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

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 39: The Cutting Edge with Peter Kelly-Detwiler

Peter Kelly-Detwiler

Guest:
Peter Kelly-Detwiler
Cofounder, NorthBridge Energy Partners, LLC

Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Director of Management Advisory Services, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.

In this episode we will talk with journalist, author, and energy consultant Peter Kelly-Detwiler. Our topic: Cutting Edge Campus Climate Tech.

Our mission: help campus decision makers and stakeholders understand "cutting edge" campus decarbonization / reliability / resilience technologies. How can they take advantage of new and emerging technologies while avoid wasting time on ideas that are either empty hype or operationally irrelevant for their campus context?

Resources:

• NorthBridge Energy Partners website: https://www.northbridgeep.com

• The Energy Switch: How Companies and Customers Are Transforming the Electrical Grid and the Future of Power at Buttonwood Books and Toys: https://www.buttonwoodbooksandtoys.com/book/9781633886667

Production Team:

• Kelsey Harding

• Dave Karlsgodt

• Music courtesy of the Gio Washington-Wright Big Band

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: Episode 39 Otter Transcript

You can find a text-only version of the transcript here: Episode 39 Transcript

Episode 38: The Political Economy of Higher Ed with Dr. Katrina Kelly-Pitou

Dr. Katrina Kelly-Pitou

Guest:
Dr. Katrina Kelly-Pitou
Energy Systems Strategist -
SMITHGROUP

Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Director of Management Advisory Services, Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc.

In this episode, we talk with with Dr. Katrina Kelly-Pitou, Energy Systems Strategist at SmithGroup. The discussion focuses on what higher education can expect from federal, state and local governments in the near term, but also a broader discussion about the politics and business model of higher ed. itself.  She both challenges conventional ideas and paints a compelling vision for a sustainable future for higher education and the communities in which they operate.

Resources:

• SmithGroup website: https://www.smithgroup.com/

Production Team:

• Kelsey Harding

• Dave Karlsgodt

• Music courtesy of the Gio Washington-Wright Big Band

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: Episode 38 Transcript

Episode 19: Sustainable Investing and Divestment

Claire Veuthey (left), Mike Fiorio (right)

Guests:
Claire Veuthey
Director of ESG & Impact
OpenInvest

Mike Fiorio
Trustee
Northland College Board of Trustees

Host: Dave Karlsgodt
Principal, Fovea, LLC

Production Assistant: Kaia Findlay

Remember the old adage, Put your money where your mouth is? Or maybe, vote with your wallet? No matter which way you say it, money talks. In this episode, Claire Veuthey of OpenInvest and Mike Fiorio of Northland College’s Board of Trustees discuss sustainable investments and how to make financial choices that reflect planet-forward values. Claire, the director of ESG & Impact at OpenInvest, a startup devoted to socially responsible investing, walks through the management of funds and investments and how they can become more sustainable. Mike discusses how Northland’s Board of Trustees reached their decision to divest from fossil fuels, and the importance of listening to student voices in balance with the university’s financial interests.

Resources:

• Northland College Sustainability: https://www.northland.edu/sustainability/

• OpenInvest: https://www.openinvest.co/

• Intentional Endowments Network: http://www.intentionalendowments.org/

• Sustainable Accounting Standards Board: https://www.sasb.org/

• News on Northland’s Divestment: https://www.northland.edu/news/northland-college-divests-fossil-fuels/

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:

https://otter.ai/s/KuRXkxBVRcGIQwk06U5E-A

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

Episode 19: Sustainable Investing and Divestment