carried into her work at the U.S. Department of State, where she saw how domestic energy decisions could influence global emissions and international policy.
During her time at the State Department, Nakagawa also played a role in shaping how climate change was integrated across the agency’s work, helping develop guidance that connected climate policy to issues ranging from national security to human rights.
“Solving climate change isn’t about choosing between sectors,” she noted. “It’s
about tackling emissions across the entire system.”
Her legal training continues to shape her approach.
“Law school taught me to take something that feels overwhelming and break it down into workable parts,” she explained. It also sharpened her ability to communicate clearly. “If the language isn’t clear, it’s hard to build alignment, and it’s even harder to implement.”
Government service reinforced another key lesson.
“I learned how important it is to understand what drives people and what makes issues a priority,” she said, noting the power of convening. “Successful discussions start with finding common ground, and from there, you can build coalitions and move toward practical solutions.”
At Microsoſt, Nakagawa applies those same principles on a global scale. She sees technology companies as essential to advancing sustainability.
“Technology can have an outsized impact when it is paired with strong policy, smart investment and collaboration,” she said.
Her work now also offers a front-row seat to how rapidly evolving technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are
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