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Miles Q. Braxton said he learned the merits of "patience with urgency" while working in solar sales, where there was often a delay between prospecting and closing.
He likely applied the lessons learned to another critical aspect of his life — promoting sustainable job opportunities for members of the Black community.
Miles is a co-founder of BlackOak Collective, a community of Black professionals and advocates across environmental fields in the Washington, DC, area.
Patience may be a virtue, but Miles understands the necessity (and urgency) to provide the organization's members with the connections they need for career advancement. The community is for professionals, students, culture workers, organizers, and all Black people interested in creating the environmental future Black communities deserve.
Miles leads strategic partnership and student engagement efforts for BlackOak Collective. He's also co-founder of a stealth startup in the climate and energy tech area and director of risk management at Summit Ridge Energy, a leading owner-operator of U.S.-based community solar assets.
When I last interviewed him, he worked for Goldman Sachs Renewable Power Group's solar energy assets, coordinating risk management (insurance and environmental health and safety). He left that role in mid-2022 to take the position at Summit Ridge.
In today's Tactical Tuesday podcast, I'm sharing a snippet from that conversation that includes some notable thoughts about a Black man's journey to success in sustainability.
Miles went to the University of Virginia specifically to study electrical and computer engineering under Mool Gupta, a pioneer in photonics — the science of light. With the support of his parents — two lawyers and a third who attended medical school — and strong mentors, he was a prime candidate for a career in the booming solar industry when he graduated from UVA with a degree in environmental science in 2018.
But he found it hard to get a job. Once employed, he often found himself the only non-white person in the room. He formed BlackOak Collective to make launching a career in the environmental area a little easier for the next person of color.
It's not a career path that's talked about or well understood in the Black community, Miles said.
So he started sharing his journey with students at various colleges, explaining how persistence, patience and vision for a sustainability career paid off. The collective took off when he partnered with a former UVA classmate, Kiera Givens. By partnering with organizations to promote job opportunities and build a network of Black professionals, they've expanded information and resources to build homes for many Black environmental communities.
Join us today to learn how Miles grew his career and created BlackOak to facilitate mutual support, collaboration, resource sharing, job opportunities and mentorship for Black people pursuing critical work across various environmental fields.
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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.
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