Alan Cordova

Current

• Intern at Bluewater Wind
• Strategy & Communications Consultant at (freelance)

Past

• "Planet Money" Writer at National Public Radio
• Researcher & Writer at Columbia CaseWorks
• Banking Consultation Team Leader at Columbia Social Enterprise Program

• Researcher at B-Corporation
• Organizational Design Consultant at Space Futures
• Observatory Teaching Assistant at Williams College
• Mexico City Correspondent at Newsweek
• Research Associate at Council on Hemispheric Affairs
• Alpine Ski Instructor at Mohan Skiing and Boarding

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Education

• Columbia University - Columbia Business School
• Williams College

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Renewables & Environment

Websites

• My Website
• My Blog
• My Company

Alan Cordova’s Summary

Experience:
- Wrote cases currently used in the MBA curriculum.
- Wrote two business plans, including marketing research and financial projections.
- Provided strategic consulting to three nonprofits (Agora Partnerships and Art for Refugees in Transition and the First MicroFinanceBank of Tajikistan) as pro bono projects through Columbia Business School.
- Chaired an academic panel at the Midwest Political Science Association.
- Authored essays on the failures of democracy promotion in Central Asia, the Muslim community of Granada and the challenges of Spanish multiculturalism and the contrasting leadership styles of Mexico's Vicente Fox and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
- Columnist for the Williams Record (2003-04) and contributing writer to Current Magazine.

Alan Cordova’s Specialties:

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

Alan Cordova’s Experience

• Intern

  Bluewater Wind

  (Renewables & Environment industry)

  May 2009 — Present (7 months)

• Strategy & Communications Consultant

  (freelance)

  (Management Consulting industry)

  March 2008 — Present (1 year 9 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.

• "Planet Money" Writer

  National Public Radio

  (Non-Profit; Broadcast Media industry)

  November 2008 — March 2009 (5 months)

  - Authored stories and conduct background research for the "Planet Money" blog and podcast <http://www.npr.org/money>

• Researcher & Writer

  Columbia CaseWorks

  (Writing and Editing industry)

  May 2008 — December 2008 (8 months)

  Authored studies of challenges facing leading companies for use in the MBA curriculum.

• 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.

• Researcher

  B-Corporation

  (Marketing and Advertising 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.

• 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; Higher Education industry)

  September 2003 — May 2006 (2 years 9 months)

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

• Mexico City Correspondent

  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://www.coha.org/Alan/>.
  - Managed the office and edited an issue of the newsletter.

• 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.

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.

Additional Information

Alan Cordova’s Websites:

• My Website
• My Blog
• My Company

Alan Cordova’s Interests:

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 Peer Advisors, Columbia Business School Hermes Society, Columbia Business School Bottom Line, Columbia Business School Cluster Z Leadership Team, Columbia Business School Private Equity/Venture Capital Club, Columbia Business School Management Consulting Association, Columbia Business School Follies

•    Columbia Business School PE/VC Network
•    Columbia Business School Alums
•    Renewable Energy Business Network/Clean Economy Network Foundation
•    CBS Management Consulting Association
•    NSHMBA
•    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
•    Israeli Business Forum of New York
•    NSHMBA - New York
•    Wind Energy Professionals
•    Green Jobs & Career Network
•    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
•    International House of New York
•    CBS International Development Network
•    Columbia Business School Alumni Network
•    Wind Power Industry Professionals (WPIP)
•    Ivy League Alumni
•    Alumni of the Ivy League
•    Ivy League Jobs and Recruiting
•    Ivy Referral Network (IRN)
•    Columbia Referral Network (CRN)
•    MENA Private Equity
•    The Official International House New York Alumni Group
•    TRISAME Alternative Investments
•    The Princeton Club of NY Investment Strategies Group
•    NextGEN - Next Generation Energy Network
•    Investors and Ivy League Alternative Investment Managers
•    The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center at Columbia Business School
•    IRN-International
•    Responsible Investor
•    Finance Club
•    CBSACNY Sustainable Business Committee
•    IRN-NYC
•    Managing Political Risk

Alan Cordova’s Honors:

Dean's List, Robert G. Wilmers, Jr. 1990 Memorial Travel Abroad Fellowship, Robert L. Gaudino Fellowship, Charles W. Hufford Fellowship, George J. Mead Fellowship, Dean's List (Fall '04 & Spring '05), Community Service Award

Alan Cordova’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch