Renewable Development Finance, Invenergy LLC
Aryana Nakhai always had her heart set on a career as an engineer. At the University of Pittsburgh, she received both a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering, with a concentration in power and renewable energy driven by her passion for clean energy.
Nakhai, a Pennsylvania native, came to Colorado after graduation to be a research engineer at her dream company, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden.
Fusing two fields
Once settled into her new role, she realized a business degree would help enhance and accelerate her career in ways a PhD could not. So she enrolled in Leeds’ Hybrid MBA program to acquire an interdisciplinary skill set that will propel her career as a leader in the renewable energy industry.
“In my opinion, MBA degrees are designed for engineers,” Nakhai says. “Most engineers aren’t required to take any business classes as part of their undergraduate curriculum. But how can an engineer build, develop and try to sell an idea if they have no business background?”
Set to graduate this May, her emerging skill set is already helping her make a larger impact at work, where her knowledge of finance is helping her see an entirely different side of the industry. It comes in handy in her new role in renewable development finance at Invenergy, where she actively supports project development by managing financial models that contribute to the contracting, financing and development of solar farms, wind farms and battery storage facilities.
“I'm trained to think as an engineer and problem-solve,” Nakhai says. “The MBA program is helping me be more well-rounded and think about problems from different perspectives.”
“How can an engineer build, develop and try to sell an idea if they have no business background?"
Aryana Y. Nakhai (MBA’24)
Navigating a work-study balance
It’s not easy working full-time while being a student. Nakhai will log off her work computer and start working on school assignments, scheduling group calls at night if necessary. While managing both school and work can be stressful, she says that the Hybrid MBA program makes balancing both possible.
“I’m already so busy as it is; school just feels like another part of my day-to-day life,” Nakhai says. “It’s definitely doable, and everyone in the program is in the same boat.”
An advantage of the program is all the networking available to students. She’s connected with Sheila Duffy, the executive director of the Burridge Center for Finance, who has helped her navigate an unfamiliar industry and has provided her with valuable opportunities at Leeds.
Last fall, she was invited to speak on the Leeds Student Excellence Panel about her experience as an MBA student and is currently serving on the committee board for the Green Finance Summit, hosted by the Burridge Center this March.
“I just love being a student,” Nakhai said. “I am the type of person who is always trying to learn, and I think there really is no limit to education.”
As for her future, Nakhai wants to continue focusing on how she can merge both her technical and finance backgrounds to support the clean energy transition. Influenced by the incredible mentors she’s met through the program, a personal goal of hers is to become a strong leader and a strong mentor.
“I don't think there's anything I would have done differently. I feel like I'm exactly where I need to be right now in strategically positioning myself for an impactful career in clean energy.”