“I am in a new chapter of my career. I wanted new headshots that spoke to where I am in life and showed my personality. Through Chief I was referred to Alissa Randall. Wow, her professionalism and the atmosphere she created for my photo session were delightful. It was the perfect environment to capture pictures of me that I absolutely love!” That is what Abby Hopper, said about her headshot session with Alissa.
Abby is one of the United States’ foremost experts on clean energy. She is a principal at GEM Advisory LLC, the founder of Solar Sisters and a distinguished industry fellow at Dartmouth working with technologies that will enhance the electrical grid. “I am motivated by and committed to creating change within this time of expanding AI. Energy demand is the biggest bottleneck to our success and one of the challenges is getting it from where it is to where it needs to be.
We have to build transmission lines if we want to win the AI race. We want energy security, and we only have limited tools. We can have a big impact by utilizing grid enhancing technologies that increase the efficiency of the grid. But to make that happen, we need to be talking to each other. Conversations matter. Open communication with citizens when looking at building data centers matters. People are concerned that their electricity prices will increase. They are concerned about environmental and health impacts. Open multi-level communication helps all of us move forward.”
For her entire career, Abby has focused on cultivating community, especially for women and gender-diverse people. She founded Solar Sisters for that reason. “I created the Solar Sisters community to harness the power of people working together. We are a community of women and gender diverse in the clean energy industry. The three pillars of Solar Sisters are service, connection and growth. One recent example of our work: a group of Solar Sisters went to Puerto Rico this past International Women’s Day with a non-profit, Let’s Share the Sun, to supply and build home solar systems and support with storage batteries for blackouts. It was successful and fulfilling. We are going next year with a goal to triple our efforts. Solar Sisters also created opportunities for connection through book club, webinars, and in-person intimate gatherings.
This is not a new space for me. I left my CEO job with the solar and storage industry so I could be more flexible and do more public speaking. More than ever, I am in corporate, policy, and political circles advocating for solar energy. The demand with AI is broad. There is room for anyone.
In previous years, I have often been the only woman in the room discussing energy. I stood my ground. But there is room for everyone. Women, coming up in leadership may lead differently, but their effectiveness comes from different ways of looking at things. If ever we needed open eyes and new pathways, it’s now. Burning on my heart is a deep responsibility to use my power and privilege to broaden the opening. I am growing nationally and internationally. I do what I want. I talk to whom I want. I am in charge of my own schedule. It didn’t just happen. I worked really hard to get here.”
She gives younger colleagues that same advice. “Work hard. Do not shy away from hard work. I worked really hard to be where I am and built a really strong network based on my reputation to get things done. Because I work hard, the network I built is giving me so much joy.
I am trying to decide which of my new headshots I will use for LinkedIn. There are a number of them where I’m laughing. Laughter can be disarming, can’t it? But serious or humorous, they all reflect my personality and that is exactly what I wanted.”