Alan Cordova

Current

• Finance Consultant at Garden Solar
• Finance Consultant at (Freelance) (Self-employed)
• Strategy & Communications Consultant at (Freelance) (Self-employed)

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Past

• Strategy Intern at Bluewater Wind
• "Planet Money" Writer at National Public Radio
• Researcher & Writer at Columbia CaseWorks

• Banking Consultation Team Leader at Columbia Social Enterprise Program
• Marketing Consultant at Columbia Small Business Consulting Program
• Researcher at B-Corporation
• Venture Capital Consultant at Columbia Social Enterprise Program
• Organizational Design Consultant at Space Futures
• Observatory Teaching Assistant at Williams College
• Independent Political Science Researcher at Williams College
• Mexico City Intern at Newsweek
• Research Associate at Council on Hemispheric Affairs
• Alpine Ski Instructor at Mohan Skiing and Boarding

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10 more...

Education

• Columbia University - Columbia Business School
• Williams College

Recommended

2 people have recommended Alan

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Renewables & Environment

Websites

• My Website
• My Blog
• My Portfolio

Alan Cordova’s Summary

Alan Cordova recently worked with Bluewater Wind, the leading developer of offshore wind energy infrastructure in the United States. He previously wrote for National Public Radio’s “Planet Money” program, which explains the intricacies of the financial crisis to ordinary Americans in plain English. He received a BA in Political Science and Astronomy from Williams College in 2006 and a MBA with concentrations in Finance and Management at Columbia Business School in 2008. His publications include policy analysis for a Washington, DC think tank, reporting in Mexico City for Newsweek International, a sociological study of the Muslim community of Granada, Spain and a thesis on democracy promotion programs in Central Asia. He served as president of the community service council and member of the honor society at Williams and as a cluster leader, peer advisor and tutor at Columbia. Since 2006, he has provided strategy consulting to clients ranging from new media entrepreneurs to a frontier market venture capital firm. An avid distance runner, backpacker and trumpeter, he is currently a member of Net Impact, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York.

Alan Cordova’s Specialties:

Strategic consulting, financial analysis, policy evaluation, program management, project evaluation, teaching, writing, public speaking.

Alan Cordova’s Education

• Columbia University - Columbia Business School

  MBA , Finance, Management , 2007 — 2008

  - Dean's List
  - Advanced coursework in private equity, high-yield fixed-income securities, venture capital, entrepreneurial finance, team leadership.
  - Led five-member team in planning an official study tour for 24 students, faculty and staff to Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines.

  Activities and Societies:

  - Appointed: Peer Advisor, Member of the Hermes Society
  - Elected: Bottom Line (newspaper) correspondent, Cluster Leader
  - Actively Participated: Columbia Entrepreneurs' Organization, Social Enterprise Club, Management Consulting Association, Private Equity & Venture Capital Club, Follies, I-Prep, International Development Club, Small Business Consulting Program, West Coast Society, Jewish Business Students Association, Public Speaking Association, Latin America Business Association

• Williams College

  B.A. , Political Science (International Relations) & Astronomy , 2002 — 2006

  - Received departmental honors in Political Science for the thesis “Democracy in Central Asia: The Challenge to American Institutionalism”
  - Received the Muhammad Kenyatta ’66 Community Service Prize in June 2006
  - Received the Robert G. Wilmers, Jr. ’90 Fellowship for the Summer of 2005
  - Received the Charles W. Hufford Memorial Fellowship for the Summer of 2005
  - Received the Robert L. Gaudino Fellowship for Winter Study 2005
  - Awarded Community Service Councilmember of the Year of the Lehman Community Service Council in May 2005
  - Received the George J. Mead Fellowship for the Summer of 2004.

  Activities and Societies:

  - Leadership: President, Lehman Community Service Council
  - Elected: Political Science Department Liaison Committee, Gargoyle Society, Gaudino Fund Committee, Jewish Association Board.
  - Actively Participated: Williams Record, Marching Band, Outing Club, Student Global AIDS Campaign, Rotaract.

Alan Cordova’s Experience

• Finance Consultant

  Garden Solar

  (Renewables & Environment industry)

  December 2009 — Present (8 months)

  Adapted discounted cash flow model for prospective utility-scale solar energy projects.
  Developed investment dashboard to highlight the projects’ sensitivity to volatility in economic, financial and technological variables.

• Finance Consultant

  (Freelance) (Self-employed)

  (Self-Employed; Research industry)

  May 2008 — Present (2 years 3 months)

  Built financial models to forecast growth and articulate the value of firms seeking capital.
  - Used discounted cash flow, First Chicago and comparables valuation methods.
  - Advised CEOs on strategies to mitigate cash constraints and financial risk.
  Developed investment risk/return dashboard for commercial solar energy developer.
  Evaluated leasing and factored loan products for domestic microfinance organization.
  Reviewed Bloomberg LP’s development of a socially responsible financial data service.
  Assessed the viability of intellectual property commercialization grant applicants.
  - Forecasted the size, growth & fragmentation of specialized technology markets.

• Strategy & Communications Consultant

  (Freelance) (Self-employed)

  (Self-Employed; Research industry)

  March 2008 — Present (2 years 5 months)

  Advised entrepreneurs on the preparation of business plans, financial statements and investor presentations. Provided guidance on developing value propositions and orienting business objectives towards building competitive advantage.
  Conducted market research to support pro forma revenue and profitability projections.

• Strategy Intern

  Bluewater Wind

  (Privately Held; Renewables & Environment industry)

  May 2009 — September 2009 (5 months)

  Advised executives on financial structures for potential projects totaling 470 megawatts.
  Managed key sections of the company’s responses to official requests for information.
  - Forecasted the macroeconomic and employment impact of potential projects.
  - Evaluated the competitive landscape, supply chain constraints and new technologies.
  - Monitored new state and federal policy regulations and incentive programs.

• "Planet Money" Writer

  National Public Radio

  (Non-Profit; 501-1000 employees; Broadcast Media industry)

  November 2008 — March 2009 (5 months)

  Authored stories and conduct background research for the blog and podcast: http://www.npr.org/money
  Analyzed new government interventions (TARP, ARRA) and regulations (SF-157).
  Authored stories and created graphics explaining key concepts in finance and economics.

• Researcher & Writer

  Columbia CaseWorks

  (Writing and Editing industry)

  May 2008 — December 2008 (8 months)

  Developed studies of the challenges facing corporations for use in the MBA curriculum.
  Created data sets from corporate documents, market returns and economic information.

• Banking Consultation Team Leader

  Columbia Social Enterprise Program

  (Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

  January 2008 — May 2008 (5 months)

  Led five-member team in providing strategy and operational consulting to a microfinance bank in Central Asia.
  Advised senior leadership on portfolio management, client relations, HR practices and IT.

• Marketing Consultant

  Columbia Small Business Consulting Program

  (Renewables & Environment industry)

  September 2007 — December 2007 (4 months)

  Advised a leading niche social network on reaching new audiences and reducing churn.

• Researcher

  B-Corporation

  (Management Consulting industry)

  May 2007 — August 2007 (4 months)

  Researched environmental and labor standards for a nonprofit that would certify socially responsible small businesses.
  Authored guidelines for evaluation and recommendations for businesses to improve their level of social responsibility.

• Venture Capital Consultant

  Columbia Social Enterprise Program

  (International Affairs industry)

  January 2007 — May 2007 (5 months)

  Recommended a new client engagement model to a Nicaraguan venture capital fund.

• Organizational Design Consultant

  Space Futures

  (International Affairs industry)

  September 2006 — December 2006 (4 months)

  Worked with three-person team to draft business plan for space policy institute.
  Identified best practices in existing government policy and research centers.

• Observatory Teaching Assistant

  Williams College

  (Educational Institution; 201-500 employees; Higher Education industry)

  September 2003 — May 2006 (2 years 9 months)

  Supervised introductory students' observing projects.
  Operated 0.6-meter telescope and cameras.

• Independent Political Science Researcher

  Williams College

  (Educational Institution; 201-500 employees; Higher Education industry)

  May 2005 — August 2005 (4 months)

  Authored honors thesis on American democracy promotion in the Central Asia.
  Interviewed over 150 government officials, civil society leaders and businesspeople.

• Mexico City Intern

  Newsweek

  (Public Company; 201-500 employees; WPO; Publishing industry)

  June 2004 — August 2004 (3 months)

  Writing short and feature-length news articles, managing the affairs of the bureau, conducting interviews, gathering local news, editing stories. Published works can be accessed via <http://newsweek.alancordova.com>
  Managed the bureau in the chief's absence.

• Research Associate

  Council on Hemispheric Affairs

  (International Affairs industry)

  June 2003 — August 2003 (3 months)

  Wrote stories for COHA's scholarly newsletter "Washington Report on the Hemisphere," press releases, op-ed articles. Writings can be found at http://coha.alancordova.com.
  Evaluated the impact of economic trends and political developments in Latin America.
  Edited the Washington Report on the Hemisphere, COHA’s scholarly journal.

• Alpine Ski Instructor

  Mohan Skiing and Boarding

  (Primary/Secondary Education industry)

  October 1997 — April 2002 (4 years 7 months)

  Taught beginning and intermediate alpine skiing to children of ages 5-15.
  Received Alpine Level 1 certification from the Professional Ski Instructors of America in 2002.

Additional Information

Alan Cordova’s Websites:

• My Website
• My Blog
• My Portfolio

Alan Cordova’s Interests:

Scope of work, interviewing, document analysis, Internet research, database research (Lexis-Nexis, Factiva, Bloomberg), discounted cash flow valuation, comparables analysis, multiples analysis, binomial valuation, First Chicago Method, Black-Scholes option pricing, capital structure optimization, technical analysis, expository writing, memos, news articles, recommendations, editing, proofreading, strategy frameworks (e.g. Five Forces, Conjoint Analysis, Industry 2x2 Matrices), client-side consultation, market research, organizational design, product development, PowerPoint preparation, public speaking, debate, negotiations, game theory, backpacking, Spanish literature, jazz trumpet, languages, alpine skiing, conditional cash transfers, Cuban son, information asymmetries, flamenco, principal-agent problems, distance running

Alan Cordova’s Groups:

Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York Sustainable Business Committee, Princeton Club of New York Investment Strategies Group, Cleantech Special Interest Group of the Tri-State Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs, NYEphs (Williams College Alumni Club), Renewable Energy Business Network/Clean Economy Network, Global Eco-Innovation Forum, National Society of Hispanic MBAs, International House New York Area Alumni Council, ACCION USA Microfinance Council, AJC ACCESS, Columbia Venture Community, Columbia Professional Network, Ivy Referral Network, New York Corporate Social Responsibility Group, NY Pioneers, EuroCircle, Microfinance Club of New York, International Private Enterprise Group, Sustainability Practice Network

•    Columbia Business School PE/VC Network
•    Columbia Business School Alums
•    Clean Economy Network (formerly REBN)
•    CBS Management Consulting Association
•    NSHMBA
•    Eagle's Nest--Eagle Scout Award Recipients
•    Young Arab Leaders Association at Columbia Business School
•    Columbia Business School - Class of 2008
•    Jewish Alumni of Top MBA Schools
•    Williams Alumni
•    Columbia Jewish Business Students Association (JBSA)
•    Williams College Alumni Investment Professionals
•    Solar Power Society
•    "The "Intl" Financial Executives Networking Forum"
•    Israeli Business Forum of New York
•    Columbia Alumni Association Network
•    NSHMBA - New York
•    Offshore Wind Professionals
•    Wind Energy Professionals
•    ALTERNATIVE ENERGY NETWORK
•    Columbia Venture Community
•    TiE Cleantech Special Interest Group (SIG)
•    Energy Club Network at Columbia Business School
•    Columbia Business School Social Enterprise Network
•    The Green Business Club at Columbia Business School
•    CBS International Development Network
•    Columbia Business School Alumni Network
•    Wind Power Industry Professionals (WPIP)
•    Ivy League Jobs and Recruiting
•    IvyLife: The All-Ivy Business Networking Community
•    IvyLife-Columbia
•    The Official International House New York Group
•    Investment Professionals Group
•    The Princeton Club of NY Investment Strategies Group
•    CleanTech & Renewable Energy Finance Forum
•    Investors and Ivy League Alternative Investment Managers
•    The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center at Columbia Business School
•    Portfolio Managers, Research, Capital Markets & Institutional
•    IvyLife-International
•    Finance Club
•    Finance Club New York
•    Ivy Start-ups Network (Jobs/Recruiting)
•    Ivy Finance/Accounting Network (Jobs/Recruiting)
•    Ivy Professional Services Consulting Network (Jobs/Recruiting)
•    Ivy Green Jobs & Recruiting
•    Columbia University Alumni Subgroup - New York City
•    Startups: Collaboration, Mentoring, Bootstrapping & Micro-finance
•    National Eagle Scout Association (NESA), BSA Eagle's Nest
•    CBSACNY Sustainable Business Committee
•    Williams Alumni in DC or Government Service
•    FINANCE JOBS
•    FINANCE JOBSEEKERS
•    IvyLife-NYC
•    Arab Sustainability Leadership Group
•    Williams Alumni, Freelancers and Independent project work
•    TiE Tri-State CleanTech / Green Energy SIG
•    Williams Alumni, Advertising/Marketing/PR/Communications/Media
•    Columbia Business School Social Enterprise Careers and Recruitment
•    Columbia Business School's Nonprofit Board Leadership Program Network
•    The Economist (official group for The Economist magazine)

Alan Cordova’s Honors:

Columbia Business School Dean's List, Erwin S. Wolfson Scholarship, Social Science Research Council Fellowship, Muhammad Kenyatta ’66 Community Service Prize, Robert G. Wilmers, Jr. 1990 Memorial Travel Abroad Fellowship, Robert L. Gaudino Fellowship, Charles W. Hufford Fellowship, George J. Mead Fellowship, Williams College Dean's List (Fall '04 & Spring '05), Community Service Councilmember of the Year, Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, Eagle Scout

Alan Cordova’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• getting back in touch