The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy initiative hosted an event entitled “Global Careers in Renewable Energy” on September 19, 2023. The event featured a panel discussion on how renewable energy varies by region. Panelists also discussed their career journeys in the clean energy space and the skill sets needed to thrive in the sector. Takeaways from the event include: 

• The energy industry is often looking more for skills than specific experiences. Panelists came from a variety of backgrounds and all ended up in the energy field through different paths. There are opportunities available across engineering, law, finance, and public policy and research.
• The energy industry is very male-dominated, which can lead women to underestimate their abilities. However, the panelists encouraged the audience to be confident and ask questions of those around them.
• Panelists stressed the importance of being bold when applying to roles. For example, they discussed a well-known study that shows women only apply to jobs when they meet all of the criteria, while men apply to jobs when they meet only some. 
• Regional differences and personal preferences guide job-seekers to where and what they want to do:
  • Latin American countries have high renewable adoption, at around 60 percent, and are meeting nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets. Energy storage will be an important aspect of providing more grid stability in the region.
  • North America’s energy is generated and transmitted regionally. As a result, clean energy development varies greatly from region to region and is often private. 
  • Many African countries are experiencing energy shortages, but Africa has untapped potential for some of the world’s best solar and wind power. Renewable energy can bolster sustainable development by creating jobs and supporting economic growth without producing substantial emissions.
  • In India, there are opportunities for green finance to support renewable energy development on a variety of scales. For example, green finance could fund large renewable projects or small-scale projects that support rural workers.

The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy initiative co-hosted an event entitled “Women in Hydrogen: Scaling Up Clean Energy” on September 18, 2023. The event featured a women-led discussion and focused on US national strategy and what is needed to ensure that the technology’s potential is fully realized and that meaningful climate, economic, and community benefits are delivered.

Following are some takeaways from the event: 

• Panelists discussed how hydrogen can play an important role in decarbonization. Hydrogen can become carbon-neutral and be used as fuel or for energy storage. However, building green hydrogen projects and commercializing hydrogen should be a top priority. At present, there is a lot of momentum for hydrogen, but less concrete action. 
• Attendees lauded recent US government actions like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill as helping to expedite hydrogen development.  
• There was a discussion of how policy ambiguity and the implementation of tax credits, such as 45V, can present a challenge for hydrogen. 45V is particularly notable because the tax credit is contingent on the energy produced being renewable, and there are debates over which reporting mechanism should be used for the tax credit.
• One of the long-term goals of developing hydrogen is to be able to deliver it at a viable price point. Currently, hydrogen is expensive, and increasing the supply of hydrogen while connecting subsidized hydrogen with areas of high demand will help to reduce costs. 

The momentum for clean hydrogen has never been greater. With a landmark U.S. national strategy, policy and funding support in place, what’s needed next to ensure the technology’s potential is fully realized and meaningful climate, economic and community benefits are delivered?

Join Columbia University’s Women in Energy, Women+ in Hydrogen, Women in Green Hydrogen, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and FTI Consulting for this women-led panel discussion and networking event during Climate Week NYC.

The event will feature a women-led discussion with speakers from a variety of backgrounds, followed by structured speed-networking and informal conversations over drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Speakers:

• Ivana Jemelkova, Senior Managing Director, Energy Transition & Sustainability, FTI Consulting
• Elina Teplinsky, Energy Industry Team Leader, Hydrogen Practice Co-Leader, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
• Tessa Weiss, Senior Associate, Rocky Mountain Institute
• Vennela Yadhati, Senior Manager, P2X North America, Ørsted

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Advance registration is required and free-of-charge. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email.

For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.

The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs Women in Energy initiative in collaboration with the Global Wind Energy Council and Global Renewables Alliance invites you to join us for a discussion and networking reception on global careers in renewable energy. 

The event will feature a panel discussion on how renewable energy varies by region. Panelists will also discuss their career journeys in the clean energy space and the skill sets needed to thrive in the sector. The event will conclude with a networking reception.

As a part of New York City Climate Week, this event is designed for people already working or interested in connecting with renewable energy professionals from around the world. Companies seeking new talent are also welcome to attend.

Panelists 

• Debbie Gray, Senior Climate Policy Manager, International Hydropower Association (Europe)
• Natacha C. Marzolf, Principal Energy Specialist, Energy Division, Inter-American Development Bank (Latin America)
• Wangari Muchiri, Head of Africa WindPower, Global Wind Energy Council (Africa)
• Namita Vikas, Founder, and Managing Director, auctusESG (Asia)

Biographies

Debbie Gray is the Climate Policy Manager at IHA where she leads the IHA’s work in positioning hydropower as a solution to climate change. She is also heading the study on women’s representation in the hydropower sector and follows hydropower developments in the Americas. 

Debbie is a professional engineer who has worked for over 25 years in the fields of energy and sustainable development, including a lengthy career at Hydro-Québec. Her extensive experience related to hydropower generation includes pollution control, environmental management, energy efficiency, plant modernization, and the recognition of the benefits of hydropower. She has also worked for international non-profit organizations such as the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership, the IUCN – World Conservation Union, and the International Network on Small Hydro Power in China.

Natacha C. Marzolf is a Principal Energy Specialist in the Energy Division of the Infrastructure and Energy Department and is based in Washington DC. She joined the Bank in 1996, selected by the Young Professional Program and has over 20 years of experience originating, structuring and disbursing sovereign and non-sovereign project finance and corporate finance transactions, in particular in the energy sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ms. Marzolf is a graduate of Harvard Law School and holds a post-graduate degree in Development and Economics Law from the University of Paris V and a Master’s in International and European Law from Paris II – Assas. She also completed executive education programs at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and was the first woman nominated by IDB for the Women’s Global Leadership Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Wangari Muchiri is the Director of Africa at the Global Wind Energy Council. She is a Renewable Energy Engineer and Energy Planning expert leading GWEC’s initiative to increase the development and deployment of wind power across the continent.

 Wangari holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Renewable Energy) from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and a Masters of Engineering (Energy Planning and Policy) from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Wangari also sits on various boards including the Kenya Green Building Society, ESI Africa Clarion Energy Advisory Board, and the Buildings and Cities Journal Practitioners panel.

Namita Vikas is currently the Founder and Managing Director of auctusESG, a global firm providing strategic advisory and enablement on sustainable finance, climate transition, ESG, and climate risk management. An award-winning senior business leader with over 32 years of diverse global experience in sustainable finance, ESG, and climate strategy across banking and technology. Previously held a CXO with a large Indian private bank, issued the maiden green bond and launched several innovative first-of-its-kind sustainable finance products. Was instrumental in raising over USD 1 billion in green capital from marquee global DFIs.

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This event will be hosted in person in New York City. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with access details. 

This event is open to the press, and registration is required to attend. For media inquiries or requests for interviews, please contact Natalie Volk (nv2388@columbia.edu).

For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.

An estimated 2.4 billion people currently lack access to clean cooking fuels, with the majority relying on biomass (firewood, charcoal, dung) to meet household cooking needs.[1] This is only a slight decrease from 2017, when 2.5 billion people lacked access to clean cooking fuels.[2] Of those who continue to lack this access, the majority—923 million—live in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by 490 million in India.[3] While India decreased its population without access by about 30 percent from 2010 to 2020, Africa has seen an increase of more than 50 percent over the same period, driven by a rising number of poor, tepid government policies to address this issue, and overarching poverty challenges.[4] These figures are likely to remain persistently high at about 2.2 billion over the next decade, roughly split between India and other parts of developing Asia on the one hand, and sub-Saharan Africa on the other.[5]

Hidden behind these figures are the people who produce the biomass that powers most of this energy use: often it’s women and girls who are tasked with this labor. In this article, the authors discuss why it’s important to see these women and girls—potentially the largest segment of the energy labor force today and in the foreseeable future—as producers and workers. In understanding them as a formidable workforce of biomass producers, their knowledge and experience can inform ongoing efforts of electrification, clean cooking alternatives, gender rights, and overall poverty alleviation. It is also equally important to recognize this workforce in order to improve its working conditions on the path to building a more inclusive energy workforce toward net zero emissions.

While the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #7 (SDG 7)[6] draws attention to the need to eliminate the use of non-clean cooking techniques that kill millions each year, the working conditions under which women toil today to produce biomass also merits greater attention. As the World Bank reported recently, “across most of Sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of China, women are the primary fuel wood collectors,”[7] which is also the case in areas of South Asia.[8] This is time-consuming and physically demanding work that can involve “collecting and carrying loads of wood that weigh as much as 25-50 kilogrammes”[9] and can “take up to 20 or more hours per week.”[10] 

Estimating the Size of this Workforce

Just how many women are working in this area? A preliminary estimate—based on data regarding the number of households relying on biomass for cooking and the rate of participation of women in this labor—puts the number at over 300 million.[11] Overall, while there is reliable data on lack of access to clean cooking,[12] reliance on biomass,[13] and deforestation trends,[14] there is a gap in knowledge about the (wo)man power it takes to produce biomass.

This gap may stem from the way issues around biomass are often discussed in the SDG 7 context. For example, data on the lack of access to clean cooking primarily informs solutions to shift cooking norms and electrification pathways and efforts to obviate the need for women to labor in producing biomass, while data on biomass reliance feeds into conservation and land use efforts. Such efforts, however, tend to overlook women as an energy workforce, even though across sub-Saharan Africa, India, parts of China,[15] and Latin America, women and young girls collect and make the biomass necessary to power their homes, including for heating.

Organizations focused on gender parity, such as SEforAll, come closer to recognizing the work of these women and girls, but they, too, frame their efforts in line with clean cooking initiatives rather than labor conditions or rights. For instance, research on the number of hours spent collecting firewood and preparing meals is used to discuss cultural and gender roles that lead to systemic disadvantages for women and girls.[16] A missing link in all of these narratives and frameworks is understanding the size and importance of this workforce and how it might inform different strategies.

Embracing a Worker-Producer Narrative

Calculating the number of women and girls in their capacity as biomass producers reframes the perception of them as passive consumers (i.e., cooks) to active self-producers of the household energy sector. This framework can bolster efforts mentioned above in the following ways:

First, it reframes biomass—from an issue singularly belonging to the clean cooking initiative— and places it more broadly in the context of workers’ rights. Despite numerous clean cooking campaigns,[17] poor women and girls will continue to produce biomass for their families for the foreseeable future. As important as it is to make access to clean cooking technologies universally available, what can be done for those producing their own energy in the meantime? For example, these could be solutions such as creating wood stalls in more accessible areas to reduce collection times, or developing more ergonomic harnesses for carrying the wood to reduce the physical burden of the work. In addition, can more income-generating opportunities be created to help reduce the poverty of these women and girls?

Second, it informs policies around building an inclusive energy workforce. Recognizing that there is already a female-run and -operated energy workforce across the developing world has implications for workforce policies governing the energy transition. For example, when it comes to the ability to tap into this existing labor force, does reskilling apply to this workforce as it does to coal miners? Moreover, by focusing on improving the labor conditions of women and girl biomass producers, this framework intersects with SDG 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girl. Organizations such as the Clean Cooking Alliance that aim to “increase the role of women in the clean cooking sector”[18] and collect data on the number of hours required for biomass production could benefit from such a framework.

Third, research that intentionally includes groups underserved and underrepresented in data can inform policies for a just energy transition. Capturing the number of women and girls producing biomass can lead to important discoveries for improving their lives while informing the energy transition. For instance, surveys and fieldwork to collect the amount of biomass producers could also be used to track energy consumption and production trends that inform electrification efforts. Many biomass collectors live on the margins or in rural areas, and research geared toward their energy needs can inform, for example, decentralized renewable energy projects[19] and help anticipate their consumption patterns.

This energy workforce comprises some of the poorest people in the world—women, girls, and people of color—and that may partly explain why their labor and working conditions have received relatively less attention. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report[20] and other research puts the world on a tight timeline for lowering emissions. Existing frameworks for achieving a clean energy transition can be strengthened through approaches that recognize and acknowledge the agency of biomass energy producers made up of millions of women and girls.

Notes

[1] World Health Organization, “WHO Publishes New Global Data on the Use of Clean and Polluting Fuels for Cooking by Fuel Type,” press release, January 20, 2022, https://www.who.int/news/item/20-01-2022-who-publishes-new-global-data-on-the-use-of-clean-and-polluting-fuels-for-cooking-by-fuel-type.

[2] International Energy Agency, “WEO-2017 Special Report: Energy Access Outlook – Analysis,” October 2017, https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-access-outlook-2017.

[3] International Energy Agency, “Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report,” June 2022, https://www.iea.org/reports/tracking-sdg7-the-energy-progress-report-2022.

[4] Philippe Benoit and Jully Merino, “The Invisible Women in Energy: Biomass Producers Who Deserve More Recognition,” Inter Press Service, April 8, 2021, https://www.ipsnews.net/2021/04/invisible-women-energy-biomass-producers-deserve-recognition/.

[5] IEA, “Tracking SDG7,” https://www.iea.org/reports/tracking-sdg7-the-energy-progress-report-2022.

[6] United Nationals Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “Goal 7,” accessed June 29, 2023, https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal7.

[7] ESMAP et. al, “The State of Access to Modern Cooking Energy Services,” World Bank, 2020, at p. 21.

[8] Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, “Gender and Livelihoods Impacts of Clean Cookstoves in South Asia,” 2014, https://www.cleancookingalliance.org/binary-data/RESOURCE/file/000/000/363-1.pdf.

[9] International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2019, https://www.iea.org/reports/africa-energy-outlook-2019, p.  37.

[10] Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, “Gender and Livelihoods Impacts of Clean Cookstoves in South Asia,” https://cleancooking.org/binary-data/RESOURCE/file/000/000/363-1.pdf.

[11] Philippe Benoit, “Women Are the Forgotten Energy Providers in the Climate Conversation,” World Economic Forum, January 13, 2022, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/women-biofuel-climate/.

[12] IEA, “Tracking SDG7,” https://www.iea.org/reports/tracking-sdg7-the-energy-progress-report-2022.

[13] WHO, “WHO Publishes New Global Data on the Use of Clean and Polluting Fuels for Cooking by Fuel Type,” https://www.who.int/news/item/20-01-2022-who-publishes-new-global-data-on-the-use-of-clean-and-polluting-fuels-for-cooking-by-fuel-type.

[14] Global Forest Watch, “Global Deforestation Rates & Statistics by Country,” accessed June 29, 2023, https://www.globalforestwatch.org/.

[15] Ziming Liu, Jia Li, Jens Rommel, and Shuyi Feng, “Health Impacts of Cooking Fuel Choice in Rural China,” Energy Economics 89 (June 2020): 104811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2020.104811.

[16] Clean Cooking Alliance, “Gender and Clean Cooking Factsheet,” March 29, 2021, https://cleancooking.org/reports-and-tools/gender-factsheet/.

[17] Energydata.info, “Initiative – Clean Cooking,” accessed June 29, 2023, https://energydata.info/cooking/initiativesandplayersdatabase/initiatives.

[18] Clean Cooking Alliance, “Gender and Clean Cooking Factsheet,” https://cleancooking.org/reports-and-tools/gender-factsheet/.

[19] Andrea Willige, “Decentralized Renewable Energy Could Meet Africa’s Vast Needs and Make an Important Leap In Decarbonization,” Forbes Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Brand Voice, September 27, 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/mitsubishiheavyindustries/2021/09/27/decentralized-renewable-energy-could-meet-africas-vast-needs-and-make-an-important-leap-in-decarbonization/.

[20] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023,” Accessed June 29, 2023, https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/.

ESG or Environment, Social, and Governance is at an inflection point. NYU, in collaboration with Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy initiative, welcomes Alison Taylor and Chief Sustainability Officers from throughout the business world to discuss ESG in both theory and in practice. In the midst of the current debate about ESG, business leaders are invited to engage in a discussion, and students are welcomed to better understand careers in and reality of ESG.

Panelists and Presenters include:

• Michelle Dunstan, Chief Responsibility Officer, Janus Henderson Investors
• Amy Jaffe, Director, NYU SPS Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab
• Dr. Carolyn Kissane, Associate Dean, NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs
• Dr. Luisa Palacios, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy
• Giovanna Rueda, Vice President of ESG, Valero
• Tequila Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Covanta
• Alison Taylor, Clinical Associate Professor, Stern School of Business

The evening will include opportunities to hear from ESG experts, questions and answers from the audience, and a networking reception. This is a hybrid event.

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023

4:00-5:00 p.m. Presentation by Alison Taylor

5:00-6:00 p.m.  Panel with ESG practitioners

6:00-7:00 p.m.  Networking, in-person only

The energy transition is creating new and exciting opportunities throughout the energy sector. In New York City, roles in energy finance are abundant and growing.

The Women in Energy (WIE) initiative at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia SIPA envisions a world with equal gender representation at every level within the energy sector. Our mission is to elevate women and enhance inclusion within the energy workforce by developing and sharing research, expanding entry into the sector, and supporting professionals.

In order to help facilitate entry into the sector, WIE will host a career panel series to highlight and connect women who have successfully entered and thrived in a specific energy subsector. Our second session will focus on careers in energy finance. The panelists will discuss their career trajectories, share advice for students and professionals, and provide information on what skills are required to be successful in their fields.

Panelists:

• Caren Byrd, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley’s Global Power and Utility Group
• Natallia Camargo, Chief People Officer, Greenbacker Capital
• Ellen Friedman, Partner, Global Projects Practice, Baker Botts L.L.P.
• Ouma Sananikone, Board director, IA Financial Group

Biographies

Caren Byrd is a Managing Director in Morgan Stanley’s Global Power and Utility Group. She joined the Investment Banking Division of the firm in 1972 and has focused all her career on the power and utility industry. Ms. Byrd is an expert on the requirements of investors in the equity and debt securities in the energy industry. She is involved in the firm’s activities for the utility industry including, financing, advisory services, restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Byrd is the co-founder and organizer of Morgan Stanley’s Executive Women in Energy Group and also Women Energy Directors Network, established in 2004 and 2007, respectively. In December 2019, Ms. Byrd was awarded the Global Energy Lifetime Achievement Award by S&P Global Platts, one of the most respected distinctions in the power and energy industry.

Natallia Camargo is an accomplished global strategic HR professional with over 10 years of experience consulting executives and teams in various businesses in Brazil and the US. Currently, she serves as the Chief People Officer and EVP at Greenbacker, a fast-growing investment management firm focused on renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure investing. With nearly 180 employees spread across the US, Natallia is responsible for overseeing the organization’s people strategy, working closely with business leaders and key stakeholders, and developing initiatives. Natallia’s academic qualifications include a certification in Wharton Executive Education’s HR Management and Analytics Program, an Executive MBA in Strategic and Economic Management in Human Resources from FGV, Integrated Coaching Institute certification from ICI, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from PUC – Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo.

Ellen Friedman is a seasoned project finance attorney focused on energy projects, including renewable energy, carbon capture and storage and renewable fuel matters. Her practice supports a wide variety of clients, including project developers and sponsors, tax and equity investors, commercial lenders, underwriters and buyers and sellers of projects, insurers and hedge providers. Ellen has a hands-on approach to clients in connection with transaction structure, risk assessment, due diligence, financing, M&A and partnership/joint ventures. Ellen has been recognized as a standout among her peers by a number of the leading legal directories, including Chambers Global & Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America for Energy Law.

Ouma Sananikone is currently a non-executive board director of IA Financial Group (Canada, TSX: IAG.TO), Hafnia (Oslo, OSL: HAFNI.OL), Innergex Renewable Energy (Canada, TSX: INE) and Ivanhoe Cambridge (Canada). She also acted as an honorary Australian Financial Services fellow for the USA on behalf of the Australian government. She was CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management (Australia), CEO of the EquitiLink Group (Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and UK) as well as founding Managing Director of BNP Investment Management (Australia). Ouma holds a BA (economics and political sciences) from the Australian National University and a Master of Commerce (economics) from the University of New South Wales. She is a recipient of the Centenary Medal from the Australian Government for services to the Australian finance industry.

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This event will be hosted in person in New York City. All in-person attendees are required to have received a full COVID-19 vaccination series.

Advance registration is required and free-of-charge. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email.

For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.

This event is open only to current Columbia University affiliates (students, staff, and faculty).

Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in celebration of Women’s History Month for a fireside chat with Amy Myers Jaffe, Co-chair, CGEP Women in Energy Steering Committee, and Ana Unruh Cohen, former majority staff director, House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

Amy and Ana will discuss their work and take questions from attendees. A cocktail reception will follow the conversation.

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Registration is required. This event is open only to current Columbia University affiliates (students, staff, and faculty). To register, you must sign in with your UNI.

This event will be hosted in person and capacity is limited. We ask that you register only if you can attend this event in its entirety.

For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.

The use of renewable energy is rapidly expanding and is expected to double by 2050. This projected growth, spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act, will increase the renewable energy labor market.

The Women in Energy (WIE) initiative at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia SIPA envisions a world with equal gender representation at every level within the energy sector. Our mission is to elevate women and enhance inclusion within the energy workforce by developing and sharing research, expanding entry into the sector, and supporting professionals.

In order to help facilitate entry into the sector, WIE will host a career panel series to highlight and connect women who have successfully entered and thrived in a specific energy subsector. Our first session will focus on careers in renewables. The panelists will discuss their career trajectories, share advice for students and graduates, and provide information on what skills are required to be successful in their fields.

Panelists:

• Trixie Blair, Vice President, Greenbacker Development Opportunities
• Salsabil Salah, Engineer, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
• Sarah Porter, Commercial Manager, Ørsted

Biographies

Trixie Blair is a Vice President at Greenbacker Development Opportunities. She focuses on transaction execution, portfolio management, and fundraising. Prior to Greenbacker, she was a Vice President at Evercore, focused on M&A advisory for power, utility and renewable energy companies, having advised on over $15bn of transactions. Before Evercore, she was at HSBC. Trixie graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines, Diliman with a degree in Business Administration and Accountancy, and earned her MBA from Wharton.

Salsabil Salah is an Engineer for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Salsabil has a BS in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Energy and Power from Purdue University. While at Purdue, she was also involved in solar cell research and electric go-kart projects. After college, she worked at General Motors, primarily in their EV teams on motors and power. Then she attained an MS in Business Analytics from Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. After Duke, she started to work for Electric Power Research Institute in their Electric Transportation team. In her free time, she enjoys running, baking, and doing social media and is also on the board leading marketing efforts at Women’s Energy Network (NYC).

Sarah Porter spent her first years in onshore markets, specifically utility-scale solar, where she focused first on the origination/commercial side of things and later on project execution. Currently, Sarah works as a commercial project manager, overseeing the development of two New Jersey offshore wind projects.

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This event will be hosted in person in New York City. All in-person attendees are required to have received a full COVID-19 vaccination series.

Advance registration is required and free-of-charge. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email.

For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.

This roundtable is open only to currently-enrolled Columbia University students. 

Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs for a student-only lunch and roundtable discussion with Thilmeeza Hussain, Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations.

A just transition centers on moving to a greener economy in a way that is fair and inclusive of all humans. In order to build a career based on the principles of a just transition, we must be intentional and purposeful. Her Excellency Thilmeeza Hussain will discuss how she has managed to navigate her career utilizing the principles of the just transition. We will also discuss ways to apply the lessons Ms. Hussain has learned to students’ career paths.

The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy (WIE) initiative envisions a world where there is equal gender representation at every level within the energy sector. Our mission is to elevate women and enhance inclusion within the energy workforce by developing and sharing research, expanding entry into the sector, and supporting professionals.

Lunch will be provided.

Biography

Her Excellency Thilmeeza Hussain was the Special Envoy of the 76th President of the General Assembly. She is the Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations, concurrent Ambassador of the Maldives to the United States (2019-2022), and non-resident High Commissioner to Canada.

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Registration is required. This roundtable is open only to currently-enrolled Columbia University students. To register, you must use the email address that contains your UNI.

This event will be hosted in person and capacity is limited. We ask that you register only if you can attend this event in its entirety.

For more information about the event, please contact energypolicyevents@columbia.edu