What happens when women stop waiting to be invited to the table — and start building their own network? That question led Suzanne Tegen and her peers to found Women of Wind Energy, now Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), twenty years ago.

Today, WRISE has over 3,000 members, 47 chapters, a robust slate of annual programming, and continues to expand its impact across the renewable energy industry.

Suzanne is now Acting Director at Colorado State University’s Center for the New Energy Economy, where she leads bipartisan clean energy policy research and works with state legislators, governors’ offices, and utilities to advance practical, state-level policy solutions.

To mark WRISE’s 20th anniversary, Catherine sat down with Suzanne to talk about:
 • Building leadership confidence through community and mentorship
 • Lessons from two decades of WRISE’s growth and impact
 • What allyship really looks like — and how to practice it when someone’s not in the room
 • The importance of inclusion in energy transitions, especially for fossil-fuel-reliant communities
 • Her vision for the next chapter of WRISE and a more inclusive clean energy workforce

One line that stayed with us:  "Inclusion is intentional. You have to dig in, find out who isn’t being heard, and make sure they’re involved so that better decisions can be made."

If you’re a clean energy employer and need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier staff, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

What does it take to build a world-class development team from scratch inside a company that already operates over 4.5 GW of solar and storage projects? Catherine sat down with Shanelle Montana, Chief Development Officer at Arevon, on SunCast’s PowerUp Live stage presented by Wärtsilä at RE+ in Vegas, to talk about:

• Her path from Washington D.C. to leading utility-scale solar and storage development — including roles at Lightsource bp, EDF Renewables, and BayWa r.e.
• How Arevon’s operator-first DNA shapes its development strategy
• Navigating policy shifts and market uncertainty with patience and “patient capital”
• Building and retaining strong teams in a competitive market
• Why advancing diversity across teams leads to better business outcomes

Shanelle shared thoughtful, grounded insights on how to lead through change — and why patience, flexibility, and relationships are key to lasting impact in the energy transition.

If you’re a clean energy employer and need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier staff, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

What actually drives revenue for solar-plus-storage projects? In this episode, Catherine spoke with Sam Kuhlwein from Stem at the Asset Management North America (AMNA) conference in San Diego, where they dug into how energy management systems shape asset performance.

They also talked about what gets in the way of performance: commissioning delays, low-quality data, and systems that can’t respond fast enough to dynamic grid signals.

Sam shared how Stem approaches EMS design, why these systems need to be considered early in project development, and what it takes to operate across complex use cases—including merchant storage and behind-the-meter applications. 

“Everyone loves revenue,” he said. “But getting there takes high-frequency data, layered scheduling, and systems that can shift on the fly.”

 If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier staff, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

What does it take to lead operations for Greenbacker’s largest utility-scale solar project and maximize performance across a diverse national portfolio? In this episode, Catherine spoke with Emily Modglin, Manager of Solar Operations at Greenbacker Capital, at Solarplaza's AMNA conference about:

🔹 Her transition from engineering and O&M into large-scale asset ownership
🔹 Managing the 240 MW Appaloosa Solar project in Utah and what makes it uniquely complex
🔹 How adaptability, creative problem-solving, and AI tools are driving better performance
🔹 Greenbacker’s nearly $1B financing of New York’s largest solar project with Hecate Energy

Emily shares a field-tested perspective on what it really takes to operate solar at scale.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier staff, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next  role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

Karen Conover helped found WRISE — and in doing so, shaped a generation of women leaders and the clean energy industry itself.

Today, WRISE has 3,000+ members and 47 chapters advancing diversity across renewables. But Karen’s influence goes further: at 29, she launched Global Energy Concepts, a wind power pioneer later acquired by DNV, helping scale wind in the U.S. and abroad.

Two decades later, she’s still mentoring through Repowering Schools — and reflecting on what’s changed and what hasn’t.

In this episode, to mark WRISE’s 20th anniversary, we discuss:
 ⚡ What it takes to build a company from scratch
 🌎 Global lessons U.S. renewables still need to learn
 📈 Why WRISE’s company-wide memberships were a turning point
 💡 Karen’s advice for emerging leaders

If you’re a clean energy employer looking for top talent, connect with Catherine McLean, CEO of Dylan Green, on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr

If you’re looking for your next senior-level role in clean energy, explore our clients’ latest openings: https://bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

How do you scale a 1.3 GW C&I solar platform while navigating policy shifts, AI integration, and long-term asset performance? Catherine spoke with Elizabeth Brennan, COO of Luminace, a Brookfield Renewable company, at the Solarplaza AMNA conference in San Diego about:

 🔹 Her path from engineering to executive leadership
 🔹 How she defines growth vs. advancement
 🔹 Recent expansions via deals with ECA Solar and Renewable Properties
 🔹 Luminace’s legacy roots in Constellation, Washington Gas & Light, and Terraform
 🔹 Using AI (via Raptor Maps) to audit and optimize solar assets
 🔹 Lessons in resilience through political and market uncertainty
 🔹 Real advice for breaking into solar development & ops

Elizabeth blends technical fluency with strategic clarity — this one’s packed with insight.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier senior staff, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next senior level role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

For the past two decades, Michelle Montague has helped build WRISE— shaping programs, creating opportunities, and driving conversations about what true leadership and equity in energy should look like.

When she first joined the organization, she stepped out of her comfort zone, volunteered for a committee, and quickly found a mission that would guide much of her career in renewables.

Today, WRISE has over 3,000 members, 47 chapters, a robust slate of annual programming, and continues to expand its impact across the renewable energy industry. To mark WRISE’s 20th anniversary, Catherine spoke with Michelle about:

• How she got her start in renewables — and why early campaign work fueled her passion
• The power of programs like WRISE’s Fellowship and local chapters
• How work-life balance became a priority issue for the organization
• Why leadership often starts with saying yes to speaking roles and new opportunities
• What it takes to have honest conversations about diversity in the energy workforce
• Her current work advancing an equitable transition to electric school buses — and why it’s personal

One of our favorite takeaways:
 “If you care about diversity, you have to be willing to step into uncomfortable spaces and have those conversations — even with leadership.”

Kudos, Michelle, for all you’ve done to grow this community — and for your continued leadership in making our energy systems more sustainable and equitable.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top tier leaders, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

What does it take to bring hundreds of megawatts of utility-scale solar to rural communities—and truly earn their support? Valerie Newcomb, VP of Economic & Community Development at Urban Grid, brings deep communications expertise and a decade of leadership in the renewable energy industry to the table. In this episode, she shares how transparent engagement, agrivoltaics, and long-term investment are helping Urban Grid deliver real community benefits alongside clean energy. We cover:

🌱 Blending agriculture with solar
📚 Urban Grid’s multistate scholarship program
🏗️ Lessons from launching Urban Grid’s first 300+ MW as an IPP
💬 How to engage, listen, and build lasting trust in host communities

Thank you to Solarplaza for providing us with the opportunity to record this episode with Valerie at the Asset Management North America (AMNA) conference in San Diego.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce with senior leaders, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

What does it take to lead a top investment bank in the energy transition? Catherine McLean sat down with Britta von Oesen, Partner & Managing Director at CRC-IB, at Solarplaza's Asset Management North America (AMNA) Conference to talk about the trends shaping clean energy finance — from tax equity & M&A to carbon capture & distributed generation. Britta & her team recently advised Dimension Energy on a 122 MW ITC transfer deal purchased by a Fortune 500 company — a great example of how the tax credit market continues to evolve.

They also covered:

• Why renewables are at a "point of no return" — even with post-election policy uncertainty
• Expectations for the rapidly growing tax credit transfer market amidst the changing regulatory landscape
• How investors are using creative M&A structures like preferred equity to bridge today’s valuation gaps
• Why carbon capture is becoming an increasingly important part of CRC-IB’s business
• Trends & lessons from recent ITC transfer deals
• Advice for professionals looking to break into clean energy banking

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with senior leaders, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

20 years ago, Trudy Forsyth and a group of women in wind asked a simple but powerful question: where are the other women in this industry — and how do we bring more in?

That question led to the founding of Women of Wind Energy (now WRISE). The first event in 2005 was so packed they ran out of programs — and proved there was a community ready to grow.

Today, WRISE has over 3,000 members, 47 chapters, a robust slate of annual programming, and continues to expand its impact across the renewable energy industry.

To mark WRISE’s 20th anniversary, Catherine sat down with Trudy to talk about:

• Her path from aerospace to wind in the early days of the industry
• Launching her own distributed wind consulting firm
• Navigating misogyny and building leadership opportunities
• Lessons from international collaboration and standards work
• What it really looks like to be an ally in this space
• How the next 20 years of leadership in renewables can look different — and better

One quote that stayed with us: “We need all of our intellectual capital engaged in advancing the renewable energy transition. Isolating any group is a mistake.”

Thank you, Trudy — and thank you to everyone who’s helped build WRISE over the past 20 years. It was an honor to record this conversation.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with senior leaders, contact Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. If you’re looking for your next role in clean energy, take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest senior job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs.