Leading the Charge: Women Powering the Clean Energy Economy
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting women who are shaping the future of chambers of commerce and economic development in communities across the country. Through their leadership and commitment to the economic impact of clean energy, these women are helping communities attract investment, create jobs, and strengthen local businesses.
Ann Silver
Chief Executive Officer
The Reno+Sparks Chamber of Commerce
What was one of your first jobs, and what did you learn from that experience?
My first paid job was cleaning lockers at a public swimming pool. It taught me humility and showed me how careless people can be with their personal belongings.
What is your chamber doing to making the case for clean energy in your community?
The Chamber has leaned into clean energy in our community in a number of ways:
We offer free classes in "Green Business Certification" and "Green Dining Establishment Certification"; both are popular and well-attended.
We highlight the case for clean energy and innovation in our Public Policy Platform, published annually and distributed to all elected officials in northern Nevada.
We feature our "ECO Tour Series.” We rent a bus to take members to Chamber members' sites that rely on solar, wind and geothermal operations. These events have filled the bus each time.
We testify to our legislative body and city government sessions in favor of any proposed bill or regulation that promotes and expands the use of clean, renewable energy projects, rebates, or innovative technology
We submit op-ed pieces to the local newspaper that support and promote clean energy and its benefits for businesses and their customers
What has been the most rewarding moment in your career so far a win, a turning point, or a time you knew you were making a real difference?
The Chamber's biggest "win" was substantially increasing our member count by introducing an Association Health Plan for small businesses with between 2-50 fulltime employees. This leveled the playing field for small businesses competing against larger companies when seeking to hire and retain employees.
Who is a woman (a mentor, colleague, or historical figure) who has shaped the way you lead, and what is the most important thing you took from her example?
My mother, now deceased, was my mentor. She worked fulltime, raised her children, managed our extracurricular activities, gave us advice, actively listened to what we had to say, and taught us that music, poetry, and books needed to always be in our lives. Her most important quality was her integrity that enabled her to speak truth to power.
Looking ahead, what is the one change you most hope to see in the clean energy or economic development landscape in the next five years?
I hope there is national recognition of our warming planet, our warming country and Nevada, specifically, that enables our elected representatives, of any political party, to advance clean, renewable energy solutions.
Kelly Andrews
Economic Development DIrector
Pitt County, N.C.
What was one of your first jobs, and what did you learn from that experience?
One of my first jobs was working for a mail order catalog business in Robersonville, NC in the early 1990s. I worked after school my senior year of high school, during the summer, and on breaks from college. I made minimum wage, which was then $4.25/hour, and had multiple duties including taking phone orders, packing boxes, picking orders, and even sweeping floors. I learned the importance of impeccable customer service, and this has carried over in every job that I have had since. Also, I learned that no job is beneath you – every task is important to achieve success.
What advice do you have for chamber and economic development leaders who are making the case for clean energy in their communities?
We must first have our strategic priorities mapped out. Then, we can determine how clean energy fits into those plans and helps us achieve our long-term vision for the future. Talk to partners and see if there are shared goals that we can work on together in this space. Educating ourselves on clean energy, including what it is and what it is not, is key to educating others about the industry and developing consensus around clean energy goals. Chambers, local governments, and economic development organizations play a key role in disseminating this information to the public, driving policy change, and making investments that accelerate the clean energy sector.
What has been the most rewarding moment in your career so far a win, a turning point, or a time you knew you were making a real difference?
It is always rewarding to announce a new company or an expansion of an existing company in our community. Boviet Solar’s announcement in 2024 of a $294 million production facility in Pitt County (that has since grown), including 1 million square feet of production space and 900 new jobs (now 1,300), was the culmination of a year’s work with other partners. I was not only proud of the team that successfully recruited Boviet, but also of the industry that would add to NC’s renewable energy assets and further NC as a leader in the clean energy economy. Boviet will also become one of our largest industrial employers over the next few years, providing an impressive number of great-paying jobs for our citizens.
Who is a woman (a mentor, colleague, or historical figure) who has shaped the way you lead, and what is the most important thing you took from her example?
I have learned a great deal from my County manager, Janis Gallagher, a positive, experienced, and capable leader. As the previous County attorney, and now the manager, I am always astounded by her depth of knowledge and wise insight on a myriad of topics and issues, both in and outside of County business. She always enters the room with a welcoming smile and a can-do, positive attitude, even in the face of tough challenges. She truly cares about her staff, the citizens of Pitt County, and the community she serves. It is not lip service, she walks the walk and talks the talk. That goes a long way in establishing trust, and she is widely respected by her staff and other community leaders. As we work for the citizens of Pitt County, we must always have their best interest and well-being in mind in all that we do, and she sets the example for all of us to follow.
Looking ahead, what is the one change you most hope to see in the clean energy or economic development landscape in the next five years?
Clean energy is the future - more clean energy projects are essential for a sustainable, economically stable, and healthier future. By understanding and embracing clean energy innovations and providing policy support that facilitates the industry’s growth, we can continue to reduce pollution, create good jobs, and ensure long-term energy security. We can do more! I am proud that NC is known as a leader in renewable energy projects, and over the next five years, I would like to see it rise even higher to the top of the leaderboard.
Emily Keller-Dey
Sustainability Initiatives Director
Greater Cleveland Partnership
What was one of your first jobs, and what did you learn from that experience?
One of my first jobs was working as a sales associate at a North Face outlet store when I was 16. I quickly noticed that our outlet mall wasn't recycling, which seemed unbelievable given how many stores were throwing away cardboard boxes and plastic every day.
Even as a young employee, I started asking questions and pushing the issue up the chain. Eventually, the concern reached The North Face headquarters, and they used their influence as one of the major retailers in the mall to encourage the property managers to start a recycling program. It worked, and the outlet mall is still recycling today.
That experience taught me something that has stayed with me throughout my career: corporations have a powerful voice. When businesses speak up, they can drive real change. It is one of the reasons I now work for a Chamber of Commerce, helping businesses use their influence to move sustainability and clean energy forward.
What advice do you have for chamber and economic development leaders who are making the case for clean energy in their communities?
My biggest advice is to build the business case. I often joke that I am a bit of a "corporate hippie tree hugger," but I am also deeply business-focused. I have spent my entire career working with companies, and I firmly believe that sustainability and clean energy are not just nice-to-have ideas. They are business imperatives.
At the end of the day, no business wants to be inefficient or waste resources. Energy efficiency and clean energy solutions often require upfront investment, but they frequently pay for themselves over time through lower operating costs and greater resilience. Framing clean energy in terms of competitiveness, cost savings, and long-term economic strength is what really resonates with business leaders.
What has been the most rewarding moment in your career so far?
One of the most rewarding moments in my career happened just recently at our fourth annual GCP Corporate Sustainability Summit.
Going into the event, a lot of people warned me that attendance and sponsorship might drop this year. Instead, the corporate sustainability community in Cleveland proved the opposite. We welcomed more than 350 attendees and exceeded our sponsorship goals, which allowed us to once again offer the event free to our members.
Standing in that room and seeing so many corporate sustainability leaders, partners, and friends come together was incredibly powerful. It reinforced something I strongly believe: sustainability is not a passing trend. Businesses understand that it is essential to their future, and right now energy is one of the most important parts of that conversation.
Who is a woman who has shaped the way you lead?
The woman who has most shaped how I lead is my mom. She leads with incredible grace and humility, but she is also one of the most effective people I know. She works harder than anyone I have ever met and somehow manages to accomplish an extraordinary amount every single day.
She also helped shape my perspective on sustainability long before I called it that. Growing up, our family focused on being efficient and not wasting resources, partly because it simply made financial sense. We recycled, reused, and found ways to stretch what we had long before sustainability became a mainstream conversation.
From her, I learned to stay humble, work hard for what you believe in, follow my passion and lead with purpose.
Looking ahead, what is the one change you most hope to see in the clean energy or economic development landscape in the next five years?
Over the next five years, I hope we continue to see the market drive the transition toward clean energy.
Markets often speak louder than politics, and right now the market is sending a very clear signal. Many large energy users, including tech companies and data centers, are facing energy costs that are far higher than they expected, and demand is only continuing to grow.
Clean energy solutions can be deployed faster and more efficiently than many traditional power sources, and they are becoming an increasingly important part of managing both cost and reliability.
I am also hopeful that the next few years bring major innovations in energy technology. New breakthroughs will be essential to meeting the scale of the challenges we face, and I am optimistic that the combination of market demand, entrepreneurship, and innovation will help move us forward.
Bailey Vincett
Associate Vice President of Business Advocacy
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
What was one of your first jobs, and what did you learn from that experience?
My first job was working at Walgreens while I was in high school. It was my first real lesson in accountability and reliability. I worked alongside a lot of other teenagers who called off whenever it was convenient, and over time I was rewarded simply for being someone management could count on. That experience taught me that showing up consistently matters, regardless of the job, and that reliability is often what sets people apart early in their careers.
It also helped me realize what I didn’t want to do long term. Retail was repetitive, transactional, and lacked the kind of problem-solving and variety I thrive on. That realization pushed me toward government relations and advocacy work, where no two days are the same and where relationships, strategy, and real-world impact drive the work.
What advice do you have for chamber and economic development leaders who are making the case for clean energy in their communities?
My biggest advice is to tailor the message to your community instead of relying on one-size-fits-all talking points. Every region has different priorities, pressures, and economic realities, and successful advocacy starts by understanding what matters most locally.
In South Carolina, our natural environment is a major economic driver; it’s why people want to live, work, and invest here. At the same time, we are one of the fastest-growing states in the country, which means energy demand is increasing rapidly. Framing clean energy as part of an “all-of-the-above” approach that supports growth, reliability, affordability, and environmental stewardship has been critical. Being honest about tradeoffs, practical about timelines, and sensitive to local concerns builds trust and makes the conversation more productive.
What has been the most rewarding moment in your career so far a win, a turning point, or a time you knew you were making a real difference?
One of the most rewarding parts of my role at the Charleston Metro Chamber is serving as a lobbyist for our military community, including Joint Base Charleston and the Coast Guard. Because they are unable to lobby on their own behalf, they rely on trusted partners to elevate the challenges they face.
A particularly meaningful win involved students at the Nuclear Power Training School who were arriving in South Carolina without driver’s licenses. Many were older than the typical 16-year-old permit holder, didn’t have family or friends locally to train with, and didn’t have the time required under state law to complete the standard six-month permitting process. This created quality-of-life issues, transportation barriers, and even security concerns as students eventually had to move off base.
Working with state legislators, we were able to secure an exemption in South Carolina law for active-duty military members. That change has had an immediate, practical impact on students’ daily lives and on base operations. It was a clear example of how targeted, informed advocacy can solve a real problem and make a tangible difference.
Who is a woman (a mentor, colleague, or historical figure) who has shaped the way you lead, and what is the most important thing you took from her example?
My mom has had the biggest influence on how I lead and carry myself professionally. Growing up, I watched her progress from a registered nurse at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice and eventually serving as Senior Director of Critical Care Medicine and the Critical Care Flight program. She did all of this while raising four daughters and, later, becoming a full-time caregiver for my dad.
What I took from her example is that leadership is about resilience, work ethic, and adaptability. She handled high-stakes professional responsibilities while navigating significant personal challenges, never losing sight of either. That ability to stay steady, lead with competence, and handle whatever comes next has deeply shaped how I approach my own work and leadership style.
Looking ahead, what is the one change you most hope to see in the clean energy or economic development landscape in the next five years?
I hope to see meaningful expansion of nuclear energy. South Carolina is uniquely well positioned to lead in this space, with existing infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and deep expertise already in place. Nuclear power offers a clean, reliable, and baseload energy source that can support long-term economic growth if scaled responsibly.
As communities continue to grow and electrification increases, having dependable energy generation will be essential. Done right, nuclear energy can play a critical role in meeting demand, strengthening energy resilience, and supporting decades of sustainable development.