The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has joined Women in Solar Energy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit and membership organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the solar sector.
‘SEIA takes great pride in being a founding corporate member of Women in Solar Energy,’ says SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch. ‘We recognize the great strides the solar industry has taken in terms of reaching out to women, and we look forward to continued progress.’
The organization was founded in 2012 with the goal of providing a unified voice for women in the industry, as well as supporting the recruitment and retention of women in the solar workforce. Women in Solar Energy formalized its non-profit status this year, recently launching a campaign to raise $100,000 by the end of 2014. SEIA says it has taken the lead to help set an example and provided the group a large corporate donation, earning the"founding member," designation.
"SEIA is demonstrating that a real commitment to this issue requires dedicated resources to support a mainstay organization in the industry," says Kristen Nicole, Women in Solar Energy's executive director." We are thrilled that they have stepped up and answered our call to action. We hope that other industry leaders will follow suit."
As part of their participation in Women in Solar Energy, SEIA employees will become individual members of the organization with access to a host of resources for women in solar, including access to the Women in Solar Energy mentorship program, job board and SheSpeaks Solar program.
According to The Solar Foundation, women already make up 18.7% of the solar workforce, but SIEA says the new organization is committed to substantially increasing that number.
