Glenna Wiseman, Solar, California

Glenna Wiseman is head of marketing and communications at Origis Energy and lives in San Francisco, California.

Why is clean energy important to you? Clean energy must be the fuel to electrify all aspects of our lives — not diminishing our lifestyles but raising them up and including all types of communities. We have the power to make this happen.

What’s your proudest accomplishment in clean energy? One of them is being the first photo of women in the solar industry taken on the SPI show floor in Chicago, IL 2013. Raina Greenfest and I worked on organizing this photo event, and I still smile every time I think of it.

What did you do before entering clean energy? When the Great Recession hit, my partners and I lost our Smart Home Integration company in CA. Part of what we were doing was lighting and energy management systems. I saw the value of energy management to the lifestyle and environmental factors then. Solar gave me a way to move my experience into the clean energy industry just as solar started to gain some traction. Now we are off to the races and I could not be more excited.

How did you first get introduced to clean energy? In California, adoption of solar was ahead of the curve for the rest of the country.

How does clean energy impact your community? Jobs, energy resiliency, cleaner air, less water consumption used for electricity generation — a big one in California.

What is something you wish more people knew about your job? I'm so glad women are moving up in the industry. More women in the clean energy ranks has been something I've worked on since 2008 when I attended my first SPI (Now RE+).

Why should Congress invest in clean energy jobs, not fossil fuel jobs? As a single mom it has meant a roof over our heads. When we had a dog, it meant puppy food. Beyond the everyday essentials it means pride in the contribution I am making at a stunningly important time on the planet.