Student & Alumni Interviews by Anjali Dhupam
The energy landscape is evolving at a pace unlike anything we have seen before, and the Huntsman community, past and present, is actively shaping its direction. Climate concerns are growing more urgent, and geopolitical factors are transforming how nations produce and consume energy. As these challenges grow more complex, the work of current Huntsman students and alumni in the climate and energy space is becoming increasingly relevant.
Brendan Chapko (Huntsman ‘25, Spanish) has pursued his passion for climate, through an additional major in Earth & Environmental Science and a minor in Geology.
“When I arrived to Huntsman, I quickly found myself gravitating towards climate from both ends of the curriculum. On the business side, I see green energy and renewable technologies as the biggest opportunities in the market. From an international policy perspective, the climate crisis is the single greatest challenge our generation faces, and it will require global cooperation. Two years ago, I discovered that to truly understand climate change, you must learn climate science. I joined the Earth and Environmental Science department, where I currently do research on the economic impact of natural disasters. Because of my time in Huntsman, I am passionate about connecting the scientific, political, and business voices who will need to work together to make real environmental progress. As a next step, I am excited to be attending Columbia University next year, where I will pursue a Masters in Environmental Science and Policy.”
Anjali Dhupam (Huntsman ‘27, Spanish), who is a 2025 Kleinman Center for Energy Policy Fellow and 2024 Turner ESG Fellow, discusses energy policy and national security’s relationship:
“Being a Kleinman Center for Energy Policy Fellow has genuinely been such an eye-opening experience. Listening to Dr. Paul Stainier talk about how climate change is reshaping labor markets made me realize just how deeply energy decisions ripple through communities, livelihoods, and entire economies and hearing Dr. Benjamin Schmitt’s talk on underwater infrastructure threats truly gave me a whole new perspective on how energy security and national security are intertwined.
What makes this experience even more rewarding is how it connects with the work I am currently doing in my internship at the U.S. Treasury Department in the Office of Sustainable Infrastructure. Policy decisions translate into real-world projects and my experiences in the Turner ESG Fellowship and Kleinman Fellowship have shown me how private capital can accelerate the clean energy transition in emerging markets.
I have genuinely loved every single moment of my experiences through the Kleinman Fellowship. It has made me think about energy in ways I never expected. I have always been interested in how infrastructure and policy shape the world around us, and have had the opportunity to explore this area through Huntsman, but being here has given me a much more clearer, grounded perspective on how exactly those forces intersect.”
Fellow Turner ESG member Adi Lankipalle (Huntsman ‘27, Hindi), studying Finance & Management, is equally excited:
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to learn more about the often overlooked ESG space. I personally have always had an interest in using business to foster positive change, though the execution of that idea had been hazy before TESG. Through the program, I have received a unique perspective on how profit and social good can be balanced and even synergized. Turner has ensured my holistic development across these impact frameworks, including guest speakers, passion project work, networking sessions, and even career development. I can confidently say that the knowledge from the Turner ESG Fellows program will be valuable to me far beyond the program timeframe.”
Faruk Ecirli (Huntsman ’27, Russian) is a 2024 Turner ESG Fellow concentrating in Finance & Business Analytics exploring the intersection of politics and business in ESG.
“As someone deeply interested in both the political and business dimensions of ESG, the Turner ESG Fellows program has been an incredibly enriching experience. It’s been fascinating to explore how these two aspects intersect, guided by insights from Wharton professors like Witold Henisz, Mae McDonnell, and Brian Berkey. The program also provided invaluable opportunities to engage with industry professionals and impact investors from organizations like Glenmede Wealth Management and the Campbell Foundation. I’m excited to continue delving into this dynamic space throughout my time at Penn, building on what I’ve learned and deepening my understanding of ESG’s transformative potential.”
Derek Wong (Huntsman ‘03, Mandarin), Vice President for Government Relations & Public Affairs at Excelerate Energy, has witnessed firsthand how policy choices, technology shifts, and the rapidly evolving energy transition steer one’s career path.
“I got to know Excelerate because of my work at the State Department. My last assignment was to Argentina, where I was working at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, and specifically covering the energy and infrastructure portfolio. Part of my work was to follow policy developments in the energy space, but also work with US companies already operating in Argentina and then potential companies or investors who are looking to enter the market. Excelerate has been in Argentina since 2008 helping provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) to bring energy stability and security to the country. So I would say starting in 2018, when I was thinking about making a transition from public sector back to the private sector, it was logical to have discussions with some of the companies in the industry where I was already working.”
After serving as a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department (including postings in Mexico, Argentina, and Hong Kong), he joined Excelerate to continue working at the intersection of public and private interests:
“Energy mix, what goes into the matrix for power generation for each country, is always going to be particular to national circumstances. So, thinking about what resources are available in domestic production, what can be easily imported or exported based on geography and then technological innovation. Also, looking at the emissions profile, one of the goals of the Biden administration was to bring to light how much the energy industry, as well as manufacturing an industry which relies on energy, contributes to carbon emissions and to try to bring that down. So there’s a little bit of tension between abundant energy production and making sure that what is being produced is doing so in the most environmentally sustainable way.”
Wong emphasized the critical role LNG, which Excelerate focuses on, can play in a global energy transition, particularly for developing economies still reliant on higher-emission fuels, as well as more advanced markets where LNG can help balance renewable intermittency:
“We specialize in liquefied natural gas and we recognize that LNG can be used in different ways. In countries in South Asia, for example, we work in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and all of the natural gas that we are helping those two countries import is essentially displacing coal-fired power generation. So that is fuel switching – decarbonization in its truest sense. And then in countries like Brazil or countries of the EU that are a little bit further along in energy transition, it plays more of a balancing role. It’s allowing for further deployment of renewables, whether we’re talking about wind, solar, or hydro in the absence of utility scale battery storage, where you have intermittency of renewables. You know, it’s not always sunny, it’s not always windy, and it’s not always going to rain. Being able to have a reliable backstop that can be almost immediately dispatched when needed is helping those countries further green their energy matrix.”
On his biggest takeaways from working in the energy industry, he emphasized how deeply energy is entwined with geopolitics, citing Europe’s scramble to reduce dependence on Russian gas after the invasion of Ukraine and explaining that future roles in this sector may well revolve around technologies and companies not yet on the radar:
“First, you can’t separate energy and foreign policy and geopolitics. That’s become so clear over the last five, ten years. The fact that producer countries can use energy as a political tool or a political weapon, like in the case of Russia and natural gas, shows that there is a very close tie between energy security and national security. I think Europe kind of learned it the hard way after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where so many countries were solely dependent on Russia for natural gas through pipelines, and they had to quickly find solutions to diversify their supply sources and perhaps speed up part of the energy transition to get more renewables online faster. That surprised me because I, especially when I was an undergrad, thought about energy as more of like a technical input. It’s necessary to fuel industry. It’s necessary to make sure we have the comforts of home heating or be able to utilize technology and data centers. But as I’ve advanced in my career, I’ve seen much more of the interplay between geopolitics and energy. Second, the way which technology influences production, transport, and consumption of energy means that Huntsman students are probably preparing themselves for careers in industries and companies that may not exist today. And I take my own company as an example. Excelerate was founded in 2003. That’s the year I graduated from Penn. And Excelerate did not commercialize the FSRU (floating storage and regasification unit), the vessels that we deploy, until after. The first FSRU wasn’t commercialized until 2005. So basically, my part of the industry and my company didn’t exist when I was studying here. The pace of technological innovation means that there’s a lot of things that you’re preparing yourself for right now that don’t even exist today and could be a career path.”
Reflecting on how the public and private sectors can work together more effectively, and why many choose public service despite its challenges, Derek highlighted the deeper motivations behind government work:
“As we see the new administration in Washington make pretty drastic changes, it’s important to know that a lot of people who choose public service aren’t doing it for the glory or for the compensation but because they want to be part of a mission-driven organization. Public servants or bureaucrats are also patriotic and make sacrifices to serve their country and I think there’s something very admirable in that. The lessons of the Huntsman Program are that you can balance public and private sector partnerships, use the immense amount of knowledge and experience that you gain in the classroom, and work with other classmates to take it to the real world. The real world needs problem solvers in all types of organizations.”
If you are a Huntsman student interested in climate or energy, make sure to check out The ESG Initiative at the Wharton School and The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy for student opportunities!
