Daniella Leifer, Smart DGHub at Sustainable CUNY

​​​​​​I have a background in environmental studies, so while this has not been completely new material for me as far as my understanding and familiarity with renewable energy and related topics, the depth that we go into has been great. I learned things that I didn’t think that I would. I know what a semiconductor is and how it functions, and I appreciate understanding the characteristics of different renewable energy technologies and what makes them more or less suitable for larger-scale investment. I also have a better grasp of the policy process and how to evaluate technologies. 

This is something that I really like about the program. It’ is different from the experiences that I had in college and in graduate school because it's a small cohort, at least relatively speaking. It is easy to get to know everyone - I think I at least chatted with everyone briefly during the on-campus week. The smaller size of the program makes it more of an intimate learning environment. Coupled with having people from around the world and from all walks of life, this has been a really awesome part of the program.

My job is very New York City focused. I work in policy development for the city, so my world is pretty small. The cohort is diverse because people are coming from all over the world and from varied career and work backgrounds, so that is just very helpful for me. For example, one of the first topics I came across during the on-campus week was tax finance. I had never encountered that before, but because there were a good number of people in the cohort who had familiarity with and had worked in that area, it ended up being one of the first things I learned.

I  have submitted a couple of questions through the course website when I've had trouble with an assignment or had questions about the concepts. I like that I can get varying responses back from people and that they will explain things in different ways and come at it from different perspectives. It helps to see how other people understand things. We have also created a class text group which is a lively discussion. We get a lot of messages every day, and it feels very collegial.

​​​​​​Honestly, I don’t think I would be able to do it if it weren’t online. I have too much going on and I want to be able to work on it at 11 PM if I need to. For people who are mid-career, I just think that an online program is the way to go. Having the program online also allows people to dial in from all over the world.

Right now in NYC, the energy storage market is very nascent. It is a big, complicated city, and there are a lot of policy and regulatory logistics that need to be worked out before you can usher in a new technology. As all of that begins to get worked out and the market open ups, that is when the technical and financial questions will arise. I look forward to hearing and learning about what finance-related questions come regarding energy storage because I feel that I will be extremely prepared for that conversation.

​​​​​​I chose it because it was perfect for me. I was looking at various certificate programs and online masters programs, and I knew that I wanted to do something a little more technical. I have a management degree and a management background, but I wanted to hone in on a specific technical skill area. I had been on the CBEY listserv for a long time. When I saw that they were offering exactly what I was looking for, an online certificate in finance, I just really jumped at the chance.

I would recommend this program to people who are excited about renewable energy and want to go into that field. Finance is an area where you can be the most creative in a way - you can creatively structure deals and make big things happen. Someone with a similar background to mine—my undergraduate degree had a sustainability focus and I have an MBA—would be a good fit as well, because it has worked so well for me. I have general business management experience and I felt that finance was a great fit to round out my other experiences.

I would recommend it because it’s great. I also think that now is the right time to get into this field because there is a lot of momentum and so much money out there that is looking for renewable and sustainability investments. A lot of people who currently work in financing and banking don’t necessarily have a lot of background in renewable energy and sustainability. If you’re coming in with both of those skill sets, then wow! That’s quite a combination.