We started this blog last December, and I have managed a grand total of six posts since then. That’s just lazy, right? In truth, I’m one of the hardest working women in energy, and I have too much to do. Ramping up a new sales program for our utility services, developing a training module for our summer interns, maintaining inventory and getting the right stuff timely shipped to the right people, driving traffic to our website for More Money, and the list goes on… got a sista burning both ends of the candle.

But this blog is important for lots of reasons, mostly because I get to remember — and tell you –what we’re all about. So I’m committing myself to more frequent posts, starting now. Of course, I also remember why I became an engineer: I want to work smart, not hard, so I always try to think of ways to get the job done with the least effort. In that vein, I’m re-posting a piece I wrote three years ago on the need for Black leadership in the energy field. How’s that for lazy? Anyway, it’s about a speech I gave on the topic to the American Association of Blacks in Energy. I was preaching to the choir. Here goes:

I had a wonderful opportunity last week to speak with a joint gathering of the Atlanta chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and the African American Forum at General Electric. They are working on a partnership, and I was invited to say a few words on behalf of AABE’s national board. Here’s what I told them:

It’s really great to be in a room with so much Black energy talent. This doesn’t happen very often, and I can feel the energy we generate when we’re together. At the risk of offending you, I have to pass along a joke that came through my email just as I was heading over to meet you here today. A stranger sits next to Little Johnny on an airline flight. After they’re settled and in flight, the stranger says, “I’ve heard that flights go a lot quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.” An exasperated Little Johnny slowly closes his book and replies, “OK, what do you want to discuss?” The smug stranger says, “Oh, I don’t know, let’s talk about nuclear power.” Little Johnny says, “We can do that, but let me ask you something first. A horse, a cow and a deer all eat grass, but a horse poops these little pellets, a cow poops flat patties, and a deer poops clumps of grass. Why do you think that is if they all eat the same stuff?” The stranger stammers, “Well, gee, I have no idea!” To which Johnny replies, “Well what makes you think you can discuss nuclear power if you don’t know crap?” I feel a little like that stranger today. AABE has 30-odd chapters around the country and 13 board members, yet four of those board members are here in Atlanta. We have some serious Black energy in this city, so I am humbled by the chance to speak with you today.

You know the Chinese curse that says “may you live in interesting times?” We in the energy field are certainly living in interesting times. I had the tremendous honor in the mid-nineties of traveling and working with Hazel O’Leary, our first Black secretary of energy. I saw, for instance, the governor of Maharashtra state in India get beaten by a mob of his citizens after signing a contract with Enron to build the Dahbol power plant. In post-apartheid South Africa, I saw a national utility company, Eskom, struggle to provide electricity to its Black majority as it demanded equal services right now. I thought those times were interesting, but they are nothing compared to today. All this week, about 300,000 protesters have surrounded the Bolivian presidential palace demanding the president’s resignation and the nationalization of their oil and gas industry. A similar thing happened in Ecuador 18 months ago over the government’s privatization policy. On the flip side, African countries are buying everything from cogeneration facilities to geothermal plants to meet a commitment to provide utility services to their populations. Asia is buying a lot of our equipment but is also trying to use up all the oil, even seeking oil and gas in north and south America. Everyone wants the standard of living we enjoy, and some are grasping for it. These are some of the challenges and opportunities facing our industry.

That is the context in which AABE operates. There are ongoing efforts to improve our capacity, but let me mention just three initiatives we have developed to address these global challenges. First, the AABE Institute is working with DOE, the Corporate Council on Africa and others to help train African energy professionals and develop the continent’s energy infrastructure. We in the U.S. are very interested in this now because we will import a quarter of our oil from Africa in less than 20 years. Second, our legislative issues and public policy initiatives speak directly to our mission. We want to be at the table when the nation’s energy policy is discussed. What are our positions on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the current administration’s National Energy Policy, environmental justice and racism, and so forth? What is the state of energy in Black America? How do we leverage our relationships with the Congressional Black Caucus, FERC, DOE and industry groups to get our positions on these issues into U.S. policy? Indeed, what does a Black energy policy look like? We are beginning to back up our positions with solid data and research because white papers are the currency of policy discussions and are required for a seat at the policy table. And third, our initiative on the promotion of our members is important to credibly advance our positions. We have an excellent record of providing scholarships to Black students seeking careers in energy, but we also now have internships with top programs like the Colorado School of Mines. We are growing our student chapters to build a thicker pipeline, developing a database of Black energy professionals so AABE can serve as a national clearinghouse for such talent, and creating an Action Learning Program in order to mentor high-potential members for placement at the top of the industry. These are exciting times for AABE, and we want GE Energy to be a part of our movement.

You know, AABE used to be restricted to certain professional levels in the utility industry. Our board changed the membership requirements three years ago to be more inclusive. Now, if you work in the energy field, you’re eligible to join AABE. We changed, not just because we wanted a larger membership, but because our mission requires leadership at all levels. AABE members range from linemen to CEOs of major utilities, from consultants to academics to entrepreneurs. Whatever your job description, whether you’re a member of AABE or not, Blacks and other ethnic minorities need to take a position of leadership now.

Let me tell you another story. There are some islands off the Japanese coast that social scientists like to use for research because, even though they have the same wind and surf currents, animals, flora and fauna, they’ve been isolated from each other for thousands of years. The monkeys on the island eat sweet potatoes pulled right out of the sand. One day, an investigator washed a sweet potato and left it on a mat for a monkey to find. A monkey found it and liked it: it was less gritty and more tasteful. The monkey washed her potatoes in the surf from that point on. Soon, the monkey’s family members were observed washing their potatoes, and before long, all the monkeys on the island started washing their potatoes. The scientist noticed that something magical happened after about 100 monkeys changed their habits… Monkeys on neighboring islands began washing their potatoes, even though there was no physical contact between the islands. Washing potatoes somehow became part of what monkeys do, an organic part of monkey behavior.

AABE is about building leaders, about making leadership organic in how we do our jobs, about finding that 100th Black energy professional. That could be you. Please join us, but even if you don’t, I challenge you to find and follow the leader within yourselves. We need you. Thanks for your attention and your time.