Amber Lessard on Teaching Trailblazers and Serving on the VWW Board
“Regardless of where I work, VWW is a constant in my life and my career.” – Amber Lessard
VWW Engagement Manager Jillian Scannell sat down with VWW Board Member and Trailblazers Instructor Amber Lessard to discuss her experience with the organization and working in a non-traditional career.
Amber Lessard first connected with Vermont Works for Women (VWW) in 2017 at the annual Women Can Do career conference. She led a hands-on solar activity and found it to be an empowering experience.
At the time, Amber was the only woman on the installation crew at a Vermont solar company. As the company grew, it reached a point where she was the sole woman with a crew of 30+ men, and she felt very isolated. “Finding VWW took a weight off my shoulders and showed me that there are other people doing this kind of work who identify similarly to me.”
The company then hired two more female installers with whom Amber found community and opportunities to provide mentorship. “Representation is important for both the recruitment and retention of women and gender-expansive folks in non-traditional careers. Even if they may have an interest in the trades, if people don’t see anyone like them doing it, they are less likely to take the first step”.
Teaching Trailblazers
In 2019, when VWW was starting Trailblazers, their trades training program, Missy Mackin reached out to Amber to teach a solar component and she’s been instructing for classes ever since.
During the first class, Amber led the Trailblazers in a unique hands-on learning opportunity. Amber was working with Amicus Solar, a solar cooperative, who were building solar-and-battery-storage-powered trailers for natural disaster relief zones. The trailers were outfitted with outlets in lockers that enabled people without power to securely charge their phones and devices. Following a hurricane in Puerto Rico, there was one trailer stationed in Vermont that needed work before it could be deployed. So, Amber brought it to Trailblazers for her solar lesson where the class mounted the solar panels and wired the outlets.
Participants enjoyed the hands-on learning and the ability to contribute to a project for a community in need.
After this class, Trailblazers kept growing and Amber and VWW were looking for a way to bring solar into a classroom or workshop setting. They connected with Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) who has electrical and renewable energy kits they use in schools. While the kits were designed for middle schoolers, Amber found that they were exciting and relevant for adults too. The kits are equipped with a model electrical grid including a grid operator station, power lines, and model houses. Participants hook everything up, creating circuits, to demonstrate how the electrical grid works. “Electricity is taken for granted until you don’t have it. People don’t think about it, you just switch on your lights or turn on the dryer when you need it, not thinking about the big picture of how the whole system works.”
This past April at the 19th Trailblazers class, in addition to the VEEP kits, Amber brought a solar array she built for a Women Can Do action expo activity. Trailblazers put the wooden frame together and mounted two full-sized solar panels on top. It was awesome to combine the classroom tabletop activity with a portable demo solar array.
Teaching Trailblazers has been inspiring and motivating for Amber. “I teach those classes, then I come home at night and can’t sleep because I’m so amped up and energized from how fun it was. Teaching is a way of giving back to help new folks entering the trades, and it’s also energizing for the work I do every day.”
Working in Solar
Amber started her trades career as a residential solar installer and electrical apprentice. The company she worked for found that she was good at solving problems, so they would send her out solo to address issues at various solar arrays across the state. She then transitioned to small commercial projects and community solar. Now in her role as Director of Asset Management at Encore Renewable Energy, Amber is responsible for managing the healthy functioning of large projects of 5+ megawatts (which is about 30 acres worth of solar panels) over their 30+ year lifespans.
Her role used to be very hands-on and is now focused more on quality control and contractor management. Previously Encore would find a site, build the solar array, then sell it to another party to own. Now Encore retains ownership of the projects, which requires active management – cue Amber. She’s responsible for a project’s maintenance plan, permitting and annual inspections, budget, and performance optimization. “The superpower I bring to asset management is my install background. A lot of people in this role come from a business or finance background, but my work history allows me to speak the language of the contractors on the site.”
Amber has also helped her employer implement more inclusive and supportive policies for its employees. For example, she advocated for a more robust parental leave policy. After working with another coworker on a proposal, their management approved a policy offering a minimum of 12 weeks’ leave for all new parents. Amber has supported other trades professionals in advocating for similar policies to be implemented at their organizations. Recently, she had a male colleague thank her for her advocacy work. He noted that because of this change in policy, he was able to spend time with his newborn child that he didn’t get with his first two children.
Joining the Board
In 2024, Amber was chosen to serve on Vermont Works for Women’s Board of Directors. VWW’s Board is a governing body focused on advancing the organization’s mission, strategy, and goals.
“I personally have gotten a lot out of the relationships I’ve built at VWW, and I always had it on my mind that I would love to be on their board someday. But I pictured that as 10-20 years down the road. When an opening came up, I threw my hat in the ring, and I’m so glad it worked out.”
We are too Amber, thank you for all you do to support VWW and Vermont women and girls.