Meet our Energy Trailblazer: Shannon Giebelhaus
Shannon Giebelhaus
Clean Energy Improvement Program Team Lead (Contractor Management), Alberta Municipalities
Alberta
As an enthusiastic, avid learner with a passion for all things efficiency, Shannon navigates her journey in the energy industry with an open-mind and a can-do attitude. Her excitement around new ideas and upcoming innovation have led her to several unique opportunities that she contributes to her success.
Shannon is the Contractor Management Lead for the Clean Energy Improvement Program at a not-for-profit organization, Alberta Municipalities. In her role, she engages with a strong network of energy efficiency and renewable energy contractors across the province to provide services to property owners looking to upgrade their buildings or homes. She also enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge with homeowners by educating them on the energy efficiency upgrades they can make in their homes.
She approaches her work with a holistic mindset, valuing the impact of change on all scales, and how complex systems work together. Before working in the energy efficiency industry, Shannon embraced this philosophy through her work in the agricultural industry, with small-scale, sustainable farms all over the world.
She believes that always welcoming unique opportunities that fuel her interests has paved the way to where she is today. Shannon shares her journey and inspires others to always seek out opportunities that excite them and help to make the world a better place.
Shannon’s Career Journey
Post-secondary education
Shannon obtained an alternative energy technology diploma.
Training courses
Shannon took a foundation level course for energy advisors and an energy advisor exam prep course.
Advice on entering the energy efficiency sector
As a female and a Black female, there are always going to be obstacles. That doesn’t mean, however, that I didn’t face them head-on. I like a challenge. I welcome it, actually. It motivates me. So for any women out there who are BIPOC or women in general, we are dominating a very male-induced industry.
Where things are trending in workforce development is, upskilling the soft skills that you don’t have. We’ve recognized that it’s not just learning the technical stuff, you have to give them the management skills and the business skills and the stakeholder engagement skills.
The great thing is that with this sector, there is such a need for workers that they are offering courses to everyone. That’s really opening up for people. You don’t need to go back to school necessarily. Go do a degree or diploma. You can take like little courses at a time to upskill yourself and make yourself relevant.
