My ongoing theme in this newsletter is that electric buses are hard, worth the effort (including in the COVID 19 era), and require new levels of silo-busting collaboration between us. The burning why’s include our shared, endangered climate and, more viscerally, the way diesel exhaust sickens and kills people, especially vulnerable people, children and folks with the least access to health care.
New research shows that people’s environment is among the pre-existing conditions making death from coronavirus more likely. Air pollution where you live, not just asthma, puts you at risk. Black people are overwhelmingly more likely to die from COVID 19 than the general population. This is morally wrong and preventable. There is actually a vaccine against death by air pollution, and it’s called electrified transportation. As with medical vaccines, it doesn’t innoculate against all the strains, and there are access barriers, but it reduces risk substantially.
Learning is paramount to address burning problems, and webinar (formerly known as conference) season is upon us. A problem, silo-related, is men-only panels, known as manels. A related problem is white-only panels, which I suggest we call whanels (if you have a bettter term, please tell me). I like men a lot (some of my best friends . . . ) but manels rob us of crucial experience and information. They’re as dated and wrong as segregation. I just got called yesterday to speak about electric buses on a panel. I am delighted.
Two upcoming webinars, manel-free, are CTE’s Electric School Bus Webinar on Program Cost and Funding on June 4th (register here) and Forth’s Electric School Bus webinar on June 9th (register here).
Happily, the manel problem can be addressed via networking, one of my favorite activities. I’ve created here a list of women who work in the electric bus field, and a second list of women who work in transportation electrification in general. I have either heard these women speak, or would be thrilled to hear them speak. I’ve updated this list since distributing this as a newsletter on May 22, but these still aren’t nearly exhaustive lists. Please tell me who to add!
Note: I’m not saying anyone listed is necessarily seeking to be a panelist, though many are experienced at it. I’m suggesting that any panel organizer on electric buses needs to know about these women. And maybe start courting them, since smart women are notoriously busy. You can find them on LinkedIn.
Electric buses in particular
New research shows that people’s environment is among the pre-existing conditions making death from coronavirus more likely. Air pollution where you live, not just asthma, puts you at risk. Black people are overwhelmingly more likely to die from COVID 19 than the general population. This is morally wrong and preventable. There is actually a vaccine against death by air pollution, and it’s called electrified transportation. As with medical vaccines, it doesn’t innoculate against all the strains, and there are access barriers, but it reduces risk substantially.
Learning is paramount to address burning problems, and webinar (formerly known as conference) season is upon us. A problem, silo-related, is men-only panels, known as manels. A related problem is white-only panels, which I suggest we call whanels (if you have a bettter term, please tell me). I like men a lot (some of my best friends . . . ) but manels rob us of crucial experience and information. They’re as dated and wrong as segregation. I just got called yesterday to speak about electric buses on a panel. I am delighted.
Two upcoming webinars, manel-free, are CTE’s Electric School Bus Webinar on Program Cost and Funding on June 4th (register here) and Forth’s Electric School Bus webinar on June 9th (register here).
Happily, the manel problem can be addressed via networking, one of my favorite activities. I’ve created here a list of women who work in the electric bus field, and a second list of women who work in transportation electrification in general. I have either heard these women speak, or would be thrilled to hear them speak. I’ve updated this list since distributing this as a newsletter on May 22, but these still aren’t nearly exhaustive lists. Please tell me who to add!
Note: I’m not saying anyone listed is necessarily seeking to be a panelist, though many are experienced at it. I’m suggesting that any panel organizer on electric buses needs to know about these women. And maybe start courting them, since smart women are notoriously busy. You can find them on LinkedIn.
Electric buses in particular
Mary Lunetta, Climate Parents, Sierra Club
Sandy Naranjo, Mothers Out Front
Johana Vicente, Chispa
Shantelle Dreamer, Transit & Rail Americas Technial Excellence Center
Pita Juarez, Chispa
Radhika Moolgavkar, King County, WA
Malinda Sandhu, The Lion Electric Co
Esther Pullido, Pacific Power
Jennifer Nelson, Chispa
Holmes Hummel, Clean Energy Works (when I asked Holmes about preferred pronouns, the warm reply was: “choose whichever you’re comfortable with!”)
Kelly Hoell, Lane Transit District, Eugene, OR
Lauren Justice, CTE
Pam Caro, Blue Bird
Marie Bedard, The Lion Electric Co
Leah O’Dwyer, ChargePoint
Lisa Jerram, American Public Transportation Association
Wendy Evans, CTE
Tyson Brodwolf, Cajon Valley School District, CA
Amy Posner, CTE
Justyne Lobello, Blue Bird
Alison Smyth, CTE
Meredith Connolly, Climate Solutions
Eva Decesaro, Pacific Power
Ruthie Norton, CTE
Alison Wiley (that’s me), this Electric Bus newsletter
Leslie Eudy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Suzanne Sullivan, Sullivan Strategies, LLC
Shanna Brownstein, Portland General Electric
Linda Rendon, Escondido Union High School District, CA
Elizabeth Turnbull, Portland General Electric
Brittany Applestein Syz, San Diego Gas and Electric
Stacey L. Simms, Xcel Energy
Paola Massoli, Green Energy Consumers
Susan Mudd, Environmental Law and Policy Center
Christy Veeder, Jobs To Move America
Josipa Petrunic, Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium
Aurora (A.J.) Jackson, Lane Transit District, Eugene, OR
Who to add?
Transportation Electrification in general
Radhika Moolgavkar, King County, WA
Malinda Sandhu, The Lion Electric Co
Esther Pullido, Pacific Power
Jennifer Nelson, Chispa
Holmes Hummel, Clean Energy Works (when I asked Holmes about preferred pronouns, the warm reply was: “choose whichever you’re comfortable with!”)
Kelly Hoell, Lane Transit District, Eugene, OR
Lauren Justice, CTE
Pam Caro, Blue Bird
Marie Bedard, The Lion Electric Co
Leah O’Dwyer, ChargePoint
Lisa Jerram, American Public Transportation Association
Wendy Evans, CTE
Tyson Brodwolf, Cajon Valley School District, CA
Amy Posner, CTE
Justyne Lobello, Blue Bird
Alison Smyth, CTE
Meredith Connolly, Climate Solutions
Eva Decesaro, Pacific Power
Ruthie Norton, CTE
Alison Wiley (that’s me), this Electric Bus newsletter
Leslie Eudy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Suzanne Sullivan, Sullivan Strategies, LLC
Shanna Brownstein, Portland General Electric
Linda Rendon, Escondido Union High School District, CA
Elizabeth Turnbull, Portland General Electric
Brittany Applestein Syz, San Diego Gas and Electric
Stacey L. Simms, Xcel Energy
Paola Massoli, Green Energy Consumers
Susan Mudd, Environmental Law and Policy Center
Christy Veeder, Jobs To Move America
Josipa Petrunic, Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium
Aurora (A.J.) Jackson, Lane Transit District, Eugene, OR
Who to add?
Transportation Electrification in general
Gina Coplon-Newfield, Clean Transportation for All, Sierra Club
Kelly Yearick, Forth
Morgan Ellis, Clean Transportation for All, Sierra Club
Ingrid Fish, City of Portland
Kathy Knoop, APS
Rebekah Whilden, Clean Transportation for All, Sierra Club
Erica Dodt, Midwest Clean Transportation Organizing Representative
Morgan Ellis, Clean Transportation for All, Sierra Club
Ingrid Fish, City of Portland
Kathy Knoop, APS
Rebekah Whilden, Clean Transportation for All, Sierra Club
Erica Dodt, Midwest Clean Transportation Organizing Representative
Hana Creger, Greenlining Institute
Gina Avalos, Forth
Andrea Pratt, City of Seattle
Ashley Horvat, Greenlots
Mary Brazell, Oregon Dept of Transportation
Tegan Molloy, Forth
Jeanette Shaw, Forth
Patricia Taylor, American Public Power Association
Ashley Duplanty, Forth
Jenna Cansecco, DNV GL
Simbiat Yusuff, Forth
Amy Hillman, Blink Charging
Erin Galager, Forth
Women of EV’s (WEVs) board
Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
Victoria (Vee) Paykar, Climate Solutions
Sara Wright, Oregon Environmental Council
Again, please tell me who I’m missing
The final two women are among the people I serve with on a dyamic new coalition called Clean and Just Transportation Oregon. I appreciate Vee’s and Sara’s leadership!
Gina Avalos, Forth
Andrea Pratt, City of Seattle
Ashley Horvat, Greenlots
Mary Brazell, Oregon Dept of Transportation
Tegan Molloy, Forth
Jeanette Shaw, Forth
Patricia Taylor, American Public Power Association
Ashley Duplanty, Forth
Jenna Cansecco, DNV GL
Simbiat Yusuff, Forth
Amy Hillman, Blink Charging
Erin Galager, Forth
Women of EV’s (WEVs) board
Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
Victoria (Vee) Paykar, Climate Solutions
Sara Wright, Oregon Environmental Council
Again, please tell me who I’m missing
The final two women are among the people I serve with on a dyamic new coalition called Clean and Just Transportation Oregon. I appreciate Vee’s and Sara’s leadership!