Latino and Latinx Leaders are driving clean energy progress in the U.S.

POSTED ON Sep 06, 2023

The energy sector has a lack of representation of Hispanic workers, who only make up 16 percent of the workforce. However, Latino and Latinx employees are making significant progress in the field of clean energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy is committed to developing diverse energy resources such as solar, wind, water, geothermal, bioenergy, and nuclear to maintain its leadership in clean energy.

Five remarkable leaders, committed to environmentalism and tackling current challenges within the cleantech industry, are leading the way towards a common goal of safeguarding the planet and creating a brighter and cleaner future. They are also working towards expanding access to energy jobs.

One of these leaders is Noramay Cadena, who is a managing partner at Supply Change Capital. She is an engineer, venture capitalist, and community builder who invests in companies committed to innovation, equity, and sustainability.

Since 2015, she has invested in 75 companies. After leading teams that developed aviation/aerospace programs at Boeing for over a decade, she applies her leadership and vision as a managing partner at Supply Change Capital.

This early-stage venture firm invests in food sustainability, emphasizing climate and culture. In just three years, Supply Change Capital has invested in 15 companies, 80 percent of which are led by underrepresented founders, and 70 percent are committed to creating healthier communities and minimizing the food system’s impact on the environment.

Latino Leaders magazine has recognized Cadena as one of the top 100 influential Latinas in the United States for three years in a row. She actively diversifies funders and founders in the venture capital landscape.

She serves as a founding board member of LatinxVC, a lead investor in Portfolia’s Rising America fund, and a board member for Acumen America, the Latino Community Foundation, and CARE Enterprises. Cadena is a Kauffman fellow who earned an M.B.A., a master’s in engineering systems, and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Mateo Jaramillo is another visionary leader who is co-founder and CEO of Form Energy. He is a renewable energy professional who grew up watching his parents work in the farming community of Salinas, CA.

He holds an A.B. in economics from Harvard and a master’s in theology from Yale Divinity School. Jaramillo has made an indelible mark in the energy space as an executive at several major global companies, including Gaia Power Technologies, where he was COO and part of the founding team, and Tesla, where he served as director of powertrain business development, then became vice president of products and programs for Tesla’s stationary energy storage program, an initiative he conceived of during his time at the company.

For the past six years, Jaramillo has been co-founder and CEO of Form Energy. The company is dedicated to “reshaping the global electric system by creating a new class of low-cost, multi-day energy storage systems”.

It is developing a 100-hour, iron-air battery system to make powering the electric grid solely on 100 percent low-cost renewable energy a reality. As a community leader, Jaramillo serves on the board of directors for the American Clean Power Association.

Jennifer Bauer Morton is a geologist and executive in the environmental space based in San Diego. As a project manager at SCS Engineers, she utilizes her 18 years of experience to conduct site assessments of various properties like agricultural, commercial, and residential developments, former military sites, and city projects throughout California.

In her work, she assesses the environmental integrity of the land and interfaces with regulatory agencies and corporations to determine an appropriate course of action to prevent environmental damage.

Before joining SCS Engineers, Morton ran her consulting company, Terramar Environmental Consulting, founded in 2011. She was recognized as a 2022 Woman of Influence by the San Diego Business Journal.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in earth sciences from UC San Diego and is completing her master’s at San Diego State University. Morton has been an adjunct professor of oceanography and geology at Palomar College and a Jonathan Tarr Foundation board member.

José L. Pérez is a well-known entrepreneur and leader in the energy industry. In 2012, he co-founded Hispanics In Energy (HIE) with a mission to advance Hispanic inclusion in the industry.

Under his guidance, Pérez has had a significant impact on national energy policies. Under his leadership, HIE has organized successful energy policy forums in various states, including Washington, D.C., Illinois, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico; Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, and California.

In 2022, he was appointed as a National Petroleum Council (NPC) member by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Pérez is also a member of the Justice40 review Hydrogen Energy study team.

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy named him as an energy ambassador. In this role, he assisted underserved communities in accessing energy offices and provided consultation on highlighting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in energy.

As a community leader, Pérez owns and is the publisher of the Latino Journal. He has also created and led several nonprofits, such as the National Utilities Diversity Council (NUDC), the California Utilities Diversity Council (CUDC), and the Energy Utilities Diversity Group (EUDG) in Minnesota.

Pérez has held several leadership positions in the energy industry, including chair of the Energy Utilities Diversity Group in Minnesota in 2019, where he worked with policymakers, regulators, labor, business, and industry leaders to launch policies to encourage greater participation by diverse communities.

His experience includes executive positions with the California Department of Transportation and the California State Personnel Board.

We have 6 things you should know about the energy economy right now.

#1 Energy jobs are on the rise 📈

#2 The energy industry is growing across all technologies ⚡️

And…⬇️ https://t.co/6Dzk5kMkCz

— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) July 3, 2023

Moreover, the USEER reports that energy sector union employers were more than *twice* as likely to have diversity, equity, and inclusion programs + policies compared to non-union employers.

Report: https://t.co/ke8mtoXXm4

— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) June 30, 2023