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

The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is rapidly approaching. In order for COP27 to successfully address the scale of the climate crisis, attending nations must consider the gender balance of their delegations and hosted speakers. Women’s political leadership is integral to climate change, political awareness, and government action.

The Center on Global Energy Policy hosted a panel of experts to discuss the contribution of women to climate diplomacy and the important role of a gender framework in promoting successful climate action. The panel featured Catherine McKenna, who launched Women Leading on Climate at COP26 in Glasgow, and Amy Myers Jaffe, who recently released a commentary on women and gender in climate diplomacy.

Welcome Remarks:

• Jessica Weis, Program Director, Women In Energy, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA

Moderator:

• Amy Myers Jaffe, Research Professor and Managing Director, Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and Co-chair of the Women in Energy Steering Committee, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA

Panelists:

• Irina Lazzerini, Principal Specialist, Clean Energy, SEforAll
• Catherine McKenna, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA and Founder and Principal, Climate and Nature Solutions

Brazil’s energy sector offers a valuable perspective, where the growth of the oil and gas sector is coming alongside the deployment of clean energy technologies in a country that displays one of the largest shares in the world of renewables in its electricity generation mix. 
 
The Center on Global Energy Policy, in partnership with Women in Energy Brasil and Columbia Global Centers | Rio de Janeiro, hosted a discussion to provide insights into Brazil’s pragmatic pathway to a clean energy transition from the perspective of an oil and gas producing country. A stellar panel of women leaders in the energy sector discussed the future of the country’s energy system in the context of global high energy prices, the country’s policy approach towards low carbon fuels, the lessons learned from the deployment of clean technologies, and integration of renewables in the power grid, all while at the same time working towards lowering the carbon footprint of its oil and gas production.
 
Moderator:

• Dr. Luisa Palacios, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA; and former Chairwoman, Citgo Petroleum Corporation

Keynote Speaker:

• Mrs. Agnes Maria de Aragão da Costa, Head of the Regulatory Special Advisory Office of the Ministry of Mines and Energy

Panelists:

• Fernanda Delgado, Executive Director of IBP – Instituto Brasileiro de Petróleo e Gás
• Elbia Gannoum, President, Brazilian Wind Energy Association – ABEEólica and Vice President of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)
• Camila Ramos, Founder and managing director of CELA Clean Energy Latin America

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The transition away from a fossil fuel-based energy system to one based on cleaner energy technologies raises profound questions for traditional oil and gas companies. In looking to the world’s future energy requirements, some of these companies are looking for ways to evolve into broader energy companies to reach net-zero targets by 2050. They will require new capabilities, leadership, and cultures as they shift their business models, capital allocation, and organizational capabilities.
 
To better understand the opportunities, experiences, and challenges facing oil and gas companies in adapting to the energy transition, the Center on Global Energy Policy hosted a panel of experts with experience in the sector.
 
Moderator:

• Amy Myers Jaffe, Co-Chair, Women in Energy Steering Committee, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA and Managing Director, Climate Policy Lab, Fletcher School, Tufts University 

 
Speakers:

• Andrea Galieti, Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, bp
• Sunaina Ocalan, Director, Corporate Strategy and Climate Change, Hess Corporation
• Ariwoola Ogbemi, Senior Advisor, Equinor and Adjunct Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA

Last year, the U.S. Congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that included $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging, $65 billion to upgrade the electricity grid, and $8 billion to establish 4 hydrogen hubs, among other expenditures in clean energy. The U.S. Department of Energy Loan program office is targeting multiple infrastructure and technologies, including battery storage, DERs, advanced vehicle manufacturing and carbon capture and storage.

The new round of public funding comes against the backdrop of attention on social and environmental goals. The Biden administration stated aims to commit 40 percent of new clean energy funds to disadvantaged communities. Historically, women-run firms have been underrepresented in major infrastructure development projects receiving U.S. federal government support, such as the Loan Guarantee programs. For example, between 2009 and 2020, the chief executive officers of ventures that received over $1 billion allocations from the loan guarantee program were all male-run. Women are also underrepresented in grants from the DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR).

The Center on Global Energy Policy hosted a panel of women clean energy CEOs to discuss the potential of the infrastructure bill and other Biden administration policies to fast-track clean energy infrastructure in the United States and the role of women-led firms in accelerating the energy transition.

Welcome Remarks:

• Amy Myers Jaffe, Co-chair of the Steering Committee, Women in Energy Program, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA

Moderator:

• Emily Chasan, Director, Communications, Generate Capital

Speakers:

• Alexandra Rasch Castillo, Founder and CEO, Caban Systems
• Janice Tran, CEO and Co-Founder, Kanin Energy

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Profound changes in state and federal policy are shaping the landscape for carbon capture, use, and storage in real time. Throughout the United States, these changes may be felt most in Wyoming, where extractive industries have long contributed to the economy, the culture, communities and tax base. As the energy transition mounts, Wyoming’s leaders, companies, and experts will help determine the rate and magnitude of deployment of carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS), which will affect every aspect of life and commerce in the Equality State.

The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy program is delighted to announce the fourth event in the Women in Energy CCUS Roadshow series. This initiative aims to highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of women in the CCUS field and empower a workforce that is equitable, diverse, and strong by advancing equality and opportunity. The WIE program seeks to address institutional barriers to entry, help organizations and companies recruit women and improve retention, and empower women to achieve career growth through educational programming, enhanced visibility, and broader networks. The Center works in collaboration with local universities, non-governmental organizations, and public institutions to design cross-cutting, innovative programs that aim to improve the understanding of global challenges through a transdisciplinary, transcultural and applied perspective.

The Center hosted a discussion of the changes in federal and state laws concerning CCUS and how those changes might affect investment, development, climate, and communities in Wyoming. The conversation featured energy experts from Wyoming who also discussed ways to grow women’s share of the energy workforce and what organizations in the public and private sectors are looking for in new recruits.

Moderator:

• Dr. S. Julio Friedmann, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA

Speakers:

• Dr. Holly Krutka, Executive Director, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources
• Sarah Forbes, Director, Carbon Capture and Storage, Center on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President
• Sheila Hollis, Acting Executive Director, United States Energy Association
• Deepika Nagabhushan, Client Project Manager, Carbon Direct

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Please note: This is a hybrid event. Registration for in-person attendance has reached capacity. Should additional space open, this message will be updated. Virtual attendance is still open and we invite you to join us remotely.

Background:

Foreign direct investment can contribute significantly to sustainable development through tax revenues, the transfer of capital and technology, job creation, linkages with local industries, infrastructure development, and capacity building. However, the extent to which these benefits actually accrue to host countries depends heavily on the policies of the host country and the investor, the regulatory and legal framework governing their relationship, and the institutions available to find mutually satisfactory outcomes for both parties. Nowhere are the stakes higher than with extractive industries, where oil, gas and mining have sometimes been a springboard to development and at other times a source of corruption, social degradation, and environmental catastrophe. As the resources are non-renewable, countries have a one-shot opportunity to transform the resource wealth into development.

Objective:

This event, co-hosted by the Center on Global Energy Policy and Columbia Global Centers | Rio de Janeiro, will provide a basic knowledge of the transformative potential, benefits and risks of the extractive-industry and the role of industry, governments and civil society. Participants will have the opportunity to learn and interact with experts from Columbia University and Fundação Getúlio Vargas to discuss the interlinkages of oil, gas and mining in Brazil and the U.S.

Speakers:

• Lisa Sachs

Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. Since joining CCSI in 2008, she established and now oversees CCSI’s robust research portfolio in its cross-cutting areas of expertise, and has overseen advisory work in Chile, Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Paraguay, Tanzania and Timor-Leste, among other countries. She teaches a masters seminar at Columbia Law School and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs on Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development, and lectures at Externado University in Colombia on International Investment Law. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University, and earned her Juris Doctor and a Masters degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, where she was a James Kent Scholar and recipient of the Parker School Certificate in International and Comparative Law.

• Fernanda Delgado

PHD trained in Energetic Planning (engineering), with petroleum geopolitics emphasis, Master degrees in Management Engineering and in International Finance. Two published books on Petropolitics, and an affiliated professor of Oil Geopolitics in Brazilian Navy Officers University. Professional experience in relevant companies, in Brazil and abroad, as Deloitte, Vale S.A., Gama Filho University, Royal Shipping Services and Dickinson Maritime Agency. Skilled on business plans design and construction, project financial viability studies and business valuation. Long experience in strategic planning, merger and acquisition, business analysis, economic and financial evaluation and competitive intelligence.

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Please note: This is a hybrid event. Registration for in-person attendance has reached capacity. Should additional space open, this message will be updated. Virtual attendance is still open and we invite you to join us remotely.

Advance registration is required. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with access details.

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

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Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy's Women in Energy program for a virtual roundtable discussion with Marcia Burkey, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of TerraPower. Aside from her career path, Ms. Burkey will also discuss how TerraPower fits into the energy transition and what type of career disciplines propel their progress.

About TerraPower

TerraPower was started in 2008 when our founder, Bill Gates, saw clean energy as an opportunity to sustainably lift people out of poverty. Working with our employees and investors, we have expanded that vision to also include the advancement of nuclear science in medical isotopes to offer life-saving treatment for cancer. TerraPower is on a mission to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing mankind with safe, affordable and sustainable technologies.

Biography

​Marcia Burkey is the executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), responsible for TerraPower’s finance operations, human resources, information technology, procurement and contracts, and commercial development.

Immediately prior to joining TerraPower, Burkey was the managing director at TeleSoft Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm which funds, incubates and helps build value in companies of various stages. She oversaw investment operations for a family of funds with commitments exceeding $625M including SBIC commitments. TeleSoft’s funds invest in communication, energy, internet and information technology (IT) companies.

Prior to her work at TeleSoft, Burkey was a senior vice president and partner of Bechtel Group, Inc. In her capacity as CFO of Bechtel Enterprises, she was responsible for leading the investment efforts along with financial planning and analysis, control, tax, treasury, and IT efforts. Additionally, Burkey assisted in capital raisings within Bechtel Enterprises and Bechtel Group, and served on the boards of UIC, Alterra and InterGen. She led the development and sale of investments in North America, Asia, South America and the Middle East. Burkey also served as the president of Bechtel’s NASD broker-dealer, Bechtel Financing Services, Inc.

Prior to her work at Bechtel, Burkey spent nine years at SBC Warburg (now UBS) in corporate and project finance positions. She was involved in project financings globally for SBC Warburg in New York, and directed the firm’s Latin America project finance business development efforts. In addition, she was responsible for corporate advisory and financing in multiple industries, including work with U.S. public utilities. While at SBC Warburg, Burkey assisted in raising debt and equity capital for U.S. electric, water and gas utilities in excess of $2.5B.

Burkey holds a Bachelor's degree from Macalester College, Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude, and a Master's degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

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This event will be hosted via Zoom. Advance registration is required. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with access details. The event will be recorded and the video recording will be added to our website following the event.

For more information, please contact Jully Merino Carela (jem2245@columbia.edu) or Nicolina DueMogensen (energypolicyevents@columbia.edu).

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