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MPA-ESP Alumni
Success After Graduation! Read about some of our 1100 ESP program alumni.
Mahak Agrawal MPA ESP ’21
Mahak currently works at Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy on the Carbon Management Research Initiative. She has extensive training as an urban planner and also works with the Switzerland-based International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) to encourage sustainable subsurface development.
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Sarah Braverman MPA-ESP ’21
Since graduation this past April, Sarah has joined Carbon Direct, which “provides both scientific advisory services and investment capital to the carbon removal & utilization ecosystem,” as a Client Project Manager. The private startup company is based in New York City and focuses on advising clients on carbon removal or carbon capture projects and assessing the quality of the projects with in-house criteria. Their employees are around the world and includes full time professors and faculty at leading universities focused on climate change and carbon capture.
While she is still new to the position, she has used her skills and knowledge from the MPA-ESP program to understand the environmental science and terminology of her projects and communicate them effectively to the clients.
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Dr. Kimberley Miner
Dr. Kimberley Miner has spent her career understanding earth and climate systems to better predict and mitigate the effects of climate change. This dedication and passion has led her to become a Science Systems Engineer for a new satellite project at NASA. The project, Earth System Observatory (ESO), will generate data that will improve our understanding of the climate, hydrology, land-surface change, natural disasters, atmosphere and more. The launch of the satellite is scheduled for 2027.
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Brighton Kaoma MPA-ESP ’19
Currently, Brighton is serving as the global youth director for the United Nations. It is one of the largest networks of young people supporting young entrepreneurs, young activists, and young sustainability leaders to accelerate sustainability solutions. This support involves bringing in these young leaders to train them and provide them with a network for sustainable development, to create pathways of understanding, and to give young people the skills and resources to take action.
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Julia Koppman MPA-ESP ’19
Julia currently works at the California Coastal Commission (CCC) as District Supervisor for the North Central Coast, which includes areas in Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. Before this role, Julia worked as a Coastal Program Analyst. Her work focuses on coastal resource protection and management. At the CCC, Julia reviews, analyzes, and looks at proposed coastal developments and policies in the California Coastal Zone to ensure they meet the regulations of the State Coastal Act. She works in an interdisciplinary fashion with scientists, engineers, lawyers, mapping experts, environmental justice specialists, and other applicable state and federal agencies.
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Sage Solomine MPA-ESP ’19
Sage currently works as the grants manager for institutional giving at Panthera, the only nonprofit focused on all 40 wild cat species. Most similar nonprofits only have the resources to support conservation of “big cat” species; Sage finds it exciting to be able to fund conservation of smaller wild cat species as well. Her role as grants manager involves fundraising, with a focus on support from government and foundations. Her position represents a link between scientists and donors, which means that she can be close to the science without working her life around being in the field.
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Stacia Carrington MPA-ESP ’19
After graduating from the MPA-ESP program in 2019, Stacia landed a position as the policy engagement consultant for Focused Conservation. This job allows Stacia to draw on her science-based policy background from the MPA-ESP program because the organization values policy education in their work.
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Aiyana Bodi MPA-ESP ’19
She has recently joined Project Drawdown as a senior associate with Drawdown Labs. After graduating from our program, she began working as a summer research fellow for Mighty Earth, a global advocacy organization focused on reducing deforestation through global supply chains. During her time in this fellowship, her research focused on rubber agroforestry along with aiding in a campaign directed at forming a coalition on sustainable natural rubber.
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Gabe Cowles MPA-ESP ’09
He is the program manager for Build Smart NY, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s initiative to improve energy efficiency in state facilities by 20 percent by 2020. Recognized as a 40 Under 40 Rising Star on the Albany 2016 list, Cowles achieved a quarter of the energy program’s goal in the first year.
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Julie Manoharan MPA-ESP ’18
She is a Manager at Global Health Strategies where she brings her diverse experience in communications, policy, program management, education and journalism to fulfil GHS’s mission to advance issues and power campaigns that improve health and well-being around the world.
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Sara Kadoura MPA-ESP ’17
She is currently a product developer with the Loreal-Kiehl’s sustainability program, 'Sharing Beauty With All' where her responsibilities include incorporating sustainability practices at every level of the supply chain. This position represents a transition into corporate social and environmental responsibility from her interest as a student in international relations and human rights.
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Claire VanZuiden MPA-ESP ’13
She develops strategies to grow and finance green companies and to help clients commercialize technologies to improve air quality, reduce waste and reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Claire applies the system-based thinking and hard science background that she learned in the ESP program on a daily basis to resolve environmental, energy, and development issues.
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Curtis Probst MPA-ESP ’14
He is the Managing Director of the Rocky Mountain Institute, where he leads their Sustainable Finance practice. He also teaches Financing the Green Economy at SIPA at Columbia University, and serves on the advisory board of the Earth Institute. He is a former managing director at Goldman Sachs and vice president at Salomon Brothers.
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Olin Berger MPA-ESP ’14
He was chosen as a member of the Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps in Chicago, Illinois. Olin is working to analyze energy efficiency projects for high rise office buildings in downtown Chicago.
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Ashley Toombs MPA-ESP ’15
She is a Program Manager with BRAC USA. BRAC is a poverty alleviation and international development organization that was founded in the 1970s in Bangladesh and has since expanded operations to 12 countries in Asia and Africa, with affiliate offices in the U.S., UK, and Netherlands.
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Josh Garrett MPA-ESP ’12
He serves as an Account Director at Antenna Group, Josh provides public relations services for the clean energy sector. He is the former Director of Communications at Equitable Origin and Marketing Manager of the North American Energy Program at the Nature Conservancy.
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Alison Miller MPA-ESP ’11
Deputy Executive Director of The Earth Institute, she was named one of 2014 City & State’s top 40 under 40 Rising Stars. The media company, devoted to covering New York politics and policies, nominates 40 exceptional individuals each year who are leaving their mark on New York City.
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Annlyn McPhie MPA-ESP ’13
She is with United Nations Development Programme, Japan-Caribbean Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP.) A native of Grenada, Annlyn is the former Manager of Marine Protected Areas for Grenada.
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Todd Miner MPA-ESP ’11
He is a Consultant, Learning Solutions, Organization Transformation and Talent at Deloitte. He is a former Director of Friends of Rockaway, an organization working to restore the Rockaway Peninsula in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
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Katie Edmond MPA-ESP ’14
Through her role as a Parks Analyst with the New York City Department Parks and Recreation, is working toward a greener future for New Yorkers in high-need communities.
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Rebecca Kline MPA-ESP ’08
She is the Director of Business Development for App Gap, a Bay Area IT firm. She is the former Executive Director of New Haven Farms, an urban agriculture program, which was featured in the NYT. (NY Times, November 6, 2014).
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Maham Ahmed MPA-ESP ’13
She is a Policy Advisor at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington, D.C. Maham hopes to bring change to disaster response and recovery for future generations.
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Alex Hofmann MPA-ESP ’09
He is the Director of Energy and Environmental Services at the American Public Power Association (APPA). He oversees the development and application of member-related information and analytical services, including the Reliable Public Power Provider program and eReliability Tracker service.
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Haydée Rodríguez MPA-ESP ’12
She has always wanted to work in environmental law. Having started the program with a law degree and prior work experience as a program associate for the Fresh Water Action Network in Costa Rica, Haydée’s current job as an environmental advisor for the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense is a perfect fit for her professional goals.
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Sheng Yan MPA-ESP ’13
He is a Commercial Analyst for Conoco Phillips. He is a former Economic Analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund.
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Jonathan Philipsborn MPA-ESP ’07
He is the Climate Adaption Practice Director for the Americas at AECOM, a multi-national consulting firm supporting clients across markets and sectors in over 150 countries. Climate change services he works to provide to clients include reviewing climate science, conducting climate change vulnerability and risk assessments, modeling potential future hazard conditions, and developing and implementing adaptation and resilience strategies.
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James Vener MPA-ESP ’07
He has applied the policymaking skills he obtained through the program to positions at the United Nations Environment Programme’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP-DTIE) Energy Finance Unit in France and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bureau of Development Policy’s Environment and Energy Group in New York.