Sustainable Business & Global Integrative Healthcare
Business with Sustainability and Wellness at its Core!
Businesses That Inspire Change Build Strong Foundations
Sustainable Business & Global Integrative Healthcare
About
We believe that all businesses should focus on the triple bottom line – people, the planet, and profits.
“Sustainable business means holding the environmental, social, and financial effects of our decisions in concert and finding the balance that works.”
– Susan Marcus, ACHS Dean of Busines
The mission of the American College of Healthcare Sciences Business Department is to foster a holistic, integrative approach to business in support of more sustainable practices for entrepreneurs and those in large, multinational, public, private, and nonprofit corporations.
We prepare students to recognize and make decisions based upon the interconnectedness that exists between organizational actions and the financial, environmental, and social well-being of our complex and dynamic global society.
We achieve this by integrating our commitment to sustainability into all aspects of our learning community, developing programs that reflect values, quality, rigor, and relevance, and making business education an accessible, positive, and valuable experience for students. Meet our MBA Faculty.
Business Education
ACHS offers business education grounded in principles of sustainability and organizational health and wellness. Today more than ever, those leading, managing, and developing business enterprises need an edge. With a curriculum designed and taught by proven faculty members with cutting edge expertise, our program focuses on the development of skills needed to thrive amidst 21st Century challenges.
Throughout the program, students use business concepts and sustainability fundamentals to identify the related opportunities, trends, and challenges resulting from an approach to business that considers the financial, environmental, and social impact of organizational decisions. Students will develop projects throughout the program that lead to a portfolio of tangible, outward-facing examples of their skills and capabilities for execution.
“Our MBA is designed with sustainability embedded from start to finish. Students not only develop solid skills in traditional MBA subjects, they also gain a competitive edge by understanding what it takes to build and maintain an enterprise that is innovative, resilient, and regenerative.”
– Susan Marcus, ACHS Dean of Business
Which course or program is right for you? Your admissions advisor will help you develop the best path for your education and explore opportunities to study sustainable business at ACHS.
Cindy Lane Ross is the owner of four businesses, a full-time student, a bodybuilder, and has successfully kept her Rheumatoid Arthritis in remission for years through exercise and diet. Now, she is pursuing an ACHS Master Degree so that she can help others! Her business Life Wellness Forever focuses on hormone balancing, fitness, nutrition, and functional medicine. Cindy knows how important good quality of life is and wants to help others achieve it just like she did. Read more about Cindy.
To find out how the ACHS family can empower your journey, click here.
Sustainable Business & Global Integrative Healthcare
Degrees & Courses
The Integrative Health and Wellness Pathway provides training to develop an integrative health and wellness skillset while achieving education and training in business administration. Students who select the Integrative Health and Wellness Pathway for electives complete an intensive program designed to develop advanced practice holistic health professionals who will, upon graduation, be able to start, manage, and grow a satisfying and successful, sustainability-based practice in the field of holistic and integrative medicine.
The ACHS MBA programs in advanced practice fosters a holistic, integrative approach to business in support of more sustainable practices for traditional and integrative healthcare practitioners, entrepreneurs, and those in large, multinational, public, private, and nonprofit corporations. The cornerstones of the ACHS MBA program are the development of critical thinking, ethical reasoning, social responsibility, global citizenship, and civic engagement with the overlay of sustainability in all business operations.
Students can also select from several undergraduate business classes for continuing education, an addition to a healthcare practice, or as credit toward an ACHS bachelor’s degree.
Check out these courses to learn more:
BUS101 – Introduction to Business
BUS304 – Business Communications Online
“They always remembered my name. It meant a lot to me that I wasn’t just a name or a number, and this was over the span of me calling over a couple of years asking questions. When I did finally sign up, seeing how comprehensive the coursework was, was amazing! That is what really sold me on the school and seeing the evolution of where it’s gone now is really beautiful to witness.”
Read Student Alumni Highlight
Khetnu Nefer
Holistic Health Coaching Business Owner
Make an Impact with Your Degree
“ACHS providing me with flexibility, and knowledge of things that I didn’t even know existed.”
Read Student Alumni Highlight
Amy Hardesty
Wellness Practice Business Owner
“I wanted to focus solely on an online college and ACHS Masters had a good range of topics,”
Read Student Alumni Highlight
Katja Evans
Farm to School Grant Winne
Frequently Asked Questions
Sustainable Business & Global Integrative Healthcare Questions
There are many ways you can bring sustainability and high-impact practices into the business world. Whether you’re applying sustainability in small business, corporate enterprise, or integrative health and wellness practice, you can make your business a force for good.
A good place to start is to learn more about how organizations like American College of Healthcare Sciences and other Certified B Corporations are making an impact:
The Sustainable Business Pathway provides an opportunity to deepen both the understanding and the practical application of sustainable principles in three key areas: Human Capital, Operations and Value Chain Management, and the development and care of Sustainable Community Economies. Read more about these courses:
BUS 531 Human Capital
BUS 533 Operations and Value Chain Management
Sustainable Community Economies
It’s easy! If you’re ready to apply to an online MBA program with ACHS, you can start your application here. If you’re interested in starting out with a single business course, start your single course application here.
Still wondering what to expect during the application process? An admissions advisor is happy to speak to you at a time that works for you. Schedule an appointment with an admissions advisor here.
How Can I Afford a Holistic Health Education at ACHS? Flexible Options and Strategies Can Help You Achieve Your Goal.
“Sustainability has been a core part of the ACHS mission and vision since 1978, and we are excited to expand our offerings with this innovative degree program. The ACHS MBA promotes the global mindset that is so critical for success in today’s business world and provides a pathway for integrative health and wellness professionals to have an even greater impact on the unprecedented health care challenges, needs, and opportunities facing us today.”
Dorene Peterson, ACHS
President and Founder
Meet the ACHS MBA Program Advisory Council
Koffi Dessou, DBA
Equity and Business Operations Manager, City of Portland
Dr. Koffi Dessou has 30 years of experience in public administration, business administration, nonprofit administration, and community-based leadership. He was Interim Director of the City of Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights from 2017 to 2019. He previously created the City’s Equity Training and Education Program and served as the bureau’s Equity and Business Operations Manager. Koffi earned a Doctor of Business Administration in 2018, and holds an MBA in Global Management. He earned a Superior Diploma in executive business and organizational administrative principles and applications from the University of Lomé, Togo and received training from the U.S. Foreign Service Institute in political and economic analysis, international trade, commercial tradecraft, and emotional intelligence. He also received training from the U.S. Institute of Peace in conflict analysis, interfaith conflict resolution, and negotiation and conflict management.
Eric Winston, MBA
Chief Financial Officer, Airstream Adventures
As chief financial officer for the world’s largest Airstream dealer, Mr. Winston brings experience as CFO at Warn Industries and KEEN, Inc. Alignment with values is an important aspect of Eric’s professional aspirations. He holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Oregon State University, where he earned a Distinguished Early Career Award. Eric was a 40 Under 40 recipient and nominee for CFO of the year.
Haoua Cheick Seip, BS, MBA
Founder and Managing Member, WAREE
Ms. Seip is a social entrepreneur and business leader who fosters and inspires enterprise among individuals and groups, from the village stall to the global market. Haoua Cheick helps to identify and capitalize on new business opportunities for women artisans in developing countries. She inspires, motivates, and prepares craftspeople to participate at international markets. As a focused, multilingual individual, her work entails tracking market trends and matching talent with opportunity. Her participation in International markets in Africa, South Asia, the United States, and Europe helps bring social change and impact to communities with technical expertise and strong client management skills. Ms. Seip holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Leadership and an MBA.
Mike Lewis, DMgt.
Executive Vice President, Informatics & Technology and CIO, Trillium Health Resources
Dr. Lewis is an Information Technology executive with 20+ years of experience creating IT vision & strategy in organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 25. As a technology thought leader he forms partnerships across the organization to deliver outcomes. Under his guidance, IT is a source of organizational innovation, excellence, and growth. As a business leader Dr. Lewis acts across functions to get things done with speed, capacity, and maturity throughout the organization by creating scalable IT platforms and processes that deliver and align current productivity needs with our better future strategic vision. Dr. Lewis holds educational degrees that include a Doctor of Management & Business, a Master of Arts focused on Organizational Development & Leadership, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Katherine Lam, MBA
President and Co-Owner, Bambuza Hospitality Group
Katherine Lam is president and co-owner of Bambuza Hospitality Group, which operates Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen at Portland International Airport, with a second location arriving when the airport’s Concourse E extension is complete in summer 2020. Bambuza also has locations at Sea-Tac Airport and throughout the Portland metro region. Lam is actively involved in the community, where she mentors high school students in the culinary arts program at David Douglas High School and helps fundraise for local schools. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international business and holds an MBA. Katherine is engaged in public service as a Business Oregon Commission Board Member and as the newly-appointed Port of Portland Commissioner.
Jay Hernandez II, BS Business Management
Business & Employment Specialist / Employment Developer, Oregon Employment Department / Vetnomics
Mr. Hernandez is a United States Marine Corp. veteran holding the rank of sergeant. He currently works as an employment developer advancing veteran transitions by proxy chains of commands and veteran literacy. Jay held a similar position at the Easter Seals Oregon Veteran Reintegration Program. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and earned the 2017-18 Clackamas Community College Leadership Award.
Zach Henkin, PMP, MBA
Deputy Director, Forth
Zach Henkin serves as the Deputy Director at Forth, a national non-profit impact organization that’s advancing and increasing access to electric and shared transportation. Always seeking to improve the status quo, Zach volunteers his time consulting with non-profits and US cities on transportation, and land use seeking to connect the dots and foster innovation wherever he can. Zach’s educational background includes an MBA with an emphasis on sustainability, a Lean Practitioner certificate, and a PMP project management certification. Prior to his position at Forth, Zach was program director at Drive Oregon director of operations at Sunlight Solar Energy.
Industry Leaders
ACHS Partnerships & Affiliations
