Cailin Nappi (Master of Environmental Studies '25) is a senior managing consultant specializing in public finance. “Essentially, I help state and local governments create capital plans and financial strategies to fund their public projects,” she explains. “I’ve always enjoyed the ability to pursue business interests and finance while also helping those in the public sector achieve their goals.” Environmental policy frequently comes up in her work, whether in questions of compliance with changing regulations or in the increasingly pressing need to plan for and adapt to environmental risks like flooding. “I wanted to be able to come to the table and understand what clients were facing, and to know what was going on from all perspectives so that I could be a better advisor,” she recalls, “and I was trying to grow professionally as well.” The Master of Environmental Studies (MES) gave Cailin a strong foundation in environmental policy without interrupting her career—in fact, the degree helped her advance professionally.
Cailin tailored her degree to her interests with a concentration in Environmental Policy, which gave her a 360-degree perspective on policy development and implementation. For example, in a class on risk assessment, she learned to understand the ins and outs of how such policies are put into place.
In environmental law courses, Cailin learned about specific policies that were impacting businesses and governments in real time—and put her knowledge to work right away. “One thing we talked a lot about in the program is PFAS regulations. A lot of these policies were changing at that time, and we would look at their history, why it is significant that it changed at that time, what it might look like in the future, and how it would impact utilities,” she recalls. “And then I would go to work and we would discuss, okay, now that these regulations are being put into place, what do we need to do to be in compliance with them? How do we plan for the future?”
Flooding is another pressing issue that often arises in Cailin’s work, as city governments try to manage the dual pressures of aging infrastructure and increasingly intense storms. “Just from a financing perspective, this costs a lot of money and takes a lot of planning,” says Cailin. “Is it feasible to spend significant amounts of money on a specific adaptation if it isn’t sustainable? How do we handle this risk when we don’t know what the future holds?” These questions led Cailin to her capstone project, a case study analysis of New York City policy and sea level rise. “I also looked at innovative solutions that were happening globally, and looked at scientific papers assessing solutions that worked—or didn’t.” Cailin focused her research on New York City and how its policies and practices are properly addressing the expected sea level rise risk in the coming years. Analyzing how New York City’s policies address sea level rise, she concluded that the city is a leader in the field and a model for other cities.
As Cailin completed the program taking two courses per semester, she continued to work full time in public finance—a challenging pace, but there were benefits. “That pace kept me engaged with the program. It was helpful to just be really immersed in it for three years,” she notes. Most of her courses were scheduled in the evenings, an easy commute from her central Philadelphia office, and many of her professors were also working professionals who understood the demands of work/life balance. “It was very easy to work with them to make sure that I had time to do the readings and complete assignments,” she says. “And a lot of the assignments for the classes were very geared towards what you do in a professional setting: writing business memos, getting better at public presentations, getting to the point quickly when you’re talking with someone important who doesn't have a lot of time. It was very helpful to me to refine those skills and get feedback from professors who were also managers in their own professional life.”
Cailin entered the program hoping to better serve her finance clients, but she also wanted to take her career to the next level. At Penn, she found that her professional network expanded in ways she didn’t expect. “There are so many really experienced professors with a lot of great knowledge and contacts who can connect you to people you never thought you'd have the chance to talk to,” she says, “and there are so many great people I met in my classes that I'm now connected to professionally.” In one course, Cailin and her classmates traveled to Washington, DC and met industry professionals at the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations. She also attended daytime conferences hosted by The Water Center at Penn, and spent the day learning about water policy from seasoned practitioners in the field. “I was definitely able to meet a lot of people in different organizations and get a wide understanding of what is going on in the environmental industry,” she says. “It was a great opportunity to expand my network professionally and academically.”
Toward the end of the program, a professional development opportunity at Cailin’s work coincided with a course she was taking on leadership and sustainability. “Our class discussions were about how to bring about change in your industry and how to succeed in a leadership role. It helped me to have a better understanding of how I wanted to be as a leader—and be more comfortable leading, in general,” Cailin reflects. “I was promoted the same semester that I took that class.”
“Being in the program really helped me to get to where I wanted to be in my career,” Cailin concludes. “I think the most valuable part of this program is the knowledge of the people involved in it and their willingness to help.”
