By Assistant Secretary Ted Garrish

Last week at the International Clean Energy Education Empowerment (C3E) Initiative’s Women in Energy event, “Women in Energy: Advancing Equal Participation for a Clean Energy Future,” I was pleased to announce that the U.S. will lead the improved and revitalized International C3E Ambassadors and Mentorship Workstream. These talented leaders in clean energy will represent our effort to advocate for the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in the energy sector, and serve as role models in clean energy across government, academia, and the private sector.

C3E’s Women in Energy event was held on the sidelines of the 2019 International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial. IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol has been a champion of this effort from the start, and has worked tirelessly to raise visibility on the importance of gender diversity in the energy sector. I find it fitting that the theme of this year’s ministerial is “Building the Future of Energy,” as it is impossible to address the future of energy without highlighting the importance of engaging the talents of the entire energy workforce. Women have historically been left behind in the energy sector, and it is critical to bring them into the fold as the innovators and entrepreneurs who will pioneer our clean energy future.  

The International Clean Energy Education Empowerment (C3E) Initiative is a Technology Collaboration Programme of the IEA and the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM). The United States was a leader in organizing this initiative, launched at the first Clean Energy Ministerial in 2010. With demand for further engagement, we established a domestic U.S. C3E Initiative in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI), the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy, and the Texas A&M Energy Institute.

In 2017, the International C3E effort was reconfigured to model the U.S. program. The revamped International C3E program recognizes female leaders in the clean energy sector while also creating an international network of individuals and organizations committed to increasing the numbers and leadership of women in clean energy.

The International C3E effort is co-led by Canada, Italy, and Sweden, and now DOE’s own Suzanne Jaworowski, a senior advisor in our Office of Nuclear Energy, who was recently elected as the initiative’s Vice-Chair.

With the support of our Ambassador and Mentorship Workstream partner countries, Austria, Canada, Finland, and Sweden we look forward to seeing the commitment and active involvement of clean energy leaders to engage the talent of women in building the future of energy.

Learn more about DOE’s work to promote opportunities for women and girls in STEM at www.energy.gov/women