Stanton Distinguished Leaders Series: Accelerating the Future of Energy
Established by Dan and Mary Stanton, the parents of two McDonough alumni, the Stanton Distinguished Leaders Series connects our McDonough students and community with renowned executives who share stories about leadership in an ever-changing world.
As part of Georgetown McDonough’s Stanton Series, Paul Freedman (L’96), executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of AES Corporation, spoke with students in the Dikran Izmirlian B.S. in Business and Global Affairs (BGA) program about accelerating the future of energy.
Throughout the course of Freedman’s career, he has remained a leader in the clean energy sector while simultaneously using his legal and business backgrounds to make tangible advancements on a global scale.
The dinner and conversation centered around AES Corporation’s role in the energy sector from a policy, environmental, and energy advancement standpoint. Freedman engaged with student questions, along with moderator Professor Brad Jensen, McCrane/Shaker Chair and professor of economics and international business at McDonough, on topics such as the role of green hydrogen, decarbonization, and the future of the transportation industry.
Freedman also spoke with the BGA students about the value of their first-of-its-kind joint degree between the McDonough School of Business and the Walsh School of Foreign Service, which allows students to immerse themselves in interdisciplinary courses centered on the complex geopolitical and business interactions occurring in today’s globalized world. The energy sector leader echoed this sentiment by explaining the value of having knowledge and experience at the intersection of various professional fields.
“You need to see the connections between different disciplines and different areas of public policy and business, and it’s really hard to do if you don’t spend a lot of time at it because you’re curious. And that’s the key, it has to be fun,” said Freedman.
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