Transitioning to Renewable Energy: From Theory to Implementation

Energy Play

Unlocking the Future of Renewable Energy: Insights from Industry Innovators

Curious about how renewable energy is transforming our daily lives? Join us for a discussion with two pioneers at the forefront of the energy revolution.

Frank Reig, CEO and co-founder of Revel Transit, and Jeff Prosserman, CEO and co-founder of Voltpost, will share how they transitioned from Columbia University students to founding groundbreaking startups that are driving real-world solutions for a more sustainable future. Learn how these leaders are tackling everyday challenges with climate-conscious innovations and hear their insights on the critical transition from theory to implementation in the renewable energy space.

Whether you’re passionate about sustainability, tech innovation, or simply curious about how the renewable energy transition is shaping the world, we invite you to come be part of the conversation on building a cleaner, greener future.

This event is part of the Practicum on Practical Applications of Environmental Research course, offered through the M.S. in Sustainability Management (SUMA) program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies (SPS). The event is open to the public. Members of the Columbia University community, as well as prospective SUMA and SPS students, are encouraged to attend.

Speakers:

  • Jeffrey Prosserman, Founder and CEO, Voltpost

Jeffrey Prosserman is Founder and CEO at Voltpost, a venture-backed company based in New York and San Francisco that is on a mission to decarbonize mobility by democratizing charging access. Voltpost does this by retrofitting lampposts into an electric vehicle charging platform. Prior to starting Voltpost, Prosserman was the Director of Innovation at Samsung in New York City. He has worked at the forefront of technology for over twenty years. In 2022, he graduated from the Columbia University Sustainability Management program and is creating vital climate technology solutions for the future humanity. Prosserman is a product management and business executive focused on strategy, design, and innovation. Expertise spans charging, mobile, TV, XR, IoT, and sustainability. As the Samsung Director of Innovation, Prosserman led a cross-functional team to develop mobile, TV, and digital appliance platforms at the intersection of trends and technology. Some products that Prosserman led development for include Samsung Podcasts, Media Launcher, the first Samsung mobile AR camera apps, and Samsung Family Hub refrigerator focused on reducing food waste that won CES Innovation Awards. Prior to Samsung, Prosserman was the founder and CEO at Livestage, a 360 video platform that produced VR music video content with major artists and brands. He was also a senior producer at The Daily, the first mobile publication at News Corp. Over his career, he produced projects with WarnerMedia, IBM, BBC Worldwide, Dell, Mashable, Giphy, Johnson & Johnson, and many other brands. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Prosserman is a visionary leader who is driven to build a business that at scale ratchets down millions of tons of carbon, provides cleaner air, builds stronger communities, and creates jobs. With a bias toward action, Prosserman is a general manager and strategist who leads Voltpost business, company, and product development. Prosserman is committed to making a positive impact by creating a sustainable and equitable future for people and our planet.

  • Frank Reig, Co-founder and CEO, Revel

Frank Reig is Co-Founder & CEO of Revel, the Brooklyn-based electric mobility and infrastructure company with a mission to accelerate EV adoption in America's densest cities. Since founding the company alongside COO Paul Suhey in 2018, Frank has grown Revel from shared electric mopeds to launching New York's first all-electric, all-employee rideshare service and operating the city's largest public fast charging network. A native New Yorker, Frank is a graduate of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Prior to founding Revel, Frank held various roles in public transportation and in the energy and renewables sector.

  • Moderated by Louise A. Rosen, Senior Associate Dean, Administrative Affairs and Communications; Lecturer in International and Public Affairs

Louise A. Rosen serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs and Communications at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies and is a lecturer in International and Public Affairs. Prior to joining SPS, she had been Deputy Vice President for Strategic Engagement. In her decade at the Earth Institute she incubated eight degree programs, including the first undergraduate major in Sustainable Development at Columbia University and the M.S. in Sustainability Management.

She advocates for environmental conservation, animal rescue, and animal/nature-assisted therapies. Her research includes understanding socially-constructed values of the environment to create empathy to advance support for sustainable development and the natural world. In particular she is interested in non-verbal communication, experiential storytelling, the sentience of the non-human living world and how empathy with them can be used as a path forward to seeding empathy across social groups.

She was a cofounder of three magazines in London, and has written for several publications including Newsweek.com, Forbes magazine, Upside Today, Fortune Small Business, Vogue, and The New York Times. She has a B.S. in geography from the London School of Economics and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. Currently she is earning an M.S. in Narrative Medicine, Columbia University, with a focus on narratives in nature and empathetic design. She volunteers to help children with special needs and veterans and first responders with PTSD.

 

For event-related questions, please contact Tal Henig-Hadar at thenig-hadar [[at]] climate [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu.