CWEEL Women in Energy: A Panel Discussion

Xinpei Li is an Energy Engineer at The Kroger Co. with over a decade of experience leading energy management and decarbonization for more than 60 retail, office, and logistics sites across Washington and Oregon. Her expertise spans energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, building commissioning, and green building compliance. She holds an MS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington and certifications including CEM, PMP, LEED AP, and WELL AP. Xinpei also serves as VP of the AEE Pacific NW Chapter and a CWEEL Career Advancement Committee member, with a strong focus on advancing women's leadership in STEM.

Emily is a Director of Energy Markets at Microsoft. As part of the Cloud Operations + Innovations organization, Emily leads a team that supports datacenter interconnection and energy supply contracts with utilities and third-party suppliers, focusing on the Western United States and Canada. Emily works with utilities, regulators, and stakeholders on cost reduction, carbon-free energy procurement, regulatory initiatives, and infrastructure delivery. Prior to joining Microsoft, Emily held a variety of positions at Tesla Motors including energy management, renewable energy procurement, and infrastructure development. Emily holds degrees from Stanford University and James Madison University.  She is based in Kirkland, Washington with her husband, two kids, and yellow lab.

Jane is a climate veteran who brings a decade of expertise in climate policy and commercialization from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and UC Berkeley. Her latest publication with LBNL was on how public-private partnerships have shaped climate tech investment 2.0. Jane also worked in UC Berkeley’s deeptech accelerator program to spin out university research. Jane founded Vectors Angel, an impact investment angel group, in 2019. She combines her experience in climate commercialization and her investment background to create a fund with the specific mandate to accelerate deeptech-enabled decarbonization solutions. Previously, she worked in corporate venture capital focused on renewable energy and consulted a VC fund in cleantech 1.0. She also worked for utility agencies and renewable energy developers. She is also the Board President and co-founder of Energy Innovation Network, an international volunteer-based professional network in energy. B.A.Sc. in Energy Systems Engineering, Engineering Science, University of Toronto. M.S. in Sustainable Design, Cornell University.

Kristin Gustafson helps organizations turn energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability investments into measurable financial and environmental value. Her work focuses on maximizing federal and state incentives, including Sections 179D and 45L and the Clean Energy Investment Tax Credits under Sections 48 and 48E, while supporting clients with carbon accounting, climate compliance, and decarbonization strategies. A Professional Engineer licensed in all 50 states, Kristin holds ASHRAE Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP), Association of Energy Engineers Certified Energy Manager (CEM), and Renewable Energy Professional (REP) credentials. She currently serves as Regional Vice President for the Association of Energy Engineers' Western U.S. Region and is a Past President of the AEE Pacific Northwest Chapter. Through speaking engagements, publications, and industry leadership, Kristin helps organizations navigate the evolving energy landscape and develop practical approaches to sustainability and decarbonization.