WCS Member of the Month is our new initiative to highlight the amazing work of female leaders in the cleantech and sustainability realm. One woman from WCS will be featured every month to share her accomplishments, ambitions, and advice for other women in the sector.
This month, we are proud to spotlight WCS Member Adrienne Pierce, Director of Development for Clean Coalition.
WCS: What excites you most about the work you’re doing at Clean Coalition?
Adrienne: Local clean energy is critical for the environment. We need to accelerate implementation and have solutions that can be applied anywhere. Our current system is built on centralized energy generation model using fossil fuels. The Clean Coalition is a nonprofit that works with utilities and governments to evaluate, design, and implement projects and policies for grid modernization supporting local renewables and other distributed energy resources (DER) like energy storage, demand response, advanced inverter functionality, Community and Emergency Microgrids. I am excited by the potential for inclusion, the opportunity for local development and the proliferation of cost effective renewable energy to combat climate change. I am excited to be part of a team that is thinking holistically and tackling these complex problems with purpose and pragmatism.
WCS: What professional accomplishment are you the most proud of?
Adrienne: After honing my business skills in the semiconductor sector for 15 plus years, I am proud to have successfully transitioned back to cleantech. I am also honored to be on the Board of RE-volv, a nonprofit building a sustainable organization and enabling other nonprofits to go solar. Finally, I enjoy presenting sustainability and renewable energy as an impact career to middle and high school students.
WCS: What interested you in joining WCS?
Adrienne: I went to the second WCS Talks and was inspired by the enthusiasm, diversity and potential. I joined to support women in this industry of importance and purpose. WCS represents a unique mix of professional acumen and personal narrative that enables us to connect, be stronger for each other and to build a more sustainable society.
WCS: What are your career ambitions?
Adrienne: To make local renewable energy based microgrids part of any sustainability plan — for companies, economies and neighborhoods.
WCS: What advice do you have for other women in WCS?
Adrienne: Keep following your curiosity and values. To move the needle and become more sustainable, we need to be bold. And we will be more successful together.
