On Monday, September 16, join NEWIEE and the Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES) for a thoughtful discussion about the workforce that is powering the clean energy transition in New England. Our tenth annual joint event will bring together federal and state leaders to assess the current state of the region’s energy industry workforce, and discuss what Connecticut and Massachusetts should consider in terms of energy workforce development given the states’ ambitious climate goals.

Register here!

Featured Speakers:

Jennifer Applebaum is the Managing Director of Workforce Development at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. A former teacher and entrepreneur with a broad range of curriculum, training, and program innovation experience, Jennifer oversees a portfolio of workforce development programs that support clean energy career exploration, new entrant and upskilling training in climate-critical occupations, and entrepreneurship/ small business development among underrepresented populations. Before her work at the MassCEC, Jennifer led a statewide youth employment program centered on progressive skill-building and a curriculum-based career readiness initiative that reached over 100,000 participants across multiple states.

Tamika N. Jacques, Ed.D. has been in Workforce Development field for over twenty years. Through various job positions she has had the privilege of helping to distribute over $25 million in workforce development programs to help others excel and achieve their goals leading to economic sustainability. Tamika has created several workforce initiatives that focus on women, BIPOC, college students, high-school and elementary school students, incumbent and un/underemployed workers. Prior to joining Avangrid Renewables as the Manager of Workforce Development, Tamika served as the Senior Director of Workforce Development at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Tamika was given the Rising Star Award from the New England Women in Energy and The Environment in 2017 and in 2021 was awarded the Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion from the American Association of Blacks in Energy Greater Boston Chapter. Tamika also published A Brown Girls Guide to Employment and Networking Volume 1, which reached #1 on Amazon under Vocational Education. The Best Seller was also listed on Forbes.com as one of the Best Books for Networking. A Brown Girls Guide to Employment and Networking Volume II was released January 2023.

Tamika graduated from Suffolk University with a B.S. in International Economics; M.S. from Northeastern University in College Student Development and Counseling and an Ed.D. from Johnson & Wales University in Educational Leadership (Higher Education).

Shalaya Morissette (she/her) is Chief of the Minority Business and Workforce Division at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), located within the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity. She is a highly sought-after collaborator and co-conspirator in the clean technology space. Most recently she hails from the utility sector in safety and compliance. In 2022 she took on an additional role at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston, Massachusetts as a teacher to 11th and 12th graders – delivering a curriculum for engineering with energy in mind. Previously she held various roles in higher education, including enrollment services project manager and in global transportation as the Director of Affiliate Relations. She is the former president of the Greater Boston chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Serving as the first African American board member of the New England Women in Energy and Environment, she has been devoted to elevating and engaging women and people of color in the energy space. As a Georgia Gwinnett College Alumni Association board member and a committee member for Browning the Green Space, she has been engaged in the nonprofit and higher education space as a strong advocate for elevating minorities in the energy transition. Morissette’s passion for bringing young people into the clean energy industry has also been supported with her work with Girls Inc and WriteBoston. Shalaya received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgia Gwinnett College and her Master of Education degree from Cambridge College.

Dr. Kelli-Marie Vallieres was appointed by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont to lead a new state office, the Connecticut Workforce Unit, designed to collaborate with the Department of Economic and Community Development and Department of Labor to advise state officials on workforce strategies and initiatives. Vallieres was also named among the Hartford Business Journal’s 2021 Power 50.