From Global Supply Chains to Community Health: Lessons in Corporate Impact

Jenny McColloch ’12, Vice President of Sustainability and Community Impact at CVS Health, joined the Social Impact Lab at the Yale School of Management (SOM) in October to share insights from her career advancing corporate responsibility. Drawing on her leadership at CVS Health, advancing their ambitious Healthy 2030 framework, and over a decade in corporate sustainability at McDonald’s, McColloch offered a candid look at the challenges and opportunities to drive lasting change from within large organizations.

Reflecting on her career path, McColloch urged students to focus on finding a great first step rather than mapping out a perfect long-term plan. After graduating from SOM, a six-month contract at McDonald’s evolved into a 12-year career. “I personally don’t believe there is one path for the long term that you must know right now,” she said. “It’s important to think about what you want your first step to be.”

At McDonald’s, her work spanned over 100 countries, where she framed sustainability not as an external cost, but as integral to business health and operational resilience. “If you don’t plan for sustainable production, you’re not going to have a reliable coffee supply,” she noted, illustrating how environmental stewardship is essential for long-term business continuity.

Her move to CVS Health shifted her focus to the American healthcare ecosystem, with CVS Health reaching more than 185 million people across their services. Under the Healthy 2030 framework, she oversees initiatives ranging from reducing plastic in specialty medication packaging to supporting local “health zones,” which fund networks of organizations to improve community health outcomes. A key focus is the intersection of human health and extreme weather, using data to proactively support at-risk patients and communities before environmental hazards like hurricanes or poor air quality disrupt access to care.

McColloch emphasized that this work requires patience and persistence. She recounted an energy initiative at McDonald’s that took five years from concept to implementation. She also reminded students that success often depends on tailoring messages for different business audiences while maintaining strong governance to keep initiatives on track.

Students left the session with a clearer idea of what a career in corporate impact can look like. “I worked in the nonprofit sector before SOM,” said Alison Yee ’27. “Hearing Jenny dive into her corporate responsibility really helped me gain a deeper insight into what these roles and career journeys can look like.”

The examples for how to integrate improved health outcomes into how business gets done resonated deeply. “It was impressive to see the breadth and depth of what CVS is doing,” commented Rebecca Russavage ’27. “They aren’t just waving a green flag for show; it’s simply part of what they do, which is the dream. That's exactly what I want to see.”

McColloch’s session provided a clear lesson for future leaders: the most effective social impact is not an add-on, but an essential component of the core business strategy, guided by data, patience, and a vision for the long term.