Alicia Marseille

Alicia Marseille is a sustainability, circular economy, and economic development leader whose career has focused on translating complex environmental and economic challenges into businesses, jobs, investment, market opportunities, and scalable solutions. As Senior Director of the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, she leads multidisciplinary teams and public-private initiatives that move sustainability research and innovation from concept and applied research to pilot and scale solutions.

Marseille's work in circular economy builds on a longstanding background in economic development, entrepreneurship, and international development. At ASU, Marseille designed, launched, and managed the RISN Incubator, an Economic Development Administration- and City of Phoenix-supported initiative and the first circular economy incubator of its kind in the United States. The RISN Incubator had the following economic impact - 19 early stage companies supported, $3.72M in capital raised, generated $4.14 million in revenues, 14 patents filed, 25 products launched, and created 55 internships. 

Her work has since expanded across regional, national, and international circular economy and green-growth initiatives involving governments, industry, universities, development organizations, entrepreneurs, investors, and communities. She has led and co-led projects supported by organizations including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Economic Development Administration, U.S. Small Business Administration, USAID, the International Finance Corporation, the City of Phoenix,  and major philanthropic and corporate partners. 

Among her current work, Marseille co-founded and leads development of ASU's Circular Plastics Microfactory, a decentralized manufacturing model designed to connect locally recovered materials with regional production and end markets. She has also led statewide recycling and circular economic development initiatives, rural recycling and manufacturing pilots, circular textile research, sustainable agricultural technology entrepreneurship accelerator, and a multi-partner $5 million urban forestry and workforce initiative. 

Marseille's approach to sustainability is grounded in the belief that environmental challenges can also become platforms for economic development. Her work focuses not simply on diverting materials from disposal, but on building the businesses, technologies, supply chains, workforce systems, partnerships, and markets necessary to retain economic value within communities and regions.

Her international perspective is informed by work and research across multiple countries and by her own experience as an entrepreneur. Marseille founded an enterprise that worked with a cooperative of coffee farmers in Haiti to export coffee to the United States, giving her direct experience in international trade, supply-chain development, market development, and entrepreneurship. She has also provided consulting and project-development support related to emerging markets, economic development, strategic planning, and projects seeking support from organizations including USAID and the International Finance Corporation.

Marseille holds an MBA and a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Miami University, where her areas of focus included international development, sustainable development, and urban planning. She is an ASU Global Futures Scientist and a co-leader of ASU's Human Economies Collaborative.