WESTBOROUGH _ The Female Leadership Interest Council (FLIC®), recently announced the appointment of Green Energy Consultant and Project Manager Caitlin Connelly to its Advisory Board. Connelly was approached by FLIC® Founder Deborah Penta, who believed that Connelly would be a good addition to the board, particularly because of her extensive international green energy background with the United Nations.
“Caitlin brings a new dimension of leadership to the FLIC® board. She spent most of her early career traveling internationally for the United Nations spearheading green energy initiatives,” Penta said. “She took a sabbatical to raise her children and is now striving to get back into the workforce. She represents what so many women experience as they work to find and maintain a healthy balance between their career and family. Caitlin is brilliant and we are delighted to welcome her to our board.”
FLIC® is a non-profit organization founded on the principles of female leadership, mentoring and the belief that when you can help someone else succeed, you personally grow and prosper. The Council’s mission is to provide educational instruction to women to assist in developing their capabilities in the business world, which will increase the likelihood that their successes will benefit the community.
“Today there is a whole new economy opening up, a green economy, and I want to do my part to ensure that women are part of it. Women can and should be active players as this market develops. Too many women are forced to make decisions everyday around energy, choices that affect the health and well-being of their families. It’s time for women to see energy in a positive light and benefit from the cost-savings associated with more efficient energy and jobs that the green economy, in particular in Worcester, is creating. Given their role in the family and community, women are also a huge resource for raising awareness on sustainable green energy,” Connelly said.
Since 1990, Connelly has served in a myriad of capacities at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as at the United Nations in Paris, Geneva, and New York. She worked on climate change, sustainable green energy and development initiatives and policy development in support of the international negotiations in these fields.
“I took a sabbatical to raise my children, and recently have reentered the workforce,” Connelly said. “Deborah Penta and Jill Dagilis (Advisory Board member) were key in helping me re-launch my career. They believed in me, put their faith in my abilities, and opened up their networks to me. As a result, I am consulting for the City of Worcester on its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Community Outreach Campaign. What Deborah and Jill did for me is an integral part of the FLIC® mission to ‘Pay it Forward.’ I am committed to helping others, in particular women, by paying it forward like Jill and Deborah did for me.”
Connelly noted that not only has she been mentored by both Penta and Dagilis, she is also now a mentor herself.
“In this job I’m mentoring four interns, three of whom are women,” she said. “I also have a ‘mentee’ through FLIC® who wants to start a green online magazine. I’m helping her to develop her ideas and create a business plan. She is a single mom with a passion for the environment, and like so many women must balance her career, dreams and aspirations with her most important role which is that of mother. By sharing our stories we grow and learn from each other.”
“That particular mentoring opportunity came to FLIC when I received an email request from a friend who knew about this young woman in Grafton looking for a mentor in the green energy field. I called Caitlin and without hesitation she immediately started helping the woman. Caitlin has been a wonderful role model and is demonstrating the mission of our organization through her active participation and mentorship,” Penta said.
Connelly noted that one of the most inspirational people in her life was her mom.
“My mother was ill my whole life but she never gave up and never stopped reaching out to those in need despite her own challenges,” she said. “She was always there for me and for others in the community. She would always say to those in need, ‘We are going to pick up, back up, dust you off, and send you back out there.’ Her strength and passion for life continue to be a backbone for me.”
Connelly added that most of the people who have helped her get back into the workforce are women, and she hopes she can do the same for others.
“Until I met Deborah I thought that you couldn’t do it all. Then I saw how Deborah so gracefully and successfully juggles her business, family, and community service, and I was inspired to do the same,” she said. “I keep a picture of her in my mind as a reminder that as long as we keep balance in our lives we can do it all.”
For more information on FLIC, visit www.femaleleaders.org.
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