The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth is pleased to announce the creation of a new Advisory Group that will provide high-level strategic guidance to leadership as the Institute continues to grow and evolve. The eleven Founding Members, drawn from the Institute’s extensive network of experts, bring diverse experience and practical insight from a variety of sectors. It is chaired by David Foley, Global Head of Blackstone Energy Transition Partners and a co-chair of UChicago’s Parents Council.
Of the appointment, Foley says: “The University of Chicago is widely recognized for its commitment to rigorous, objective inquiry and apolitical discourse—qualities that are increasingly rare in today’s climate landscape. By advancing data-driven research and pioneering a new approach to climate and energy education, the Institute is shaping tomorrow’s solutions and leaders. I look forward to collaborating with them to engage industry and government and help translate this work into meaningful global impact.”
Foley and the new Advisory Group will work closely with the Institute’s founding director, Michael Greenstone.
“At the Institute, our approach to research and education reflects the critical need to balance climate goals with economic growth,” says Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics. “For that work to make an impact in the real world, we must understand what insights are needed to advance solutions, and this requires deep collaboration with practitioners—including our alumni and friends. We’re thrilled to announce the Founding Members of our new Advisory Group and look forward to working with them to strengthen our ability to drive meaningful change.”
The full list of founding members includes:
David Foley, Sr. Managing Director & Global Head, Blackstone Energy Transition Partners; Chair, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth Advisory Group
David I. Foley is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Blackstone Energy Transition Partners, where he is responsible for overseeing Blackstone’s private equity investment activities in the energy sector on a global basis. Since joining Blackstone in 1995, Foley has been responsible for building the Blackstone energy practice and has played an integral role in every energy-related private equity investment that the firm has made. Prior to his work at Blackstone, Foley worked with AEA Investors, and as a management consultant for Monitor Company. Foley serves as a member of the Board of Directors for several companies, including Accel International, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Kinetik, Sediver and Viridon. Foley received a B.A. and M.A. in Economics, with honors, from Northwestern University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Kate Adams (Trustee, JD’90), Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Apple
Kate Adams is Apple’s Senior Vice President of Legal and Global Security, reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook. She oversees all legal matters including corporate governance, intellectual property, litigation, securities compliance, global security, and privacy. Before joining Apple in 2017, she spent 14 years at Honeywell, most recently as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Adams holds a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and a bachelor’s in Comparative Literature from Brown University.
Drew Bond, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, PowerField Energy; Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, C3 Solutions
Drew Bond is Co-founder, Chairman & CEO of PowerField Energy, with a patented, simple solar installation solution for projects of all sizes. Bond also serves as Co-founder & Executive Chairman of C3 Solutions, the Conservative Coalition for Climate Solutions, a nonprofit educational public policy organization based in Washington, DC that promotes free-market solutions on energy and the environment. Previously, Bond served as Senior Advisor for Technology Commercialization to President George W. Bush at the US Department of Energy and has co-founded six companies. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with degree in History and completed Executive Education in Finance at Wharton.
Purnendu Chatterjee, Founder & Chairman, The Chatterjee Group
Purnendu Chatterjee founded The Chatterjee Group (TCG), a diversified investment firm, in 1989. Under his leadership, TCG has built a portfolio spanning financial services, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, IT services, software, engineering, petrochemicals, chemicals, and real estate. He has over 35 years of industry and investment experience and has been responsible for providing strategic direction across continents. Chatterjee holds a B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur, and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research from UC Berkeley. He is also a founder of TCG CREST and is active in promoting entrepreneurship and education in India.
Jeff Currie (AM ’90, PhD ’96), Chief Strategy Officer, Energy Pathways at Carlyle
Jeff Currie is Chief Strategy Officer of Energy Pathways at Carlyle. He focuses on analysis of commodity market trends and evaluating investment opportunities across energy markets and the commodity supply chain central to the energy transition. Before his current role, Currie was Global Head of Commodities Research at Goldman Sachs, where he was known for his work on the commodities super-cycle, the shale supply developments, and navigating crises such as the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. from Pepperdine University. Currie also serves as Chair of the EPIC Advisory Group.
Rodi Guidero, Executive Director, Breakthrough Energy
Rodi Guidero is Executive Director of Breakthrough Energy, overseeing the organization’s climate and energy investment efforts. He also serves as Managing Partner of Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a division focused on investing in, launching, and scaling technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. His background includes venture capital, private equity and legal roles, including earlier work with Gates Ventures, Kymeta Corporation, BMGI and others. Guidero holds degrees in law and has experience advising, structuring, and financing climate tech companies. He is deeply involved in efforts to accelerate the clean energy transition globally.
Andy Karsner, Senior Strategist, X; Director, ExxonMobil
Andy Karsner is a Senior Strategist with X (the Moonshot Factory, part of Alphabet), and has long experience in both government and private sector roles focused on energy, technology, and innovation. He was formerly Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy (2005-2008). He founded or co-led several ventures including Elemental Labs, which focuses on environmental and market-based solutions, and is Executive Chairman of Manifest Energy. Karsner also holds the title of Space Cowboy at X and has served on multiple boards and advisory bodies including ExxonMobil and others. He is engaged in guiding market-based solutions in energy, conservation, and sustainability.
Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund
Fred Krupp has guided the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for three decades, overseeing its growth from a small nonprofit to one of the world’s most influential environmental organizations. Krupp has advanced methane mapping and helped secure important methane commitments. He has also pioneered innovative approaches to harnessing the power of the marketplace to protect the environment and has led EDF’s groundbreaking corporate partnerships with FedEx, KKR, McDonald’s and others. Krupp attended Yale University and the University of Michigan Law School. He was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report and is a recipient of the 2015 William K. Reilly Environmental Leadership Award from the Center for Environmental Policy at American University.
Michael Polsky (Emeritus Trustee, MBA’87) Founder and Executive Chairman, Invenergy
Michael P. Polsky is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Invenergy, one of the world’s largest privately held developers, owners, and operators of sustainable energy projects. Under his leadership, the company has developed clean energy infrastructure globally including wind, solar, storage, transmission, and industrial energy assets. Before Invenergy, Polsky founded and led other energy businesses, including SkyGen Energy and Indeck Energy Services, building his reputation in both thermal and renewable power. He holds a Mechanical Engineering master’s degree from Kiev Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Chicago Booth. He is also known for his entrepreneurial leadership and philanthropy, particularly in energy, infrastructure, and innovation.
Kim Starkey, President & CEO, King Philanthropies
Kim Starkey is President and CEO of King Philanthropies, which deploys grants and impact investments at the intersection of climate change and extreme poverty. She is also a Lecturer in Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business, teaching students about social ventures and impact leadership. Starkey co-authored Engine of Impact: Essentials of Strategic Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector. Prior to this role, she worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and has advised many nonprofits, foundations, and impact investors. She holds advanced degrees including an M.B.A from Stanford GSB, an M.Sc. in Economics for Development from Oxford, and an M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
Don Wilson (Trustee, AB’88), Founder & CEO, DRW
A pioneer in modernizing and democratizing derivatives trading, Donald R. Wilson, Jr., founded DRW in 1992. Three decades later, the principal trading firm employs over 2,000 employees globally and utilizes diverse trading strategies to take risk and support liquidity in markets including fixed income, FX, commodities and equities. Under Don’s leadership, the firm has expanded to include four subsidiaries: Cumberland (crypto), DRW Venture Capital (focused on fintech and enterprise tech), Convexity (real estate investor) and Artemeter (carbon market solutions). Don also has co-founded and invested in market-centric initiatives, including Digital Asset, Eris Innovations, Climate Vault, ErisX, Silicon Data, and Compute Exchange. Don holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Chicago, where he currently serves as a trustee.