The Appalachian Energy Center is pleased to welcome Kate Bashford to the team. Kate will serve as the Clean Energy and Storage Project Manager for STEPs4GROWTH, a four-year, $23.7 million statewide workforce development program funded by the Department of Commerce’s EDA-Good Jobs Challenge. STEPs4GROWTH will focus on historically underserved regions North Carolina to develop a new generation of skilled workers for the clean energy sector, and provide opportunities for recent high school graduates, community college students, and four-year college students. The Appalachian Energy Center is the technical lead for the integration of the standardized curriculum for battery and energy storage systems for the program.
Kate previously worked as a state policy advisor for New England’s grid operator and electricity market manager, the Independent System Operator of New England, served as the Executive Director of Clean Energy New Hampshire, and worked in private consulting as well as government regulation focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy. She has a master’s degree in International Energy Management and Policy from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy and Economic Analysis from Boston University. Learn more about STEPs4GROWTH.