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. 

How are Fluence, Excelsior Energy Capital, & Cordelio Power scaling grid battery storage — while navigating policy uncertainty, domestic content requirements, and O&M challenges? In this Green Light episode, Catherine spoke with Kaumil Shah, Senior Director at Fluence, at Solarplaza’s Asset Management North America (AMNA) conference in San Diego to discuss:

• New storage partnerships with Excelsior Energy Capital on 2.2 GWh of U.S. projects and with Cordelio Power on 1 GWh across three sites
• PG&E's use of Fluence Mosaic to optimize market participation for the 183 MW / 730 MWh Elkhorn BESS
• What the team learned optimizing availability at Hazelwood BESS with ENGIE and Eku Energy
• The impact of policy uncertainty and domestic content pressures on storage business models
• Best practices for global BESS O&M
• Advice for professionals looking to break into & excel within energy storage

If you work in energy storage, grid tech, or clean energy development, you’ll be sure to take away valuable insights from this conversation.

If you’re a clean energy employer & need help scaling your workforce efficiently with top 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. 

This episode is a little different — fellow podcaster Nico Johnson sits down with Catherine McLean, CEO & Founder of Dylan Green, at Intersolar North America to uncover insights on one of the biggest challenges in clean energy: finding and retaining top talent. Catherine, who specializes in recruiting senior-level professionals across the clean energy sector, shares her perspective on hiring trends, the most in-demand skills, and how companies are approaching diversity and inclusion in today’s workforce. Whether you're building your career or building a team, you’ll take away actionable lessons from Catherine’s deep expertise in clean energy recruitment.

If your company is looking to hire senior leaders in cleantech or renewable energy, you can contact Catherine directly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3odzxQr. And if you’re an experienced professional exploring your next opportunity in clean energy, check out Dylan Green’s latest job openings here: bit.ly/dg_jobs.

Our CEO had the privilege of placing all three of these incredible senior women at ClimeCo, and it’s been inspiring to watch them lead with purpose, impact, & real momentum in the sustainability space. In this episode, Catherine sat down with Emily Damon, Erica Schiller, and Emma Cox to talk about:

 🌱 How each of them found their way into sustainability — from Big Oil to green tech startups to global nonprofits
 🤝 What ClimeCo’s partnerships with Hilton & Lenovo mean for transparency and innovation
 📉 What Scope 3 emissions actually are, & how companies are actively addressing them
 🛑 What “green hushing” is and how to avoid it in today’s evolving narrative
 🌍 The work they’re most proud of — from carbon credits to climate storytelling to helping their kids understand the impact they’re making
 💡 Advice for anyone looking to break into sustainability or transition into a climate-focused career

This one’s full of practical insight, generous storytelling, & hard-earned leadership wisdom. 

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. Looking for your next role in clean energy? Take a look at our industry-leading clients’ latest job openings: bit.ly/dg_jobs. 

From a 7.5 GWh partnership with LG, to a solar+storage sub-portfolio sale to BlackRock, a 2 GW agreement with Heliene, & the launch of Lydian Energy, Catherine McLean spoke with Anne Marie Denman, Co-Founder & Partner at Excelsior Energy Capital, about what’s driving one of clean energy’s most active infrastructure funds. They also covered:

⚡ Why she believes renewables will thrive under Trump

⚡ Her journey from Big Law to founding Excelsior

⚡ How Excelsior is de-risking supply chains through domestic manufacturing

⚡ Her candid take on DEI in a politicized climate

⚡ Balancing parenthood, leadership, and building authentic teams

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.