Shaping Energy Systems from San Francisco to Panama

What do you like most about your current job?

My favorite thing is the fact that I get to tap into several different areas of work and impact while being in the same position. As the Plans and Programs Coordinator, my job is to be a project manager for a lot of the studies we receive at the Secretariat.

So, the work that I’m overseeing impacts every space of the energy system. What I like about it is that it’s an umbrella of many different areas of work; every day there’s something new. It’s been really exciting to jump from one topic to the next and [see] projects evolve. It’s a very energetic position and, considering that I’m a pretty energetic person, it’s been a great place to be.

What attracted you to USF’s Energy Systems Management program?

I would say the curriculum was the first thing that got my attention, mainly because it was interdisciplinary. My biggest focus going into the Master’s was learning about the policy side of energy, and this was one of the few curricula that had that.

The fact that it was in the city of San Francisco was another great thing for me. I was between this and three other programs, and I was really hoping that San Francisco was going to be the choice.

I was happy that it was – mainly because of the location and the curriculum. It was also the location at 101 Howard – it’s downtown, well-connected to business, and a very suitable area to host events. This highlights the connectivity of the program, and I was able to connect with folks in the industry because of that.

Would you say the ESM program helped you develop the skills you use now?

1,000 percent! Flashback to my first day of class: we’re doing Quantitative Methods with Jim [Williams], and I’m hearing all these crazy questions about assumptions and estimations, and I was so frustrated! Because of my engineering background, I value precision, but this class is telling me to throw all of that out the window in favor of “guesstimations” and it took me a couple [of] weeks to get used to that mindset.

Just now, I was coming out of a conversation with a local company that was being a bit vague with figures – some companies don’t share private figures – and, with the skills I learned in Quantitative Methods, I was able to come up with a good estimate that’s reasonable and sound, which I would never have been able to do before the Master’s.

USF was also crucial in getting me a position with the California Energy Commission (CEC).

I saw that on your CV! Let’s talk about that a bit.

I really value how the ESM program at USF is so well-connected. I got a link to the CEC through their Chief Counsel at the time, Linda Barrera. She’s also from Panama, and she became a fantastic mentor. I was able to get to know the CEC through her, and she let the chair know about me.

Being part of the CEC as an Energy Fellow for that year was a fantastic opportunity [that] really helped me understand how California works from a policy standpoint. My current position is pretty similar, except that I deal with policy regarding an entire country rather than a state or a single province. [My fellowship with the CEC] was a fantastic opportunity, and Fred [Wellington] was the link who helped make that a reality.

So it sounds like you were able to lay some of the structure for your current skill set through your work with the CEC?

Yes, and I remember it being just that when I was working at Commissioner [Noemí] Gallardo’s office. No two days were the same. This helped me to develop the system I’m using at my current position.