A Rising Star

If you didn’t have a chance to attend this year’s New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE) event, you certainly missed a star-studded night.

In April, several hundred NEWIEE members and guests convened for the NEWIEE 7th Annual Award Gala, where colleagues were able to catch up with one another and celebrate their wide-ranging accomplishments. The event kicked off with some networking and culminated with a total of four women being recognized for their outstanding contributions made to the energy field during the award ceremony. An evening highlight included former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy giving a rousing speech to the crowd on the virtues of their energy work in the midst of the stereotypically male-dominated field they are all too familiar with.

The award ceremony itself included none other than MassCEC’s own Director of Workforce Development, Tamika Jacques, who was given the distinct and well-deserved honor of ‘Rising Star’. Tamika directs a wide ranging array of clean energy programs at MassCEC, covering the Workforce spectrum by providing funding for hands-on activities for K-8 students, work-readiness curriculum and paid summer employment for high school students, focused training and paid fellowship opportunities for low-income/unemployed women, and the award winning Internship Program for undergraduate and graduate students.

Clearly, she has been busy these last few years. Some of us, myself included, have been lucky enough to work directly with Tamika on these initiatives and have seen just how large of a positive impact it has had on people’s lives.

Congratulations Tamika – everyone at MassCEC is so proud of everything you have accomplished, and are looking forward to seeing your star rise even higher!