IBS Speaker Series: Suzanne Tegen

Join in person or via Zoom, email ibs-contact@colorado.edu for the password.
*Light lunch served at 11:45, please RSVP.

Title: When we can’t say Climate Justice: the importance of the messenger and the context in the energy transition

Abstract: Suzanne Tegen will talk about her work with rural coal communities and how building trust can take more time and more listening than seems possible, in this time of climate urgency. She questions the term “justice” when talking with a coal worker who used to make a high salary in his town and suddenly finds himself unable to house and feed his family due to what he sees as government interference. There are many sides to climate justice and the energy transition, and if we’re going to do this transition better than past ones, Tegen believes we need to go and hear from people who are most impacted.

Bio: Suzanne Tegen is the Assistant Director of the Center for the New Energy Economy with expertise in energy economics and policy, and a Ph.D. in Energy Policy from the University of Colorado. At the Center, she works on clean energy policy education, research, and solutions for decision-makers including state legislators, governors’ energy offices, and others. Her current work also includes research on the equitable transition from coal power in rural America. Suzanne came to CNEE from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where she spent 14 years as an energy analyst, researcher, and manager of the Technology, Engineering, and Deployment group for wind and water power.

She has authored or co-authored over 50 reports focused on domestic renewable energy jobs, stakeholder engagement, and the levelized cost of wind energy. She co-wrote a report on clean energy policies for the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Clean Energy Solutions Center and received the Ministerial’s C3E Mid-career award in 2016. She represents the United States in the International Energy Agency’s wind energy social acceptance task and has made countless presentations on responsible renewable energy development across the country. Before graduate school, Tegen worked for the U.S. Antarctic Program at the South Pole and McMurdo stations and for the Center for Resource Solutions in San Francisco.

Beyond her job requirements, she is passionate about mentoring and energy education, diversity, and inclusivity. She is a founding member of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy and served on their Executive Committee for 9 years.