Andrew Hugh

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Andy is a 2028 Leaders for Global Operations Fellow pursuing an MBA from MIT Sloan and an SM in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to MIT, he served as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer, an F/A-18D Weapons System Officer, Forward Air Controller, and an instructor. His interests are in overall climate change mitigation strategies to include making clean energy sources more accessible and practical. He enjoys hiking, running, and amateur cooking while also spending time with his dog. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.

Enrique Maldonado

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Enrique is an MIT LGO Fellow pursuing an MBA from MIT Sloan and an MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is a venture and technology builder with over 9 years of experience across startups, product development, aerospace, and autonomous systems, focused on turning technical ideas into products and organizations with real impact.

Originally from Colombia, he co-founded Minka, an EnergyTech startup advancing smart energy systems and distributed solar for a fair energy transition with underserved communities. He has also founded ventures including Wooby and HiMambo, applying technology to health, sustainability, and social impact. He holds a B.Eng. in Electronic Engineering and an M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and Automation.

In his free time, he enjoys playing Latin American percussion, running, and connecting with people through music, culture, and ideas.

Olivia Stinson

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Olivia is a third-year undergraduate studying nuclear science & engineering and physics at MIT. Outside the classroom, she competes on MIT’s varsity lightweight women’s rowing team and is involved in StartLabs and the American Nuclear Society. Olivia is passionate about fusion energy, conducting research at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and at Stanford’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where she explores the science and engineering challenges of next-gen fusion technologies.

Rosario Astudillo Blanche

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Rosario is a second-year graduate student pursuing a dual MBA and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering through MIT’s Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program. Originally from Chile, she earned her undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with a concentration in Operations Research and a minor in Transportation and Logistics. Prior to MIT, Rosario worked as a Supply Chain Consultant at Miebach Consulting, where she helped organizations improve their operations and supply chain performance.

Rosario is passionate about advancing sustainability and building a greener, more equitable, and resilient future for generations to come. Outside of academics and work, she enjoys spending time outdoors and staying active through hiking, climbing, and exploring nature.

Camilla Jamro

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Camilla is a second-year MBA candidate at MIT Sloan, with a strong interest at the intersection of energy, infrastructure and finance. She is driven by the role financial capital plays in the energy transition and is thrilled to be returning to the MITEC team as Treasurer.

Prior to graduate school, she worked for a global bank in New York and Hong Kong providing coverage for energy sector, and is spending the summer interning in infrastructure investing.

In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, cross-country skiing and cooking. She holds a BA in Economics and Chinese from Wellesley College.

Xavier Stritmatter

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Xavier is a Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) Fellow pursuing an MBA from MIT Sloan and an SM in Chemical Engineering. Prior to MIT, he spent six years working within National Grid's U.S. natural gas utility business, first as a design engineer before shifting to a technical strategy role focused on energy transition and climate compliance. Xavier is interested in continuing to work at the intersection of technology, business, and sustainability, ideally on battery technology, carbon capture, or low-carbon fuels. Outside of his professional and academic pursuits, he enjoys board games, disc golf, exercise, and getting outdoors.

Dakota Cameron

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Dakota is a second-year undergraduate student studying Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Driven by a passion for sustainable materials and the clean energy transition, she conducts research in the Accelerated Materials Laboratory for Sustainability, where she works on developing perovskite solar cells using autonomous, high-throughput technologies. Previously, Dakota contributed to ec^3 Hub’s efforts to create electron-conducting concrete for energy storage and is fascinated by concrete’s global ubiquity and carbon footprint. Beyond research, she is an active member of GEO@MIT, a student group dedicated to expanding the reach of low-temperature geothermal energy networks. Outside of academics, Dakota enjoys crocheting, baking, and running.

Gaby Cornejo

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Dakota is a second-year undergraduate student studying Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Driven by a passion for sustainable materials and the clean energy transition, she conducts research in the Accelerated Materials Laboratory for Sustainability, where she works on developing perovskite solar cells using autonomous, high-throughput technologies. Previously, Dakota contributed to ec^3 Hub’s efforts to create electron-conducting concrete for energy storage and is fascinated by concrete’s global ubiquity and carbon footprint. Beyond research, she is an active member of GEO@MIT, a student group dedicated to expanding the reach of low-temperature geothermal energy networks. Outside of academics, Dakota enjoys crocheting, baking, and running.

Emma Pautz

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Emma is a sophomore at MIT studying Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences and Finance, with a minor in Public Policy. She is interested in climate finance, corporate sustainability, and the policies and investments that can help scale clean technologies. At MIT, she researches climate finance and early-stage decarbonization through the Harvard–MIT Global Climate Policy Project, and is involved with the Course 12 Undergraduate Council. Outside of school, she enjoys sailing, music, art, and history.

Ryan Naehr

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Ryan is a first-year MBA candidate at MIT Sloan, focused on directing capital toward emerging and transformative energy technologies. He began his career as a Battery Engineer for Panasonic at Tesla's Gigafactory Nevada before shifting to technology strategy, intellectual property, and fundraising at ION, a solid-state battery startup. While at ION, Ryan led the effort to win a $20M ARPA-E award, the largest in the agency's history, helping to commercialize the technology. He holds a BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Maryland. Outside of work, Ryan is an amateur triathlete who has completed two IRONMAN 70.3 races. He enjoys trying new restaurants with friends and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Keira Boone

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Keira Boone is a current sophomore in Materials Science and Engineering. She is passionate about developing practical, interdisciplinary climate solutions, from electrochemical carbon capture and ocean alkalinity enhancement to modular hydroponics systems for sustainable urban farming. Before MIT, she contributed to university research labs and climate-focused startups, working at the intersection of energy, equity, and implementation, and has continued this interest through helping organize three MITEC Events and participating as a TEX-E fellow, among other activities. Keira is especially interested in systems that are scalable, efficient, and accessible, and she is dedicated to science communication and outreach that broadens participation in climate innovation. Outside the classroom, she enjoys spending time in makerspaces bringing ideas to life, hiking, solving logic puzzles, training in aerial silks and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and serving as President of MIT’s Rocket Team.

Sarah Al Abdullatif

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Sarah is a senior undergrad pursuing a BS in Chemical Engineering. She is passionate about sustainability, particularly developing scalable solutions in carbon capture and water treatment that can drive meaningful environmental impact. Her experience spans hands-on work at Occidental Petroleum's water treatment plant to her current role as a Process Engineering Intern at Carbon Ridge, where she focuses on carbon capture technologies for the maritime industry. As VP of Marketing, Sarah is excited to help keep the community engaged, informed, and inspired by the energy and climate innovations shaping our future.

Adal Acuña

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Adal is a second year graduate student pursuing his MBA and MS in Chemical Engineering as part of MIT’s LGO program. Prior to MIT, he worked as an engineering manager for P&G, where he helped decrease GHG emissions and optimized electricity consumption for the largest detergent plant in the world. Adal holds a Chemical Engineering degree. Outside of MITEC he enjoys reading, hiking, and skiing.

Armstrong Gbessagee

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Armstrong is a first‑year dual‑degree MIT Leaders for Global Operations Fellow, pursuing an SM in Materials Science and Engineering and an MBA at MIT Sloan. Before MIT, he worked at GE Vernova in manufacturing and supply‑chain operations, supporting advanced gas turbines, onshore wind turbines, and turbo‑generator products. He earned a combined BS and MSE in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He is passionate about expanding access to electricity, developing mini‑grids, and advancing industrialization in developing economies.

Michaella Schazberger

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Michaella is a 2028 MBA candidate at MIT Sloan. Prior to MIT, she worked as a software engineer and holds a BS in Computer Science from Columbia University. She is interested in clean energy innovation, particularly how to meet surging electricity demand from AI and electrification with clean power, while strengthening grid resilience. In her free time, she enjoys tennis, pickleball, podcasts, and hiking.

Mehmet Islamoglu

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Mehmet is a Graduate Research Assistant at the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) and a Master of Science candidate in Technology and Policy at MIT. His research focuses on the commercialization and governance of emerging energy technologies. Most recently, Mehmet completed an internship with LG Energy Solution Vertech, where he worked on battery supply chains and battery materials. Prior to MIT, he spent three years as a software engineer at HubSpot, specializing in large-scale data engineering and distributed systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a graduate of Robert College in Istanbul, the oldest continuously operating American high school outside the United States. In his free time, Mehmet enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and following soccer.

Sean Balfour

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Sean is a 2028 MBA candidate at MIT Sloan. Prior to Sloan, he worked in early-stage cleantech investing and as an engineer developing lithium-ion battery systems, solar energy projects, and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. Sean holds his Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation and studied Engineering Chemistry at Queen’s University. He is passionate about accelerating the commercialization of climate technologies and supporting entrepreneurs building the future of energy.

Kanchan Parmar

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Kanch is an Executive MBA candidate at MIT Sloan and a Senior Operations Officer at the World Bank Group, where she leads strategic initiatives to improve development operations. She has over a decade of experience designing development and blended finance solutions across emerging markets, specializing in renewable energy infrastructure, particularly hydropower and solar.

Ivana Guraieb

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Ivana is a second-year MBA student at MIT Sloan. Prior to MIT, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Development Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico and worked as a Consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she advised clients on energy, climate, and decarbonization initiatives. This past summer, she was a Summer Associate in Global Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley, focusing on sustainable finance. Ivana is passionate about accelerating the global energy transition and developing solutions that drive sustainable economic growth while addressing the urgent challenges of climate change.

Angela Liu

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Angela is a second-year undergraduate studying climate systems, math, and computer science. She is passionate about the climate and is particularly interested in carbon removal technologies. At MITEI, she is researching the usage of surrogate neural networks for subsurface flow modeling and its applications to the energy transition. She is also working on enhancing inference speed in climate emulators through consistency models. She enjoys hiking, reading well-written textbooks, and having good conversations.

Aman Jalan

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Aman is a first-year MBA candidate at MIT Sloan with a strong interest in emerging climate and energy technologies. Before Sloan, he was a consultant at McKinsey specializing in M&A and post-merger integration. He holds a Masters in MechE from MIT and a Bachelors in MechE and Data Sciences from Indian Institute of Technology Madras. In his free time, he can found on the tennis court, in the gym or thinking about them while on a leisurely stroll along the Charles.

Natalie Hatzigeorgiou

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Natalie is a junior studying Mechanical Engineering. She is passionate about the intersection of energy, CS, and economics, with a particular interest in how emerging technologies can help tackle energy and environmental challenges. As VP of Marketing, she is excited to keep the MIT community informed and engaged throughout the year.

Sahiti Seetamraju

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Sahiti Seetamaraju is an MIT Leaders for Global Operations Fellow pursuing an MBA at MIT Sloan and an SM in Materials Science and Engineering. Prior to MIT, she spent six years at Stryker leading cross-functional manufacturing, supply chain, and product launch initiatives for medical devices, driving improvements in cost and operational performance. She is passionate about climate policy and early-stage climate ventures, with a particular interest in leveraging engineering, operations, and business to accelerate the commercialization of sustainable technologies. She is also committed to developing future leaders through mentorship and community engagement. In her freetime, Sahiti enjoys dancing, cooking, and reading.

Serena Fadel

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Serena is pursuing a dual master’s degree in Finance (Sloan) and Environmental Enginnering (CEE) to focus on pricing climate risk and engineering credible climate solutions. She curated and led day 2 of MITEC’s annual energy conference.

Luis Carlos Velasquez-Mansilla

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Luis Carlos is an entrepreneur and PhD student in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, where he researches the future of electric power systems, with a focus on renewable integration, power system reliability, and energy equity. Before returning to academia, he co-founded an engineering company that provides technical services to utilities and power producers across Latin America and the Caribbean, building on earlier work developing robotics solutions for subsistence farming in Central America. His work sits at the intersection of research, industry, and public impact. Luis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering and an MBA from MIT Sloan. Outside the lab, you’ll usually find him kitesurfing (or fencing when the wind doesn’t cooperate).