When I left Southern California Edison two years ago to pursue my masters, I practically swore off the utility sector. I spent six years at SCE, doing financial and strategic planning, developing long-term resource plans, and helping set up the company’s Electric Vehicle Readiness group. But by the time 2011/2012 came around, I was ready to embark on a new life venture, one that was more aligned with my personal passion: to grow and maximize the impact of the social sector.

And so, I spent two fabulous years in New York, learning about cross-sector partnerships, social impact evaluation, and scalability. A year into the program, I had a good idea of what I wanted to accomplish, but didn’t have a clear idea of where I wanted to be or who I wanted to work with.

And then, Detroit went bankrupt.

This wasn’t the first time that Detroit had popped up on my radar (subsequent blog post to follow on that!), but the bankruptcy really shed light on the challenges the city was facing, the significant role that foundations and nonprofits play in the provision of social services, and, in my opinion, the need for scalability of successful neighborhood models across the city.

After several months of research and a few trips to Detroit, I was ready to make the move, commit to the growth of this city, and put my newly amassed knowledge to good use. The only thing left was finding a job…

In trying to meet all of the criteria I’d set for the job search, but very much contrary to the promise I’d made to myself two years ago, I found myself interviewing for a position with DTE. And despite the fact that it would bring me back to a utility, the potential for rebuilding a neighborhood, making an impact in Detroit, and building personal connections in the city that I aspire to call my home, won out and I started with DTE.

I’m really excited about delving into how a private company can derive value from programs that also have a positive impact on the community. The lack of a clear connection between social impact and profitability has been a deterrent for many private organizations, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. And that’s what I’m here to do.