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.

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

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 Fellowship here.

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.

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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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.

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.

LOCATION: The New School 6 E 16th Street, room 1618 New York, NY 10011 Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy for a Women in Energy dinner and roundtable discussion with Cecily Kovatch, Founder of Fueled for Growth. Ms. Kovatch will discuss her academic and job histories, career paths, and perspectives on what it means to be a female leader in the energy industry. Biography Cecily Kovatch is the founder of Fueled for Growth, a consulting firm focused on innovation in the energy sector.  Cecily has 25 years’ leadership experience in energy, industrials, financial services and retail/consumer.  Throughout her career, she has worked on groundbreaking projects and is known for her innovative thinking and drive to take on and solve complex problems.  She has built and led numerous new business lines and departments.  She leverages that “intrapreneurship” expertise to advise early stage startups to grow into sustainable business entities. She also helps corporations to develop successful innovation programs, new customer solutions, and fruitful relationships with the startup ecosystem. Cecily created, launched and led the innovation program at Covanta, the world’s largest waste-to-energy (WTE) company, to find new organic growth opportunities.  She also built the marketing department and directed all marketing activities for the renewable energy company.  In the financial services sector, she built and led the Energy & Industrials research team for Standard & Poor’s Vista Research, helping institutional clients better understand and value the sector.  She was business strategy manager at American Express where she developed the realignment strategy for the US Commercial Card salesforce in order to increase market penetration and expand into new customer segments.  Prior to that she was regional manager at Hess Corp. where she ran the P&L for 13 retail locations.  Cecily began her career as a wireline field engineer at Schlumberger Oilfield Services where she worked on over 300 oil rigs.  She is recipient of a Wildcatter Award for discovering oil & gas in Brazoria County, Texas.  Cecily lends her expertise to Stevens Institute of Technology where she teaches Entrepreneurial Thinking to engineers and is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stevens Venture Center.  Additionally, she is a mentor to startups through VentureWell, PowerBridgeNY, and other incubator and accelerator programs.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. This event is open to current female students.  Space is limited therefore please register only if you can commit to attending the roundtable. Dinner will be provided.  If you have any questions, please contact: jem2245@sipa.columbia.edu

Please join the Center on Global Energy Policy for a Women in Energy dinner and roundtable discussion with Kate Burson, Northeast U.S. Market Development Lead, Tesla. Ms. Burson will discuss her 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. Dinner will be provided. *** Biography Kate Burson has devoted her career to working at the intersection of business, policy and law – as a catalyst to expand and encourage sustainable development. Recognizing that energy storage is an essential element in the global transition to clean energy, Burson joined Tesla in 2016 to help develop the market and business for their energy storage products, the Powerwall and the Powerpack.  Prior to joining Tesla, Burson co-led energy policy for New York state.  Working with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York Chairman of Energy and Finance Richard Kauffman, Burson developed and deployed a new strategy for an electric grid power by clean energy. This initiative grew into the State’s Reforming the Energy Vision, REV, which Burson co-developed and managed.  Between the years 2013 and 2015, Burson served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Energy & Finance for New York State, and was responsible for overseeing the state utility regulatory agency, two public power companies, and the state’s energy research and development institution. Under Burson’s direction, New York became a leader in clean energy: restructuring New York State Energy Research and Development authority (NYSERDA), creating a $5 billion clean energy fund, and establishing the nation’s largest public financial institution dedicated to clean energy finance. Previously, Burson served as an Assistant Attorney General for New York state, where she prosecuted securities fraud.  She has also held positions at the World Wildlife Fund, the World Trade Organization, and the National Women’s Law Center. Burson attended Vanderbilt University where she graduated magna cum laude and was awarded All-American and Academic All-American honors for her achievements as a Division I tennis player.  She received her law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

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.