The EDGE Seminar on Energy & Environment gives Duke MBAs a unique opportunity to learn about today’s most important energy and environment industry issues directly from senior business executives. In this for-credit curricular offering, Fuqua students have a chance to engage in candid conversations in a small-group setting with influential leaders who have deep industry experience and knowledge. Seminars cover topics ranging from global energy market economics and finance to value chain sustainability, carbon markets, and energy technology commercialization and entrepreneurship.
Upcoming Semester
Spring 2025 (Sustainability Focus)
Note: Only students enrolled in the Seminar class may attend these talks.
Jan. 29: Andrea Goldman, Senior Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, EY
Feb. 5: Reece Pacheco, ocean-climate investor and Partner, Propeller Ventures
Feb. 12: Matt Rising, โ07, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Emergent Strategic Partners
Mar. 19: Travis Peoples, JD/MBA โ10, Senior Director, Global Head of Circular Models, LEGO Group
Mar. 26: Gaukhar Nazarova, MBA โ19, VC Investor, The Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon
Apr. 2: Climate Fresk
Apr. 16: Paul Polman (virtual), Former CEO, Unilever; Author, Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than they Take
Apr. 23: Synthesis class & discussion
Recent Semesters
Fall 2024 (Energy Focus)
Sept. 11: Sayun Sukduang, MBA โ04, CEO, ENGIE Resources
Sept. 18: Janice Tran, CEO, Kanin Energy
Sept. 25: Kirsten Thorne, General Manager, Corporate Affairs Strategy, Chevron
Oct. 2: Shravan Chopra, MBA โ01, CFO and Executive Vice President, Finance & Strategy, Westinghouse Electric Company
Oct. 9: Theresa Eaton, โ01, JD โ06, CEO, WECS Renewables
Oct. 30: Scott Browne, Global Commercial and Strategy Leader, Carbon Solutions, GE Vernova
Nov. 6: Junjie Zhang, PhD โ08, Professor and Director, Initiative for Sustainable Investment, Duke Kunshan University
Spring 2024 (Sustainability Focus)
Jan. 31: Marilyn Ceci, Managing Director and Senior Advisor to the Center for Carbon Transition, J.P. Morgan
Feb. 14: Chris Brown, Senior Director, Product, Indigo Ag
Feb. 21: Alex Michalko, MEM/MBA โ10, Product Lead, Sustainability Solutions, Amazon
Mar. 27: Priya Zachariah, Municipal Resilience & Sustainability Expert
Apr. 3: Jill Graftenreed, Director, Sustainable Operations and Reporting, Boeing
Apr. 10: Kristina Wyatt, Chief Sustainability Officer, Persefoni
Fall 2023 (Energy Focus)
Sept. 13: Brian Janous, Former VP of Energy, Microsoft
Sept. 20: Akash Patel, MBA โ10, Chief Financial Officer, NET Power
Sept. 27: Trevor Best, Co-Founder & CEO, Syzygy Plasmonics
Oct. 4: Michael Dorsey, Chair and Director, Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service Program, Arizona State University; Enovia Bedford, Program Manager, Black Owners of Solar Services (BOSS)
Nov. 1: Diana Rowe, MEM/MBA โ16, Global Marketing Director, Energy Storage, Albemarle
Nov. 15: Katharine Bond, VP, Public Policy, State, and Local Affairs, Dominion Energy; GT Hollett, โ93, MBA โ02, Director, Offshore Wind, Dominion Energy
Nov. 29: Adrienne Lalle, MBA โ15, Senior Director of Energy Storage, Cypress Creek Renewables
Spring 2023 (Business+Environment Focus)
Jan. 25: Nicholas Eisenberger, President, Global Thermostat
Feb. 1: Jana Holt, MEM/MBA โ13, Global Director, Sustainable Investing Solutions, SEI
Feb. 8: Vincent Murphy, Coastal Resilience Coordinator, Town of Nantucket, MA
Mar. 22: Radhika Lalit, Principal and Chief Strategy Officer, Mission Possible Partnership
Mar. 29: Bill Caesar, MBA โ97, President, Generate Upcycle, Generate Capital
Apr. 5: Denise Naguib, Chief Sustainability Officer, Marriott
Fall 2022 (Energy Focus)
Sept. 14: Norman Bay, Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP; Former Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Sept. 21: Rotimi Thomas, MEM/MBA โ13, CEO, SunFi
Sept. 28: Jay McKenna, โ06, CEO, Nacero
Oct. 12: Kelly Goddard, MEM โ05, Chief Sustainability Officer, Brookfield Renewable and Transition, Brookfield Asset Management
Nov. 2: Sandra Sassow, โ82, Co-Founder & CEO, SEaB Energy
Nov. 16: Nick Pearson, Global Head of Energy Policy, Google
Spring 2022 (Business+Environment Focus)
Jan. 26: Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, Project Drawdown
Feb. 2: Andrea Fernandez, MBA โ03, Director, Governance and Global Partnerships, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
Feb. 16: Patrick Reaves, 12, Kara Jones, MEM/MBA โ15, ; and Anna Epstein, MBA โ21, Sustainability Manager, Nike
Mar. 23: Alison Taylor, โ84, Chief Sustainability Officer, ADM
Mar. 30: Kevin D’Souza, Global Mining ESG Specialist & Executive
Apr. 13: Suzanne Long, โ97, Chief Sustainability Officer, Albertsons
Fall 2021 (Energy Focus)
Isela Bahena, MBA โ04, Managing Director, Private Equity Infrastructure Investments, Nuveen
Marcius Extavour, Lead – Environment, Energy, Climate, XPRIZE
Enrique Alvarez-Uria Berros, Country Manager US, Ocean Winds, and Varun Saluja, MBA โ20, Commercial Manager, Mayflower Wind
Vanessa Miler-Fels, Director, Energy Innovation and Impact, Microsoft
Manavendra Sial, MBA โ03, Executive Vice President and CFO, SunPower Corporation
Spring 2021 (Business+Environment Focus)
Jason Clay, Senior Vice President, Market Transformation, World Wildlife Fund
Jeff Seabright, Co-Founder & Partner, IMAGINE; Former Chief Sustainability Officer, Unilever
Paulette Frank, โ91, Worldwide Vice President, Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability, Johnson & Johnson
Kavita Prakash-Mani, CEO, Mandai Nature
George Bandy, Jr., Head of Worldwide Circular Economy, Amazon
Lucas Joppa, PhD โ09, Chief Environmental Officer, Microsoft
Fall 2020 (Energy Focus)
Eric Toone, Executive Managing Director, Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Inna Braverman, Co-Founder & CEO, Eco Wave Power Ltd.
Amy Jaffe, Author, Professor, and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Andrew Klinkman, MEM/MBA โ17, Business Development, Tesla
Jigar Shah, Co-Founder and President, Generate Capital
Corinne Still, MEM/MBA โ12, Principal, Apollo Global Management LLC
Spring 2020 (Business+Environment Focus)
Arvin Ganesan, Energy and Environment Policy, Apple
Kristen Hammer, Business Development Manager, Virgin Hyperloop One
Melissa Ho, Senior Vice President, Freshwater & Food, World Wildlife Fund
Monica Ellis, President & CEO, Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF)
Jameela Pedicini, Executive Director, Climate Finance Initiatives, Bloomberg LP
Mark Huang, Co-Founder & Managing Director, SeaAhead
