Carnegie Mellon University

Camille Moore, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, American Association of Blacks in Energy

Powering Up the Energy Sector

In physics, the law of conservation says energy can neither be created or destroyed, but it can be converted within the same system.

Camille Moore (HNZ 2018) is doing her own type of energy conversion — turning energy-sector jobs into new opportunities for historically excluded and underrepresented groups.

“Energy is the bedrock of development, and if we do this transition right, we can create a healthier and wealthier world that empowers people with the opportunity to make quality choices,” Camille says. “We have inherited an economy built on undemocratic and unsustainable practices. It is our turn to loosen our grip on the past and build anew. We are in the midst of an economic revolution changing the way we operate and develop our society. I’m focused on economic development within energy through economic access. With this, folks who aren't traditionally in the space can understand and bring a product or service to the industry, and they can do it in a way that supports their families and communities.”

She’s aiding this effort through her work at the American Association of Blacks in Energy, a national association of energy professionals founded and dedicated to ensure the input of Black Americans and other minorities into the discussions and developments of energy policies, regulations, research and development technologies, and environmental issues.

Her leadership role includes event planning, grantmaking, marketing, creating networking opportunities and providing the tools to build energy-sector careers.

Her energy-centric path also includes fellowships with the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute. She connected with some of these opportunities while completing the Washington, D.C.-based portion of her master’s degree in public policy and management at Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.

The legacy of her work keeps her focused on the future.

“Once we have an energy industry that is equitable in the way that it offers its services and products, more and more people benefit from it,” Camille says. “We will have an overall better society.”

Story by Elizabeth Speed