In Northern Virginia, the “Data Center Alley” of the Eastern Seaboard and the world, the rapid expansion of energy-hungry server farms threatens to overwhelm Virginia’s power grid and derail its ambitious decarbonization goals. An estimated 70% of the world’s internet traffic passes through Virginia data centers, presenting the need for public policy intervention to mitigate potentially harmful effects on the surrounding communities.  To address this pressing challenge, Nick Ruszowski carefully weighed policy options to curb data centers’ energy demand while preserving their significant economic and social contributions.

To inform his APP with his client, the nonprofit Virginia Conservation Network, Nick had the opportunity to connect with leading industry stakeholders such as the Piedmont Environmental Council, Clean Virginia, Google, and Meta. Nick also acknowledged the guidance and expertise provided by his APP instructors Andrew Pennock and Noah Myung, along with Bill Shobe at UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, as critical components of his learning experience. “What I learned was that economic interests, environmental interests, and equity interests are not a zero-sum game that are diametrically opposed. It was both more feasible and more effective to bring together the complimentary goals of each actor.”

Nick’s recommendation—a mandatory energy benchmarking program—strikes a thoughtful balance, providing the critical information needed to spur efficiency improvements without stifling industry growth. Leaning into the power of information-sharing to incentivize progress, Nick’s approach would publicize existing efficiency measurements of all data centers in Virginia.

By identifying a path forward that engages a wide range of industry stakeholders while aligning environmental imperatives with business interests, Nick’s work exemplifies the nuanced and values-driven approach needed to drive sustainable progress in an increasingly digitized economy.

Hannah Crosby partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to explore pathways for enhancing climate resilience in fisheries off the U.S. Atlantic coast—a sector that supports millions of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity annually. At the same time, climate change continues to alter the distribution and abundance of many commercially and recreationally important fish species, and the ambiguity associated with translating scientific findings into concrete management decisions can hinder progress that benefits both the environment and the economy.

Supported by Batten faculty experts Lucy Bassett and Annie Rorem, Hannah examined the barriers hindering the integration of climate science into fishery management decisions to develop solutions that meet the unique yet complimentary needs of all involved. She found that strengthening knowledge sharing between scientists, practitioners, and policymakers is key to proactively managing marine resources in the face of warming waters and shifting species ranges. “It wasn’t that there was a scientist versus fishery managers issue—they want to work together, and they do, but inevitably there are barriers that exist.”

Drawing upon Batten’s leadership curriculum and pulling in the research literature, Hannah noted the universal benefits of facilitating knowledge sharing and centering common goals. “I chose to come to Batten over other MPP programs because of the school’s focus on leadership, which is such a foundational part of how to make good public policy. Batten gave me the quantitative skills I needed to do policy work, but it also gave me the opportunity to explore the psychological components of how to make it easier for seemingly disparate groups to work together.”

Hannah has always been passionate about environmental sustainability and ecological stewardship, but her work with EDF—both through her summer internship and her APP—allowed her to delve into the complexities of ocean policy. “The value of having such a great client cannot be overstated. From the get-go, I had a wonderful experience with Matt Seeley [the Senior Manager for Resilient Fisheries Solutions] and EDF. As a huge environmental NGO, they do such a broad range of impactful work, and it opened my eyes to the world of ocean policy in a way that I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise. They gave me both the latitude and support I needed to develop a compelling project.” Through her work with EDF, Hannah’s experience highlights the benefits of bringing together leadership and public policy to find common ground and drive impact in environmental sustainability.

Pivoting to the global stage, Sophia Marcus focused her APP on the urgent challenge of building climate resilience among smallholder farmers in Somalia—a nation where agriculture accounts for 65% of GDP and the increasing severity of climate-related events is yielding devastating consequences, even though the country produces a negligible percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions. With millions of Somalis facing crisis-level food insecurity due in part to increasing droughts brought forth by climate change, Sophia worked with the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to explore how expanding access to financial services could help farmers invest in climate-smart agricultural practices to boost yields, income, and sustainability.

Drawing upon case studies that she explored throughout Batten’s leadership curriculum and her coursework on economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, Sophia highlighted the importance of tailoring solutions to local contexts. “I’m passionate about uplifting underserved populations. We can’t just come in and tell communities what they need; we have to center policies around the people who are most affected.”

Guided by conversations from on-the-ground stakeholders in Somalia, practitioners from the World Bank and USAID, and Batten faculty experts Michele Claibourn and Dan Player, Sophia also gained insight into the benefits of bridging qualitative and quantitative methodologies. “I have a proclivity for economic and data-centered approaches, but we have to make clear what those numbers actually mean for affected populations. Those numbers represent people and livelihoods.”

Sophia brought her skills and passions together to evaluate financial mechanisms that could drive climate resilience in the region, ultimately recommending the prioritization of village savings and loan associations given their accessibility and track record of impact.

By identifying locally tailored solutions at the intersection of climate adaptation and poverty alleviation, Sophia’s work with the U.S. Development Finance Corporation showcases the vital role of cross-sector approaches to fostering climate resiliency—and improving the lives of individuals.