Members of the Colin Powell Bloom Energy Innovation Fellows' inaugural cohort tour the campus of San Jose State University, near Bloom Energy's headquarters.
The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York has been recognized for its Colin Powell Bloom Energy Innovation Fellowship with a DEI Impact Award that honors its efforts in diversity, inclusion and equity in clean energy.
The School won in the “One to Watch” category for the partnership with Bloom Energy, launched in January 2023. The program aims to diversify the ranks of leaders in the clean energy, tech, and sustainability industries.
“While the judges rated your nomination highly, they agreed that the program is too new to accurately provide a measure of success,” wrote the awards committee. “Therefore, we want to acknowledge the initiative [with the “One to Watch” award] and look forward to seeing future success.”
Named for the late General Colin Powell — a CCNY alumnus, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Secretary of State, and an advocate for clean energy solutions — the Fellowship offers an extraordinary opportunity for talented students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to receive deep mentorship, professional development, and paid summer internships at Bloom Energy’s San Jose, Calif. headquarters. Participating in the program as a cohort helps the fellows to overcome the inevitable imposter syndrome that comes from working in an industry whose leadership is overwhelmingly white and wealthy.
“Over the last two decades, Bloom Energy has become one of the leading producers of platforms for distributing lower carbon energy. It is a company that believes that a diverse workforce – and diverse leaders – are essential to building a better company and a stronger,” said Andrew Rich, the Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis Dean of the Colin Powell School. “The students are loving their experience in California. We expect that Bloom might make job offers to some of the students, and we look forward to working with Bloom to expand the program in year two.”
The Fellowship aligns with the core values and mission of CCNY, and its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and an environment free from discrimination. The basic premise of the Colin Powell School is that the future requires globally-minded, diverse leaders who are able to engage in analytically rigorous and evidence-informed debates.
“We were very fortunate in our inaugural year to have an exceptional cohort of students representing diverse majors from across the College, including psychology, engineering, and business,” said the program’s overseer, Manager of Corporate Partnerships Ashif Hassan. “Their remarkable contributions alongside Bloom Energy's team and fellow interns nationwide are incredibly inspiring.”
Dean Rich will accept the award at the DEI Impact Awards Breakfast and Presentation, part of SED’s Net Zero Forum, on Sept. 20 in Phoenix.
Nominations were accepted for DEI projects and industry influencers from commercial, industrial, institutional, and government organizations across seven categories. Winners were selected by a panel of judges representing energy customer peers and industry experts.
"Our goal in launching the DEI Impact Awards is to recognize the accomplishments of diverse groups within the clean energy community," said Smart Energy Decisions Vice President Wes Doane.
About Smart Energy Decisions
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About the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership
Established in April 2013, the Colin Powell School is home to the social science departments at CCNY as well as the core leadership development and public service programs of the College. With almost 4,000 students, and graduating the most CCNY students annually, the Colin Powell School mission is to transform the nation’s most diverse student body into tomorrow’s global leaders. Half of our students are immigrants; most come from lower income backgrounds. More than seventy percent are first-generation college students, and eighty percent are people of color. The Colin Powell School and City College remain among the most effective engines of economic and social mobility in the United States. The School is led by a faculty dedicated to the highest standards of research and to the university’s democratic and public obligations. Read more about the Colin Powell School.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. This year, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.