Each year, the UMKC Alumni Association recognizes outstanding alumni achievements with an awards celebration. James Mitchell (B.M./B.A. ’13) is the Class of 2025 Spotlight Award recipient.

Mitchell is a graduate of the Conservatory, where he studied cello performance, and the School of Science and Engineering, where he studied environmental studies. Although these degrees might seem like an unusual combination, he has merged his love for music and the environment in his career.

Mitchell is a leading expert in climate finance, a director at the Center for Climate-Aligned Finance and a principal at RMI (formerly the Rocky Mountain Institute). He led the development of the Poseidon Principles, a global coalition of banks aimed to reduce carbon emissions in the maritime shipping industry. It is the first agreement of its kind in any industry.

In addition to his work in climate finance, Mitchell is a member of “The Infamous Flapjack Affair,” an indie folk quartet. The quartet provided an opportunity for Mitchell to blend his love for cello and the environment. They created a documentary called “Confluence,” which tells the story of the Colorado River through music.

What inspired you to pursue such an interdisciplinary path and how have those diverse experiences shaped your approach to climate action?

When I arrived at UMKC, there was one question I felt I needed to answer to give myself direction in life: what matters to me? Trying to answer this question led me to pursue a dual degree program that combined music and environmental studies. I discovered the issue that I care most about while at UMKC – climate change.

This unusual path has been broadly fulfilling and has given me an appreciation for the many ways you can go about shifting how things work. Some issues need to be exposed with hard-hitting research, others need to be addressed through careful technical deliberation and coalition building and others are best explored through a different approach altogether, like playing cello on the rim of the Grand Canyon and making a documentary about it.

Can you walk us through the challenges you faced in bringing together a global coalition of banks to adopt this climate standard, and how has it influenced broader market behavior since its launch?

The Poseidon Principles are a first-of-a-kind climate finance standard for the maritime shipping industry. Developing them took about 18 months and involved shuttling between London, Singapore, Hong Kong and New York City to create a “coalition of the willing” while also running a technical working group to write the standard itself. There were many challenges to overcome in the process and it was a very intense period in my career. Since the launch of the Poseidon Principles in 2019, they have become the most successful voluntary climate finance standard to date by market share, with banks representing 80% of the market complying with the standard.

There are tens of thousands of ocean-going ships, which together emit 2% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually. Today, when one of these ships is financed by a bank, its climate change impacts are considered because of the Poseidon Principles. They have also led to many billions of dollars in sustainability-linked financing for the shipping sector.

What do you believe is the core skill or mindset that has enabled you to be so successful across such a wide range of endeavors, and how do you approach each new venture or challenge?

I have had successes, but I’ve also had failures. Through each experience, I’ve learned something that I’ve applied to the next venture. I was tremendously fortunate to find an issue that I cared deeply about early on. This has been a major source of drive for me. Drive is one ingredient in success, but I’ve found that it must be complemented with a mindset that brings self-awareness and nuance: be humble and continue learning, bring the right people with you and create an environment where risks can be taken at the right scale.

Which project or initiative from your career stands out to you as the most rewarding, and why?

I owe a debt of gratitude to Molly (Caroline) Davies, my undergraduate advisor at UMKC, who recommended that I pursue a master’s degree at the University of Oxford School of Geography and the Environment. It was in the preparatory readings for my master’s program there that I discovered the field of climate finance and my interest in it.

Is there a particular moment that helped solidify your commitment to combining finance and sustainability?

There are a couple of moments that stand out as most rewarding. One is when my first publication as a researcher at the University of Oxford was picked up by the Guardian. The other is playing cello on the rim of the Grand Canyon while filming Confluence. Both were important moments when worlds came together for me: climate change and finance, music and climate change.

What advice would you give to today’s students who are starting out in a rapidly changing world?

Start figuring out what you’re interested in and what matters to you. Use this to guide your studies at UMKC. Whatever you study, learn how to communicate clearly and learn effectively because these are the most important skills in the workforce. Finally, be pragmatic. Don’t stress too much about figuring everything out now or landing your dream job right away. Just find a direction that works for you. Careers are long, the world changes and you can make changes as well.

What’s one piece of wisdom you’ve learned along the way that you wish someone had told you at the beginning of your career?

“Go with friends.” A friend once shared this advice with me, which she received from her mentor as she was embarking on a challenging career in global health. It’s a skill one must learn in mission-oriented careers spent trying to change systems of any kind.