Jessalyn is a Master of Environmental Management student concentrating in Energy and Data Analytics. Her interests are focused around understanding trends across the energy landscape, from energy markets and policy to power systems resilience. She is particularly interested in energy in global contexts and the role of emerging markets in shaping a sustainable energy future. As a board member of Duke’s Global Energy Access Network, which is affiliated with the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project, she helps lead conversations and supports students and researchers pursuing equitable energy solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration across campus.

Jack is a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Policy student at Duke University, focusing on energy finance and energy policy. He graduated from Duke in 2019 with majors in economics and environmental policy. Prior to returning to Durham, Jack worked in Washington, DC as a power sector analyst focused on congestion pricing in the ERCOT electricity market in Texas and as an investment analyst focused on energy policies at the state and federal levels. He continued similar work as a research associate in the summer after his first year as a graduate student.

Charlotte Del Col is a rising second-year dual-degree M.E.M./M.B.A. student, specializing in energy, economics, and policy. During the 2024–25 academic year, she worked as a graduate research assistant with the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project, where she explored trends in climate finance, emerging markets, and the evolving role of international aid. She is passionate about advancing global access to sustainable and reliable energy.

Megan is pursuing a Master of Environmental Management and M.B.A. at Duke University, focused on energy and environmental justice. After serving as marketing lead for the 2024 Energy Conference, she is thrilled to help lead one of the premier energy-focused business school events. This summer, Megan interned at STACK Infrastructure where she researched the water-energy nexus for data center development and operations.

Veena is part of Duke’s MS in Economics and Computation program. She is passionate about equitable energy transitions and climate resilience, especially in emerging and developing economies. Representing Duke in the 2024 version of the same case competition inspired her to delve deeper into energy access and led her to join a research project on the same topic. She has a keen interest in interdisciplinary engagement on climate and energy, having initiated community-level engagements and research projects in this field.

Aaron is excited to serve as a Co-Chair for Energy Week 2025. He is a first year Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) candidate concentrating in energy and environmental economics and policy. As a Duke undergrad, he was a Rachel Carson Scholar and Udall Scholar for Environmental Leadership. He has worked with LongLeaf Studios (a NC-focused venture capital firm), Third Derivative (a climate tech startup accelerator), the Southern Environmental Law Center, Silicon Ranch Corporation (a utility-scale solar developer) and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. He is passionate about accelerating the transition to a net-zero economy.

Tsedensodnom (Terry) Uranbold is a second-year Master of Environmental Management student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, concentrating in Business and Energy. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke Kunshan University and has worked on energy policy with the Parliament of Mongolia, copper strategy at Rio Tinto, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s clean energy innovation at NRDC. Terry is the founder of Polaris Energy Insights, a platform for data-driven analysis on global energy trends, finance, and sustainability. He serves as Professional Development Chair of the Nicholas School Energy Club. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, long runs, and listening to Fleetwood Mac on vinyl over coffee.

Nate Alfonso is a U.S. Army veteran and West Point graduate with a degree in chemical engineering. As a helicopter pilot and aviation officer, Nate led cross-functional teams across three continents during his military career. Now pursuing his M.B.A. at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, Nate is committed to advancing innovation where utilities, emerging technologies, and strategic leadership converge in the evolving energy sector.

Darpan Barua is a second-year Master of Engineering Management student passionate about finance, technology, and strategy in renewable energy. He spent this past summer at Greenlane Infrastructure—a $675M EV charging joint venture by BlackRock, NextEra Energy, and Daimler AG. Prior to that, he worked on sustainable infrastructure financing at the New Development Bank (formerly BRICS Bank) in Shanghai. With a background in development and finance, Darpan is eager to drive innovation in renewable energy investment and operations. Outside of work, he enjoys golf, drone flying, and cooking.

Jack is a first-year M.B.A. candidate at the Fuqua School of Business, concentrating in energy finance. Prior to Duke, Jack earned his B.S. in materials science and engineering and has spent the past several years working in the building automation industry. He is a Certified Energy Manager and has led numerous industrial decarbonization projects in the Tampa Bay region. He is enthusiastic about learning from and collaborating with industry leaders to shape a dynamic and reliable energy future.

Danilo Costa is an engineering professional and M.B.A. candidate at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business (class of 2027), specializing in energy and sustainability. With more than five years of experience in mining and project management, he is passionate about driving innovation in the global energy transition. At Freeport-McMoRan, he led multimillion-dollar engineering projects, managed cross-functional teams, and championed sustainable practices. Danilo holds a civil and environmental engineering degree from Brigham Young University and has worked in both technical and commercial roles in Brazil and the United States.

Pat is a Master of Environmental Management and M.B.A. dual-degree candidate at Duke University, concentrating in both energy and environment and environmental economics and policy. Following his B.S. in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University, he cofounded and operated a plumbing and HVAC startup that became a market leader in the installation and maintenance of low-carbon and decarbonized residential mechanical systems. Pat is passionate about designing incentive-based energy policy that drives best practices in implementation, enhancing climate change communication, and leveraging the private sector to accelerate decarbonization.

Sumit is an M.E.M. and M.B.A. candidate. His goal is to help the world transition to clean energy. He discovered this passion while building and living in a camper van during the COVID pandemic. During his time at Duke, he’s worked with the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Fervo Energy, and Goldman Sachs. He hopes that Duke Energy Week will inspire more of the Duke community to get involved in this space.

April is an M.B.A. candidate at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, passionate about enabling a clean energy transition. Prior to Duke, she spent eight years in operations management at Amazon, where she developed expertise in change management and strategic execution. This summer, she worked with NextEra Energy’s residential solar team to explore innovative approaches to clean energy deployment. After attending last year’s Energy Conference, April is excited to join the Energy Week leadership team and collaborate with students and industry leaders driving the future of energy.

Kirsten Holston is an M.B.A. candidate at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. She holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Purdue University. Kirsten has technical experience in facilitating the decarbonization of the energy sector as an engineer and cost estimator in utility-scale renewable energy. She has also done work with her local environmental council board in Chicago as a passionate intersectional environmentalist. Kirsten is working to ensure that the energy of the future is not only reliable but also sustainable and equitable. She’s excited to lend her professional experience in the renewable energy sector to support this year’s Energy Conference.

Aathi is a master’s in Engineering Management student at Duke and the Logistics Lead for Energy Week 2025. With a strong interest in sustainability and supply chain, he’s excited to help make this year’s event a great success.

Danielle is an experienced product manager with eight years in the digital health field. She is pivoting into the climate tech industry by pursuing a dual-degree M.B.A. and Master of Environmental Management at Duke University. She most recently interned at Pacific Gas & Electric working on the grid innovation delivery team, focused on non-wires alternatives. She is passionate about new, disruptive technology that will drive the energy transition forward to a happier and healthier outcome for all.

Joe Murray is an M.B.A. candidate at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, specializing in energy finance and entrepreneurship. He graduated in 2020 from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in economics. Before Fuqua, Joe spent five years at PwC in the firm’s management consulting practice. For three of those years, he worked within the decarbonization and sustainable operations team, advising Fortune 500 clients on renewable energy procurement strategies, emissions modeling, tax-advantaged investment approaches, and internal stakeholder alignment. Joe is passionate about accelerating the deployment of clean, emerging energy technologies and is excited to contribute to the Duke Energy Conference as a member of the program team.

Lexi Nelson is a dual-degree Master of Environmental Management and MBA candidate (Class of 2028), concentrating in Energy & Environment and Environmental Economics & Policy. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Brown University, where she led student sustainability initiatives. Lexi’s professional background spans energy efficiency, program evaluation, and emissions modeling. Most recently, she has worked as a Project Manager of energy efficiency studies to advance decarbonization in New York’s multifamily building sector. She is passionate about equitable energy transitions and community-centered climate solutions.

Nick is a first-year M.B.A. candidate and EDGE Impact Scholar at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Prior to business school, Nick was a founding team member and senior associate at Sandbrook Capital, a climate infrastructure and renewable energy private equity firm. He began his career at Perella Weinberg Partners covering the global industrial space. Nick earned a B.A. in economics and environmental policy from Claremont McKenna College as a Seaver Leadership Scholar and Robert Day Scholar.

Ren is an M.B.A. candidate at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, where she is pursuing a concentration in energy and environment. She is passionate about advancing climate solutions through innovation, investment, and policy. Prior to Fuqua, Ren worked as a software engineer at BlueWave Solar, where she supported community solar adoption through front-end product development. She later joined Backroads, an active travel company, where she led cross-functional software initiatives as a product manager and mentored global teams. This summer, Ren joined SJF Ventures as a Venture Capital Fellow, focused on impact-driven companies in the climate and energy sectors. As program lead for the Duke Energy Conference, she is excited to help convene thoughtful conversations on the future of the energy transition.

Audrey is an M.B.A. student at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, bringing five years of experience in financial services from roles at Citi and BlackRock. Originally from Hong Kong, and a Duke undergraduate alumna, she is now pivoting into energy and climate infrastructure finance and will join Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division this summer. At Fuqua, she recently advised a European carbon sequestration startup through the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum and is further deepening her sector expertise through a solar development course and a mentored study project with a developer. As a member of the Energy Conference program team, Audrey aims to leverage her growing network at the intersection of finance and climate to curate insightful content and engage dynamic speakers for the conference.

Yicheng (Catherine) Wang is a Ph.D. student in Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech, focusing on data-driven modeling and optimization in power systems. She recently completed her MS in Statistical Science at Duke University, where she worked on power load forecasting, climate resilience, and grid flexibility. She also served for two years on Duke’s Climate Commitment Advisory Council Research Subcommittee, supporting university-wide sustainability research planning. Outside of research, Catherine is passionate about street dance and screendance studies.

I’m Lucas Zhou, a second-year Master of Environmental Management student at the Nicholas School of the Environment, concentrating in Energy and Business. Originally from Nanjing, China, I have a strong interest in the global energy transition, clean energy technology, and energy justice. I like playing basketball, soccer, judo and chess. I also enjoy calligraphy and have been practicing it for several years.