LIGHTING UP

As COO of Solar Panda, Brett Bergmann ’00 is putting power in the hands of rural Kenyans

Written by Pat Morden

On his first trip to Kenya with Solar Panda, Brett Bergmann ’00 visited the home of a customer. He was prepared to ask a set of typical consumer insight questions, but he didn’t get far. The man rushed over and gave him a big hug, saying, “Now I don’t have to worry about my children breathing kerosene fumes and then coughing all night!”

That day was filled with similar interactions, and Bergmann returned to his hotel exhausted but uplifted. “It hammered home that this isn’t just a job,” he says. “We are changing lives.”

Bergmann’s journey to that day began when he started at Crescent in Grade 5. At school, he reveled in the opportunity to explore diverse sports, activities, and academic pursuits. He helped start a swim team and even competed in the school talent show as an Elvis impersonator — and won! “I had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up, and the school didn’t pigeonhole me into anything,” he says. “The teachers supported me to find where I had strengths and passion. That’s been critical in my career.” →