As a young Peace Corps volunteer, I was assigned to the Dominican Republic. During training, I often frustratingly muttered “se fue la luz” as electric blackouts were frequent, unscheduled, and disruptive. After training, I was assigned to an unelectrified community on the Haitian border where blackouts would have been welcome. In the absence of any electricity, work was done during daylight hours, and evenings were lit by candles or gas lamps.

One day, I hitched a motorcycle ride with a passing visitor who I learned was working on solar-based rural electrification programs. We became friends. He invited me to participate in solar technician training. I started supporting solar microentrepreneurs and microlending efforts in my region. I saw people turn on electric lights for the first time in their lives. My career in energy was launched, driven by the belief that electricity changes lives.

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Boston University, Boston MA

Bachelor of Arts, Public Communications and International Studies, American University, Washington, DC

Spanish Proficiency

And, in the words of Michelangelo, “I am still learning,” with an emphasis on AI

An Early Lesson

My sister and I wanted to enter the public library’s pet show, but we were missing one important thing: a pet. Undeterred, my mother sent us to the backyard with a pickle jar. Minutes later, we had a pet ready for display.

Off we marched to the library, a single cricket in tow.

We won that pet show and were even featured in the weekly newspaper. The astute reporter noted that “the cricket, which we expect was recently acquired, had no name.”

The cricket’s tenure as our pet was short, but the lesson it taught—about creativity, resourcefulness, and solving problems with what you have—has stayed with me ever since.