From Lebanon to the Lone Star State

In launching this newsletter last month, I noted that I’d focus on various topics related to the energy transition, and I am keen on delivering that to you from three perspectives:

• Power Systems Engineer
• Business founder/CEO, and leader in clean energy transition
• Outside perspective, born from being a woman in a male-dominated industry, and someone who grew up outside America, a country I so deeply devoted myself to love and serve.

I heard from all your excitement and some of you generously suggested additional topics to address, which I took note of. I had also promised to tell you more about me, so you know the person behind the profession. Since then, an interview I did with Public Utilities Fortnightly (PUF) was published—Woman Engineering the Future | Fortnightly. This article describes some key elements of my upbringing, education, and early adult life that shaped who I am and why I became a power engineer as well as an entrepreneur. If you have not seen this yet, then please take a look—it is a quick read that PUF did a great job at pulling together.

This seed was planted when I was a child in a beautiful, sun-drenched valley in Lebanon—so young that I remember having to raise my arm high to hold on to my dad’s warm hand while we were walking together. A powerful, empowering, loving and visionary himself, my dad was a master at stimulating intelligent thought in his children and his students. “Look at our footsteps, they're so powerful. We certainly can harness the power from the footsteps of millions of people. What do you think?” he asked me back then. This stuck in my head for years, forever thinking holistically about how to solve energy problems as I and my organization do today.

In the next edition of this newsletter, I’ll give you my perspective about planning for our grid to incorporate electric vehicles and other “behind-the-meter” resources. As important as getting the planning and engineering right, the mindsets of stakeholders must continue to shift to embrace a holistic approach in this new paradigm.