Board Spotlight Shines on Alyssa Thomas

By Simone Slykhous 

SEI is proud of the incredible and inspiring sustainability leaders who serve on our board. Today, we spotlight Alyssa Thomas, Program Officer of Invest in Our Future. For 10 years, Alyssa has been committed to building just and equitable economic opportunities for communities, businesses, and workers. 

Alyssa Thomas, SEI's newest board member

Before shaping Invest in Our Future's workforce development portfolio, Alyssa was the Senior Manager of Workforce Development for SunPower Corporation. She supported initiatives to train, recruit, and retain a skilled and diverse workforce, ranging from apprenticeships to employee resource groups. As lead, Alyssa redesigned the mission, funding areas, and operating procedures for the SunPower Foundation. Alyssa's government work includes workforce and economic development roles for the City of New York and City of Philadelphia.

Why do you serve on SEI’s board?
SEI plays a critical role in shaping the way our youth, young adults, and adults understand climate change, its impacts on communities, and the economic opportunities that solving the climate crisis presents to us. The important education that SEI is delivering creates climate advocates, deploys sustainability programs, and sets individuals on climate career pathways. I serve on the board because SEI’s work is critical to what I’ve made my own personal and professional mission, ensuring that the transition to a sustainable climate includes economic opportunities for all. 

What about SEI inspires you the most?
When I was in high school (in the early 2000s), I had no outlet for my concerns about the climate. None of my course work talked about climate change, and it seemed like I was the only one who cared. I had to learn everything from my dial-up internet or books I found at the library. I spent years thinking about climate change as something I advocated for, but not something I worked in. Eventually, I understood the intersection of the economic development work I had been doing and the climate. Because of SEI, youth and young adults don’t have to hope they stumble upon a connection or realization about how climate can become not only their personal passion, but also a part of their career.  That is what I love the most — that SEI is helping ensure that the next generation truly understands the climate in a way that my generation or older generations did not get access to.

What has, thus far, been the most pivotal or defining experience of your career?
This is a hard question because I’ve loved my whole career. I’ve now moved into philanthropy, but prior to this I’ve spent my career in the field building programs that support workers and small businesses. I’ve been on roofs at 6:00 am with solar installers to understand what training, safety, and professional support they needed. I’ve spent weekends helping small businesses fill out loan applications to finance new projects or equipment. And I’ve spent endless hours speaking to high school students about their passions and dreams for the future. I’ve loved my career because I prioritized the reason I was doing this work, the people. I made sure that I listened to people, that they knew I cared about their experiences, and that I was going to build something with them, not for them.

How do you see business leading the charge in building a sustainable future?
The private sector plays an important role in our transition to a sustainable future. It will be building climate infrastructure and clean energy projects, and it needs guardrails and incentives to perform in an equitable way — even clean energy and climate related businesses.

• We need workers demanding quality jobs, community participation and environmental justice.
• We need regulatory bodies, like OSHA, to prioritize workers' safety over potential profits.
• We need tax incentives and other subsidization programs to lower the cost of build, production, or entry into a market — such as adders on the Investment Tax Credit that provide a bigger financial benefit to lower income communities.
• We need customers to demand sustainable supply chain, operations, and HR practices.
• We need voters to influence political leadership to support climate and clean energy bills.

Students and fellows in SEIs programs can work with businesses, internally or externally, to hold them to high standards to ensure that not only are they working on projects that benefit the climate, but they are doing so equitably.
                   
What advice to you have for those looking to enter the clean energy sector? 

1. Talk to people who are already in the sector. LinkedIn is a great way to research clean energy companies, nonprofits, or government entities. Most professionals I know are more than happy to respond to a LinkedIn message to talk about their work.
2. Explore all the different functions in the clean energy sector. You can be anything from an electrician to a public relations specialist. The function you perform does not need to be something specific to the industry, like a wind technician, but can be a function that you enjoy and exists across multiple industries.
3. Get into the field! You will understand what it takes to build a clean energy project much more if you arrange a site visit. If you are a Fellow at a solar company and working with the finance team, tell them you want to see an install happen in real life. If you are a student in an Energize Schools program, tell your teacher you want to go to a wind farm and learn how it was built.
4. Be an advocate. The clean energy economy requires strong political leadership. Be prepared to understand local, state, and federal policy, how it impacts the work, and where you should civically engage to support the clean energy transition.

What does a resilient world look like to you?
For me, a resilient world is one that is rooted in empathy and care. We must care about one another, other living beings, and the planet to believe everything is worth protecting. We must care enough that we reject the notion of individualism and otherism, and advocate for things outside of ourselves. In a time where we are being pitted against each other, and against our planet, it’s important to remember that we will make it through and build the resilient world we dream of by refusing to give up our empathy.