REI Alumni Spotlight – The Clinton Foundation, Kyle Coulam

GMC Certificate Achievers & REI Alumni Spotlight

The Clinton Foundation, Kyle Coulam

The REI Accredited Center is pleased to focus on the achievements of those who have attended REI’s leading Renewable Energy courses and accomplished the internationally recognized Galileo Master Certificate to further their careers in the Green Energy sector.

This month, the REI is delighted to speak with Kyle Coulam, Project Manager at the Clinton Foundation’s Climate Initiative, to hear about his experience of the live virtual classroom course on Renewable Energy Market Trends and Finance. Kyle joined the REI’s global network of course participants from over 150 countries worldwide, including delegates from EarthJustice, Hilton International Hotels, BlackRock, UN Sustainable Development Committee and many more.

The REI’s Renewable Energy Market Trends and Finance course is available to study online from home, as a live virtual classroom course, or flexibly on-demand. The classroom course is also held regularly in New York City.

1. Hi Kyle, what is your professional background and how does this relate to the Renewable Energy field?

I went to the University of Vermont for my B.A. and then to the University of Southern California where I earned a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Planning with a focus on sustainable development and climate change as a national security issue. My goal was to learn how to urban infrastructure projects could create a tangible positive change in local communities and neighborhoods, as well as how to balance nature with the built environment. I studied international development to learn how to tailor other countries’ best practices and lessons learned to the specific problem a partner was facing. I have worked at the U.S.-China Clean Tech Center, the USC Center for Sustainable Cities, and Los Angeles Council District 14. I have also consulted for the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department to measure and improve Los Angeles’ resilience. Currently, I am a Project Manager with the Clinton Foundation’s Climate Initiative where I focus on accelerating island nations’ transition to electricity systems based on sustainable energy.

“The Renewable Energy Market Trends and Finance course instructor had a truly impressive resume, immediately demonstrated his knowledge in the field, and was able to keep our engagement.”

– The Clinton Foundation, Kyle Coulam

2. Why did you choose to train with the REI Accredited Center?

I chose the REI based on a colleague’s recommendation and was impressed by what the curriculum offered. Before the program, I had taken a number of courses on finance and economics, but none of the them were specific to energy. The REI’s Renewable Energy Market Trends and Finance course allowed me to quickly apply the skills I had learned in graduate school to renewable energy systems. Specifically, it helped answer technical and economic energy sector questions I was holding and answer them in a concise and effective way. Find out more about the REI’s Renewable Energy courses here.

3. What aspects of taking part in a virtual classroom course did you find most interesting or rewarding?

What really gained my buy-in right at the beginning of the course was that the instructor had a truly impressive resume, immediately demonstrated his knowledge in the field, and was able to keep our engagement. Also, many of the other participants were pretty engaged so it made for a lively and fun discussion.

4. What are the skills and knowledge that you gained on the course and how will you apply these skills to your career, either directly or indirectly? My favorite takeaway was having a clear explanation of how renewable energy project finance and deal structuring work. I have been looking to apply my economic and financial background in greater detail and this course helped show me how.

“The course helped answer technical and economic energy sector questions I was holding and answer them in a concise and effective way.”

– The Clinton Foundation, Kyle Coulam

5. The REI has named the 2020s the Decade of Renewable Energy: What are the Clinton Foundation’s sustainability goals for the next decade?

One of our goals is to promote sustainable and inclusive long-term energy transitions, increase installed Renewable Energy capacity, and improve Energy Efficiency in the built environment. The shift we aim to focus on is the execution of renewable energy and energy efficiency plans and the acceleration of project development.