*Registration is closed for this event.

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.

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 Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a Global Research Scholar at CGEP. The discussion will focus on Anne-Sophie’s career and her research focus on Europe, hydrogen, and natural gas.

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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. 

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

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.

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

The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women is excited to invite you to tour the Central Energy Plant of Columbia University’s new Manhattanville Campus.  The tour will be led by Michael Haeser, Manhattanville’s Director of District Energy System, and Sejal Shah, Manhattanville’s Manager of District Energy Systems. It will start from the courtyard in front of the Lenfest Center for the Arts where participants will be introduced to the buildings the plant currently supports, then we will go down to the Central Energy Plant. We will walk through the control rooms and learn about the different systems that monitor the equipment (boiler/chiller). The group will then walk through the plants where Michael and Sejal will discuss what the boiler and chiller do and what other pieces of equipment the plant uses to ensure a smooth operation. They will also provide details on the refrigeration cycle, free cooling, steam, condensate, efficiency, and sustainability.  This event is open to current female grad students.  Space is extremely limited therefore please register only if you can commit to attending the site visit.  If you RSVP and can no longer attend, please email me at least three days in advance. If you have any questions, please contact: jem2245@sipa.columbia.edu

LOCATION: Princeton Club of NY 15 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 The Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy program is hosting a public panel discussion on how shifting energy and environmental policies are impacting the financial sector. Our panel of experts will explore issue related to both conventional and renewable energy including tariffs on solar panels, what policies have the greatest effects on financial markets, short-term and long-term effects of the current administration’s plan to open more drilling areas, and the short-term and long-term views of investments in renewables. The panel will include the following speakers: – Maria Jelescu, CEO, Ardinall Investment Management – Dawn Pasquin, Chief Risk Officer, GE Energy Financial Services – Sarah Valdovinos, Co-Founder, Walden Green Energy – Iany Ianachkova, Director, Cohn Reznick Capital 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/livestream 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. For more information contact: energypolicy@columbia.edu

Fossil fuel companies are under pressure from shareholders, citizens and the courts to shift their business models to reduce emissions or face huge financial consequences. There are now more than 1,500 large corporations with net-zero emission pledges, including one-quarter of the S&P 500.

In today’s episode, host Bill Loveless speaks with Mindy Lubber — President and CEO of CERES, a sustainability nonprofit that pushes private companies to integrate the risks associated with climate change into their business strategies. 

They spoke about the changes happening in the market and inside boardrooms, and whether any of it is happening fast enough.