The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA’s Women in Energy initiative, in collaboration with the Columbia Policy Institute, invites you to join us for Exploring Energy Careers: Insights and Connections —an evening of conversation and networking that highlights the breadth of opportunities across the energy sector.
The program will open with a panel of speakers whose careers span law, policy, research, engineering, and finance, offering insight into the many ways professionals are shaping the industry’s future. After the panel, attendees will take part in small group discussions to ask questions, hear personal career journeys, and gather practical advice on navigating the field. Whether you are a student, early-career professional, or exploring a career transition, this event will provide valuable connections and perspectives. Join us to learn, engage, and discover the diverse pathways that drive today’s energy landscape.
When Nimita Uberoi transitioned from the public to the private sector, she quickly realized that her network and skill set didn’t transfer as seamlessly as she had hoped. “You have to build an entirely new network,” she said. “That’s why this fellowship was so particularly helpful. New people, new skill set, and new industry.”
Nimita is one of 21 early-career professionals selected for the Women in Energy Fellowship, a program led by the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Directed by Jessica Weis, Program Director of CGEP’s Women in Energy initiative, the fellowship is designed for women with three to eight years of experience in the energy sector. It provides participants with a variety of energy topics, professional skills, and a strong peer network—three pillars essential to advancing in a rapidly evolving industry.
Nimita Uberoi (right), Co-Founder of Giraffe Financial, speaks to the group of fellows.
CGEP launched the program in response to a persistent challenge: while women make up about a third of entry-level energy positions, they account for just 19 percent of executives. Many leave the field before reaching senior leadership roles, creating a loss of talent and perspective at a time when the sector is undergoing profound transformation.
The fellowship is a direct investment in closing that gap. Over several months, participants take part in in-person sessions at CGEP’s New York City offices, featuring deep dives on timely energy topics such as sustainable finance, offshore wind, nuclear energy, and energy equity. They also engage in skill-building workshops on public speaking, negotiation, conflict resolution, and, in a recent session on August 6, 2025, confidence-building.
The confidence session began with reflections on how fellows had approached challenges differently since the last meeting. Ava Ibanez-Amador, Associate Attorney at Earthjustice, shared:
I’ve learned a lot about areas outside my own field. And each time we present, I notice the hesitation fading. This kind of cohort builds you up to do it without thinking twice.
Ava Ibanez-Amador
The session then welcomed guest speaker Dr. Luisa Palacios, Interim Director of Research and Managing Director of Energy Transition Finance at CGEP. With a career spanning leadership in energy companies, finance, and policy—including serving as the first chairwoman of Citgo Petroleum Corporation—Palacios brought decades of insight.
“It became very clear to me that I had to learn and relearn every time I changed jobs,” she told the group. “I thought: I might not be the best person right now, but I will become the person to figure this out.”
Dr. Luisa Palacios, Interim Director of Research and Managing Director of Energy Transition Finance at CGEP
For Carly Ayukawa, Senior Program Manager at Solar One, this perspective was grounding:
We’re so used to US stability, but hearing about volatility abroad put things into perspective. It makes me more confident seeing the longevity that speakers have had in their careers.
Carly Ayukawa presents.
Cheryl Ma, Project Manager for Clean Energy Origination at Walmart, found Palacios’ points on resilience especially relevant:
Policies change, companies change—sometimes overnight. Her message was that it’s your responsibility to work toward the resilience of your organization. That’s something I can take back to my professional life.
Cheryl Ma
For CGEP, the fellowship is an extension of its mission to not only produce evidence-based research but also to shape the future of who leads in energy. The program’s impact is already measurable. In its pilot year, fellows reported a 49% increase in knowledge of energy equity, a 28% increase in professional networks, and a 17% increase in confidence about public speaking. Six months after completing the pilot, 67% reported that they had been promoted or changed jobs—a testament to the fellowship’s tangible career impact. Eighty-five percent said they would recommend the fellowship to a colleague.
By bringing together women from across sectors—utilities, clean energy startups, law, public agencies, and multinational corporations—CGEP is creating a cross-disciplinary community that will remain connected long after the program ends.
As Palacios reminded the group, “The learning process never stops.”
With the skills, knowledge, and networks built at CGEP, these fellows are not just preparing for the next step in their careers: they are shaping the future of the energy sector itself.
Find more information on the Women in Energy Fellowshiphere.
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This event is at capacity, registration is closed.
In the wake of federal rollbacks, climate professionals are increasingly turning to state and local governments, philanthropy, and the private sector to sustain the progress made. But where exactly is the money flowing—and what does that mean for your career?
The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA’s Women in Energy initiative and Pillsbury invite you to join us for Follow the Capital: Investment and Careers in Climate, a timely conversation and networking event that explores the evolving climate funding landscape—and how to navigate it.
This event will focus on two key questions:
1. Where is climate capital moving under the new administration?
2. How are those shifts shaping hiring and talent demands across sectors?
Hear from leaders tracking the flow of climate capital—from venture investments to government grants—and learn how these trends are influencing not only what gets funded, but who gets hired. Whether you’re seeking your next job, making investment decisions, or simply trying to stay ahead of the curve, this event will provide actionable insights, meaningful connections, and a sharper understanding of where opportunities are headed in the climate space.
Speakers include:
Kenan Arkan, Managing Director in Commodities Origination, J.P. Morgan
Manjot K. Bhatti, Senior Associate, BlackRock
Jason Bordoff, Founding Director, Center on Global Energy Policy
Please join the Women in Energy initiative at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA for a student roundtable lunch and discussion with Mary Nichols, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy. She will discuss her 45-year career as an environmental lawyer and share insights from her experiences working in both local and federal government.
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Registration is required. This roundtable is open only to currently enrolled Columbia University students. 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.
On Tuesday, October 8th, Women in Energy hosted Cathy Schreiber, founder and principal of Cathy Schreiber & Associates, a firm that supports climate and clean energy advocacy organizations, foundations, and climate tech startups with strategy, human capacity, and executive searches.
Cathy discussed strategies for getting recruited into energy and shared tips on what organizations are looking for and how to stand out. She shared best practices based on her experience in her consulting firm and more than 20 years of supporting leaders and teams in achieving ambitious goals.
Cathy Schreiber founded her consulting firm in 2017 after more than 20 years of success in the social sector – developing and executing plans that follow a clear North Star of justice and equity; raising money to power those plans; and supporting leaders and teams working to achieve ambitious goals. Her firm helps clients elevate their approaches and operations to be more impactful and leave this world better than we found it. The goal of their work is transformation – of strategies, structures, and systems.
Cathy has overseen every functional area of nonprofit businesses – governance, development, communications, programs, finance, and administration/operations. During her 15+ years with the Women’s Foundation of California, she led strategic planning, budgeting, evaluation and learning, business model analyses, and team restructures for this statewide public foundation, while serving as a primary liaison for high-profile strategic partnerships. She played a key role in raising more than $100 million and drove the evolution of donor-driven giving circles to become global models of inclusive feminist philanthropy.
Today, as a multi-faceted consultant with expertise in equity-centered approaches, Cathy’s work focuses on business strategy and human capacity, including executive search and coaching. Her clients include climate and clean energy advocacy organizations, foundations, and climate tech startups.
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Climate change is a growing area of concern for many foundations and philanthropies, which can play an important role because of their ability to deploy capital quickly to areas of need. For many interested in working in climate finance and policy, climate philanthropy could be an exciting career option. The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia SIPA’s Women in Energy initiative invites you to a student roundtable that will spotlight foundations working to advance climate and energy solutions. The roundtable will discuss how each foundation sees the sector evolving and how students can build careers in this space.
Moderator:
Martina Chow, Graduate Student, School of International and Public Affairs
Speakers:
Farah Benahmed, Manager, Breakthrough Energy
Isabela Cigarroa, Program Assistant, Environment, Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust
Isabella Gee, Program Associate for the Energy and Environment Program, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Charlotte Tweedley, Manager, Program Strategy, The Rockefeller Foundation
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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.
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.
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
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Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy for a student-only virtual roundtable discussion with Dr. Leah Stokes, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Dr. Stokes will address the agenda for federal climate policy and her efforts to engage with the public and policy-makers on climate change. She will also discuss key themes from her book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/short-circuiting-policy-97801900…” target=”_blank”>Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States.
Biography
Dr. Leah Stokes is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and affiliated with the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and the Environmental Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Her research examines public policy, public opinion and political behavior, with a focus on energy, environment and climate change. Her recent book Short Circuiting Policy (Oxford University Press) examines how interest groups have tried to weaken clean energy laws across the American states. Other ongoing projects include examining protests against energy infrastructure, political staff in Congress, environmentalists’ electoral participation, violence against environmental activists, and effective water conservation policy in California. Prior to academia, Dr. Stokes worked at the Parliament of Canada and Resources for the Future. She is also the co-Chair of the Scholars Strategy Network’s Working Group on Energy & Climate, and a Fellow at the Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy at John Hopkins SAIS and the University of Calgary School of Public Policy. She completed her doctoral degree in Public Policy in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning’s Environmental Policy & Planning group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a Master of Science degree from MIT's Political Science Department. Before that, she completed a Master of Public Administration degree in Environmental Science & Policy at SIPA and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and East Asian Studies from the University of Toronto.
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Registration is required. This event is open only to currently-enrolled Columbia University students.
