As a commercialization executive, Rima combines her experience in finance and strategy with her energy policy expertise to identify market development and public private partnership opportunities in the energy sector. Rima works with a diverse array of stakeholders to develop business models that commercialize innovative technologies and tap diverse capital sources to deliver holistic energy solutions. Rima is currently working on quantum information science technology applications, artificial intelligence, microgrids, and bidirectional vehicle electrification solutions.
Rima previously served in the Office of Policy and the Hurricane Sandy Task Force where she helped facilitate $15 billion in energy related infrastructure deployment initiatives including a report to the President with recommendations for energy resilience. For example, Rima helped develop innovative infrastructure projects such as the NJ TransitGrid, a 100+ MW, $600 million advanced microgrid for NJ Transit and Amtrak, and NJ Energy Resilience Bank, a $210 million fund targeting investments in distributed energy and microgrids. While with the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, Rima led the development of a new $600 million energy finance portfolio for states which included helping establish the CT Green Bank among others. Rima also assisted DOD on a 3GW power purchase agreement initiative that included the Navy, Army, and Air Force.
Prior to DOE, Rima spent a decade working in finance, real estate, and management consulting. Rima began her career at Accenture helping Fortune 500 companies in the financial services industry redesign their business models to leverage cutting edge technologies. Subsequent to Accenture, Rima spent six years in real estate, venture capital, and private equity investing, including stints at William Harris Investors and CID Equity Partners. Rima has experience evaluating investments in residential and commercial real estate, solar, biofuels, solid state light manufacturing, and water purification industries. Rima earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in Finance, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship and selected as a Kauffman Fellow in 2007 and 2009. Rima also holds a Bachelors of Science from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. Rima lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children.