President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., today announced significant progress of one of his premier initiatives by appointing former Bank of America executive and Michigan State University alumnus Matt Elliott and Broad College of Business Dean Emeritus and Professor Sanjay Gupta as co-chairs of the university’s much-anticipated Green and White Council.

“MSU is one of Michigan’s major economic engines and the largest producer of talent in the state, educating more undergraduate students than any other Michigan university,” said Guskiewicz. “Nearly two-thirds of our graduates stay and start their careers in Michigan, and we want to see that number grow. The Green and White Council will refine our efforts to meet current workforce demands and anticipate emerging industry needs to help shape our state’s future economy. With co-chairs Elliott and Gupta at the helm, I am confident the council will bring forward bold initiatives to expand Michigan State’s role as one of the state’s leading talent activators.”

Unveiled during his investiture, Guskiewicz laid out his vision for a group of Michigan leaders and executives convened to define and launch a set of initiatives to amplify MSU’s role as Michigan’s state university and to help shape the state’s workforce and economy. The Green and White Council will be charged with pursuing initiatives that are bold and impact-driven, feasible and sustainable and, most importantly, uniquely MSU.

The goals for the council include ensuring Michigan State produces the talent needed for Michigan’s future, to connect Spartans with meaningful careers in-state, and to unleash MSU’s assets to drive innovation. By working with the council and faculty across the university, Guskiewicz intends to better connect talent with the important industry sectors driving the state’s economy.

As a state institution, MSU is already deeply embedded in communities across Michigan. Key health care partnerships in Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing and transformative community impact in areas such as Flint, Kalamazoo and the Upper Peninsula already provide a strong impact footprint that the council can help grow. Coupled with nine nationally ranked programs in areas like supply chain management and logistics, elementary and secondary education, agriculture and nuclear physics also provide a point to grow additional talent opportunities for the entire state.

“I am honored to be selected by President Guskiewicz as co-chair of the Green and White Council,” said Elliott. “Now more than ever, Michigan’s companies need the best talent to foster innovation and drive growth. I’m excited to start working with my fellow council members as we leverage MSU’s talented graduates and unique assets to solve key challenges facing our state.”

Elliott most recently served in a dual role as sustainability executive and Michigan market president of Bank of America. As president, Elliott was Bank of America’s enterprise leader in Michigan, working with company leaders to deliver enterprise services to clients and communities throughout the state. As sustainability executive for Business Banking and Global Commercial Banking, he partnered closely with the enterprise’s sustainable finances teams to drive strategy and enable the bank’s salesforce to support client needs on Net Zero and other sustainability topics. 

A frequent speaker and moderator, Elliott is now an advisor to boards of directors, leadership teams and investors, focusing on corporate growth and sustainability. He chaired the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference and is the immediate past chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber Board of Directors. Elliott is currently the chair of the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator and is a board member of the Detroit Economic Club. Please visit the Detroit Regional Chamber website for additional biographical information.

“As co-chair of the Green and White Council and an MSU academic leader, I am excited to help connect Spartans’ educational journey to the knowledge and skills needed in the future of work, ensuring that they meet and exceed the practical and aspirational goals for the workforce,” said Gupta. “The diverse experience and skills of my fellow co-chair and council members will help generate recommendations that we will pursue vigorously and clearly signal that a degree from MSU not only continues to open doors but also represents the high standard sought after by employers.”

Gupta is dean emeritus and the Eli Broad Endowed Professor of Accounting and Information Systems at the Eli Broad College of Business. Among the major accomplishments of Gupta’s deanship are reimagining the core undergraduate curriculum around digital transformation, global mindset and ethical leadership; launching new graduate degree programs in health care management, data science and analytics, financial planning and wealth management, and customer experience management; and enhancing the Broad student experience in all programs.

Gupta is an award-winning teacher and scholar, recognized by the Broad College’s Executive MBA graduates with the Faculty Excellence Award and by the Arizona Society of CPAs with the Accounting Education Innovation and the Outstanding Educator awards for significant contributions to curricular and cocurricular innovation and development. He has consulted for the Big Four public accounting firms, the U.S. government and Fortune 500 companies, and has served and currently serves on for-profit and nonprofit boards of directors. Additional biographical information is available via the MSU Broad College of Business website.

With an annual statewide economic impact of $6.81 billion, MSU applies its vast knowledge and resources to create solutions in partnership with communities across the state and helps make Michigan a place of opportunity, economic growth and innovation. The MSU Innovation Center helps more than 150 discoveries become patented products or start-up companies each year.

Michigan State is one of the nation’s premier and leading Agriculture and Natural Resources schools; home to the world’s most powerful rare isotope accelerator; partner to the only Apple Developer Academy in the North America; and counts nearly 300,000 Michigan residents as alumni.