Episode 50: Funding Transformational Change, Credit Ratings 101 for Sustainability Leaders

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Jessica Wood and Katie Lutton

L-R: Jessica Wood, Katie Lutton

Transformational sustainability projects live or die at the intersection of ambition and institutional finance. This conversation pulls back the curtain on how credit ratings shape what campuses can actually approve, explaining why CFOs and boards evaluate sustainability initiatives through the lenses of risk, affordability, and long-term resilience. Using familiar examples like student housing before moving into the harder reality of energy and utility infrastructure, the discussion reframes “off balance sheet” thinking and challenges common assumptions about how transformational change gets funded. The result is a clearer, more realistic foundation for sustainability leaders who want their projects to move from good ideas to executable decisions.

Guests:
Jessica Wood
Managing Director
Higher Education sector lead
S&P Global Ratings
LinkedIn

Katie Lutton
Senior Associate
Brailsford & Dunlavey
Infrastructure, Energy & Sustainability Practice
LinkedIn

Host:
Dave Karlsgodt
Director of Energy and Sustainability
Brailsford & Dunlavey

Production Team:
Executive producer and host: Dave Karlsgodt
Producer, sound editor: Kristan Crawford
Producers: Karmela Lejarde, Allison Bruns, Katie Lutton

Music courtesy of the Gio Washington-Wright Big Band

Episode Transcript:

The following is an AI-generated transcript of this episode and may contain errors or omissions: Transcript

Episode 48: Energy P3's grow up: lessons from the field in 2025

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L-R: David Braslau, Leslie Fangman, Mike Walters

Energy public-private partnerships (P3s) have moved beyond the pilot phase. They’re now a serious, scalable strategy for institutions facing aging infrastructure, decarbonization targets, and budget constraints. But a maturing market also brings complexity — in procurement models, financing tools, and internal alignment. In this episode, we talk with three experienced voices from across the P3 deal table about what’s working, what’s changing, and what institutions need to understand before jumping in.

Guests:
David Braslau
Vice President, Project Structuring and Financing, NORESCO
LinkedIn

Leslie Fangman
Principal, Fangman Associates
LinkedIn

Mike Walters
Principal, Salas O’Brien
LinkedIn

Host:
Dave Karlsgodt
Director of Energy and Sustainability
Brailsford & Dunlavey

Production Team:
Executive producer and host: Dave Karlsgodt
Producer, sound editor: Kristan Crawford
Producers: Karmela Lejarde, Allison Bruns

Music courtesy of the Gio Washington-Wright Big Band

Episode Transcript:

The following is an AI-generated transcript of this episode and may contain errors or omissions: Transcript

Episode 41: Evolving Energy P3 on Higher Ed. Campuses

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Carolyn Arida (top left) and Kevin Mara (top right), Chris DePodesta (bottom left)

Guests:
Carolyn Arida
Managing Director, Head of Utilities - Infrastructure
Harrison Street
LinkedIn | Bio

Kevin Mara
Director, Brailsford & Dunlavey
LinkedIn | Bio

Chris DePodesta
Director of Development and Asset Management - Infrastructure
Harrison Street
LinkedIn

Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Director of Energy and Sustainability
Brailsford & Dunlavey

In this episode, you'll hear a session recorded earlier this summer at the 2023 Appalachian State University energy summit in Boone, North Carolina. This panel included my B&D colleague, Kevin Mara, and two industry experts, Chris DePodesta and Carolyn Arida, from the infrastructure investment group at Harrison Street. The topic evolving Energy public-private partnerships or energy P3s for higher education.

Resources:

Production Team:

Episode Transcript:

The following is an automated transcription of this episode, which will include errors and omissions. You can listen and follow along with the text here: Otter Transcript

You can find a text-only version of the transcript here: