Placement: Office of Sustainable Growth

What I Worked On: The Office of Sustainable Growth manages the City’s environmental sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives. As a DOE Solar America City, the City of Houston has undertaken several renewable energy initiatives. I worked with the City’s renewable energy policy, including: producing a white paper on opportunities for establishment of an energy efficiency and solar residential financing program in Houston, identifying and researching grant opportunities for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, and conducting quantitative and qualitative policy analysis of our current and potential future energy efficiency and renewable energy policies.I also worked with the City’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, including reporting on GHG emissions from City activities and facilities to the EPA, as well as aiding with community activity emissions inventories. I also undertook a comprehensive environmental performance study of the City’s buildings and facilities, including performing an indoor air quality analysis of several City facilities.

Hometown: Houston, TX

School: Brown University

Field of Study: International Relations; Political Economy of Development

Selected Honors: Academic All-Ivy League, Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award

Selected Activities and Community Involvement: Captain of Varsity Women’s Tennis Team, Meiklejohn Peer Advisor, Swearer Classroom Program Mentor

Prior Work Experience: Research Assistant, Brown Political Science Department, Legal Intern for Kerr & Hendershot P.C.

Why Houston is important to me: My upbringing was shaped by Houston’s melting pot culture, and I strongly appreciate the city’s diversity and continuous expansion. I feel that a city with such variation across populations and socioeconomic lines, as well as ideologies, will be an ideal place to study local government.

Something unique about me: I speak three languages.

What I’m Doing Now: I’m an Analyst at Monitor 360.  Previously, I was both an Energy and Climate Policy Analyst and a Fellow at the Breakthrough Institute.  I was also a StartingBloc Fellow.