Jefferson Litten (MESM 2012) credits Bren for teaching him to be an effective analyst and communicator, skills that have been required in all of his jobs since.
Quick Facts About Jefferson
Job Title and Organization: Energy and Climate Division Manager at City of Santa Barbara, Sustainability and Resilience
Sector: Government
Field: Sustainability / Energy / Climate Action
Years at the Organization: 3
Years in the Field: 15
Connect with Jefferson: LinkedIn Profile
Describe your job in 5 sentences or fewer.
My team is charged with implementing the City of Santa Barbara’s Climate Action Plan and moving the City to carbon neutrality by 2035. We are working toward that goal by building out public and municipal EV Charging infrastructure, electrifying our City buildings, and creating a combination of incentives and progressive policies to move all Santa Barbara homes and businesses off of natural gas. Additionally, I oversee customer-facing operations of Santa Barbara Clean Energy, our City-run community choice aggregator, which provides all Santa Barbara homes and businesses with 100% GHG-free electricity (renewables and hydro).
Jefferson Litten atop the LEED Gold Certified Santa Barbara Airport.
How did you find out about and land your current position?
Funny, I found out about my job through a late-night conversation in a Funk Zone bar when I mentioned to a colleague who worked in sustainability that I might be looking for new opportunities. A few weeks later, that colleague sent me a job posting at the City of Santa Barbara—I had no idea this opportunity was even open, and I only had two days to get my application in. Fast forward, now three years into that position—the job has been a fantastic fit, and I’m forever grateful. Key lesson: Never be afraid to share what you are looking for with the universe.
How has the Bren School experience or training helped you in your career/job?
The Bren School taught me how to be an effective analyst and communicator. All of my roles since graduating Bren have required that I quickly organize information into (1) key decision points, (2) value propositions that resonate, and (3) digestible and actionable data. Bren teaches all those skills, and I’ve noted those skills and capabilities in Bren graduates that I’ve hired or worked with since.
The lessons from Bren that I found most valuable were Emily Cotter’s Eco-E classes about understanding customer needs and value propositions, negotiation with John Jostes, and carbon accounting. Bren also offered me an introduction to planning/CEQA and the chance to dig into energy markets—knowledge that I still use today. Finally, I really loved 203—just to better understand Earth systems.
Jefferson about to fly over the Sherpa Fire with County Supervisor Joan Hartmann.
What job search tips can you recommend to help someone find a job in a highly competitive job market (what has worked well for you or other people you know)?
You will always have more success finding a job when you put yourself out there. Whether it’s going to conferences, going to networking events, introducing yourself, or asking for informational interviews, all these actions are exponentially more likely to help you find opportunities that you didn’t even know existed.
One example: Shortly after graduating from Bren and still seeking a job, I attended a talk and networking event about renewable energy put on by the MIT Enterprise Forum. After the talk, I recognized a woman from our GP Public Presentation who, at the presentation, had peppered our group with hard questions. I introduced myself, reminded her of my group project, and joked about her difficult questions. She asked me the typical “what’s your plan after graduation?” I responded that my two goals were to work in renewable energy and stay in Santa Barbara. She replied, “Well, there is an hourly position at my non-profit in solar that just opened up,” and invited me to apply. This ended up being the foot in the door that has led to where I am today.
What was the best advice you received while at Bren?
Employers are expecting you to negotiate—in fact, asking to negotiate shows your value to the organization.
What environmental challenge do you think you have the most chance of positively impacting in your field, why, and how? Please feel free to include any trends/directions you see your field/sector going.
I’m most excited about building electrification—with a lot of CCAs and the State of California headed to 100% renewable energy mixes, we can effectively eliminate building emissions through electrification. Heat pump technology has improved dramatically, and with increased adoption, we’ll see prices continue to fall. There is still work to do in streamlining permitting and educating customers, but I’ve recently started to see the contractor community—at least in California—begin to understand that the future is all-electric buildings.
Jefferson (fifth from left) in the Diablo Canyon Control Room Training Facility and, at right (also fifth from left), touring the Diablo Canyon Power Plant with the City's Energy and Climate Team.
What is your favorite book, magazine, podcast, or film that has impacted your career?
The Quest by Danial Yergin was required reading when I started in this field.
What is your favorite travel destination?
Big Sur.
Do you have a pet? If so, what type of pet (name and breed)?
Willi (short for Williwaw). Basset Hound + Chihuahua + Pomeranian + 17 breed mix = 100% cute!