Welcome to AE2C!

Asian Americans in Energy, the Environment and Commerce (AE2C) connects Asian-American and like-minded professionals to share knowledge and foster opportunities. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, nonpartisan and policy-neutral organization whose mission is to be the leading Asian American organization at the intersection of energy, environment, and commerce matters in the United States and abroad, we serve our members through professional development and networking opportunities that bridge the values, business practices and cultures of Asia and the United States.

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A Year in Review

We kicked off 2022 with a virtual happy hour to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Tiger. Tiger years are to be filled with big changes and adventure and AE2C experienced both!

We were honored to co-sponsor a virtual Executive Series webinar with the Women’s Council on Energy and Environment WCEE) featuring Christine Harada of the Federal Permitting Office. This was a first for us and we are looking forward to co-sponsoring more events with WCEE and other energized organization in the years to come. In April, we held a virtual brainstorming session giving our members and friends an opportunity to recommend topics of interest for upcoming events and join a committee (programs, communications and development) to help us grow and advance. We are still looking for more volunteers, so if interested, please, contact us at [email protected] for more information. Although we did not host an in-person event to observe Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month in May, we did host a lively virtual happy hour. We plan on hosting an in-person event in 2023.

Two successful in-person events capped 2022. Partnering with the Department of Energy’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity and the Office of Infrastructure, we held a Special Briefing for Executive Champions regarding the DOE’s Clean Energy Corps – an important initiative to recruit and hire the hundreds of DOE staff needed to implement the clean energy provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. See more details about this event below.

Even more significantly, we launched our new Massachusetts Chapter with an event in Boston in October. “Achieving Energy Justice in the Clean Energy Transition” featured a keynote address by Shalanda Baker, Director, DOE Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, followed by a panel discussion on "Perspectives to Achieve Energy Justice in a Clean Energy Transition." A more in-depth summary of this event, including pictures, is below. This event was truly the highlight of 2022, and we were highly pleased we could host a discussion about such a critical subject while launching our newest AE2C Chapter.

We look forward to building on these recent successes by hosting more in-person, hybrid and virtual events in 2023. We hope to see you there!

 Massachusetts Chapter Launch in Boston

In October, AE2C launched its Massachusetts Chapter with an in-person event in Boston. “Achieving Energy Justice in a Clean Energy Transition – Global, National and Regional Perspectives” featured a keynote address by the Honorable Shalanda Baker, Director of Economic Impact and Diversity, U.S. Department of Energy.

Director Baker joined the panel on energy justice as a critical part of the clean energy transition as seen from a local, national, and global perspective. In addition to Director Baker, panelists were:

*Judy Chang, Undersecretary for Energy and Climate Solutions of the state of Massachusetts, 
*Reihaneh Irani-Famili, Vice President of the Clean Energy Development & Infrastructure Investment, National Grid,
*Jeanette Pablo, Director of Climate Equity and the Clean Energy Transition, Clean Air Task Force, and AE2C Vice President. 

Over 45 individuals from state agencies, utilities, local community organizations and nonprofits, and academia attended the launch event. 

Special thanks to Eversource, our premier sponsor for the event, Geoff Why, a partner at Verrill who contributed the use of its conference room facilities for this event, and Scott Anderson, who is the managing partner of the Verrill Law Firm.

 

AE2C Supports DOE Clean Energy Corps Initiative in August

AE2C was honored to sponsor an event for select guests from diverse communities entitled “Special Briefing for Executive Champions” organized at the behest of the U.S. Department of Energy on its Clean Energy Corps hiring campaign.

This briefing, convened in August and hosted by Dentons LLP, educated participants regarding DOE’s campaign to recruit the hundreds of government staff needed to implement the newly enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The briefing was led by the Honorable Shalanda Baker, the Director of the DOE’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity and Secretarial Advisor on Equity. Alongside her was the DOE’s Infrastructure Coordinator, Jeremiah Baumann. Over 60 leaders from the energy sector as well as trade and professional associations attended the briefing. Both Director Baker and Chief of Staff Baumann highlighted key milestones of the campaign and explained the need to hire DOE staff in manufacturing, stakeholder/external engagement, and clean energy management departments.

More information can be found at http://www.energy.gov/cleanenergycorps.
 

it's the year of the rabbit!

Jump ahead in the new year by attending the DOE Minority Business Enterprise Industry Day!

If you are interested in learning more about Department of Energy Program Offices, funding opportunities and different ways to collaborate then consider attending the DOE Office of Economic Impact and Diversity as they host their annual Minority Business Enterprise Industry Day on February 23, 2023, from 8am to 5pm.
This FREE one-day summit held at DOE Headquarters in Washington, DC, will focus on networking with DOE Offices and National Labs, doing business with the Federal Government and ways to establish relationships. If you cannot participate in person, DOE is also hosting a virtual MBE Industry Day event on February 28, 2023, from 10am to 4pm. No matter which event you attend (or both), you will surely meet new colleagues or old friends while learning more about energy sector opportunities. You can register for both events here.