Clare Robinson on Building a Career at the Intersection of Sustainability and Global Development

August 26, 2026

When Clare Robinson MPA ’17 arrived at Cornell, she knew she wanted a career that made a difference—but she wasn’t yet sure where that path would lead. She cared deeply about women’s empowerment, education, global development, health, and the environment, and she wasn’t convinced she had to choose just one.

After graduating, Clare joined the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where she gained experience in sustainability and the built environment while staying connected to the nonprofit sector. At the same time, she volunteered with The Solar Water Project, serving on the organization’s board for nearly a decade before joining the nonprofit full-time.

Today, as Chief Programmes Officer at the Solar Water Project, Clare has found a career that brings those passions together. She leads programs that deliver solar-powered water filtration systems across South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, helping communities improve access to clean water while advancing climate resilience, public health, and sustainable development.

Looking back, Clare credits the Brooks School’s interdisciplinary curriculum and emphasis on experiential learning with giving her both the practical skills and the confidence to explore opportunities she hadn’t originally imagined.

Clare Robinson and Solar Water Project team in Pakistan tryin out an Oasis box — Robinson (left), and Solar Water Project COO Ammad Farrukh (standing, middle), and Solar Water Project Founder Hamza Farrukh (standing, right) drinking from the OASIS Box at a factory where they are manufactured, located outside of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Q. Tell us about your current role and the work you do.

I do a little bit of everything for the Solar Water Project, a nonprofit that installs all-in-one solar-powered water filtration systems across South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa.

My role includes managing grants, fundraising, strategy, our carbon offset generation program, and our expansion into East Africa.

My favorite part is going into the field and meeting the people who directly benefit from our innovative clean water solution, the OASIS Box, which can be installed in as little as seven minutes!

I love how water sits at the intersection of so many things I care about—climate adaptation and resilience, health, women’s empowerment, and children’s education.

Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in environmental and sustainability policy?

While I was at Cornell, I wasn’t sure what type of organization I wanted to work for.

There were so many causes I cared about, including women’s issues, education, sustainability, development, and health. What ultimately drew me toward sustainability was realizing the environmental tipping points that were being crossed every day.

One of my environmental policy professors said it best: “Natural capital cannot be substituted for physical capital, and we can’t just innovate our way out of the damage we are causing.”

I realized that all the causes I care about are connected, and all are dependent on a healthy planet.

Clare Robinson MPA '17, Founder, and team at a Oasis Box deployment in Kenya — The Solar Water Project team at a deployment at a school in Kenya.

Q. How did the Brooks School equip you to solve complex challenges in your field?

The Brooks School provided me with a great deal of practical learning opportunities, which helped bolster my résumé as a recent graduate.

I consulted directly with the Government Accountability Office through a project in my monitoring and evaluation class, completed development work in Rwanda through the Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams (SMART) Program, and worked with the Walton Family Foundation as part of the Environmental Finance and Impact Investing (EFII) Graduate Certificate practicum.

I also still use the leadership frameworks I learned in Tom O’Toole’s public administration course to guide leadership decisions, and every year I rely on the nonprofit finance fundamentals I learned in Joe Grasso’s class as I prepare our organization’s annual IRS Form 990.

Q. Why was Cornell the right place to help you achieve your goals?

For me, it was the combination of experiential learning and the flexibility to build an interdisciplinary education.

The Brooks School allowed me to fill the gaps in my liberal arts background with practical management and leadership skills.

In addition to courses like nonprofit finance and public administration, I also took negotiation, spreadsheet modeling, financial statement analysis, and presentation courses at the SC Johnson School of Business. Those experiences built my confidence to navigate the professional world and prepared me for opportunities I never would have imagined as a student.

Hazma , Clare, and schoolchildren in South Sudan — Solar Water Project Founder Hamza Farrukh (left), Robinson (right), and schoolchildren at a water system deployment at a school in South Sudan.

Q. Was there a hands-on learning experience that had a lasting impact on your career?

The SMART Program in Rwanda was my first experience doing development work in the field, and it had a lasting impact on me.

I remember being tired; it was late, it was hot, and we were hungry—but we still had surveys to complete for our project. I remember finding the determination within myself to rally the team and keep going.

I also found motivation and joy in connecting with local people. In Rwanda, I actually found it easier to talk to people in French than I ever did in France, since it was a second language for both of us!
I still carry with me that view of how precious time in the field is—to push through discomfort and find joy in connection.

That perspective came in handy years later when I was in South Sudan with The Solar Water Project. I had horrible stomach issues, but my colleagues still tell stories about how I kept racing down a hill to the bathroom and then right back up to our community gathering, where I danced through the pain!

Those experiences taught me that the most meaningful moments often happen when you’re willing to embrace discomfort and stay present with the people you’re there to serve.

Clare Robinson on an airstrip in Uganda boarding a flight to South Sudan — Robinson on a Ugandan airstrip boarding a flight to South Sudan.

Q. What advice would you give future Brooks students who want to make a meaningful impact in environmental and sustainability policy?

The field is changing so quickly.

Sometimes you will get the best advice from people who are just a year or two ahead of you in their career journey because they are more familiar with the current landscape.

Be flexible and know that impact can look like a lot of different things, even if it’s not what you initially pictured.

Doing good work is the work of a lifetime. Take care of yourself—both your physical and mental health—and manage burnout before it happens so you can stay in this work for the long term.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Clare Robinson graduated from Cornell in 2017 with a Master of Public Administration, prior to the establishment of the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. References to the Brooks School reflect the school’s current name.