Tony Inhorn: Powering a Purpose
Tony Inhorn is an M.S. Environment & International Affairs (MS-EIA) student from Maine, a place that fostered his passion for the environment and nature from an early age. During his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University where he studied political science and environmental policy, Tony developed a deep interest in clean energy. He has since approached energy and environmental challenges from a variety of angles.
Upon moving to D.C. in 2023, he became involved with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), a climate group committed to advancing electrification and preventing the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in D.C. He also worked in the government as a legislative fellow in the House of Representatives, learning what it takes to implement, from legislation into law, the issues in which he was invested from his activist work. However, having worn the hats of both activist and government worker, Tony felt that he was lacking the science background and hard skills required in his industry:
After having worked in activism and in policy, I felt like I needed scientific skills to stand out in the clean energy space.
Tony heard about the MS-EIA program from a friend in the first cohort. Through this connection, he was able to shadow a class and speak to faculty and staff during his application process. He chose MS-EIA for his graduate degree because it promised engagement with both sides of the equation: science and policy, both integral components to achieve truly sustainable solutions. Moreover, the program’s 1-year duration meant that Tony would only have a short break from the workforce, which suited him perfectly, as he really cares about making a direct impact.
Tony explained that his meetings with the SFS career center challenged him to dig deeper into his broad interest in clean energy and specify the issue area in which he wanted to work. While this process of narrowing was daunting at first, the career center helped to make it exciting for Tony, allowing him to find his niche. He has since been able to tailor every class to craft a narrative about his expertise in electrification.
This program has made a positive impact on my career direction and shaped my interests in ways that I didn’t even expect.
Three classes in particular stood out to Tony in helping him develop his clean energy expertise: through “Clean Energy Innovation” in his fall semester and “Clean Energy Investment in Developing Economies” in the spring, he has gained new technical vocabulary and learned how clean energy projects actually get scaled, as well as what scientific, policy, and financial considerations are required to make them work at the project scale.
His favorite class at Georgetown has been the “Electric Grid” class, which helped him learn highly specialized information about how the grid works, how electricity markets function, and how this is all connected in the pursuit of making clean energy possible.
The class is allowing me to converse on electric grid topics in a way that I didn’t have the language for before the MS-EIA program.
The knowledge from this class, fondly called the ‘Grid’ class, helps him understand contexts and make suggestions on energy markets and portfolios outside the classroom. Tony is now a fellow at the D.C. Department of Energy in the Clean Transportation and Infrastructure branch, specifically involved with supporting the expansion of electric vehicles and charging stations across D.C. Aside from finding this job opportunity through the MS-EIA weekly newsletter, he attributes his success in the role to his daily use of the knowledge and skills which he has gained from the EIA program. In his Environmental GIS class, he learned to visualize and map environmental challenges in compelling ways – a technical capability of which he makes frequent use in his role at the DOEE. His coding skills in ‘R’ have also proven useful, enabling him to develop figures on trends in EV registration data. His science communication skills from his core science class also help him convey complex DOEE findings to a general audience and inspire the public to support electrification goals.
The MS-EIA program helped me find the direction to pursue this opportunity, and then gave me the knowledge and skills to step into the role and thrive as a member of the team.
Beyond his classes and career interests, Tony has truly made the most of his time at Georgetown. He has been part of the graduate student running club, through which he has met other runners in the grad community. He recently ran the Rock ‘ n ‘ Roll Half Marathon as well as the Cherry Blossom ten-miler! Tony has also found a way to continue his passion for creative pursuits alongside his EIA work, having published two poems in The Anthem, Georgetown’s official literary arts magazine, and performing at open mics around the DMV. He feels that these projects are an invigorating way to connect with the broader Georgetown community, especially as a one-year graduate student.