2021 Founding Mentors
The twelve Founding Mentors pictured below helped us shape YPE NYC’s inaugural mentorship program, which ran from September 2021 - February 2022.
Walter Alarkon
Walter is a senior associate in the Energy & Infrastructure group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he counsels investors in the acquisition and financing of renewable energy projects. As the 2021 Orrick Racial Justice Fellow at Common Future, he serves as in-house counsel on transactions seeking to deploy capital to entrepreneurs in underserved communities. Prior to practicing law, Walter was a journalist focused on economics at The Hill. He worked with author Michael Grunwald on The New New Deal (2013), which documented the political and policy legacy of President Obama's $800 billion stimulus. He has a B.A. from Boston College, a Master's in Journalism from Columbia University and a J.D. from Georgetown University. Walter’s one-on-one mentee is Nicholas Perez.
Cecilio Aponte III
Cecilio is a Brooklyn, NY native who has worked on energy access at SELCO in India, city climate policy at the World Resources Institute, and distributed generation at SunPower. He currently works at AES Clean Energy, having negotiated over 200 MW of utility-scale solar and storage offtake agreements with utility and corporate customers. Cecilio is an alumni of the Climate Corps Bay Area fellowship and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI). He has raised over $10k to install solar at a non-profit in Oakland, CA as a Solar Champion with RE-volv. He also sits on NY's Climate Action Council Power Generation Advisory Panel. Cecilio holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Energy Studies from MIT. Cecilio’s one-on-one mentee is Coral del Mar Valle Rodriguez.
Pintian Chen
Pintian is an Associate for the Carbon-Free Electricity Program at RMI, where he works for the Utility Transition Finance initiative and focuses on international coal capital transition. Before joining RMI, Pintian worked on the Clean Energy Finance Team at Connecticut Green Bank, on solar finance at GreenMax Capital Advisors, and as a summer associate at Hudson Sustainable Investments. Pintian initially developed his interest in clean energy while at the United Nations Development Programme, when he evaluated energy and environmental projects. He received his M.P.A. degree from Columbia University and his undergraduate degree in economics from Renmin University of China. Pintian enjoys filmmaking, learning French, and traveling. Pintian’s one-on-one mentee is Peter Cruz-Grace.
Amy Colorado
Amy is the Manager of K-12 Curriculum & Instruction at Solar One. She is a born and raised New Yorker with a passion for urban sustainability, environmental justice, and education. Amy works to raise awareness and empower students and adults alike with knowledge and data on local environmental policies, climate science, and ways people can advocate for their schools and communities. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and International Relations from the University of Rochester and an M.A. in Environmental Conservation Education from NYU. Amy’s one-on-one mentee is Anapaula Abarca.
Jamie Goh
Jamie is an energy finance professional at Silicon Valley Bank. Previously, she held roles at various firms including Blackrock, Fitch, BNP Paribas, National Australia Bank and now at Silicon Valley Bank. She graduated with an M.P.A. from Columbia University, with a concentration in Energy and Sustainability. Jamie’s one-on-one mentee is Andre Wu.
Fatou Jabbie
Fatou is an Entrepreneur, Technologist, and Energy Engineer at USL Technology Inc, and has over 15 years of experience in the technology and sustainability field. As an energy efficiency expert, she has helped architects, companies, and government agencies build greener buildings and develop better building energy models. Fatou holds an M.Sc. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a B.Sc. in Computer from Kentucky State University. She is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional in New Building Design and Construction (LEED AP BD+C). Fatou is an environmental enthusiast and enjoys spending her free time with friends exploring outdoor activities in nature. Fatou’s one-on-one mentee is Stephanie Rose Almodovar.
Elissa Knight
Elissa is a NYSERDA Clean Energy Coordinator where she is embedded in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. There, she contributes to the City’s program development and data management, leveraging energy and emissions data to support ambitious GHG reductions. Elissa’s portfolio includes coordinating the development and implementation of the City’s Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing (PACE) program and the NYC Accelerator program, with particular focus on affordable housing and buildings larger than 25,000 square feet. Elissa holds an M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a B.S. in Environmental Geoscience from Boston College. Elissa’s one-on-one mentee is Ashley Williams.
Tobi Koyejo
Tobi has over 12 years of energy, strategy, and technology experience and is responsible for Leap Energy’s market expansion into NYISO. He joined Leap from Cloud Exchange, where he led sales, marketing, and strategy. Prior to that, he served global clients across six industries and three continents as a consultant for McKinsey & Company and Accenture. He was appointed by the Vice President of Nigeria to the Technology and Creativity Advisory Group of the Nigeria Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council. Tobi is conversational in English, French, and Yoruba with a B.B.A in Accounting and M.S. in Finance from Texas A&M University. Tobi’s one-on-one mentee is Demola Ogunnaike.
Simone Kramer
Simone is an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Data Specialist at Bloomberg LP where she focuses on the development of ESG datasets and scoring solutions for the Bloomberg terminal. Previously, she worked as a Manager for the ESG Product Development team at S&P Global, and as an energy analyst at S&P Global Platts forecasting non-OPEC oil supply and production and analyzing the impact of environmental regulations on the oil & gas sector. Simone also has experience addressing carbon market financial data products as well as working in the solar industry in the Dominican Republic. She has a B.A in Political Science and an M.I.A. in Global Energy Management & Policy from Columbia University. Simone’s one-on-one mentee is Zahin Akif.
Christine Pries
Christine is a Senior Strategy Analyst at the New York Power Authority (NYPA), where she helps deliver innovative projects to transform NYPA into a leading utility of the future while supporting customer and State climate goals. Prior to joining NYPA, she was the Associate Director for Strategy and Operations at the Institute for Policy Integrity. Christine began her career at the energy management consultancy Gotham 360, where she worked to reduce the energy use intensity of some of NYC’s largest energy consumers. Christine holds a B.A. in environmental science from Barnard College and is currently pursuing an M.B.A. at the NYU Stern School of Business. Christine’s one-on-one mentee is Chris Stone.
Joe Silver
Joe is a Senior Specialist of Non-Pipeline Solutions at Con Edison. Prior to joining Con Edison, he was Director of Programs at the Urban Future Lab at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, where he helped launch the region's first hydrogen technology accelerator. Previously, Joe worked at the CUNY Building Performance Lab, supporting demonstrations of new energy technologies in municipal buildings. He is an advisor for sustainability curricula at the education non-profit W!SE as well as for the Clean Start certificate program offered by the NYU School of Professional Studies. Joe holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from NYU and an M.S. in Urban Sustainability from the City College of New York. Joe’s one-on-one mentee is Rebecca Nguyen.
Hermann Yibokou
Hermann Yibokou is a Senior Analyst at Madison Energy Investments where he conducts valuation and due diligence of Commercial & Industrial (C&I) solar and storage assets across the United States, for acquisition. Previously, he was a Project Finance Analyst at Wunder Capital, where he advanced debt financing opportunities and improved underwriting frameworks for solar financial products. Prior, Hermann was a member of the Integrated Capitals team at the Heron Foundation where he helped steward an impact-oriented portfolio across fixed income, grants, and public and private equities. He holds a B.S. in Applied Economics & Management from Cornell University. Hermann’s one-on-one mentee is Carlos Favian Romero.