On Tuesday, October 8th, Women in Energy hosted Cathy Schreiber, founder and principal of Cathy Schreiber & Associates, a firm that supports climate and clean energy advocacy organizations, foundations, and climate tech startups with strategy, human capacity, and executive searches.

Cathy discussed strategies for getting recruited into energy and shared tips on what organizations are looking for and how to stand out. She shared best practices based on her experience in her consulting firm and more than 20 years of supporting leaders and teams in achieving ambitious goals.

Cathy Schreiber founded her consulting firm in 2017 after more than 20 years of success in the social sector – developing and executing plans that follow a clear North Star of justice and equity; raising money to power those plans; and supporting leaders and teams working to achieve ambitious goals. Her firm helps clients elevate their approaches and operations to be more impactful and leave this world better than we found it. The goal of their work is transformation – of strategies, structures, and systems.

Cathy has overseen every functional area of nonprofit businesses – governance, development, communications, programs, finance, and administration/operations. During her 15+ years with the Women’s Foundation of California, she led strategic planning, budgeting, evaluation and learning, business model analyses, and team restructures for this statewide public foundation, while serving as a primary liaison for high-profile strategic partnerships. She played a key role in raising more than $100 million and drove the evolution of donor-driven giving circles to become global models of inclusive feminist philanthropy.

Today, as a multi-faceted consultant with expertise in equity-centered approaches, Cathy’s work focuses on business strategy and human capacity, including executive search and coaching. Her clients include climate and clean energy advocacy organizations, foundations, and climate tech startups.

In Fall 2023, Athena partnered with the Women in Energy Initiative at Columbia’s Center for Global Energy Policy (CGEP) to create Take the Mic, Take Action! In this community of practice, changemakers across Columbia University — from Barnard to Columbia College to the School of International and Public Affairs and more — learned practical strategies to facilitate dialogue on all things energy. The group met for two 4-hour sessions focused on public speaking and facilitation, led by Jessica Weis, the Program Director at Women in Energy.

Read below to hear from three participants about the strategies they are taking from the sessions to inform their facilitation practice.

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The first thing Daniela Bushiri, a Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student at SEAS, notices about Take the Mic, Take Action! is that it’s composed of a majority of women. “I haven’t found many women-led spaces at Columbia. I was surprised to find that here, of all places, in a group dedicated to energy policy.” Daniela’s observation represents the energy field at large, where women and nonbinary people make up only a small portion. They aren’t only underrepresented, as Sana Asif, a MPA student at SIPA, explains, but also feel undervalued—especially on stage at panels at events. 

“Many times I’ve felt excluded from the conversation and like my opinions don’t matter, despite my knowledge and experience,” says Sana. “In Take the Mic, Take Action! I learned how to take my space. The workshop gave me the tools to talk more confidently about what I know.”

In particular, participants practiced how to create an environment for inclusion and invite ignored or obscured voices into the conversation.

“Moderating does not mean telling people what you feel, it’s about making sure everyone feels heard,” Sana explains, and Claudia Sachs, a JTS/GS dual-degree undergraduate student, agrees. “That’s what I gained from this community of practice—how to be intentional about the ways I include people.” For example, when transitioning from a panelist’s response to the facilitator’s next question, they learned a helpful trick: pick out a keyword from the panelist and use it to reframe the question. 

A few other things they learned: 

• How to courteously interject
• How to research your interviewee beforehand & host a prep meeting
• How to craft a conclusion
• How to increase self-awareness by using the Johari Window
• How to encourage diverse or opposing opinions while maintaining mutual respect

All of this training took place inside a community committed to uplifting women and nonbinary voices in the sector. For Claudia in particular, interacting with graduate students and professionals offered her a glimpse into potential future career paths. It provided her with a support network of individuals who shared similar experiences—a valuable benefit of being part of a community of practice that transcends age and degree programs.

“There were times when we would digress from the main topic to discuss some of the things we face as women when public speaking or moderating, like gender bias. It added a depth to what we’re learning because people’s stories would resonate with one another,” Claudia reflects. 

The participants credit these honest discussions to Jessica, the group’s facilitator, as she embraced difficult topics such as gender dynamics. “She’s such a leader in the energy space,” says Sana, “I valued her candidness in sharing her personal experiences and perspective.” 

Take the Mic, Take Action! provided Daniela, Claudia, and Sana an opportunity they couldn’t find elsewhere—a space to cultivate a women-led community while gaining access to a professional network and valuable hands-on experience. Energy policy remains pivotal for the leaders of tomorrow, and by the end of their time in the community of practice, Daniela, Claudia, and Sana turned their practice into action by facilitating events for the CGEP.

Inspired by Daniela, Sana, and Claudia’s experience? Take the Mic, Take Action! is re-launching for Spring 2024. Learn about how to join here.

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, the Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy initiative partnered with the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Women.NYC to host “Empowering NYC: Fueling Women’s Careers in Energy.”

Below are some highlights from the event: 

• There are growing job opportunities in community relations, supply chains, and permitting, especially with the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Many of these roles present an opportunity to move into energy for those without an energy background. 
• For several reasons, including Local Law 97, which mandates that buildings meet certain energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions targets, New York City is one of the best places to be for climate tech and energy. There are several climate startups headquartered in or moving their headquarters to New York. 
• According to Nse Esema, Senior Vice President of Green Economy at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, energy jobs in New York City are projected to increase by 17,000 by 2040.
• Currently, energy job growth is being driven by utility-scale storage and solar, but upcoming hydrogen hubs will lead to development and job growth. 
• The energy industry is open to nontraditional paths, and as women in a male-dominated industry one way to succeed is by seeking out female mentorship and community. For example, one of the panelists mentioned going to a lunch group of female CEOs.