Elizabeth Cook has been consulting and leading in the power industry over the last 16 years. She is involved with planning and studying the electric power grid to ensure it has the ability to serve our society into the future. Driven by the need to accommodate and integrate distributed energy resources (DER), electric vehicles (EVs), changing customer expectations, and increased stakeholder engagement, the electric power grid landscape is changing rapidly. As the traditional planning framework is no longer sufficient to ensure grid reliability in an era of increasing DER penetration, these factors introduce new opportunities along with increasing system complexity and uncertainty. A modern grid that is more fully integrated, highly flexible, reliable, resilient, accessible, responsive, and interactive is in need. Elizabeth Cook has positioned herself to lead by example and is by educating and collaborating across all stakeholders that the electric power grid impacts. She believes in the key to leading is to build relationships to promote the change we must see for a sustainable and resilient future world.

She is passionate about being the change and working and providing people the support and ideology to develop a growth mindset within all of us. Her motivational speeches inspire others to be the change they want to see in the world.

Elizabeth received her B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS; and a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to her responsibilities as an educator and leader, Cook is a mother of six, a business owner, a published author, and holds a doctorate in electrical engineering.

Elizabeth Cook will share her education, career path, passion projects, inspiration to work in the power industry, and key tips to inspire and motivate to stay focused and find your inner joy.

STEM Education, Education, STEM, Technology, Solar power, Sustainability, Energy, Environment, Science, Alternative Energy, Energy Security, Overcoming Adversity, Resilience