McCosh Hall
10

Sponsored by the Alumni Association of Princeton University

Moderator

Katharine B. Hackett ’79
Executive Director, High Meadows Environmental Institute

Panelists

Sarah Kapnick ’04
Chief Scientist, NOAA   

Cristian Proistosescu ’09
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Ransom Leland Baldwin ’14
Certified Energy Manager, Nevada National Security Site

MacKensey King ’19
Senior Consultant, Anthesis Group

Moderator

Katharine B. Hackett ’79
Executive Director, High Meadows Environmental Institute

Kathy Hackett is the executive director of Princeton’s interdisciplinary center of environmental research, education and outreach — the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI). The institute’s work comprises extensive research in climate science, biogeochemistry, disease ecology, biocomplexity, environmental policy and sustainable development. Since joining Princeton in 2006, Hackett has contributed to the vision of HMEI as a world-leading center of environmental studies by implementing innovations across research and teaching activities and establishing collaborations that expand perspectives on environmental issues. During her tenure, HMEI’s research and teaching programs have expanded considerably. She has been responsible for implementing Princeton’s Grand Challenges program, expanding student research opportunities and launching innovations involving the environmental humanities. Today, more than 140 University faculty from 30 academic departments are active with HMEI and upward of 50% of undergraduate students participate in its programs during their four years at Princeton.

Panelists

Sarah Kapnick ’04
Chief Scientist, NOAA

Sarah Kapnick is a climate scientist with experience across the public and private sectors. She is presently chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In this role, she oversees science and technology strategy and policy, and has led NOAA’s delegation at various U.N. conferences. Her academic research spans climate prediction and projection, mountain hydroclimate, extreme storms, water security, climate risk and climate economics. She has also held positions at JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, a carbon registry and a renewable energy forecasting startup. Her expertise in climate science and its economic impacts has made her a trusted resource across the federal government and for national and international outlets and publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, PBS, BBC, the “Today” show and NPR. A mathematics major with a finance certificate at Princeton, she earned a Ph.D. from UCLA. 

Cristian Proistosescu ’09
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Cristian Proistosescu is an assistant professor in the Department of Climate, Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences and the Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on understanding man-made climate change and has two broad themes: (1) understanding the physical mechanisms that drive climate change, and (2) providing useful and usable projections of climate impacts. Proistosescu received his Ph.D. in Earth and planetary sciences from Harvard University.

Ransom Leland Baldwin ’14
Certified Energy Manager, Nevada National Security Site

Ransom Leland Baldwin is a certified energy manager and licensed professional engineer currently serving in the sustainability division at the Nevada National Security Site. He helps to manage the energy and water efficiency of the hundreds of buildings at the site and supporting locations. Before shifting to the governmental side of things, Baldwin worked for Energy and Resource Solutions and Engie. At both of these companies he consulted with clients to help reduce their energy and water usage across their building stock.

MacKensey King ’19
Senior Consultant, Anthesis Group

In her consulting role at Anthesis Group, MacKensey King is focused on supporting private equity firms and other financial institutions on their climate journeys, whether that be establishing an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions or setting a net-zero target. She is interested in understanding how finance can be a catalyst for climate action. King is concurrently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, with a focus in environmental justice. Her research looks at how finance can be used as a source of power for communities that have been historically disenfranchised and discriminated against. Prior to her graduate studies, King was a senior associate at CDP, an NGO dedicated to collecting and enabling corporate environmental disclosure. She also served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow at XacBank in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, furthering the bank’s climate finance projects.