1. Student Roundtable: Careers in Climate Philanthropy

    April 15, 2024 by

    This roundtable is open only to currently enrolled Columbia University students. If you are no longer a student and would like to be removed from this mailing list, please reply directly to this email. 

    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  

    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.

  2. Women in Hydrogen: Scaling up Clean Energy

    August 22, 2023 by

    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.

  3. Centering Gender at COP27

    December 28, 2022 by

    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
  4. Energy and the “S” in ESG Investing

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  5. Student-Only Virtual Roundtable Discussion with Dr. Leah Stokes

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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.

    Registration is required. This event is open only to currently-enrolled Columbia University students.

    For more information contact <a href="mailto:energypolicyevents@columbia.edu” target=”_blank”>energypolicyevents@columbia.edu.

  6. New and Emerging Policies for Carbon Capture

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    Carbon capture has emerged over the past two years as both an essential part of a climate response strategy and a new market for investors. In large part, this is due to new US policies that helps align markets to CO2 reduction and removal. One of the most important policies is a change to the US tax code, section 45Q, which creates a tax credit awarded to the capture and long-term internment of CO2. This new law has implications for US industry, innovation, clean power, and global competitiveness, and is already influencing banks, equity, and institutional investors as the next clean energy market opportunity. Understanding the law, its interpretation, and associated regulations will be critical to successful deployment of carbon capture projects in US electricity and industrial sectors.  Please join CGEP’s Carbon Management Research Initiative and Women in Energy program for this exceptional panel of leaders and experts to discuss 45Q and other policies for carbon capture. Speakers: Judi Greenwald is a Fellow at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. She is also the Principal of Greenwald Consulting LLC, providing energy and environmental expert advice, strategic planning, and policy analysis to clients. Until 2017, Ms. Greenwald was the Deputy Director for Climate, Environment, and Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis. Ms. Greenwald also served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Climate Change. Romany Webb is a Senior Fellow  with the Columbia University Sabin Center for Climate Changer Law. Prior to joining the Sabin Center, Ms. Webb worked at the University of California Berkeley Energy and Climate Institute. Ms. Webb also completed a fellowship with the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law, and Business at the University of Texas at Austin, where she researched energy policy. The fellowship followed several years working in private practice in Sydney, Australia. Julio Friedmann (Moderator) is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. He served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy. Dr. Friedmann also held positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Senior Advisor for Energy Innovation and Chief Energy Technologist. He is also the CEO of Carbon Wrangler, LLC, is a Distinguished Associate at the Energy Futures Initiative, and serves as a special advisor to the Global CCS Institute. He was recently named as a Senior Fellow to the Breakthrough Institute and the Climate Leadership Council. — Guests unable to attend in person can register to view a livestream of the event by accessing the registration link above. This event is open to press. Media should register for this event. Media inquiries or requests for interviews should be directed to Artealia Gilliard (ag4144@sipa.columbia.edu) or Genna Morton (gam2164@sipa.columbia.edu). Please note: RSVP to this event does not guarantee entry. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached for both the public and press. Flash photography and video recording are prohibited. For more information contact: energypolicy@columbia.edu.

  7. CCUS Rising: Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage as a Tool to Counter Climate Change

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    Concerns about the impacts of climate change and the pace and scale of our efforts to reduce emissions have prompted a resurgence of interest and attention on how we can remove carbon from the environment, store it and use it for practical purposes using CCUS (carbon capture, use, and storage) technology. Policy shifts at the state and federal level have created new markets for this clean energy technology, inspiring the launch of new projects in both the industrial and power sectors, extending into new enterprises (like direct air capture or CarbonTech). Despite this interest, few non-experts are familiar with the technology, the market potential, or the political viability of CCUS deployment in the United States or abroad.  Join us on March 26 for the first public event of the Center’s Carbon Management Research Initiative. Come hear leading experts at the front lines of policy, technology, and governance discuss this critical path technology for a just and vibrant energy transition. This event is co-hosted by CGEP’s Women in Energy program.  The panel of experts will include: Erin Burns – Associate Director, Policy – Carbon180  Sarah Forbes – Scientist, Office of Fossil Energy – US Department of Energy Sallie Greenberg – Associate Director, Energy & Minerals – Illinois State Geological Survey Julio Friedmann – Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy (Moderator) Guests unable to attend in person can view a livestream of the event at energypolicy.columbia.edu/livestream. This event is open to press. Media attending the event should register using the registration link below. Media inquiries or requests for interviews should be directed to Artealia Gilliard (ag4144@sipa.columbia.edu). For more information contact: energypolicy@columbia.edu.

  8. Women in Energy Lunch: Dr. Pratima Rangarajan and Rhea Hamilton OGCI Climate Investments

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    Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy for a Women in Energy lunch and roundtable discussion with Dr. Pratima Rangarajan, the Chief Executive Officer of the newly-formed investment company, OGCI Climate Investments and Rhea Hamilton, Ventures Director of OGCI Climate Investments. Dr. Rangarajanand and Ms. Hamilton will discuss their job history, career paths, and perspectives on what it means to be a female leader in the energy industry. About OGCI Investments  Jointly funded by 10 Oil and Gas majors, OGCI Climate Investments (CI) intends to invest $1 billion over the next ten years to develop and demonstrate innovative technologies that have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CI plans to enhance the impact of the investments via strategic partnerships and with others working on low emissions technologies and solutions. Biographies Dr. Pratima Rangarajan Before joining OGCI Climate Investments, Dr. Rangarajan was the General Manager for GE’s Onshore Wind Product Line and the General Manager for GE’s Energy Storage startup. She had previously held the role of Deputy Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Emerging Technology and Research at Vestas Wind Systems. Pratima has a PhD in chemical engineering from Princeton University and a BS in chemical engineering from MIT. She is based in London.  Rhea Hamilton Previously, Ms. Hamilton was a Managing Director for a European family office heading private equity/venture capital direct investments in clean technology and renewable energy. Prior to this, she was an Investment Director at RobecoSAM Private Equity, formerly part of the greater Rabobank Group. Ms. Hamilton started her career with Royal Dutch Shell, where she held various positions including CFO of Shell Hydrogen. Rhea holds a Geological Engineering degree with a specialisation in Geophysics, from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA from IESE in Barcelona, Spain. This event is open only to current female grad students.  Space is limited therefore please register only if you can commit to attending the roundtable. Lunch will be provided.  If you have any questions, please contact: jem2245@sipa.columbia.edu

  9. WIE Dinner and Roundtable Discussion: Caroline Angoorly and Sarah Davidson NY Green Bank, a Division of NYSERDA

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    Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy for a Women in Energy dinner and roundtable discussion with Caroline Angoorly, Chief Operating Officer, and Sarah Davidson, External Affairs, NY Green Bank. Ms. Angoorly and Ms. Davidson will discuss their job history, career paths, and perspectives on what it means to be a female leader in the energy industry.   This event is only open to current female grad students. Since space is limited, RSVPs will be accepted on a first-come basis until capacity is reached. Please only RSVP if you can commit to attending. Lunch will be provided.   For more information contact: jem2245@sipa.columbia.edu *** Biography Caroline Angoorly is a senior energy and environmental industry executive with more than 20 years of domestic and international experience in business building, strategy, operations, project and asset management, investment, project finance, and mergers and acquisitions. She knows the energy, resources and environmental sectors, especially power and fuels markets and projects across generating technologies and clean tech, as well as environmental instruments, markets, regulation, and policy, with particular expertise in project development and finance. As COO, Ms. Angoorly is responsible for all aspects of strategy, finance and operations, and supports investment activities. Before joining NY Green Bank, Ms. Angoorly led GreenTao LLC, a specialized business growth, project development, financing, strategy and execution firm. She was also previously head of environmental markets for North America at J.P. Morgan, held several senior executive roles at NRG Energy including SVP & Head of Development, Northeast, was vice president and general counsel at EnelGreenPower, and a partner in the Global Project Finance Group at Milbank, Tweed. Through all these roles, Ms. Angoorly has been involved in originating, structuring, negotiating, closing and managing billions of dollars of energy and infrastructure projects across the globe. Ms. Angoorly holds geology and law honors degrees from Monash University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Melbourne Business School in Australia (partly undertaken at Columbia University in New York). She has lived and worked in the United States, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. She has also done business in various countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Western Europe. Sarah Davidson manages External Affairs for NY Green Bank, where she provides investment, portfolio management, and operations support while leading the organization’s communications, stakeholder engagement, partnership development and public relations efforts. Prior to NY Green Bank, Ms. Davidson was a special assistant to Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance for the State of New York. She supported the Chairman in developing and implementing a strategic plan to scale up clean energy, enhance New York’s competitiveness for clean energy business, and make the State’s energy systems more resilient and reliable. Ms. Davidson was previously the sales and business development coordinator for AGRION, a global network for energy and sustainability professionals. She was also a development associate for the Carbon War Room, an international nonprofit organization working to accelerate the adoption of business solutions that reduce emissions at gigaton scale and advance a low-carbon economy. She also served as a vice president at the Coalition for Green Capital, an advocacy group in Washington, DC, supporting tax and finance policies to expand investment opportunities in clean energy generation and energy efficiency. Ms. Davidson holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Colorado College. She serves on the Board of Directors of Sense & Sustainability, the Adirondack North Country Association, and the S.S. Columbia Project, and the advisory board of the Environmental Film Festival.

  10. The Future of Clean Transportation Technology

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    Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy?s Women in Energy program for a public panel discussion on the future of clean transportation technology and innovation including smart mobility, electric vehicles, and battery technologies from the technological maturity, market readiness, and policy outlook perspectives. The panel will include the following speakers: Christina Lampe-Onnerud, CEO and Founder, Cadenza Innovation Robyn Marquis, Project Manager, Clean Transportation Program at NYSERDA Goksin Kavlak, Graduate researcher, Trancik Lab at the Institute for Data, Systems and Society (IDSS) at MIT Sharon Di, Assistant Professor, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University Registration is required. This event is open to press. Please direct media inquiries to Jamie Shellenberger-Bessmann. It will also be livestreamed at: energypolicy.columbia.edu/watch A podcast of this event (in addition to other past Center events) will be available ~12 days after the date of the event through iTunes or via our website.