STEPHANIE CHEN

Stephanie has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from UC San Diego, a M.S. in Geographic Information Science & Technology from USC, and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. She was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan before coming to the U.S. for college.

Previously, Stephanie was a Project Engineer at PlaceWorks, an environmental consulting firm, where she modeled air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions and traffic impacts of development projects and prepared environmental reports in compliance with California Environmental Quality Act. Stephanie also worked as a Business Development & Strategy Associate at MATA Inventive, an AI smart manufacturing solution startup, where she led digital marketing campaigns and market research initiatives to pursue high value leads. Stephanie is currently a research volunteer at CA Alliance for Community Energy, working to support local renewable energy developments and clean energy job creations through Community Choice energy programs. 

Stephanie joined SDED to support the education, discussion, and collaboration within the industry, which are crucial for transitioning to a clean energy economy. 

ANDREA SALAS

Andrea Salas recently graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Renewable Energy Engineering at CETYS University in Tijuana. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Management from City University of Seattle. 

Andrea participated in the ENLACE bi-national summer research in engineering program at UC San Diego, and she spent another summer studying Renewable Energy Sources at Universidad de Alcalá in Spain. Andrea has acquired work experience as an intern at GSE, an energy management company, where she analyzed and monitored electrical equipment (lighting, HVACs, freezers, etc.) and was in direct contact with clients in order to save on business energy costs while satisfying needs. Later she became an intern at the Environment, Health, and Safety department of Poly, a manufacturer of communication devices. Here she developed solar roof-top generation reports, as well as water and gas consumption reports.

Andrea helped the San Diego Energy District by coordinating sponsor development and general organizational calendar. 

AURORA FERNANDA SEAMANDURAS SANTANA

Aurora has a B. E. in Renewable Energy from CETYS University and a B. A. in Management from City University of Seattle through a Double Degree program. She was born and raised in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico and then became a U.S. citizen. 

Previously, Andrea was an engineer intern in TTN Energy and Telecommunications, a renewable energy project pre-development consultancy where she designed and simulated solar systems for residential projects and solar farms. She has also sized and designed Battery Energy Storage Systems for clients with high energy demand. 

During her college years Aurora attended the University of Alcalá de Henares for a summer course about renewable energy sources where she learned about trending technologies in the energy sector. Aurora was also part of an engineering student body as an Academic Link, and later co-founded and lead a sustainability student group called TerraVita to aid promote the CETYS Zero Waste program among students. 

Shadi is a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts in International Economics from the American University of Paris and the Sorbonne. He is finishing his 8th month as an intern in research in economic affairs at the United Nations – Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia headquarters, in Beirut, Lebanon. In August 2020, he will be starting his MSc in Finance at the American University of Beirut (Chartered Financial Analyst level 3 equivalent).

Shadi is skilled in working with data. He has created indexes on income and governance, and assisted with a published working paper on post-COVID poverty in the Arab region. Fluent in English, French, Arabic, Shadi has also studied Spanish and Italian for several years.  He is helping SDED with research on energy-efficient practices in Europe and reporting on the energy markets in the MENA region.

Shadi joined SDED because he is devoted to helping develop innovative ideas and providing thorough analyses to SDED’s board. He believes that sustainable development in all sectors depends on a fast energy-transition.

Alejandro Lampell is a recent graduate from Harvard College, where he earned a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Statistics. Originally from Mexico, he spent the early parts of his life moving around Latin America before finishing high school in El Salvador. 

Previously, Alejandro interned at consulting firms Bain & Company and Strategy&, where he performed industry research, data analysis, and statistical modeling to provide growth solutions to global clients. He has also interned at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Mexico City and the Institute of the Americas in San Diego, helping organize community forums on the topics of environmental reforestation, US-Latin American trade relations, and national healthcare policy.

Alejandro is currently helping with audience outreach and logistics for the 2020 webinar series and is excited to join SDED in the fight to transition to a clean energy economy.