As Women’s History Month comes to an end, award-winning children’s book authors Erin Twamley and Joshua Sneideman, along with Katie Mehnert, seek to honor 34 energy superheroes -- women who are breaking the bias in the energy industry. These women are featured as Energy Superheroes in the upcoming children’s book, “Everyday Superheroes: Women in Energy Careers.” The book is published by WiseInk and is available on July 25, 2022.
According to a recent report, less than 30% of U.S. clean energy workers are women and nearly 61% are white and non-Hispanic, and only 8% are African American. The women featured in the new book share their stories, career, and superpowers to help break the bias toward women in the energy industry. The women featured come from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. These 34 women who are powering our planet have a diverse array of experiences, interests, and education levels. This children’s book aims to help celebrate the stories of women who are making history from technicians on renewable energy farms to researchers in our national labs.
“There are so many Energy Superheroes all around us,” said Twamley. “We are featuring these Energy Superheroes because these women are role models and represent a rich and multicultural diversity in the energy industry, from their careers to their backgrounds. Young girls need to see themselves in these careers that are powering our planet.” This diversity was brought to life with the full-page color illustrations of each Energy Superhero drawn by Adua Hernandez.
"I'm proud to be a part of the launch of Everyday Superheroes, Women in Energy Careers. ALLY believes all energy matters and it is necessary we drive energy literacy to educate younger children (3rd to 6th grade) about the great careers that our industry affords. It's our hope this book will reach parents and students about the possibilities of technology and innovations that power a prosperous and sustainable future," said Katie Mehnert, co-author of the book and CEO of ALLY Energy.
But we know that this push for breaking the bias in energy does not end with Women's History Month. The authors are committed to making energy more accessible for everyone, especially girls. That is why they have partnered with ALLY Energy to take pre-orders and match them with donated books.
For a complete directory of the Energy Superheroes and their illustrations visit the Energy Superheroes Instagram page @EnergySuperheroes.
The following are featured in the book as the Energy Superheroes with Superpowers:
- Dr. Emily Reichert (Chief Executive Officer, Greentown Labs)
- Theresa Eaton (Chief Executive Officer, WECS Renewables)
- Gulnaaz Afzal (Quality Engineer, Rivian)
- Paula Glover (President, Alliance to Save Energy)
- Eduarda Zoghbi (Activist, Equinor and Columbia University)
- Dr. Noël Bakhtian (Director, Berkeley Lab Energy Storage Center)
The following are featured in the book as the A to Z of Energy Superheroes:
- Tatiana Stein (Project Manager, Energy Vault, Former Orsted)
- Becky Stebbins (Dam Safety Engineer, FirstLight Power)
- Marie Kills Warrior (Solar Installer, 8th Fire Solar)
- Christina Calabrese (Environmental Scientist, EDP Renewables)
- Michelle Rodriguez-Pico (Mechanical Engineer, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Energy Corp.)
- Monica McDaniel (Meteorologist, Pattern Energy)
- Maria Moreno (Electrical and Instrumentation Technician, Fulcrum Bioenergy)
- Monica S. Krishnan (Technology Manager, Chevron)
- Amanda Josefa Polematidis (Energy Services Engineer, TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc.)
- Erika Anderson (Reliability Engineer, ExxonMobil)
- Dr. Emily Shemon (Nuclear Engineer, Argonne National Laboratory)
- La’Shree Branch (Energy Educator, The NEED Project)
- Dr. Maggie Teliska (Battery Scientist, Enel Green Power)
- Anelia Milbrandt (Bioenergy Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
- Mackenzie Gillan (Powerline Technician and Apprentice, Hydro One)
- Jaimey Fulford (Powerline Technician, Oakville Hydro)
- Sarah Davis (Power Systems Engineer, Apex Clean Energy, Inc.)
- Dr. Paty Romero-Lankao (Behavioral Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
- Ryan Moody (Chemical Engineer, Shell Hydrogen)
- Dr. Sherilyn Williams-Stroud (Geologist, Illinois State Geological Survey)
- Dr. Ajami Newsha (Hydrologist, Berkeley Lab Earth and Environmental Sciences Area)
- Jennifer Emerson (Enterprise Recovery Manager, Shell)
- Alessia Falsarone (Finance Manager)
- Kenyatta Releford (Weatherization Manager, ClearResult)
- Dr. Charmayne Lonergan (Materials Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
- Jennifer Hill (Power Plant Operator, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Energy Corp.)
- Dr. Suzanne Singer (Off-grid Solar Director, Native Renewables)
The carbon footprint of the book, 3.5 pounds was calculated by Energy Superhero:
- Claudia Garcia (Sustainability Manager at Enel North America)
To learn more about the women featured in the “Everyday Superheroes” book series, visit www.stemsuperheroes.com.
About Everyday Superheroes:
Everyday Superheroes is an award-winning nonfiction book series for upper elementary students (3rd-6th graders) written by Erin Twamley and Joshua Sneideman. It focuses on sharing the stories, careers, and superpowers of modern diverse women working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math). The series emphasizes the multicultural representation of women in STEM. Each book features an A-to-Z format with full-page illustrations of each Superhero and their unique STEM career. To learn more, visit stemsuperheroes.com/stem-books/.
