Alyssa Barbuto
Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability '20
Sustainability Business Analyst, Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, LLC
As an undergraduate student, Alyssa studied Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (EEDS) and completed her degree in SENR in 2020. During school, she held the titles of Deputy Director, then Director of Sustainability for OSU’s Undergraduate Student Government. Currently, she serves as a Sustainability Business Analyst for Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, LLC.
A Glance at Alyssa’s Current Work
I currently work for Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, LLC as a Sustainability Business Analyst. My position is hybrid, based out of Raymond, Ohio.
My job requires me to be a problem-solver. I work in the Purchasing Supply Chain Center, on our Supplier Sustainability team, which ensures all of our automotive suppliers are following our sustainability goals! It is a combination of customer relations, and sustainability. Every day looks different and depends on what is a “hot topic” or what engagement campaigns we have running for suppliers. Luckily, my role allows me to work in different realms of sustainability: Compliance and Ethics, Diversity, Environmental, Health and Safety, Governance, Social Responsibility, and Trade Compliance. While I am the subject matter expert in the Environmental, Social Responsibility, and Governance piece, I work with internal associates in the other pieces. I also work with sustainability automotive industry groups, to collaborate across the supply chain to create industry standards and improve processes across the industry.
The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the work I do make an actual impact! My job directly affects Honda’s Sustainability goals and initiatives, and I have very high-level reporting I engage in. Sustainability is at the forefront of many companies' decisions, and definitely is a high priority for Honda!
Professional Development
What were you involved in during college?
I was a member of the USG Sustainability Committee from 2017-2020. I became a Deputy Director my junior year which included being the project manager of the 2019 Sustainability Fashion Show, and the 2019 Sustainable Business Expo. The fashion show had 120 students in attendance, and showcased over 30 pieces from sustainable companies that were donated to be modeled and raffled off for free. The business expo brought in 20 certified B Corporations, and had 175 students in attendance.
I became the Director of Sustainability for USG my senior year, which meant I oversaw the sustainability committee of 60+ members and projects. Because of this role, I was able to sit on the President and Provost Council on Sustainability, and joined the Time for Change Week Planning Committee.
I worked for Speedway LLC as an Environmental Intern the summer after my junior year. This position was with the Environmental Compliance team, which ensured that all the fueling locations in The United States were compliant with EPA regulations. My role was to investigate what region had the most failing underground storage tanks (failing tests and potentially causing leaks) which concluded with a cost-benefit analysis of 10 underground storage tank replacement projects that were all implemented. I also created a 50-page training document for in-house environmental health and safety audits. Finally, I submitted various grant applications that awarded us $54,000 and declared 18 Speedway’s in Michigan as designated emergency fueling facilities.
I worked for The Office of Student Life Energy Management and Sustainability as a Sustainability Lead my senior year. I administered 50+ recycling training events across OSU’s campus for students and residential advisors. I updated and maintained OSU’s recycling instructions and bins in all the residential halls. I was also able to collaborate with the Facilities and Operations student workers, which included administering 10 waste audits in residential halls and administering a compost pilot program. Finally, in order to increase sustainability education across campus, I interviewed students surrounding Campus Sustainability Month and RecycleMania which resulted in 5 videos published on our social media.
What advice would you give to someone who is still in college and hoping to do what you do?
I would recommend diversifying the coursework you take. Sustainability is so broad and can cover so many different realms, so the more diverse your toolbelt is, the better! Also, see if you can get familiar with environmental compliance. I think no matter what role in sustainability you take on, there will be some aspect of compliance and it’s important to be educated on it.
What experience do you feel was most valuable in your professional development?
I have two experiences that truly shaped my professional development. First, my directorship with USG. This position allowed me to hone in on my project and team management skills, which I could apply to future work outside of college.
Second was my internship with Speedway LLC. This internship allowed me to be exposed to the corporate world and see how I could apply what I learned in my classes, to real work that has an impact. It empowered me to learn more about sustainability in business and confirmed that I wanted to work in the corporate field.
What was a challenge you faced in your professional development and how did you overcome it?
There will always be challenges I have to overcome as I go about my professional career. However, one challenge I recently faced was the decision to move from Speedway LLC/7-Eleven to Honda. I had become unhappy with the work environment I was placed in and needed to find a new career path. My supervisor was very understanding and luckily, empowered me to make whatever decision was right for me! It took a lot of self-reflecting, and figuring out what I needed in my next career jump, but I’m happy I took the leap of faith that ended me up where I am today!
Post-Graduation
What did you immediately do post-graduation?
I was lucky enough to secure a full-time role at Speedway LLC after graduation. Finding a job during the pandemic was very stressful, and I had to wait months to find out if Speedway was able to support another team member and hire me after my internship. If I could give you a piece of advice, it would be to know that you are on your own timeline! You do not need to follow any traditional pathway and don’t be afraid to take the time needed to really figure out what you want to do. Your first job out of college is probably not going to be exactly what you want, so gather the experience you can, and know you are never truly tied down anywhere.
What was most important to you in your job search?
One of the biggest factors I was looking for in a job was flexibility. Hybrid schedules are great, and since COVID, seem to be the norm. I also was looking for a job that would have a diverse workload and allow me to display my problem-solving skills. Since my role covers all aspects of sustainability, and every day could bring a different challenge, I’d say I found what I was looking for.
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