Winning Women in Clean Energy

Women have been making significant contributions to science since the very beginning, like Emilie du Chatelet, author of the standard French translation of Newton’s Principia Mathematica or Caroline Herschel, who discovered eight comets while becoming the first women paid for her contributions to science.

Today women occupy many important, influential roles within the energy field. Their leadership and charisma deserve to be celebrated and rewarded, especially as only thirty-nine percent of U.S. energy companies have women on their boards.

2014 has been a year for celebrating the women in the Massachusetts clean energy industry, including Massachusetts CEC CEO Alicia Barton.

On April 8, Alicia was awarded the NEWIEE Achievement Award, which recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of women in the energy and environment field, especially those who have paved the way for other women to achieve similar success.

Also recognized during the evening were Janet Gail Besser, the Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs at the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC) and Elin Swanson Katz, the Consumer Counsel of the State of Connecticut. Patricia Stanton, the Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the Conservation Services Group was honored with the NEWIEE Leadership Award.

Emily Reichert is making waves in the clean tech world as well, as the Executive Director of Greentown Labs, a self-described, “community of bold, passionate entrepreneurs creating game-changing energy technologies that transform the way we live, work, and play.”

Earlier this year, she was recognized as one of 20 Women to Watch in 2014 by Mass High Tech; she will be honored with a ceremony on May 8. She was also named one of Mashables Top 15 influencers shaping the Boston tech scene. Congratulations to Emily and all the Women to Watch for 2014.