The Responsibility of Allyship

energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources. To guide people who are adept at leading initiatives and R&D that will ensure Americans have access to clean energy by 2050 is powerful. However, it does pain me when the demographics show that with all the talent, only a few women of color with STEM degrees are represented in the department. I recently attended a conference sponsored by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). I witnessed over 400 people who were descendants of Indigenous people and either had degrees or were committed to pursuing and getting degrees in STEM. In addition, they were passionate about being involved in renewable energy R&D to bring that knowledge back to their tribal communities. So why are only a tiny percentage of Native Americans working for the department? In my opinion, some in decision-making positions are not doing due diligence to ensure they open opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of color (BIPOC) professionals. Instead, I believe they identify candidates with whom they feel comfortable. However, I don’t think most do so intentionally. But no company should rely on comfort when it comes to hiring and building a pipeline for succession planning, enriching company culture, and

Michelle Pannell Director, Workforce Management Office Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Ilike to say started my federal career with Barack Obama since it was the same month he took office as the President of the United States. Therefore, it was an honor to serve as director of human resources management in the Executive Office. In that role, I oversaw agencies that structure federal government operations. In addition, I ensured that the right people were hired in the right way to do the job.

After a stint away from the government, I returned in 2021 to join the Department of Energy as director of the workforce management office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. During my brief tenure, I’ve learned much about what the government is doing to ensure energy is more affordable and develop bringing DEI to the table. That’s where change has to happen. But here’s the caveat: This message cannot solely come from people of color. Case in point, one of the office directors in my department, who happened to be a Caucasian male and former Navy officer, attended the AISES conference with me. His takeaways were eye-opening: “I didn’t know there’s so much diversity out there! Why aren’t we doing more? We have to do more!”

He demonstrated with his actions that professionals shouldn’t have to look like the audience to learn from other cultures. That’s one way we can facilitate change. We need people from all races and ethnic backgrounds. We need everyone, not just people of color, to get more involved.

Sadly, this isn’t the first equity rodeo. As far back as the Bush and Clinton administrations, there were initiatives to strengthen diversity and inclusion. It’s not about meeting quotas. Companies often want to hire the best people, but who’s to say the person of color you looked over wasn’t the best candidate? It’s hard to prove yourself when you’re not even given a chance or invited to sit at the table.

Equity and inclusion efforts should not be separate conversations in special meetings or listening sessions. Instead, diversity should be part of shared information when discussing data, metrics, and numbers. It needs to be infused into any presented report, not just a report focusing on meeting diversity goals. To be exact, inclusion shouldn’t be a “goal.” It should simply be! Sadly, even in 2023, we aren’t there yet. When there are discussions about diversity initiatives, but no action plans to implement them, true change cannot, will not, and has not occurred. The efforts only end up as a tagline, hashtag, or something to mention on a quarterly business call. No one does the work, and the proof is in the numbers (or lack thereof). There need to be more people sitting in leadership roles who want to make this a priority. This is why people of color need to be hired in decision-making executive positions, not to meet goals or quotas but to bring a different perspective to how we look and approach business. This is key in pushing the needle forward. However, this way of thinking must start well before we get to the hiring stage. It must begin as individuals decide about the industries they want to pursue. It needs to start in our educational institutions, but sadly that is only sometimes the case. I know this firsthand because I have an 18-year-old daughter majoring in computer science at a predominantly white institution (PWI). As one of the few people of color in her class, she often felt intimidated despite being a National Honor student on an academic scholarship. This is common among women of color pursuing degrees in the STEM field, particularly African Americans. Perhaps that is why only 7 percent of African American students who attend PWIs graduate with a STEM degree, while 25 percent of students who attend historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) graduate at a higher rate. It only takes one bad experience to deter people, which can be detrimental to the cause of advancing STEM industries. The U.S. Department of Education reports that only 7 percent of African American students attend HBCUs, while 53 percent attend PWIs. This is part of the reason why there are challenges in getting qualified BIPOC professionals into the STEM pipeline.

With Executive Order 14035, “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce initiative,” the Department of Energy can break down exclusion walls through innovation. I plan to be a part of that change by collaborating with other vested members across the department. Moreover, I want to help create business plans for hiring managers within my office at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy so they will have a toolbox of resources to facilitate true change in equity affairs. It will be a serious educational process, but it will be worth it if managers and leaders take ownership. And, as the saying goes, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” I hope to teach leaders how to fish to sustain this mandate and continue it on their own. I am responsible for educating and ensuring that other BIPOC professionals have opportunities to sit at the leadership table. If done well and with all cultures invested, our collective impact will last well beyond our years, encouraging young men and women of color to pursue careers in STEM. That’s the type of change I want to be known for. 