CWEEL Mentor/Mentee
Date Paired: May 2019
Present status: Continuing relationship for over 1.5 years

Kjrsten and Cissy both have engineering background. Kjrsten is a licensed environmental professional engineer and a certified energy manager (CEM). Cissy works as an energy consultant, specializing in analytics related to clients’ energy portfolio. They started with emails and phone calls, as they live in different states. This year they switched to Skype as virtual meetings have become a new normal. They discussed career advancement ideas and business networking strategies. They also like to catch up about family and work life. Recently they coauthored an article for the International Journal of Strategic Energy and Environmental Planning (IJSEEP)!

“It’s been a wonderful journey to be part of the CWEEL Mentoring program. The program was able to find a mentor who is committed to help and empower me to develop my own strengths. When I talked to Kjrsten for the first time, I felt connected with her right way since both of us have engineering background. My purpose was to seek advice on where I can find resources for professional study in energy engineering. Kjrsten has tremendous experience in facility management and she understood my need immediately. She recommended me to take an AEE online training program about energy auditing. It’s very interesting and practical. I always find it’s easy to communicate with Kjrsten about my struggles or concerns at work. I think it’s because we both work in consulting environment. When we were writing an article together for the International Journal of Strategic Energy and Environmental Planning, Kjrsten encouraged me to discuss a granular energy data methodology I developed. She valued my opinions on how to structure the article. She also provided constructive feedback to enhance the discussion. I’m grateful to have her as my mentor,” said Cissy.

“Cissy and I were matched in the CWEEL mentoring program in May of 2019. Because of the distance, our meetings were phone calls and then virtual meetings. (We hope to meet in-person when conferences and travel are restarted post-pandemic.) While I have a “few” added years of experience, Cissy came to the mentoring program with excellent education and professional experience. For each of the two years that we worked together, Cissy had professional development goals that she wanted to achieve: continuing education, networking and publishing an article in a recognized journal. My role was providing Cissy with recommendations and resources to support her goals. We were excited when our energy management article was accepted into the IJSEEP journal! I have greatly enjoyed both our meetings and our continued friendship,” said Kjrsten.