Aiming For Equal: CEO, Founder Works For Equity in Sustainability

Lisa Ann Pinkerton is founder and CEO of Technica Communications, founder and chair of Women in Cleantech & Sustainability and co-founder of Global Cleantech Cluster Association.

Perhaps the seed for Lisa Ann Pinkerton’s career as founder and chair of Women In Cleantech & Sustainability has something to do with the fact that she was born in a hospital in Hyden, Kentucky near the Daniel Boone National Forest.

“@Lisapinkerton is founder and CEO of @TechnicaPR, founder and chair of Women in Cleantech & Sustainability and co-founder of Global #Cleantech Cluster Association. #womenleaders”

As the daughter of parents who at the time were general educators teaching in rural Kentucky, the founder and CEO of Technica Communications says she always had a respect for service and the environment. But her dream was also to be a film and theater director.

“But I learned there was not a lot of money in theater,” says Pinkerton, who is also co-founder of the Global Cleantech Cluster Association.

After graduating from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1999 with a bachelors degree in drama, Pinkerton went on to earn a masters from Carnegie Mellon in arts management and public policy, “the nonprofit version of an MBA,” she explains.

Moving to Los Angeles to work on the productions of “West Wing” and other shows, Pinkerton was introduced to journalist Geraldo Rivera when he was interviewing actors Rob Lowe and Martin Sheen.

It was 2000, the year of George W. Bush vs. Al Gore, and her interests turned away from Hollywood and becoming a female director to journalism and content creation. She moved back to Pittsburgh in 2001 and worked on an environmental radio show, The Allegheny Front, as as an environmental science reporter .

That gave her the experience she needed to become an environmental science reporter for National Public Radio in 2002, which she did until 2012, including time working as a contributor for Great Lakes Radio, All Things Considered and also PBS covering education, healthcare and the environment.

“I was more in love with the companies I was covering in the clean energy space than doing the news,” Pinkerton says.

In 2008, she went to work for Antenna Group, a clean energy public relations company in San Francisco, as a senior account executive.

It was a good fit, until the recession in 2009, when she was let go.

“I knew I wanted to do my own thing and work for myself,” Pinkerton says. It was then she launched Technica Communications, “a boutique agency focused on clean energy, sustainability, transportations and energy transition.” Pinkerton says her company “will clear $1 million this year.”

““I knew I wanted to do my own thing and work for myself,” @lisapinkerton says. It was then she launched @TechnicaPR, “a boutique agency focused on #cleanenergy, #sustainability, transportations and energy transition.” #femaleentrepreneur ”

As a leader in communications for the environmental and sustainability arenas, Pinkerton says, “I think the environmental movement has always been an ‘away from’ message. You use less energy and sacrifice something to be sustainable. That is not a message that will resonate with the vast majority of people on the planet.”

What Pinkerton is doing with her clients, her mentoring, and her leadership is a different concept.

“You can have both; you can be more sustainable and use as much energy as you like that is solar and helps to get off the grid.”

In this sector of environmental and sustainable businesses and startups, Pinkerton says she is seeing an influx of talented women and leaders.

“In this sector of environmental and sustainable businesses and #startups, @lisapinkerton, CEO of @TechnicaPR, says she is seeing an influx of talented women and leaders. #womenlead”

According to Green Biz, “One finding in our most recent CSO research was that the percentage of women holding the CSO title increased from 28 percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2021.”

Ellen Jackowski, chief sustainability and social impact officer for HP Inc., recently told Green Biz, “It’s incredibly empowering to see more women on the frontline of sustainability. I think one of the reasons is that we have a lot to lose if we don’t actively combat the climate crisis. Malala Fund’s research shows this year’s climate-related events will prevent at least 4 million girls in low-and lower-middle-income countries from completing their education.”

Indeed, the World Economic Forum reports recently that, “New green jobs for women, and investments in sustainable technology and infrastructure, will be critical to ensure environmental sustainability and the survival of the planet.”

“The @WEF reports recently that, “New #greenjobs for women, and investments in sustainable technology and infrastructure, will be critical to ensure environmental #sustainability and the survival of the planet.” #workingwomen”

Their recently launched Feminist Plan is aligned with that mission.  

“Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will not be easy, so the Feminist Plan makes a series of game-changing policy recommendations which can create synergies and help to unlock progress across the board,” according to the WEF.

“The Feminist Plan identifies ways that efforts to scale-up renewable and clean energy can support gender equality. Although the move away from fossil fuels will cost jobs, investments in renewable energy will create many more. Ensuring women have access to these jobs, including through retraining and re-skilling programs would help women to recover some of labor market ground lost during COVID-19.”

This is why Pinkerton is using her experience and talent to mentor and network with women in the field.

“We see a lot of incredibly competent women looking for mentorship, confidence and agency, so we give that support through industry events, entrepreneurship events where we teach negotiation and personal branding,” Pinkerton says.

““We see a lot of incredibly competent #women looking for #mentorship, confidence and agency, so we give that support through events where we teach negotiation and personal branding,” @lisapinkerton says. #sustainability ”

“This industry wants to be gender, culturally and racially diverse,” she says.

And that is a relatively recent shift.

“What we have seen over the past 10 years,” Pinkerton says, “are fewer ‘manels,’ more women speakers, more women in leadership roles, more companies looking for women in leadership roles.”

““What we have seen over the past 10 years,” @Lisapinkerton says, “are fewer ‘manels,’ more women speakers, more women in leadership roles, more companies looking for #women in #leadership roles.” #cleantech #parity

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Continuing on that trajectory towards parity is the whole point.