Alumni

Program Manager, Value Chain Compliance & Social Responsibility
Cisco Systems
MBA/MS Program 2010

Liz is a program manager in the Advanced Compliance & Social Responsibility group within the supply chain organization at Cisco Systems. Her role is to ensure that environmental, social, and related issues are fully integrated into Cisco’s global supply chain planning and management processes. At the Erb Institute, Liz focused on sustainability strategy and transformational change, with a particular interest in engaging the supply chain to reach environmental and social targets. To this end, she held sustainable operations internships at the Coca-Cola Company, the World Wildlife Fund, and Honest Tea. Prior to matriculating at Michigan, she worked on federal conservation policy at The Nature Conservancy's Worldwide Office in Arlington, Virginia and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Macedonia. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Natural Resources. She spends her free time swimming, biking, and running around the Bay Area.

MBA/MS Program 2011

Nick has a passion to bring new clean and renewable technology to market. Nick is also a Tauber Institute for Global Operations Fellow, and firmly believes that integrating green operations and lean manufacturing principles to new technology ventures is key to their long term success. Nick most recently worked in DTE Energy’s Advanced Degree Development Program as a financial consultant in their Renewable Energy Business Development group and in their Distribution Operations group. There, he focused on PPA contract negotiation, financial modeling, process improvement, budgeting and forecasting. Previously, he interned as an associate for the University of Michigan Health System’s department of finance, conducting enterprise evaluation of a commercial-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing facility: modeling different revenue streams and operations synergies across different market opportunities. Before attending the University of Michigan, Nick spent 6 years in the steel industry as a sales and trading manager, equity partnership negotiator, and environmental compliance lead on a steel mill installation project in Torrance, CA. Nick received his BA in Political Science from Colgate University in Hamilton, NY

MBA/MS Program 2011

Justin joined the Erb Program to pursue his interests in entrepreneurship and sustainable enterprise. Being a right-brained MBA, he is exploring the intersection of creativity and sustainability. Specifically, he wants to find use innovation and entrepreneurship to take a creative destruction approach to sustainability. This past summer he helped The Inovo Group, an innovation consulting firm, develop a unique, compelling brand story to guide decisions involving strategy, marketing communications, and organizational culture. He has a background in Internet startups, television news and telecommunications consulting. He recognized the desperate need to put the human economy on a sustainable ecological foundation while exploring 35 countries on 4 continents. He holds a bachelors degree in Political Science from Vassar College.

MBA/MS Program 2011

Hanns is focused on cleantech entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on strategy and finance. Since entering the Erb program, he has pursued business development projects with Imara Corp, a lithium-ion battery startup, and Environmental Operating Solutions, a water treatment startup based on Cape Cod. He has also evaluated early-stage ventures as a Frankel Commercialization Fund Cleantech Fellow. This summer, he analyzed strategic opportunities in the environmental services industry as an intern with the Organic Growth Group at Waste Management. While at Imara, Hanns became fascinated with the electrification of transportation and decided to create a Master’s Project to value EV energy storage for 3rd party network operators. Prior to Michigan, he spent three years with Calim Private Equity, a boutique private equity firm based in Aspen, CO. As an assistant portfolio manager and financial analyst, he assisted in the close and distribution of over $100 million in follow-on investment across a diverse portfolio of companies. Hanns holds a B.A. from the Wayne Calloway School of Business at Wake Forest University.

MBA/MS Program 2011

Jason’s studies focus on organizational strategy, behavior, education and communication. This summer at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago, Jason created a detailed change communications strategy and workforce transition plan through client interaction and stakeholder analysis for a financial services firm pre-merger integration. This analysis was included in the final submission to client. Last summer, Jason interned at Genentech in San Francisco, and conducted a pre-deal due diligence assessment of 3 drug manufacturer's functional capabilities including sales, marketing, and distribution; identifying key areas of integration and risk. Before enrolling at the University of Michigan, Jason managed the client services division of a tax advisory firm and served as a combat photojournalist in the United States Marine Corps. He holds a BA in history and policy studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and a degree in journalism and public affairs from the Department of Defense Information School.

MBA/MS Program 2012

Melissa plans to focus her studies on business strategy. She began her career in the built environment and hopes to continue along that path. With a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and many years working in the real estate industry, Melissa plans to help businesses grow while promoting healthy buildings. Her summer internship at Masco Corporation, a holding company for dozens of home building products and services, focused heavily on corporate sustainability, green product definitions and the engagement of employees in sustainable living and workplace choices. Melissa is looking forward to applying her technical literacy, her skills in market analysis and her experience in the field of real estate to advance the business case for healthy environments.

Chief Operating Officer
18 Rabbits
MBA/MS Program 2010

Katie is the Chief Operating Officer of 18 Rabbits, an organic granola bar company in San Francisco, where she works as the lead supply chain wrangler. Prior to joining 18 Rabbits, she consulted for various companies, including Live Culture Co., Sodexo North America, and The Packard Foundation. While at Michigan, Katie focused on trends of sustainability within the food industry. She spent her internships with C&S Wholesale Grocers and Chefs Collaborative, and her MAP with General Mills. She also served on the leadership boards of Ross Net Impact and the Wolverine Wine Club. Prior to moving to Ann Arbor, Katie was a communications specialist for a nonprofit environmental law firm in Oakland, CA. Katie received her B.A. in English and Italian from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Marketing Specialist
DuPont
MBA/MS Program 2006

Nathan works for DuPont's Photovoltaic Solutions business, marketing next generation materials to solar module makers worldwide. Prior to joining DuPont, Nathan spent more than 10 years working on assignments in strategic marketing, renewable energy, and environmental management for The Coca-Cola Company, GE Power, Aveda Corporation (Estee Lauder), the Dial Corp., Tetra Tech EM Inc., and Sustainable Conservation. In addition to the MBA and MS from the Erb Institute's dual degree program, Nathan received a BA in political science from Brown University. Nathan currently lives in Philadelphia and is a proud father and avid traveler, photographer and yoga practitioner.

Management Consultant
A.T. Kearney
MBA/MS Program 2010

Nemanja is currently working as a management consultant for A.T. Kearney, focusing on strategy and marketing operations. Nemanja is interested in corporate strategy, including environmental one, economics of carbon and climate change, as well as many other sustainability issues, and is in school now to find an area of focus. Prior to Michigan, he did marketing for P&G, learning a lot about consumers’ diswashing habits, frequency of teeth brushing and shopping preferences. In his spare time, he travels cities across the globe trying to avoid snowy winters. He received his Bachelor of Arts from University Braca Karic in Belgrade, Serbia.

Product Commercialization Strategist
Eye Intellect
MBA/MS Program 2009

Priyanka's interests span renewable energy, appropriate technology for rural development, sustainable agriculture, and industrial ecology. Prior to Michigan, she worked for six years in the healthcare IT industry in Los Angeles, leading development and implementation activities for mission-critical clinical software at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Priyanka's personal passion for understanding the interplay between business, economic development, energy, and the environment, led her to Michigan's Erb program, where she is exploring the exciting gamut of career options in the sustainability field. This past summer, Priyanka interned with the Rocky Mountain Institute in Boulder, Colorado, where she helped facilitate two energy innovation workshops with the National Renewable Energy Lab and Rio Tinto Mining, respectively. Priyanka holds a bachelors degree in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and her ultimate long-term "career" goal is to teach yoga and hands-on sustainability principles to schoolchildren.

IT Manager
Honeywell
MBA/MS Program 2005

Tony Baptista is an IT Manager at Honeywell, and is responsible for the change management associated with the recording and billing of $10B in annual revenue. Tony leverages over ten years of experience in IT project and program management and operations to enable organizations to increase supply chain transparency and find opportunities to apply sustainability best practices. Prior to Honeywell, Tony was part of the Erb Aveda Team in 2005 that developed ten different supply chain recommendations to reduce the energy impact of product distribution by 10% while maintaining customer service levels. During the summer of 2003, Tony completed his Tauber Institute internship at Honeywell Consumer Products Group, where he led a lean manufacturing initiative that reduced packaging waste, scrap, inventory, and labor costs. Tony earned his BA in Biology with Honors from Wheaton College. As an undergraduate, he published several papers in ecology and earned a Howard Hughes Fellowship in Organic Chemistry at Dartmouth College.

Economic Development Fellow
Meyer Memorial Trust

Michael currently develops the economic development investment strategy for Oregon which includes grants, PRIs, and endowment corpus.

Leader of Organizational Effectiveness
Acciona
MBA/MS Program 2004

Scott is responsible for building scalable processes. Before moving to Acciona, he was Product Line Leader, Renewable Energy Leadership Program (RELP) for GE Energy as well as the Product Line Leader for GE's 1-2 MW Wind Turbine Segment This was an exciting role on the cutting edge of GE's business strategy and new product introductions in wind. Scott is a 2004 Erb MBA/MS graduate. During his tenure in the MBA/MS Program, Scott focused on renewable energy, particularly wind power and hybrid power systems in developing countries. His research has led to the formation of a business plan for a company called Developing Power and his Master's thesis: "Developing Power Business Plan: Empowering the Bottom of the Pyramid". In 2003, he participated in several business plan competitions and won Best Social Entrepreneur at the New Ventures Competition in San Diego, CA and the Social Return on Investment (SROI) award at the National Social Venture Competition in New York. Scott was also named as a finalist in The Global Venture Connections Business Plan competition. He pitched his business plan at the London School of Business and was awarded 2nd place. Scott worked closely with the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and was featured in their annual report, 'Dream, Learn, Do'. This publication provides an in-depth view of the diverse areas of study within entrepreneurship, celebrates the many successful students and alumni engaged in the creation of new ventures, and provides insight into Michigan's vibrant entrepreneurial community. In 2004, he was named Student Entrepreneur of the Year. Prior to starting in the MBA/MS Program, Scott focused on climate change by helping start the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world's first large-scale voluntary carbon dioxide emissions trading program. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in political science and with honors in economics, he worked in Boulder, CO for Stratus Consulting, a cutting-edge environmental and energy consulting firm. At Stratus, Scott designed analytical tools for energy companies and performed statistical studies on various health and water quality projects.

Waste Management's (WM) Organic Growth Group
Program Manager
MBA/MS Program 2010

Annie is the Program Manager for Organics Recycling at Waste Management (WM), where she works to identify and assess technology options to recycle organic feedstocks (i.e. composting and anaerobic digestion). In addition to business development, Annie works with customers and the WM sales force to develop programs that divert organic materials from landfills. Annie began with WM as a Strategic Analyst with the Organic Growth Group where she analyzed potential technology and infrastructure investments for WM in waste to energy and recycling. While at Michigan, Annie focused on finance and strategy in the clean tech and climate change arenas. For her Master's project, Annie worked with EDF's Green Portfolio Project to identify why and how private equity firms should measure and manage environmental impacts. Prior to coming to Michigan, Annie worked for Fisher Investments, an asset manager in San Francisco, CA. Her primary role at Fisher was creating business strategies to improve customer service, employee productivity, and vendor relations. Annie also has experience in micro-finance, having worked as a business analyst for the HealthStore Foundation, which runs a network of micro-franchised health clinics in rural areas of Kenya. Annie graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 2003 with a B.A. in Asian Studies and wrote her senior thesis on the connection between Buddhism and Forest Conservation in Mongolia and Thailand.

Manager of Development
SunEdison
MBA/MS Program 2010

Russell is a Development Manager at SunEdison in San Francisco, where he develops utility-scale solar power plants in Nevada and California. Prior to joining SunEdison, Russell worked for Apex Wind Energy on contract origination, mergers and acquisitions, and offshore wind development. Russell focused his studies at Michigan on renewable energy, marketing and economic development, completing projects for Pacific Gas & Electric, DTE Energy, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. He was a two-time recipient of the Percy Award for Community Service, Co-President of the Erb Student Advisory Board, and the Director of Rosstache, the Business School's annual mustache-growing competition for charity. Before graduate school, Russell worked on strategic planning and communications for economic development initiatives at the City of New York. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Brown University, and loves bluegrass, mountains, bikes, and dancing while he cooks.

Senior Consultant
TRC Energy Services
MBA/MS Program 2001

Before going to EnerNOC, Inc. Carmen worked as a Regulatory and Policy Manager for Ecos Consulting. Ecos' San Francisco office not only supports the energy efficiency program marketing and management that Ecos is known for, but the company is also expanding their practice areas to include services related to renewable energy and demand response resources as well as energy-environment issues (e.g. carbon dioxide regulation). Prior to Ecos Consulting Carmen was a Consultant at Energy and Environmental Economics (E3), a San Francisco-based consulting firm specializing in engineering and economic solutions for the electric industry.

President
Native Energy
MBA/MS Program 1997

Jeff is president of business development, DTE Biomass Energy, Inc. He is responsible for all business development and acquisition activities, including joint development and financial analysis and has more than 15 years experience in business development and finance in the energy, clean technology, and manufacturing sectors. Prior to DTE Biomass Energy, Jeff worked at DTE Energy Resources in the Growth Strategies and Mergers & Acquisitions group supporting non-regulated strategy development and acquisition activities. Prior to joining DTE Energy, he led the business development activities of the Cleantech Venture Network where he worked with early stage energy and technology companies to obtain venture-backed financing. Jeff's experience also includes strategy and finance consulting with Marakon Associates in energy, manufacturing, and clean technology. He was formerly Senior Associate for Growth Strategies and M & A at DTE Energy Resources. In 2000-2001, Jeff worked for the Energy and Environmental Capital Network helping clean technology companies obtain Venture Capital Financing. Unfortunately, the economy in 2001 dampened their efforts, and Jeff moved into a strategy and M&A position with DTE Energy Resources which includes many of the non-regulated businesses of DTE Energy.

MBA/MS Program 2012

Jake is pursuing a career in business development and strategy in the alternative energy space with a focus on technology commercialization. Prior to enrolling at the University of Michigan, Jake worked at Sunoco's Philadelphia Refinery as a project manager, where he led matrix teams in development, design and implementation of multi-million dollar capital projects. Last summer, Jake worked for DTE Energy in the Renewable Energy group participating in both the early-stage and commercial aspects of renewable energy development. Jake earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rutgers University. In his spare time, Jake enjoys exploring and photographing the world, ideally in tandem with either hiking or snowboarding.

Project Development
Horizon Wind Energy
MBA/MS Program 2008

Ian is focused on inclusive corporate strategies and sustainable development. He is excited about long-term financing strategies that include economic costs for scarce resources, and has a keen interest in the economic benefits of green building. Previously, Ian spent four years managing globally diversified assets for a top-tier private bank, and a year working with a leading microfinance firm, developing a capital market strategy to increase liquidity in underserved markets and working on tsunami relief in Indonesia. He holds a degree in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Manager, Sustainability Initiatives and Communications
Eastman Kodak Company
MBA/MS Program 1996

Catie is the Manager of HSE Strategy and Communications at Kodak in Rochester, NY. In this position Catie is responsible for internal and external HSE communications, the development of the company's sustainability program and HSE strategic planning. Prior to this position, Catie was the Manager of WW Product Life Cycle Assessment. She led a team to develop a database-driven, product assessment process based on Life Cycle Assessment, Design for Environment and Lean principles to support rapid commercialization timelines. She was formerly the HSE Manager for the Digital & Applied Imaging business unit and the Manager of Customer Service Operations for Kodak Environmental Services (KES), which assisted imaging businesses and enthusiast to reduce their environmental impact.

President and Founder
Ajala Communities
MBA/MS Program 2006

Richard is focusing on the financial instruments that lead to sustainable land use by real estate developers and natural resource companies. Richard's internship at the National Parks Service resulted in a national publication on open space protection and property values. He serves as finance director for MiSo*, Michigan's entry into the US Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. Richard graduated from Connecticut College, where he majored in International Relations and Economics, served as student director of the Inherit the Earth Award for Sustainable Business, and interned at an environmental NGO in Mali, West Africa. After graduation, Richard was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Natural Resources group at Bear, Stearns & Co. in New York, and finance manager for Recycle Midwest, Inc.

Sustainability Engineer
EMD Millipore
MBA/MS Program 2011

Christina brings an analytical background and an integrative approach to her interests in supply chain sustainability and corporate environmental strategy. She contributed to sustainability strategies for raw materials sourcing and supply chain greenhouse gas emissions management for Ford Motor Company as an intern and as part of a master's project team. As a summer Climate Fellow at Nestle Waters North America/Poland Spring Bottling, she quantified the environmental benefits of fuel efficiency projects for the company's truck fleet, and conducted pilot life cycle assessments for products at each of three Maine factories. Prior to attending the University of Michigan, Tina advised Federal agencies on environmental projects for three years as a consultant at Industrial Economics Inc. She holds a B.A. in environmental studies from Oberlin College.

MBA/MS Program 2012

Steuart’s interests lie in using market incentives to solve social problems and working with corporations to navigate an increasingly complex competitive landscape. Before joining the Erb Institute, he worked with Teach For America, teaching math and music in a small town in Mississippi. After finishing his two year commitment, he moved into a role as the Director of Workshops and Resources at Teach For America’s Houston Institute. Since coming to Michigan, Steuart has worked on the sustainability team at Amcor Rigid Plastics, and was a part of the MBA Sustainability Leadership Development Program at The Dow Chemical Company. He graduated from Mercer University with a B.A. in philosophy and economics. Outside of school and work, Steuart is a semi-professional cellist and an avid fly fisherman.

Chief Financial Officer
EcoVapor Recovery Systems
MBA/MS Program 2009

Brewster is CFO of EcoVapor Recovery Systems (ERS), a venture-backed cleantech company serving the oil & gas industry based in Denver, Colorado. Prior to ERS, Brewster was Director of Finance for CleanLaunch, Colorado’s cleantech business incubator in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Lab. Brewster has previous experience in venture capital, environmental policy, and management consulting. While at the Erb Institute, Brewster was active with the Zell Lurie institute and the Frankel Fund. He also coauthored the book Hybrid Organizations: New Business Models for Environmental Leadership. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in economics and environmental studies.

CSR - Environmental Performance
H&M Hennes & Mauritz
MBA/MS Program 2002

Dov is a member of the corporate social responsibility group at H&M, a global fashion company with more than 2,200 stores in 37 markets on four continents. His work is focused on strengthening control and analysis of the company’s global environmental performance. The role also involves supporting the integration of sustainability into business functions, developing performance indicators, and using analysis results to optimize the value of sustainability efforts and to develop the company’s external reporting. Prior to this Dov worked as a Senior Consultant with Enact Sustainable Strategies in Stockholm, a consultancy specialized in the area of Sustainable Business Development and Corporate Responsibility. With experience as both a business manager and consultant, Dov has focused on working with management teams to develop corporate responsibility goals and action plans that complement existing business strategies. A graduate of Columbia University, he previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Financial Institutions Group for Citibank in France and as a Research Associate at Harvard Business School.

Manager, Capital Markets Research
Interfip SAB
MBA/MS Program 2001

President & CEO
Brenton Consulting, LLC
MBA/MS Program 1998

Brian is the President of Brenton Consulting. He was formerly a Senior Manager in Deloitte Consulting's technology strategy practice, where he focused on large-scale manufacturing clients. At Deloitte, he worked with a wide range of corporate clients to assist in the development of technology strategies based on the latest industry trends and market conditions. Much of Brian's work has focused on designing and building enterprise architecture solutions to support web access to legacy data through the use of commercially available middleware.

ReGenerate
MBA/MS Program 2011

Hunt is co-founder and Director of Business Development for ReGenerate, an innovative, waste-to-energy startup firm serving the food service industry. He is pursuing a dual degrees through the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute, earning an MBA at the Ross School of Business and a Master of Science in Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). His areas of emphasis include energy and finance, industrial ecology, and entrepreneurship, and his research is focused on smart commercial energy management technologies. Hunt has a diverse background in the energy industry, with consulting engagements in commercial energy management to international projects in the electrical transmission sector. Hunt was a Climate Corps Fellow with the Environmental Defense Fund and developed an energy management plan for the commercial and hospitality divisions at Biltmore Farms. He is currently partnering with the EnergyWise division at Cisco Systems, Inc. as part of an IT-based energy management project at the University of Michigan. He holds a B.S. in environmental studies from Montreat College and a M.E. in entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University.

Presidential Management Fellow
U.S. Forest Service
MBA/MS Program 2010

Becca is a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Forest Service in Washington DC, where she works on the agency’s budget and prepares the Chief for Congressional hearings. As part of her fellowship, she is periodically assigned to various national forests. Most recently, she has been an Acting Deputy District Ranger on the Stanislaus National Forest and a Recreation Staff Officer and Wilderness Manager on the Sequoia National Forest. She is a certified Type II Wildland Firefighter. While at Michigan, Becca was a Doris Duke Fellow, VP of Career and Professional Development for Net Impact, and was the founder of the EcoValuation Working Group. Her masters project analyzed the relationship between biofuel subsidies, agricultural land use and wildlife habitat on the Great Plains for the National Wildlife Federation. Prior to Michigan, she worked for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies on a national campaign for new and greater funding for wildlife conservation and related education and recreation. In her free time she enjoys hiking, biking, cooking, and travel. Becca holds a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College.

MBA/MS Program 2012

Graham is passionate about increasing sustainability in the built environment, particularly through energy efficiency, net-zero-energy construction, and urban redevelopment. Originally from a tiny town in central Maine, Graham comes to Erb via Seattle, where he worked in residential construction and real estate development and helped to establish a local foundation's new climate-change funding group. At Michigan, he has worked on projects ranging from energy-efficiency finance to biofuels and sustainable real estate. Graham graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Product Design and is a LEED Accredited Professional. In his spare time he loves backpacking, playing guitar, woodworking, and making endless minor adjustments to his pizza-dough recipe.