Careers and Alumni

Senior Analyst, New Business, Baltimore Gas & Electric
Baltimore, Maryland

Edward Hirsch has always been interested in how things work.

He began his career as an engineer at the Salt River Project in Phoenix, Arizona. He spent six years in a rotational program at SRP, working and learning about different parts of the electric utility industry. While the job offered a lot of exciting opportunities, he realized he was ready to take his career in a new direction.

After a lot of research, he chose to take the next step and earn an MBA from UNC-Kenan Flagler, based on the availability of an energy concentration and the impressive roster of industry leaders on the faculty.

“I really wanted to get more business and management experience, but I also wanted to make sure it was relevant to my career in the energy industry,” said Edward. “Finding out Kenan-Flagler had an energy concentration available really felt like the perfect fit.”

In the program, Edward took advantage of coursework focused on the energy industry, served as VP of Alumni Relations in the student-run Energy Club. He took an internship with Summit Midstream in Denver, Colorado, an opportunity in the oil and gas industry which led to a full-time position after graduation.

When he decided to return to electric utilities, he took a position on the New Business team at Baltimore Gas & Electric, part of the Exelon Corporation in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to this role, he also serves as a lead on the BGE Innovation Team and helps facilitate the adoption and implementation of innovative ideas generated by employees within the company, from meeting lower carbon emission targets to customer service to safety to reliability. His experience and exposure to the full energy value chain during his time at Kenan-Flagler helps him evaluate new projects and potential impacts.

“My role on the innovation team allows me to interact with all kinds of people and see how we’re keeping pace with the changing demands of the environment, people, and business,” said Edward. “It’s such a huge opportunity and a really exciting time to be working in the energy space.”

• View Edward's LinkedIn profile here.

Commercial Manager, XTO Energy/ExxonMobil
Houston, Texas

Christine Shaner is a 2016 UNC Kenan-Flagler grad and former president of the Kenan-Flagler Energy Club.

Since leaving Kenan-Flagler, Christine has held a variety of roles in ExxonMobil’s finance and commercial business functions, including natural gas trading, strategy, and gas markets development. She is currently the commercial manager of West Texas crude oil infrastructure for ExxonMobil’s US affiliate, XTO Energy.

Christine holds a BA in Economics and International Studies from Johns Hopkins University. A native of Virginia, Christine has lived in France, Switzerland, and Hungary, and currently resides in Houston, TX.

• View Christine's LinkedIn profile here.

• View Tina's LinkedIn profile here.

Finance Manager, Tax Projects, NextEra Energy Inc.
West Palm Beach, Florida

Byron Kelly currently works as a Finance Manager for NextEra Energy, focused on special projects related to corporate finance, accounting, and energy tax credits. Before joining NextEra, Byron worked as a Commercial Strategy Advisor for ExxonMobil, leading various initiatives in M&A, corporate strategy, competitor intelligence, and long-term planning.

Byron obtained his MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2018, during which he served as a Kenan Scholar and was awarded the 2018 Rollie Tillman Jr. Outstanding Achievement Award for superior leadership in and out of the classroom. Byron also has an M.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Calgary, and a B.Sc. in Geology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Byron holds two patents related to oil field production technologies and has authored numerous publications in the energy space.

• View Byron's LinkedIn profile here.

Enterprise Strategy Associate, Caterpillar
Chicago, Illinois

Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives, with almost 100 years of experience serving customers across the globe. A leader in energy and infrastructure, Caterpillar is focused on navigating the energy transition and supporting its customer’s sustainability goals. Anthony is part of the Enterprise Strategy function which is focused on sustainability strategy and aftermarket services growth, helping the organization understand the energy transition landscape, ESG considerations, and areas to focus on.

The energy transition is the largest investment opportunity of our generation. MBAs from Kenan-Flagler gain the core business skills required to think critically about investment and business positioning opportunities facing organizations today, such as finance, strategy, and marketing, with the tactical energy and sustainability knowledge from the Energy Concentration to help energy companies navigate the vast uncertainty and opportunity.

According to Anthony, “After beginning my career at PwC in technology industry management consulting, I came to UNC Kenan-Flagler with a passion for energy and sustainability but zero experience in the field. Kenan-Flagler provided me with access to thought leadership, networking opportunities, and coursework needed to understand the business of energy. I was able to put knowledge to practice through internships with ScottMadden (energy consulting) and Dynamhex (cleantech startup). I wouldn’t have been able to get my current job at Caterpillar without the two years of in-depth energy knowledge and experiences to display on my resume and showcase during the interview.”

• View Anthony's LinkedIn profile here.

Vice President of Corporate Development, StarTex Field Services, LLC (“StarTex”)
San Antonio, Texas

Trey currently serves as the Vice President of Corporate Development for StarTex Field Services, LLC (“StarTex”), an Eagle Ford-focused natural gas gathering company.

Prior to joining StarTex, Trey was an Associate at Tailwater Capital, LLC from 2015 to 2017 and held various positions as an Operations Engineer at Chesapeake Energy Corporation from 2011 to 2015.

Trey holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (earning concentrations in Energy and Corporate Finance) and a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Trey is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.

Trey chose to pursue an MBA to accelerate his career as a leader in the energy industry. Prior to attending Kenan-Flagler Business School, he earned a degree in Petroleum Engineering, spent four years with an oil and gas upstream operator, and two years with an oil and gas private equity firm. Through the energy program at Kenan-Flagler, Trey broadened his understanding of the energy value chain and refined the qualitative and quantitative skills needed to propel him to a career in an evolving energy landscape.

“Kenan-Flagler fully integrates all parts of the Energy Value Chain into its program and coursework,” said Trey. “During my time in Chapel Hill, I was able to participate in classes and conferences led by the C-Suite leaders with decades of experience in oil & gas, renewables, and utilities. Most MBA programs don’t offer access to such experienced executives from across every sector of the industry.”

In addition to serving as the President of the Energy Club, Trey led student recruiting trips to Houston and competed in the University of Texas McCombs MBA Case Competition. He was involved in the planning and execution of one of Kenan-Flagler’s premiere energy events – “Meeting the Challenges of Renewables Intermittency Conference”.

After graduation, Trey returned to Texas. During the past few years, he has held positions as a Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis and Vice President of Corporate Development at privately held, San Antonio-based pipeline companies. “My involvement with the Energy Center at Kenan-Flagler expanded my understanding of the industry’s business models and challenged me to sharpen my leadership skills. I had the opportunity to collaborate and learn alongside classmates who are establishing themselves as leaders in their respective fields. Those experiences and relationships have already brought tremendous value to my career.”

• View Trey's LinkedIn profile here.

Private Wealth Advisor, Goldman Sachs
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nathaniel is an investment advisor at Goldman Sachs where he advises wealthy individuals, family groups, and non-profit organizations.

He graduated cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in both Chemistry and Economics. Additionally, he holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina where he served as Chair of the Graduate and Professional Schools Honor System and researched as a Kenan Energy Scholar.

Before joining Goldman Sachs, Nathaniel worked with hospital systems nationwide as the lead Financial Risk Manager for Epic Systems.

• View Nathaniel's LinkedIn profile here.

Chief Development Officer, Heelstone Renewable Energy
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Trevor Sprague is the Chief Development Officer for Heelstone Renewable Energy, a utility-scale solar developer headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He provides oversight for all aspects of project development while setting origination strategies and seeking new market opportunities. Mr. Sprague first joined Heelstone upon graduation from the MBA program at UNC Kenan Flagler Business School, where he concentrated in both Energy and Entrepreneurship/Venture Capital.

Prior to attending Kenan Flagler, Mr. Sprague taught high school science in Cleveland, Ohio as a Teach For American corps member.

• View Trevor's LinkedIn profile here.

Manager, Rates and Regulatory Solutions, Duke Energy
Raleigh, North Carolina

Bradley Harris is responsible for managing several strategic rate design and pricing reforms in Duke Energy’s regulated footprint, focusing primarily on the Carolinas and Florida. Some of his projects have included: setting new time-of-use pricing periods for the Carolinas, leading rate design efforts related to electric vehicles, evaluating innovative solutions for financing energy efficiency, and creating programs to aid vulnerable customers.

• View Bradley's LinkedIn profile here.