When Henry Klimowicz ’16 signed on to the Eisenhower Institute Undergraduate Fellows program in his senior year, he considered the decision a continuation of his efforts to be as involved as possible at Gettysburg College. A political science and public policy dual major, Klimowicz was already an active member of Alpha Tau Omega and captain of the Gettysburg baseball team when he applied to the Eisenhower Institute at the recommendation of Prof. Shirley Anne Warshaw. Despite the potential scheduling challenges, his professors and coaches pitched in to help him make it work.
“I always think back on how that’s just the perfect example of what you get out of Gettysburg,” he said, “a faculty and staff that’s committed to diversifying a student’s engagement with an eye on their future.”
During his time in the program, the Undergraduate Fellows undertook a year-long study into recent developments in U.S. energy policy. At the time, the energy sector was on the cusp of dramatic shifts resulting from the growing availability of natural gas and new sources of renewable energy.
Together with the rest of the Fellows, Klimowicz took advantage of the Institute’s experiential learning model, which give Gettysburg students the opportunity to explore the complex challenges of the day with an eye to making an impact. The Fellows met with high-ranking experts across the energy sector to discuss long-term issues and invited them to participate in campus panel discussions to engage the public in critical discourse on America’s energy strategy. Over the course of the year, Klimowicz filled his Eisenhower Institute binder with business cards from various contacts from his burgeoning network.
Through the program’s experiential components, Klimowicz developed practical skills and learned to analyze issues in the same way as professionals. These experiences have stayed with him through his time at Seton Hall University School of Law and as he began his career. “Making connections, asking questions, and communicating complex ideas are all things I do as a corporate attorney on a daily basis,” said Klimowicz.
After law school, Klimowicz joined Baker Botts, a leading international law firm, thanks in part to a connection with fellow Gettysburg College alumnus Justin Blass ’11. During his interview, Klimowicz referred back to his experience as a Fellow, connecting his law school training with his unique knowledge of the energy sector—one of the one of the firm’s key practice areas.
“It’s extremely relevant because when your client’s business focuses on a particular sector, they want to know that their attorneys are experts on the nuance issues within that sector. As a junior attorney, my goal is to study the issues closely and develop my own expertise as I continue to build experience advising these types of clients.”
His work as an Undergraduate Fellow continues to be relevant to his portfolio. Now in his second year as an associate, Klimowicz represents companies in a broad range of transactional matters and compliance work, including natural gas shipping and sustainable energy development.
Recent transformations in the sector have created new opportunities for him to flex his depth of knowledge to make an impact.
“Safe to say that my EI experience came full circle.”
The Eisenhower Institute promotes nonpartisan discourse and critical analysis of issues of long-term importance through a variety of initiatives, including its undergraduate programs, which are led by expert scholars and practitioners in areas ranging from strategic leadership and environmental policy to civil rights and the Middle East. These programs enhance students’ academic experience at Gettysburg College by providing practical connections to topics of policy study.
By Kevin Lavery
Photos courtesy of Henry Klimowicz ’16
Posted: 04/07/21