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Interview

Missy Henriksen, Executive Director, shares how CEWD is working in partnership to strengthen the talent pipeline and create a more direct path from education to energy careers

To begin with, could you share details of your career history and how you came to be Executive Director of Center for Energy Workforce Development( CEWD)? My background resides in associations, where I’ ve united industry leaders for more than 25 years. I am passionate about the outcomes that can be achieved when an industry collaborates, seeing accomplishments that are too great for any company to tackle on their own. I’ ve been in my current role for five of those years. Ironically, I started the workforce development programming with my last employer, a trade association, and used Center for Energy Workforce Development as a model to influence thinking around how to bring an industry together on the people side of the business. I am proud to be in this role at such a pivotal time in the evolution of the industry.

What does your day-to-day role involve and what aspects do you particularly enjoy? As with many jobs, there is no typical day-to-day script. Each day brings new opportunities in our efforts to ensure a skilled, diverse energy workforce. CEWD has expanded its wings lately, so our work is taking us into new areas including educating policymakers about needs and opportunities for the energy workforce, driving greater visibility of energy careers, partnering with

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