The Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia University SIPA today announced new personnel additions who will bring extensive experience from government, think tanks, and the private sector to help the Center expand its reach and influence on critical minerals, trade and the energy transition, and energy markets.
“At CGEP, we are committed to expanding both our research expertise on today’s most critical energy and climate issues and our role as a home for the world’s most timely and impactful conversations on global energy policy,” said Jason Bordoff, Founding Director of CGEP. “Our new staff and non-resident fellows embody this mission—strengthening our research and convening capacity while advancing work on securing critical mineral supply chains, navigating the intersection of climate and trade policy, and making sense of an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.”
CGEP Staff:
Amy Baker – Managing Director, Research Affairs
Amy Baker most recently spent more than two decades at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in various positions providing expertise in administration, operations, and project management. Amy served in senior positions in the David Rockefeller Studies Program-CFR’s think tank. She has also served as Managing Director for Fellowship Affairs and Managing Director for Studies Administration at CFR. She previously co-directed the professional development program for CFR’s more than 100 junior staff. Amy received an MA in politics with a concentration in international relations from New York University and a BA in political science and history from Syracuse University.
Pamela Tamay – Deputy Director of Event Strategy
Pamela Tamay most recently served as the Associate Director of Finance and Operations at Columbia Business School. She played a pivotal role in orchestrating the School’s signature events and alumni programming across the US and internationally with a focus on strategic budgeting and operational logistics within the Development and Alumni Relations department. She began her Columbia career at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center where she managed financial operations for sponsored projects and donor-funded events for the Celiac Disease Center. A lifelong Queens resident, she is a graduate of CUNY Hunter College and holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Evelyne Williams – Research Associate
Evelyne Williams most recently served as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the United States Department of State’s Office of Global Change, where she was the deputy lead negotiator on carbon pricing at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and represented the US in international climate negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). She is a recipient of the State Department’s Colin Powell Leadership Program fellowship for emerging policy leaders. Evelyne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with Distinction from Barnard College, Columbia University, and has pursued a Master of International Affairs at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.
CGEP Non-resident Fellows:
Tim Boersma
Dr. Tim Boersma is a Director in the energy and climate practice of the Berkeley Research Group, one of Forbes’ top U.S. management consulting firms of 2025, where he works out of the Brussels office. Previously, Boersma helped set up the Sustainability & Strategy Advisory within the corporate investment bank of ABN AMRO USA, was a Senior Advisor on the responsible investment committee of a NY based emerging markets specialist investment firm, was a Senior Research Scholar and Natural Gas Program Director at Columbia University, a Fellow and Acting Director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution, and worked with a boutique consulting firm in the Netherl by ands. He (co-)authored three book manuscripts, published in Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Foreign Affairs, Nature and other leading journals, and holds a Ph.D. in International Relations (2013) from the University of Groningen.
Kevin Brunelli
Kevin Brunelli was previously a member of the Critical Minerals and Energy Technologies team in the Bureau of Energy Resources at the US State Department, where he served as the lead for critical minerals diplomacy in East Asia and Australia. He was also the Department lead for lithium, nickel, and minerals and energy technologies facing Chinese export restrictions. He was previously a Research Associate at the Center on Global Energy Policy, focused on critical minerals, battery supply chains, and economic statecraft. Prior to working at Columbia, Kevin was a producer at CNN. He graduated from Columbia SIPA with a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Energy and Environment and received a BA from the Catholic University of America.
Theodore Bunzel
Theodore (Teddy) Bunzel is the Head of Lazard Geopolitical Advisory. Teddy joined Lazard from BlackRock, where he held a number of roles over nearly a decade, including in corporate strategy, managing BlackRock’s policy and public affairs, and developing BlackRock’s quantitative and qualitative analyses of geopolitical risk. Before joining BlackRock, Teddy worked for former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, and assisted Dr. Brzezinski on his final book, Strategic Vision. Teddy also spent time working at both the US Embassy in Moscow and US Treasury. He graduated from Yale with a focus on Grand Strategy, History, and Economics, and holds an MBA from Stanford Business School and an MA from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Rohit Chandra
Rohit Chandra is a political scientist and economic historian working on energy, infrastructure and varieties of capitalism in India. His recent work has covered the coal and power industries, and the broader politics of India’s energy transition. Over the last decade, he has worked in the policy space on coal sector reforms, the politics of state power utilities (discoms), and public finance decisions behind large infrastructure projects. Rohit completed his PhD from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, focusing on the economic and political history of India’s coal industry. He is currently an Assistant Professor at IIT-Delhi’s School of Public Policy.
Noah Deich
Noah Deich recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Carbon Management at the US Department of Energy. Previously, he co-founded Carbon180, where he is now a Senior Advisor. Noah is also part of the Stripe Climate Fellows cohort, and he has fellowships on carbon management with the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Helaina MatzaÂ
Helaina Matza currently serves as the Chief Strategic Development Officer at TechMet Ltd. where she leads strategic partnership and business development. Prior to joining TechMet, she spent 14 years leading high-level US international economic and climate policy engagements from the State Department and the White House. Most recently, she served as the US government’s global infrastructure and investment envoy focused on securing western supply chains, US market access, and economic development opportunities in emerging markets. Prior to government service spent several years in the private sector managing board relations, institutional fundraising, and program development for various trade associations and NGOs. Helaina currently serves on the board of Energy Source Minerals and is a Senior Non-Resident with the CSIS Critical Minerals Security program. Helaina holds a B.A. in International Affairs and an M.A. in Public Administration and Energy Management from George Washington University.
Gregoire Roos
Grégoire Roos currently serves as the Director for Europe and Russia at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), where he is responsible for advancing the Institute´s research and strategic partnerships on European industrial competitiveness, security and defense, as well as the security and economic implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and geopolitical shifts around Russia and its neighbors. Prior to joining Chatham House, Mr. Roos was the Head of Political Dialogue & Policy Innovation at the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, overseeing the portfolio on the geopolitics of energy and climate action. Mr. Roos sits on the Steering Group for Green Trade of the World Economic Forum and is a member of the Forum’s High-Level Group on European Strategic Interdependence. Mr. Roos is also a David Rockefeller Fellow of the Trilateral Commission as well as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Delphi Economic Forum.
Gwynne Taraska
Gwynne Taraska is an expert in energy and climate policy, diplomacy, and geopolitics. She recently was Managing Director for Clean Energy in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate in the US Department of State. Previous roles include Senior Advisor for International Affairs in the US Department of Energy and Senior Advisor to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John F. Kerry in the US Department of State. Before joining government, Dr. Taraska was Director of International Climate Policy at the Center for American Progress, Director of Policy and Research at Climate Advisers, and Director of Climate Policy at Ocean Conservancy. She has a BA from Reed College and a PhD from the University of Washington.
