How Michigan Turns IRA Tax Credits Into Growth – Hilary Doe, Chief Growth Officer, Michigan
Release Date: 05/05/2025
Electric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Your job isn’t to know the answer. Your job is to ask all the right questions of where the business is going and…Don’t be afraid…(Align) with people who could see the possibility of (your) experience…Take that stretch job and just remember you’re in the room to ask different questions, and that’s perfectly fine. So, take the stretch and then lean into your experience that allows you to have a different lens and a different perspective.” , Chief Sustainability Officer at Workiva on Electric Ladies Podcast When the economy feels tough or you feel like things are...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“(Climate modelling)…it's being used in things like insurance companies. It's being used by companies for their ESG assessments. So, when you get your insurance premium at the end of the year, there is some kind of climate model that has said something about the risk of your house to flood. It has said something about your risk to fire. And so that might be driving up your insurance premium…And so it's being involved in your lives in many different ways. The food you consume, those grocery bills, there's prices behind it that are being driven by people using climate models saying...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Regardless of what's happening with kind of the ESG backlash conversation here, especially in the US, our other jurisdictions are coming hard and fast on regulatory…It doesn't matter what's happening in the broader ESG backlash …The other piece is, our corporate customers that have their own set of goals and expectations have absolutely not led up on us on wanting to see us continue to progress and move forward and drive change and help them drive change, because that is their expectation of us as a large scale supplier.” Page Motes on Electric Ladies Podcast If you're thinking...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“An estimated is expected to change hands (globally) under the so-called ‘great wealth transfer’, with women set to inherit nearly 70% of that amount. Combined with rising educational attainment, stronger diversity and inclusion efforts, and ongoing progress in closing the gender pay gap, this moment signals a transformative rise in global female affluence… What does it mean to be wealthy in this world? What are the type of behaviors? How do we put into practice the values that we have?” Silvia Bastante de Unverhau on Electric Ladies Podcast You might not have heard about...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“We were the first to lightweight our bottles. So, if you think about a typical bottle of soda, it's about 27 grams of plastic. Our bottles, this year, I think they're coming in at 6.6 grams. So it's incredibly lightweight. I always say, you know, it's a Niagara bottle if it crinkles…We've created label-less bottles so they're easier to recycle. …And, we're now running lines that are in entirely recycled content. So we are very committed to creating bottles that that do not harm the planet, and also that allow for the most circular of products while we also think about what the bottle of...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“What we're seeing is, as the new carbon economy moves forward – and this is critical to businesses to operate in the future, in the next five, 10 years – it’s colliding with the digital transformation and financial transformation. And so, I think one of the essential things our customers are asking is. ‘how do we bring together the Chief Sustainability Officer, the CIO and the CFO and the new market, digital and carbon economy as we go forward?’ Because you need all three lenses to make a holistic decision for both the growth and resiliency of your company.” Mandi McReynolds on...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“Essentially what carbon accounting is doing is it's using a mathematical equation to come up with a standardized unit of measure that we call a carbon dioxide equivalent of how you can, um, measure and track all of the different greenhouse gases that your business emits through various activities. There's actually seven distinct greenhouse gases that are included…So what carbon accounting is doing is it's using it's using math to take those different greenhouse gases and normalize them into a standard unit of measure, which is carbon dioxide equivalent… (to measure) its warming ability...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“We did do a study where we shared the story of the careful thought that went into products that were better for people and the planet … Then we administered the standard guest satisfaction survey, and what we found, Joan, was 150% increase in satisfaction, loyalty numbers… Why?...They equated it to service. They said, a hotel that goes out of its way to choose products that are better for me and the planet is a hotel that I have confidence is going to take better care of me while I'm there.” JoAnna Abrams on Electric Ladies Podcast As conference season begins and then the holidays, a...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“I like to think about ESG not only as a risk management tool, but also as an opportunity. I think the, the flip side of risk is opportunity. So if we think that a diverse team is what will bring more innovation, more ideas, more, let's say different ways of looking at needs and products, then this is an opportunity….What about if we think about the way that people consume, what is the carbon footprint that we have?.... And how do you reduce it? Or maybe build technology that helps reduce your impact on the planet, or helps you reduce the amount of AI or cloud usage that you use? So I, I...
info_outlineElectric Ladies Podcast - Women Leaders Discuss Careers, Trends, Technologies and Innovation in Energy, Climate, and Corporate Responsibility
“The theme of the expo is ‘designing society for future lives.’ And it is just that from the foundations, from the buildings to the exhibits, each country showcasing what they're doing for our future, in technology, healthcare, sustainable, living energy…The Japan pavilion's exhibit…is about the circular economy and…the theme is between life and life. So the pavilion, and its circular structure, is about life and how everything is connected and flows, again, the circular economy.” Yvonne Burton on Electric Ladies Podcast Japan is one of the countries most vulnerable to the...
info_outline“We did lots of infrastructure investments over the last handful of years to make sure our communities are in the best possible place they can be. And we complemented federal investment with workforce investment to ensure Michiganders are getting access to those kinds of roles, some of which didn't even exist previously. [This ensures] that Michigan communities could benefit from learning to be solar installers and get access to new economic income streams.”
Hilary Doe on Electric Ladies Podcast
The Justice Department is suing Michigan over its climate initiatives under the Clean Air Act. Michigan has the fastest-growing clean energy job sector in the U.S., with over 120,000 clean energy jobs. In addition, a recent study ranked Michigan at limited risk from climate change-related events, so it may attract millions of Americans who may relocate to escape extreme climate events.
Listen to Hilary Doe, Michigan’s first Chief Growth Officer (and the first in the country) on Electric Ladies Podcast with Joan Michelson. She describes how Michigan rapidly leveraged the Inflation Reduction Act to increase their climate resilience, economic growth and innovation. Now, Michigan is rated as one of the best places to live, work, raise a family and start a business.
You’ll hear about:
- Michigan's efforts to position itself as a climate-resilient and clean energy hub.
- The state's fast growing startup ecosystem and innovation centers, particularly in clean tech and mobility.
- The impact of climate change on businesses and the trend of "climate migration" to Michigan and the Midwest.
- Strategies for retaining and attracting talent, including new programs like "Make My Home".
- Plus, insightful career advice.
“Many folks start to experience frustration because they have built such a wealth of expertise and have so much to offer, but they might feel just stuck. In my experience, when I've been able to jump off that ladder and pursue something, a different context, a different platform, that lets me get unstuck. It's risky, but sometimes it just unlocks so much passion in an individual that to do exactly what you're meant to do and share all your gifts and be more successful than maybe you could have been in the other context.”
Hilary Doe on Electric Ladies Podcast
You’ll also like:
- Tensie Whelan, Founding Director of NYU Stern on why sustainable business is good business.
- Doreen Harris, President and CEO of NYSERDA, on how New York is leading the way to the clean energy future.
- Jennifer Granholm, 16th U.S. Secretary of Energy, gives three reasons why clean energy is here to stay.
- Sherri Goodman, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, on why climate change is an issue of national security.
- Joan Michelson’s Forbes article on Communicating Creatively On Climate To Save Lives.
Read more of Joan’s Forbes articles here.
More from Electric Ladies Podcast!
JUST LAUNCHED: Join our global community at electric-ladies.mykajabi.com! For a limited time, be a member of the Electric Ladies Founders’ Circle at an exclusive special rate.
Elevate your career with expert coaching and ESG advisory with Electric Ladies Podcast. Unlock new opportunities, gain confidence, and achieve your career goals with the right guidance.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, articles, events and career advice – and special coaching offers.
Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio and Spotify and leaving us a review!
Don’t forget to follow us on our socials
Twitter: @joanmichelson
LinkedIn: Electric Ladies Podcast with Joan Michelson
Twitter: @joanmichelson
Facebook: Green Connections Radio