SIPA's Environmental Alumni Meet with Current Students

Last month, graduates from each of the seven years of the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) in Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) met to discuss environmental employment trends with students from all of SIPA's environmental policy programs. Students from the one year MPA and from the two year SIPA environmental concentration learned a great deal about the job market for environmental professionals.

With over 300 graduates working in the environmental science and policy fields there was a great deal to discuss in the government, not for profit and private sectors. Executive Director of the Earth Institute and MPA-ESP Program Director Steve Cohen hosted the event to connect alumni with each other and with current SIPA students enrolled in the environmental programs to discuss their professional experiences and how their studies have helped them. In attendance were fifty MPA-ESP alumni and over 100 current students. "I am deeply grateful to the program's alums for returning to SIPA for the day and sharing their experiences with the current students" said Cohen, "It was great to see everyone gather and see how successful our alums have been."

The day featured two alumni panels moderated by Steve Cohen. The first panel focused on alumni working in government. Participating panelists included Glenn Sonntag '08, Energy Technology Program Specialist in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Biomass Program at the U.S. Department of Energy; Irene Boland '05, Innovations Coordinator at EPA Region 2; Robert Freudenberg '04, Senior Planner at the Regional Plan Association; and Jennifer MacDonald, who graduated from the program's first class in 2003, and is currently in the Office of the CFO at the U.S. Department of Energy.

The second panel incorporated alumni working in the private and non-profit sectors. Participating alumni panelists included Thomas Legge '06, who is now working at the German Marshal Fund, a Washington DC think tank; Eric Melhoff '06, Environmental Strategist, Cameron-Cole, an environment and sustainability consulting firm; Kevin Gorman '06, financial analyst for the Climate and Air program at Environmental Defense Fund; Dave Westman '06, Climate Change Manager at ConEdison; Meredith Block '04, Executive Director, Blacksmith Institute; and Jillian Mooney'03, an environmental lawyer at Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti.

These panel discussions addressed which skills acquired at SIPA have been most relevant and useful, as well as which skills needed further development after graduation.  Upon reflection, many graduates agreed that the workshop experiences required by SIPA's environmental programs provided excellent platforms for gaining practical experience and were directly applicable to their professional work. Being able to present complex information quickly and concisely is invaluable, Irene Boland urged. She said, "I would like to challenge all ESP students and graduates to be able to explain climate change to people in two minutes without boring them or scaring them. This is all the time you often have to ensure that they understand that climate change is real and that we can do many things to slow it down."

Panelists discussed specific courses and tools acquired that are useful to alumni, and then turned to the current economic crisis and stimulus package and assessed the impact of the current crisis on their work.  Jen MacDonald commented that despite overarching hiring freezes and universal budget cuts, the stimulus bill will present opportunities for scientific advancement through new funding packages earmarked for research. The panels presented mixed opinions on whether there will be more consultancy opportunities in light of the economic climate, but panelists agreed that internships are still the best way to get a foot in the door. Robert Freudenberg said, "I really recommend that graduating students look into Fellowship and Intern opportunities. My fellowship allowed me the flexibility to work across different departments with the focus of a single project." Others noted that some internships would be used to fill gaps presented by the cutback of full time positions. This might provide opportunities for students with freshly minted masters degrees to gain a toehold in an organization.

Several government panelists agreed that the hardest part of the government job search was breaking in to the public sector, but that once in, it is fairly easy to move around. One tip Irene Boland had for current students was to use exact wording from job descriptions when writing cover letters, as government jobs are often auto-filtered using word matching. In terms of looking in the right place for open positions, several panelists suggested "going to the source". By this, they mean that job seekers may want start by identifying where grants are being given and to whom, and then apply for positions within these organizations. Glenn Sonntag expressed enthusiasm for work opportunities opening up in the public sector. He said, "Government work has become in vogue again, and a whole new generation of us are now taking the reigns from the baby boomers--its an exciting place to be right now, rich with opportunity for motivated individuals with a desire to serve." Moreover, developments in green infrastructure and support for more sustainable energy projects will provide opportunities for SIPA environmental graduates.

The panel discussions were followed by a reception that provided an excellent opportunity for graduates to reconnect and discuss any news they wanted to share with their former classmates, as well as to make new connections with current students.