Career Panel Spring 2010; Opportunities, Challenges, Trends Presented by Six Environmental and Energy Leaders

Pursuing a graduate degree is in effect building a foundation for the future. But what kind of future? And what does it take to effectively make the transition from student to worker?

The Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Graduate Program sponsored a career panel recently at which these and other similar issues were discussed and analyzed. The panel, organized and brought together by Assistant Director Lucy Daberkow, reflected stories of success and determination related to many of the different aspects that a student must consider when preparing to move into the job market. Taken together the panelists provided insightful guidance about the job market and the future.

The panelists (in alphabetical order) were:

• Adjunct Prof. Cecilia Dalupan, Associate Director of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.
• Tukka Hess, 2009 LLM graduate, counsel in the Project Development and Finance Group at the law firm of Holland & Hart.
• Andy Lubner, 2009 LLM graduate and Contract Specialist for the National Park Service.
• Gene Holland, 2008 MRLS graduate; Senior Project Leader in Deployment and Industry Partnerships at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
• Kate Marks, 2009 MRLS graduate and Managing Director for the National Association of State Energy Officials.
• Adjunct Prof. Bob Noun; Director of Communications and External Affairs at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Among the key pieces of advice for those attending the session:

• Look for ways to network with key actors in the field; volunteer to do research projects; take on writing assignments as a means of "proving your worth" to potential employers.
• Be persistent and don't rely on a resume or CV to "open the door" for you.
• Work on improving your writing; being a good writer is a benefit no matter what type of position you are seeking.
• Talk to your friends about the type of work you are looking for; see if they have contacts with whom you should follow up.
• Be committed to constantly learning about your field; learning can take many forms including reading about new developments and trends, attending conferences, meeting speakers.
• Look for publications to contribute to; leaders tend to be interested in who is writing about the newest developments.
• Be willing to look outside of the "normal" places for work; this includes outside of Colorado and outside the U.S.
• Look for contract/temporary work for federal agencies that can lead to permanent employment in the future.
• Accept that in your career you are likely to have many different positions, many of which will be dictated by the trends in your field at a particular time.

Finding a new position or "inventing" a position for yourself are not always easy and things do not always happen when we would like them to. On the other hand, there are things that a student can control such as being as prepared as possible when an opportunity does come along.

Many thanks to each of our panelists who offered much advice and context for finding a job in tomorrow's job market. And thanks again to Lucy Daberkow for bringing together such a talented, energetic, and thoughtful panel.

To watch a video of the career panel, please click here.

--Don Smith

U.S. Electricity Generation: Prepare for Major Developments

The country and the energy industry are in the middle of what could very well be a time of major change according to one energy expert.

Kate Marks (MRLS graduate, 2009), who is Managing Director of the National Association of State Energy Officials, and I met several days ago. Ms. Marks, who formerly headed the energy division at the National Conference of State Legislatures, is extremely knowledgeable about the challenges and opportunities on the horizon. And she has to be -- she advises the state energy officers in the 50 states and assorted territories. One issue of key importance in Ms. Marks's opinion is transmission.

She began our conversation by pointing out:

"Initially the power system was distributed and generators were located where electricity was used. This all changed in the 1890s when stronger transmission lines were developed that could transfer electrons much longer distances. The economics and ability to serve more people with more power led to consolidation of the smaller, more distributed generation companies into large monopolies. States in turn extended their regulatory power from railroads to electricity, and by 1914 43 states regulated electric utilities. Twenty years later, the federal government passed the Federal Power Act giving the Federal Power Commission jurisdiction over wholesale power sales and interstate transmission."

Nevertheless, the matter of the siting of interstate transmission lines -- and related issues such as planning and paying for these lines -- has traditionally been handled at the state level. Does this approach remain logical in today's world where more renewable sources are being talked about and developed? This is just one of the issues she is working on.

Another is the role of renewable portfolio standards (RPS) as a means of encouraging the integration of new renewable sources into utilities' generating portfolios. To date, more than half the states have adopted RPS's, but there is no federal standard.

Despite its rather low-profile image the electricity sector is enormous, accounting for nearly $350 billion in retail sales in 2007 according to the Energy Information Association. And yet the electricity sector is confronted by enormous challenges.

Individuals such as Kate Marks are helping establish the blueprint for what America's energy future will look like. It is an exciting time to be involved in these issues, and Ms. Marks is right in the middle of them.

Hiring News: MRLS Graduate Joins the National Association of State Energy Officials

Kate Marks (MRLS graduate 2009) has joined the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO).

NASEO is made up of the governor-designated energy officials from each territory and state.   The organization was established through an agreement in 1986 with the National Governors' Association.

According to Ms. Marks, "State energy offices are busy right now with all of the [stimulus legislation] funding they have been granted."

Ms. Marks was the 2008-2009 recipient of the prestigious Col. Jan Laitos Scholarship Award, which is given annually to a high achieving student in the environmental and natural resources law and policy graduate program.