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Saudi Arabia’s recent moves into the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market may be a sign the giant oil exporter is looking to expand into a rapidly growing and politically influential market it had long ignored.
Hear in-depth conversations with the world’s top energy and climate leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society.
For years, Japan set aggressive decarbonization targets, positioning itself as a climate leader despite limited domestic resources. But recent geopolitical earthquakes like the ongoing war in Ukraine, increasing...
Past Event
March 14, 2024
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm edt
Interested in pursuing a career in energy? Or want to hear from women who have achieved successful careers as policymakers, industry leaders, and academics? Join us for an insightful event featuring accomplished women who will share their career paths, offer advice, and provide information on navigating a successful career in energy policy.
The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA Women in Energy Initiative (WIE), Georgetown University’s McCourt Energy & Environment Club, and Women in Public Policy Initiative welcomes those interested in pursuing or thriving in an energy career. Following the discussion we will host a networking reception, to facilitate connections between organizations seeking new talent and individuals passionate about pursuing a career in the energy sector.
The WIE initiative envisions a world with equal gender representation at every level within the energy sector. Our mission is to elevate women and enhance inclusion within the energy workforce by developing and sharing research, expanding entry into the sector, and supporting professionals.
To expand entry into the sector, WIE hosts events to provide opportunities to connect energy organizations recruiting new talent with those interested in pursuing a career. Our events also feature women who have thrived in a specific energy subsector. Join us to learn more about our work or contact us at [email protected].
Moderator:
Panelists:
Biographies:
Patricia Beneke most recently served as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) regional director for North America, with responsibility for interfacing with the U.S. and Canadian governments on behalf of UNEP. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and served as an assistant secretary of the Interior during the Clinton Administration. Ms. Beneke worked for over twenty years as a democratic senior counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, where she specialized in a broad range of issues, including energy development on public lands, water resources, mining, oil, and gas development, and national energy policy. She has taught natural resources law and policy as a visiting lecturer of law at Harvard Law School and adjunct faculty at Columbia University Law School and the University of Virginia School of Law, and currently teaches energy and natural resources law and policy at Georgetown University. Early in her career, Ms. Beneke worked at the Departments of Justice and Agriculture. She holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from Iowa State University.
Honorable Vicky Bailey began her career as a commissioner, at the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission appointed by Governor Robert Orr, and at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission appointed by President Bill Clinton, and as President/CEO, and member of the Board of Directors, of PSI Energy, Inc., Indiana’s largest electric utility, now Duke Indiana. She was appointed by President George W. Bush to be the leading international official at the United States Department of Energy (2001-2004) as the first assistant secretary for both International Affairs and Domestic Policy. During her appointment, Ms. Bailey served as vice chair of the International Energy Agency (IEA) headquartered in Paris, France, and post-Sept. 11th, she was chair of several bilateral international working groups among energy-producing nations.
Ms. Bailey is a graduate of the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award and was a Krannert School Dean’s Advisory Council member. In July 2013, she completed the Advanced Management Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. In 2023, Ms. Bailey was a recipient of the Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award. Presently, she is the founder of Anderson Stratton International LLC management advisory services.
Ana Unruh Cohen is the senior director for NEPA, Infrastructure and Clean Energy at the White House Council on Environmental Quality where she works to make federal permitting more effective and efficient to help meet President Biden’s climate and clean energy goals. In 2023, she was chosen by Time for their inaugural list of the 100 most influential climate leaders in business.
Dr. Unruh Cohen has spent more than two decades working on U.S. federal climate and energy policy in Washington, D.C. From 2019 through 2022, she served as the majority staff director of the House Select Committee on the Climates Crisis, supporting the passage of the historic set of energy and climate laws in the 117th Congress that has since unleashed a wave of investment in clean energy. In addition to other staff positions in the House and the Senate, Dr. Unruh Cohen was a distinguished visiting fellow at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University and has worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for American Progress. Dr. Unruh Cohen has a B.S. in Chemistry from Trinity University and received her D.Phil. in Earth Sciences from the University of Oxford.
Paula R. Glover is the president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a bipartisan, nonprofit coalition of business, government, environmental, and academic leaders advocating to advance federal energy efficiency policy. As the seventh president in the organization’s 45-year history and a long-time member of the Board of Directors, Ms. Glover provides over 25 years of industry expertise and leadership.
Ms. Glover has 15 years of experience in the energy industry, working on both electric and natural gas distribution. During that time, she built a stellar reputation working with state legislators and regulators — commanding a clear understanding of the consumer and community sides of the business enterprise.
Ms. Glover serves on the Board of Directors for Talos Energy where she serves as chair of the Safety, Sustainability, and Corporate Responsibility Committee. She also serves on the board of the Keystone Policy Center, Clean Energy Works, and Resources for the Future. Ms Glover is the recipient of numerous awards and received her B.S. in Marketing Management from the University of Delaware.
Constance Thompson is responsible for collaboratively driving and implementing the American Council of Renewable Energy’s (ACORE) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice strategy focused on leveraging ACORE’s public and private networks to build opportunities for smaller renewable energy companies owned and operated by women, Black, Indigenous, and people of color leaders while advocating for national policies and industry best practices that accelerate social and economic justice as a part of our nation’s transition to a renewable energy economy.
She brings to ACORE over 20 years of experience collaboratively launching, sustaining, and measuring the impact of transformational DEI-focused initiatives, coalitions, membership programs, and strategic partnerships on behalf of leading Fortune 500, Ivy League, scientific, and engineering-focused institutions.
A Cornell University Certified Advanced Diversity Practioner (CCDP/AP), Thompson holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and French from Virginia State University and serves on the boards of Renewables Forward and Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE).
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Advance registration is required. This event will be hosted in person and capacity is limited.
This event is open to press, and registration is required to attend. For media inquiries or requests for interviews, please contact CGEP Communications ([email protected]).
For more information about the event, please contact [email protected].
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 Sunaina Ocalan, who will discuss...
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The critical minerals executive order signed by President Trump on March 20, 2025, aims to significantly increase domestic production of critical minerals within the United States.
Energy-economic models are increasingly being used to inform climate mitigation policies. This Comment describes three situations where models misinform policymakers and calls for more iterative, policy-orientated modelling exercises that maximize learning in the pursuit of long-term emissions reductions goals.
