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Solar Energy International (SEI) holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many #SolarWarriors who tune in regularly to SunCast. And SEI is equally important to me because it's partnered with SunCast for the entirety of our existence in support of nearly all our in-person and virtual events through the years.
So I'm especially delighted to welcome SEI Executive Director Elizabeth Sanderson and learn how, in her first year, she’s growing into the leader role of expanding this beloved organization.
In case you're new to the industry, SEI is a 30-year-old solar education and training organization that's changed how folks learn to install solar and energy storage. In simplest terms, SEI supports a diverse, inclusive, well-trained solar workforce to promote sustainable economic growth, mitigate climate change, and support energy independence.
It aims to Educate, Engage and Empower — a mission it's meeting because it already has nearly 100,000 graduates. They attend programs online and at SEI's technical training facility in Paonia, Colorado.
"There's such an urgency here to ensure we're reaching the most people we can to ensure the industry is going as fast as possible. I feel the urgency every morning when I wake up. I always refer to climate change as the hell and high water because that's what it is. Right? And so every day that we're not training more people and getting them jobs, we're slowing it down," she explains.
In today's podcast, we'll explore everything from how Elizabeth positions an organization that generates an exceptional amount of love from people in the solar industry for its next 30 years.
She has an excellent vantage point, poised at the bleeding edge of technology in a quest to deliver the future workforce. So we'll also get her perspective on some technologies that excite her.
With credentials including Chief Operating Officer and director of development of a nonprofit that aims to end world hunger, president of an advertising agency that built several worldwide brands, and Chief Marketing Officer of a solar start-up, Elizabeth is scaling SEI while staying true to the organization’s key differentiators of quality education and an authentic family culture.
She’s fully committed to solar. "Someone said to me at a party, 'we're not going to have to worry about starvation because we're going to all burn up because we've got this energy situation and the climate crisis is looming,'" she recalls.
Elizabeth says she knew from age 12 that she wanted a career in communications. "My father was in advertising and public relations, and he would bring the most amazing people home to our dinner table. They could tell stories, and they were interesting. And I said, 'That's what I want to do,'" she recalls.
She obtained a bachelor's in communication from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Master's in Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and executive education in diversity and inclusion from Stanford University.
Over her decades-long career, she's held various roles at both profit and non-profit companies — building on her interests in communication, collaboration and education.
She was president and board member of a Chicago advertising agency early in her career. But she said she reached a point where she knew it was time to "give back." Building on her interest in food insecurity, she spent six years in leadership roles at The Hunger Project (THP), a global, non-profit, strategic organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger.
She left THP in 2016 to address her growing interest in climate change through a position as Chief Marketing Officer at Sunflare. A solar start-up that developed a proprietary technology to spread the adoption of renewable energy, she worked at Sunflare until she was recruited to SEI in 2021.
Elizabeth credits core competencies she's developed throughout her career, notably strategic thinking, for her success thus far at SEI.
"I'm constantly reading, synthesizing, and thinking about 'how will this play out? How will this affect what I do and what the team does? That's first and foremost, that's number one. Number two focuses on the people and working to understand who I'm working with, how we work in concert as a team and who we're serving," she says.
Elizabeth offers some keen insights about personal growth, professional development and staying true to your passions in an ever-evolving world. For now, she's focused on accelerating partnerships and collaborative relationships at SEI to keep an older organization relevant and agile. "I'm tasked with expanding the organization but keeping its soul and culture,” she says.
"The magnitude of the people we need to train is huge. And so what we're looking at expanding our organization to make that happen. And who better than us, our partners, and those who have yet to become our partners? "We're tapping each other on the shoulder saying, 'Hey, I've got this. What do you have? We're zipping our talents together. It's not about competition anymore but cooperation. It's like, 'What do you do?' Well, okay. We've got this. Let's do it together."
Please join us for the full podcast. Elizabeth has a lot to say. And if you want to continue the conversation after listening, Elizabeth is more than happy to connect on LinkedIn.
TIMESTAMPS:
(03:58) When Elizabeth first heard of SEI
(05:16) When Elizabeth realized what she wanted to do
(6:52) How Elizabeth got into advertising
(07:37) How advertising prepared Elizabeth for her current role
(08:32) Elizabeth's core skills from advertising
(10:44) How Elizabeth transitioned to global hunger project
(15:54) Importance of Elizabeth's network
(18:41) Elizabeth's first exposure to solar industry
(22:57) Helpful transitioning resources
(25:04) What's missing in the industry
(26:23) Core organizational building skills
(29:24) How trade barriers can be navigated
(31:56) How Elizabeth managed her team during pandemic
(34:53) What SEI represents for the solar industry
(39:55) Why SEI is loved by many
(41:02) How to instill organizational culture
(43:13) How SEI partners with other organizations
(44:12) Book recommendation
(45:52) How Elizabeth maintains SEI's culture
(51:06) Elizabeth corporate culture experience
(55:13) What SEI will be known for in 30 years
( 57:36) How storage will challenge PV 101
(59:16) What surprised Elizabeth about SEI
(1:00:13) What inspires Elizabeth
(1:04:37) How to know your best fit in the solar industry
(1:05:53) Book Elizabeth gives out most
(1:08:488) What Elizabeth's daily routine is like
(1:10:41) What excites Elizabeth
(1:14:04) Best way to find Elizabeth
(1:15:06) Elizabeth's bold prediction
(1:17:11) Wrap up
BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
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