Upcoming Events: Kelly Veney Darnell, COO, American Clean Power, on CLEANPOWER in Color & EmpowHER

Catherine: Hi, I’m Catherine McLean, Founder and CEO of Dylan Green. Today we’re in my house and Kelly has come to Reston to see me. I’m very excited. We did plan it. It wasn’t just spur of the moment. So Kelly Vinay Darnell, who’s the COO at American Clean Power. Can you please introduce yourself and share a bit about what your role entails at American Clean Power? 

Kelly: I will. So I’ve been at American Clean Power for almost three years in September. The time has flown. And as Chief Operating Officer, I’m responsible for operations, of course, so facilities, HR, finance, IT. I also have the corporate counsel who reports to me, as well as the events and conference team. And so ACP has eight conferences a year, the largest being Clean Power, which is about 9,000 people. And so I also serve as the president of the Clean Power Institute, which is our 501c3, where we focus on workforce issues. We look at bringing diverse audiences into clean power, and we have a lot of partnerships in places around the country so we can really spread the word about clean power. 

Catherine: That’s great. And for listeners who may not be familiar with it yet, what is the EmpowHer Forum and what makes it unique? 

Kelly: I think this is the most fantastic conference that we do. I have a couple of favorites. I hate to admit, and Empower is definitely one of them. 

Catherine: Permitting and interconnection.

Kelly: I know, I know. Citing a permit, and somehow I miss it every year. So Empower. We wanted to create an intimate space for women. In Charlotte, this is our second year as a full conference. And so we limit the number to 200 to 300 women. And we try to make it as authentic as possible and small enough where women can talk and share and really get to know each other in a way that you can’t do at a larger conference. And so all of the experiences, one of the things I loved last year is we opened the conference with mimosas. So I was on stage opening the conference with the mimosa. And we add very feminine touches to the conference, understanding that it is serious. And our whole goal is to make sure women are walking away with additional tools and skills that’s going to help them meet whatever ambition and goals that they have.

Catherine: Right, This year, the event is taking place August 5th to August 7th in Charlotte, again, great city. What kind of conversations, speakers and themes are you especially excited about this year? 

Kelly: We have an advisory committee on which you sit. And so we get a lot of feedback from the advisory committee. We want to make sure that whatever our programming looks like, it’s real and it’s relevant. And so we hear a lot that women need more experience in finance at their companies. So we focus on finance. Salary, I’m really passionate about talking about money. And salary negotiations because what we know is women and people of color do not always know how to really negotiate to get the most out of their contract, the most out of their salaries. So we always have an expert on that. And then we focus on this year. I’m really excited about new to the C-suite. What does it mean to be in the C-suite? A panel of women CEOs. We don’t have many women CEOs in clean energy still. And so what does that mean? And what is a panel with men? An allyship panel to really talk about their perspective and see where they are. 

Catherine: For someone considering attending, what do you hope people walk away with after spending a few days at Empower? 

Kelly: Support. We create so many spaces where women can just be with each other and share in the warmth of being with other women.  While again, it is a serious conference. It’s interesting because we have conversations about, should we have dinners at night? And so many of the women have children and they just want to be in their room. 

Catherine: Oh, that’s right. They just want a gift card to the ring service. 

Kelly: The quiet, right? They want a gift card to the ring service. And so we do have more wellness. Why? It’s true. We have yoga and just, it’s really an opportunity to network. Let’s be honest. Where’s your next opportunity coming from too? So everyone you meet, what are you getting out of the conference? That’s something really tangible. And that’s what you walk away with.

Catherine: Clean Power and Color, I want to talk about next, which I know is something that is really passionate, that you’re really passionate about. It returns June 1st to 2nd in Houston for the second year. How is ACP building on the success of the program to create more access, visibility, and leadership opportunities to diverse talent and clean energy? 

Kelly: So Empower and Clean Power and Color, admittedly are just, are two experiences that I take very personally, that I spend a lot of time on because they’re so incredibly important to the industry. So Clean Power and Color was created last year. That was our inaugural year. When I first went to Clean Power three years ago, I went to Clean Power before I actually started.

And I joked with Jason Grumet, the CEO of ACP, and I said, huh, really diverse crowd, because of course it was not. And so I’m new to clean energy. I just was so amazed at all of the opportunities in clean energy and the fact that we just don’t know about it. A lot of communities of color, a lot of young students, young engineers of color are unfamiliar with this industry. And with young people caring so much about climate, about sustainability, I thought, how do we attract people of color? And certainly how do we retain? So that was the idea behind Clean Power and Color. And also what are those things that you need to get into leadership, but no one ever tells you? What are those tools that you need? And so last year we announced the program the day that the Trump administration, what were they up to that day? They released their executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion. And so it was certainly a concern. And as you know, companies pulled back and we continued. And so we had the support of the board to continue with the conference. And we were a little more quiet about it last year, but had tons of support. So we continued, people were, participants were so moved by the experience and our board was so excited about it. And we just, Jason Grumet closed it out and said, we’ll be back next year and it’ll be bigger and better. And so last year we had about a hundred participants. This year we already have about 300 registered. Similar program last year. What are we talking about? What’s going on in the market? What’s going on around finance? We’re introducing an entrepreneurial program for folks who are in clean energy companies now, but maybe they want to do something new. So let’s talk about that. What does financing look like? Salary negotiations again. And keynote speaker, Shalonda Baker from the department of energy, who’s now running a new school in sustainability at the University of Michigan, will be our keynote. And we’re more excited than ever. And it shows even if companies have publicly pulled back by ACP continuing this work, it really is showing those diverse employees in our industry that clean energy still cares. And these companies so very much support you, even if they can’t be as public. And I am quite moved by how much it means that we’re doing it. It means a lot to people. 

Catherine: Yeah. Well, I’m really sad that I’m going to miss it because she is an incredible speaker. I interviewed her at the WRISE Leadership Forum and she brought me to tears. I was so embarrassed. Trying to compose myself. I think you brought me to tears the last time.

Kelly: I got to tell you, when she agreed to do it, I almost was in tears because, I mean, she’s really on her time. She does things that are meaningful to her at this point. And the fact that she said, yes, I was just over the moon. I try to put good karma out there and good karma can’t affect me when she said yes. 

Catherine: She’s just so energizing. She moves people, but she’s just so positive and energizing. I think you did good. 

Kelly: Yeah, I have the total girl crush, so I’m very excited about that. 

Catherine: I know the feeling. OK, so we want to talk about Between Meetings with Kelly. You launched a new LinkedIn Live series, which I think is really cool. I don’t know a lot of LinkedIn Live series, actually. Between Meetings with Kelly focused on the honest, often unseen moments that shape a leadership journey. Why did this feel like the right time to start the series? And what impact do you hope it will have on leaders across the industry? 

Kelly: I have been a chief operating officer now for 17 years at five different organizations. And I just started playing golf. I’m terrible, but I just started playing. And so I like to think of this as I’m in the back nine of my career. And there are so many things that I’ve learned about leadership, CEOs, managing up, managing your team, trust, how to even when you have to do layoffs, what does that look like? And what type of culture do you create in different places? What is it like to walk into a room and be afraid and unsure of yourself? And I just, everything that I’ve learned, I really want to share. Because I don’t, if I can help you not have to learn all the lessons that I had to learn, I want to do that. I certainly, I mean, I went to a women’s college and there’s a, I went to Spelman College and I was just there for my 35th reunion. And they have this ceremony where it’s called the alumni arch and the oldest class represented, you have to wear white, was the class of 1941. So you literally have a hundred year old women and they’re sitting in every class, they’re lining a pathway all in white. And then the new graduates come through. And they’re like in tears and they’re crying, looking through all the history and all that you can learn from these women. And I just have a sense of responsibility to really give back and pull women up and pull people of color up and say, these opportunities are here for you. Let me help you. Let me do all that I can to help pave the way for you. Like people paved the way for me. You know, I graduated in 1991 and I remember Hillary Clinton said, cause Bill Clinton, And I remember her saying, I’m not going to stand by my man like Tammy Wynette. We were really into that, right? We were into Ann Richards, the governor of Texas who said, you know, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did except backwards and in high heels. And we just felt like we could do anything. It was a really exciting time. And so now I worry a little bit now. And so I’m like, what can I do to make sure women have those same opportunities? 

Catherine: Well, that we keep moving forward and that we keep moving forward. Cause when I was growing up, I always thought when you won the battle, then you didn’t have to fight the battle again, but that’s we’re fighting the battles, same old battles again. 

Kelly: Absolutely. I came out when I was at a women’s college. And so we were so excited about our futures and yes, I want to keep that momentum going. I want women to truly believe if you want to be a CEO, you can be a CEO. If you want to be a chief operator, you know, everything, anything you set your mind to do, you can still do it. 

Catherine: Across Empower, Clean Power & Color and your new Between Meetings with Kelly series, you’re creating spaces for people to be seen, supported and equipped to lead. What do you hope this work makes possible for the next generation of clean energy leaders? 

Kelly: Everything that I’ve said, how do we keep right now? Honestly, how do we keep the excitement among young people when they see that clean energy is under attack? I mean, even though that’s happening, we’re still building more clean energy. We still have record numbers in clean energy and there’s so much to be done. I don’t want young people to look at it and say, no, I’m afraid to go into that industry or I’m afraid to stay in that industry. So it’s just, it’s all about creating more opportunity, just creating more opportunity and keeping the excitement there that this too shall pass. And so when it passes, they’ll be ready to step into those leadership roles.

Mm-hmm. I have three of my former employees who are CEOs and it’s on Mother’s Day, one texted me and said, you know, happy Mother’s Day boss. I love that more than anything. When I, if you work for me, I feel like your career is my responsibility. And if there is a time where I feel like I can no longer help you grow, I have those conversations to say, you’re really too good. I need, you know, let’s talk about where you’re going next. And that’s what I try to do. Let’s talk about it. I want to create as many leaders as I possibly can. And I am devoted to doing that.

Catherine: Well, great. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. And I appreciate all that you do in our industry.

Kelly: Thank you. This was a lot of fun. Again.