(International Affairs & Political Science, 2002) has been a valuable member of the IAFS Advisory Board since February 2023 and prior to that served as a mentor to IAFS students through the IAFS Mentorship Program. We interviewed Nancy in August 2024 to learn how she has applied her CU Boulder education to her work in the fields of climate, tech, and energy. Read Nancy's full interview below.
Nancy co-founded and is COO at , a New York-based company focused on helping homeowners adapt to and lower their risks from climate change. Previously, Nancy was executive director at S&P Global, working in Boulder, Washington DC, London and Denver, where she was a member of the management team for the energy division. She also led聽product launches and business growth across the various energy markets, globally, and at AutoGrid, a California-based SaaS startup, where she led the go to market efforts for PR and marketing, launching the company into APAC and expanding its presence in US and European markets.
What inspired you to pursue a degree in International Affairs and Political Science at CU Boulder?
Having moved abroad as a child and coming from a high school outside of the US, I developed a keen interest in knowing as much as I could about other cultures and understanding why the world works the way it does. I knew beyond just wanting to travel, I wanted to work in an international capacity after school, which meant needing to learn about other countries, their economies and political systems, customs and cultural differences, etc. IAFS and PSCI were a perfect fit to give me the background I needed to move comfortably throughout the world.
How did your education at CU Boulder influence your career path, particularly in the energy and technology sectors?
A lot of what you see in the world, whether policies, economies, politics or conflicts, revolves around natural resources and technology. My education at CU laid the foundation to grow my knowledge and understanding of how different systems and cultures influence those markets. For example, a publicly traded company operating in the US works very differently than a state-owned company in another country. Working with companies across a wide spectrum of political systems and economies require the kind of solid baseline that I developed at CU.
In your professional career, you have had many leadership roles, from Director to VP to Founder and COO. If you had one piece of leadership advice to share with IAFS students and alumni, what would you share?
The world around us is dynamic and in many ways, fluid. While there鈥檚 always a reason for why things are the way they are, they aren鈥檛 necessarily good or the best way forward. Always challenge the status quo. You never know what new concept or innovation will come from taking the lead in a situation and asking, 鈥淐an we do things better? And how?鈥�
Are there any new areas or challenges in the climate, tech, or energy spaces that you鈥檙e excited to explore in the future?
I鈥檓 pretty excited about working in the confluence of all three of those topics, climate, tech, and energy, particularly in the context of real estate and the built environment. Climate risks and the ensuing financial impacts are affecting all of us, making housing unaffordable and unsustainable in some places. Addressing these challenges through technology鈥攚hether by modeling data in new ways to manage and reduce financial risk or by using technologies that mitigate physical climate risk and promote diversified energy options鈥攐ffers numerous opportunities to make our homes and communities more resilient.
What drew you to join the IAFS Advisory Board, and how do you see your role contributing to the growth and success of the Advisory Board and the IAFS Program?
When the IAFS Advisory Board first launched the IAFS Mentorship聽Program a few years ago, I had the privilege of serving as a mentor, which introduced me to the broader and amazing work the Board is doing. I was especially drawn to the mission of providing global opportunities to IAFS students. Even more so, I witnessed the incredible work of the Board in action, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the global grant program in just a few months! Since joining, I鈥檝e served on the Global Grants, Finance, and Strategy committees. I've had the opportunity to share my experiences and collaborate with fellow Board Members to consider the changing world and how we can adapt the board鈥檚 approach to help the IAFS program continue offering opportunities that meet the evolving needs of its students.
How do you see your role on the board as an extension of your commitment to mentoring the next generation of global leaders?
The IAFS community is truly unique and specially positioned to help raise up the next generation of global leaders. I firmly believe that experiencing other cultures firsthand is crucial for understanding different perspectives鈥攁 quality that distinguishes global leaders. The board has a tremendous opportunity to help IAFS students gain this valuable exposure through its Global Grants Scholarship. Additionally, the IAFS Mentorship聽Program connects students with alumni, many of whom are global leaders themselves. Having benefited from mentoring during my career, giving back has been important to me. I鈥檝e had the opportunity to tutor for many years, participate as a mentor in multiple programs, serve as a school board trustee, and even act as pitch coach for government scientists developing new solutions for humanity. Each of those opportunities has been uniquely rewarding, and serving on the IAFS Advisory Board聽is an extension of that. It鈥檚 an honor to serve on this incredible board and continue to find ways to help foster that next generation.
Visit the IAFS Alumni & Giving page聽to learn more about how to be involved with IAFS and the IAFS Advisory Board.
Visit the Global Grants Fund聽page聽to learn about the scholarship, read stories from Global Grants recipients, and discover how you can support the Global Grants Fund.