
Ava Barnett
5.0
(7)
Climate strategist helping you build a greener future
Studied at Haas School of Business (Berkeley)
Worked at Blue Crab Strategies
Available Monday at 11:30 PM UTC
If you don't see a time that works for you here, feel free to reach out to schedule something with me!
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Ava's Coaching Offerings
Custom hourly · $125/hr
Get help with Cover Letters, Behavioral Interview Prep, and .
Ava’s Climate Tech & Sustainability Qualifications
Experience level: Associate
Hello! I have a robust background in climate solutions and sustainability. I am passionate about helping individuals and organizations navigate the evolving landscape of climate work, especially as the job market has contracted. As a current MBA/Master of Climate Solutions candidate at the Haas School of Business, I bring cutting-edge insights and strategies to my coaching. My experience as a Client Manager at Blue Crab Strategies and a Strategy Senior Analyst at a private climate foundation has equipped me with the skills to develop impactful strategies across large scale decarbonization projects spanning food systems, renewable energy, grid modernization, energy access, and wildfire mitigation. I have successfully managed multi-million dollar projects, bringing clean energy to thousands and advancing sustainable practices. Whether you're looking to break into the climate-tech industry or enhance your sustainability initiatives, I'm here to guide you. Let's connect and create a plan to achieve your goals!
Ava can help with:
Cover Letters
Behavioral Interview Prep
Funding & Grants
Climate Consulting
Networking Strategy
LinkedIn Review
Resume Review
About Ava
I started my career at Deloitte, where I learned to think rigorously about strategy and problem-solving working with Fortune 500 clients solve their most challenging problems. From there, I moved into climate philanthropy at a private family office, working on capital allocation and systems-level impact. But, food had always been my creative center of gravity, so I made a bold pivot to train at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before coming to UC Berkeley Haas, where I'm now pursuing a dual MBA and Master of Climate Solutions focused on regenerative, climate-aligned food systems. My career hasn't been linear, and that's exactly why I coach to help ambitious, mission-driven people navigate pivots, craft a compelling narrative, and translate passion into a credible, strategic next step.
Why do I coach?
I know what it's like to have an unconventional story and wonder if it'll land. My path has been a long and winding one, and I wouldn't be where I am today without the mentors and advisors who generously invested in me along the way. Coaching is how I pay that forward!
Work Experience

Client Manager
Blue Crab Strategies
June 2025 - August 2025
• Conducted a landscape analysis of philanthropic capital in the food and agriculture sector, mapping funders across decarbonization, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable protein transitions to enable client recruitment and guide business development in food and agriculture-focused advisory work • Built a portfolio strategy for the largest philanthropic client to advance enteric emissions reduction and land-use change decarbonization, leading diligence, expert interviews, and quantitative funding recommendations

MBA Fellow
Ideagarden Institute
September 2024 - May 2025

Culinary Student
Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy
October 2023 - June 2024
Strategy Senior Analyst
Private Family Office
July 2023 - December 2023
Interviewer
• Allocated ~$9M in grant funding for rural electrification, humanitarian aid, and renewable energy projects in Fiji and Vanuatu – resulting in 15,000 people gaining access to electricity from clean energy sources • Created a comprehensive strategy for providing funding to developing island nations in the South Pacific informed by community leaders to provide ongoing support for operations and management of new offgrid systems • Organized and led an inaugural volunteer trip to Fiji with 7 staff members, delivering conservation education, educational materials, and humanitarian aid to remote, indigenous communities, reaching over 2,000 people • Managed the distribution of approximately $23.4 million in grant funding for prescribed burning, forest management, and capacity building in wildfire prevention by supporting 15 private and social sector organizations.
Strategy Analyst
Private Family Office
July 2022 - June 2023
Interviewer
• Spearheaded the creation of an inaugural Impact Report for 2022 philanthropic activities. Conducted in-depth analyses to track giving trends over time, providing a tool for stakeholders (Principal, Advisory Board, and CEO) to assess the organization's philanthropic impact and measure impact ROI • Drafted diligence memos to propose grants for climate portfolio. Demonstrated strong analytical skills, including portfolio fit assessment and budget expertise, to support strategic decision-making across grantmaking activities

Business Analyst
Deloitte Consulting
January 2021 - June 2022
Interviewer
- Evaluated Deloitte’s Human Capital Consulting Offering by creating a current state assessment (including a competitor analysis and marketing assessment) to understand successes and growth opportunities to further develop our go-to-market strategy - Redesigned a major hospital’s operating model and structure and implemented a roadmap of key activities and impact indicators - Organized and helped deliver 40 experiential strategy coaching sessions between Deloitte practice leaders and VP/Director level leaders experiencing critical career inflection points at a Fortune 100 search engine client - Assessed the inclusiveness and leadership capabilities of 150 top leaders at a multinational sports entertainment firm to build a business case and brand strategy for investing in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Created a “Development Planning Guidebook” for a Fortune 100 search engine’s 5,000 middle managers to aid in their development as employees and leaders and help guide them within the next phase of their career internally
Education

Haas School of Business (Berkeley)
MBA/Master of Climate Solutions
2024 - 2026

Cornell University
Bachelor of Science - BS, ILR School
2016 - 2020
Activities and societies: Forté Campus at Cornell, Rawlings Cornell Presidential Research Scholar, Kappa Delta Sorority, ExPO Research Lab Honors and Activities: Dean’s List (all semesters), Rawlings Cornell Presidential Research Scholarship Recipient (RCPRS), Cornell University Elmer Markham Johnson Writing Prize Nominee, Cornell University James E. Rice Writing Prize Nominee, ILR School Theme Project Grant Recipient for Senior Honors Thesis
7 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
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