As VP of Equity and Workforce Development, Erika Symmonds leads various efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the solar+ industry, and to build and maintain the workforce needed to meet the demand ahead for deploying solar and related technologies. Erika joined SEIA after seven years at GRID Alternatives, where she focused on growing their solar workforce programming and contributed to GRID’s internal and external DEI efforts. Erika holds a B.A. in Media Arts and Sciences from Wellesley College. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and currently resides in Washington, D.C. with her wife, daughter, and grandmother.