M/WBE Spotlight: Q & A with WhyMaker Founder Liz Gallo

Liz Gallo. Courtesy of WhyMaker.

Karp Strategies had the privilege of sitting down with Liz Gallo, founder and CEO of WhyMaker, an MWBE-certified organization dedicated to supporting educators with professional development to connect their students with innovative, modern, and relevant education. She shared with us her teaching philosophy, WhyMaker’s approach to equipping teachers with relevant and transformative training and resources, and her vision for the future. Liz brings a decade of teaching experience that informs her team’s outreach and program development.

What inspired you to found WhyMaker?

I taught technology education for ten years. I started WhyMaker to help kids have better school days by training their educators on modern and innovative teaching strategies. I left the classroom and started doing professional development with teachers to help them understand how to teach in a creative, project-based way so that students are engaged in what they are learning, they are proud of what they’re doing, and they feel connected to their community. 

Why do you find cultivating a STEM-minded approach to education so important?

When you create something and you actually physically have it, or you can physically see it, that’s impactful. It’s important that the results of students’ work isn’t only a test grade that gets thrown away, and it’s key to know that there’s no one right answer for everything. I want students to have the opportunity to make things that they choose rather than feeling like there is one correct answer. Kids often get stuck in this world where they feel like there’s one right answer, and they only want to have one right answer, and that’s not how the real world is. Prepping kids for that reality is important to me. 

Can you walk me through the process of building and expanding WhyMaker?

Over the past six years, we’ve grown pretty expansively, and we are on track to train over 1 million educators by 2032. We are actively working to find educators to work with, and something that’s helped WhyMaker grow so much is our MWBE status. Once we got certified as a women-owned business in New York State, we were able to receive new grants and work as a subcontractor on other grants. That helped us expand our business and grow significantly. With these grants, we can expand our capacity to provide professional development for teachers, write lesson plans and activities for students, and facilitate community outreach with educators and students. 

How did you get involved in STEM education specifically?

In college, I found the math/science/technology education department, and I learned about design thinking as a way to teach students. As soon as I learned that and went through my first project, I had this “ah-ha” moment where I thought, “this is how we should be teaching all of our children,” with a problem-solving, critical thinking, and project management methodology where they’re coming up with creative solutions to real problems and they feel like they have an impact on the community. 

That’s how it all started, and then throughout my career, STEM has taken off as a way of teaching and a way of thinking about teaching, and it has become highlighted in our culture as well. It’s an honor to be able to work with students and teachers to provide them with that knowledge and foundation to head into the world of work that is STEM to solve some of our greatest challenges and to work on some of our biggest projects that we face as a world. 

How do you get connected with the schools and teachers you work with?

Everybody that works at WhyMaker was a teacher and worked in schools, so we understand what it’s like to be in a school and be a teacher. We make a serious effort to communicate with teachers in many different ways, reaching out to them and providing benefits to them because they deserve it. We give teachers stipends for attending our professional development. We give them resources to take back to their classrooms. We make sure that they have time to sit and think about the applications to their classroom. And most importantly, enjoy their learning experience with us. We have a really robust network of educators who follow us and stay connected with us, and engage with us on a regular basis. We love providing for them whatever we can. 

What does success look like for you and your company?

What we know is when we train one educator, we talk to an undefined amount of students. We’ve set the goal of training 1 million educators by 2032, knowing that will impact an infinite number of students. Success for us is getting good-quality, job-embedded, practical, professional learning activities and products to teachers—that is all that we want to do. What’s important about the work that we’re doing is we’re not doing just for select teachers. We’re doing it for every educator because every educator can enhance their teaching to provide students with really impactful experiences. 

How has the emergence of new technology like offshore wind and AI affected your programs?

We’re doing a lot of work now with AI, focusing on professional development around AI for teachers. We’re looking at how teachers can use AI to help with management aspects of their classroom, as well as how AI can help students with disabilities. We’re looking at how we can provide a universally designed education for all students using AI. We’ve also been doing professional development around what AI is and how it works. We want to make it less scary for teachers and show students how they can create things with AI. Our work will help students become aware of the need for diverse groups of people to enter careers that are available within the AI space. 

Regarding the clean energy space and offshore wind, it is huge along the eastern seaboard and it is a revolutionary industry that is going to evolve significantly. We’re going to have so many different people working in these careers, and we’re going to have so many people who are working in this space in atypical and less expected ways. There’s so many different careers that exist in this space, and people are going to need to be trained and skilled to work in that industry. As an MWBE, we are working on supporting companies to grow their workforce by talking to educators and sharing pathways to jobs and careers in this industry. 

Oftentimes, we talk to teachers about careers for their students because we want students to understand what their skills are and what they are passionate about. Maybe you’re really good at small machine maintenance, and you’re passionate about clean energy. We can put those two things together to find you a career in this space and get you some exciting and rewarding options. 

Amidst all these new developments in the field, how do you get the resources to train teachers on such topics?

To provide information for trainings, we’re constantly listening to educators, observing classrooms, hearing from school leaders, and doing research to develop new ideas and topics. We all work together as a team to identify the needs and best practices for teaching educators cutting-edge, relevant, timely content.

On the industry side, we work with a lot of subject matter experts to understand what it’s like to be in a given career, and then translate that for students. A lot of times those subject matter experts don’t know how to talk to teachers or students, but we do. So we often act as the teacher translator between the subject matter expert, company, or organization and the educators. 

How do you envision the next five years for WhyMaker?

We’re continuing in this clean energy space—there’s a lot of work to be done there and we’re eager to continue to do that work. We are going to continue to support educators in their instructional strategies with tips and tricks to work with students to get them engaged in their learning and make school the best part of children’s days. Also, we’ll continue to talk to teachers about ways of changing their pedagogical framework of teaching so that it is more hands-on, project-based, and community-focused. 

What do you see as the most prominent unmet needs in education right now?

Something that we discovered through some of our training is that students seem to lack the confidence that they need to be successful. We heard this from many teachers in many fields, where once students feel like they can do something, a very basic thing, they feel like they don’t need to learn any more to be better. Once there is something challenging, they shut down, and they don’t know how to persevere. Something we’re going to be working on in the next few months is creating professional development around building students’ confidence. We want to work with teachers about how they can talk to students when they are struggling through a difficult challenge or when they shut down and won’t persevere. We’ll explore how teachers can break down challenges so that students can feel success and want to keep growing. 

We think this is a result of a culture of instant gratification in our children, a pandemic where school was just something to move through, and a school system where there’s only one right answer. Schools, teachers, and students have been trained to get the one right answer with no alternatives—all other options are considered completely wrong. It’s a combination of all those factors that built this culture in our students, as well as the teenage mind that may want to just take the easy way out. So, we’ll be working with teachers to figure out paths through that to support kids amidst those challenges. 

Is there anything else you would like to highlight?

I just want people to know that we are available, as a MWBE,  to partner with them in this space to have a significant impact. We think the future of education is private public partnership and we are ready to be the intermediary. We want to support community outreach, we want to support teachers being the leads in career awareness in emerging industries. It’s important to us to work together to create these new pathways to empower students and educators to build the tools and skills for successful learning. 

WhyMaker works to design the future of education, creating impactful opportunities for educators and students to empower them to engage in purposeful, project-based learning. You can learn more about their programs and resources here. 

Envisioning a Clean Energy Future: Insights from the City and State’s Clean Energy Summit

Recently, Karp Strategies had the privilege of participating in the City and State’s Clean Energy Summit, which shed light on New York's path towards a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040 and the ambitious goal of achieving 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030. The summit featured comprehensive discussions on New York's multifaceted approach to combating climate change across diverse industries, spanning strategies from enhancing building energy efficiency to fortifying coastal resilience against climate impacts.

The dialogues revolved around pivotal themes, encapsulating New York's holistic approach to climate action. Let's delve into these central themes, mirroring the prevalent discussions throughout the conference.

Achieving Climate Smart Communities

The discussions during the summit delved into the idea of creating climate-smart communities driven by a persistent pursuit of efficiency. New York's dedication to utilizing alternative and efficient energy sources is crucial in nurturing these environmentally friendly, more sustainable, fair, and resilient communities. The envisioned zero-emission electricity system aims to fuel homes, offices, schools, healthcare facilities, and transportation with renewable energy sources, strengthening urban areas and communities against environmental adversity caused by climate change. The summit focused on policy frameworks like CAP and Invest, highlighting the critical role of private investments alongside government support in achieving New York State’s ambitious energy objectives.

Navigating the Offshore Wind Landscape

A significant highlight of the summit was the spotlight on the offshore wind industry—a linchpin in New York's pursuit of cleaner energy sources. The burgeoning industry in New York promises to distribute economic advantages equitably among workers, utility customers, and local communities. 

However, the discussions highlighted significant hurdles: workforce shortages and limited supplier availability. Gregory Lampman from NYSERDA outlined a response strategy focusing on recent Requests for Information (RFIs) to source supply chain investments and expedite Requests for Proposals (RFPs). This approach emphasizes the necessity for cost-effective planning under the Offshore Wind (OSW) Master Plan to navigate the industry's current landscape characterized by inflationary pressures and developers renegotiating contracts.

Bridging Gaps and Pioneering Equitable Development

Amidst the dialogue about New York's energy landscape, the spotlight fell on the impact on small businesses and the average consumer. Ensuring an inclusive transition, mitigating cost impacts, and addressing affordable housing in policy decisions took center stage. Rebecca Karp, our CEO and Founding Principal, emphasized the significance of comprehensive workforce development programs, ranging from early career exposure in schools to advanced training initiatives to bridge skill gaps and ensure equitable career progression.

She stressed the transformative potential for New York to become a national model for clean energy workforce development. She discussed various initiatives, including the Green Economy Fund, which allocated funds from a transmission project to support inclusive green workforce development. Karp also highlighted the Growing Green Initiative, a market analysis that connects BIPOC businesses to green economy opportunities, addressing barriers small and minority-owned businesses face. Additionally, she presented case studies such as NYSERDA's Offshore Wind Youth Action Program and the CUNY Bridges to Offshorewind program, illustrating the importance of awareness, education, and fostering transferable skills in the clean energy sector.

The summit made clear that clean energy development is a long-term endeavor, requiring a focus on strategic, lasting gains over short-term challenges. Solutions proposed by Karp Strategies involve developing workforce and minority- and women-owned business enterprise capacity, emphasizing transferable skills, and understanding the long timelines associated with transformative projects. Despite setbacks, such as Ørsted's recent cancellation of New Jersey OSW projects, Karp Strategies remains optimistic about the industry's future, emphasizing the need for ongoing preparation and commitment to equity. The critical takeaway is to maintain a relentless focus on equity and invest deeply in people to ensure success as the clean energy economy grows.

How Local Governments Can Maximize Clean Energy Investments

Cities and states are closely paying attention to the economic opportunities offered by the clean energy industry. Large-scale investments can translate to significant economic growth that local municipalities are eager to bring to their constituents. Karp Strategies has guided a wide spectrum of offshore wind stakeholders–from private developers and suppliers to state and local governments–to advance complex clean energy initiatives. Below are effective cross-sector strategies to equitably maximize the benefits of offshore wind:

Offshore Wind: Demystifying the Numbers

In the realm of economic growth and job prospects, distinguishing between genuine opportunities and inflated numbers can be a daunting task. Regional economies demand more precise projections to facilitate strategic planning, prepare workers, as well as establish training and manufacturing facilities.

That's where our Economic Impact Assessment services come in. Leveraging advanced input-output modeling tools such as IMPLAN, Lightcast, RIMS II, and JEDI, we assist our clients in charting the cascading effects of their investments and initiatives across various sectors, industries, and communities.

Our goal is not just to measure the economic impacts but to help our clients design strategies that align with their values and priorities. We collaborate to select the most suitable tools tailored to their industry and reporting needs—enabling us to assess the potential benefits and costs of diverse projects or initiatives, estimate the return on investment, and identify potential risks and trade-offs.

Utilizing Economic Impact Analyses to Advance Offshore Wind in New York

Our economic impact assessments play a fundamental role in assisting our clients in building more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive economies, aligning with our core mission.

In our recent work supporting several offshore wind developers and manufacturers vying for NYSERDA’s third solicitation, Karp Strategies took the lead in developing comprehensive projections for the economic and workforce development impacts of the proposed projects.

This involved generating estimates for the anticipated job creations, the engagement of minority- and/or Women-owned businesses, and the accessibility of jobs for residents in designated disadvantaged communities. Our quantitative assessments, coupled with extensive economic and stakeholder research, played a crucial role in shaping our clients’ New York Jobs and Workforce Plans and OEMs’ Supply Chain Investment Plan(s).

Securing Meaningful Community Benefits Agreements

Municipalities should broaden their focus beyond just creating jobs and economic outputs when considering the impact of investments. A crucial aspect that demands attention is the substantial community benefits investments being made, particularly in historically underserved communities where environmental injustice has been prevalent.

However, it's essential to recognize that not all CBAs are created equal. At Karp Strategies, we believe that CBAs must be co-designed with impacted communities and stakeholders. This collaborative approach ensures that investments are created equitably and are tailored to meet the diverse needs of the community.

When working with public, private, and community stakeholders to develop holistic community benefits strategies, we keep several core principles at the forefront of our work:

• Diverse representation. At the outset of any community benefits initiative is to develop an understanding of the full landscape of actors with a demonstrated history and connection to the community. Representatives should come from many different groups, and it’s the responsibility of the entity making the investment to conduct deep outreach to understand who should have a seat at the table.

• Upfront and ongoing inclusion. Engagement is a cornerstone of effective and successful community benefits strategies—from the initial steps as the process is being developed, through negotiations on the final structure of programs and investments, to ongoing community input as these strategies are implemented.

• Understanding economic impacts. Conducting an economic impact analysis is critical to understanding how the intersecting challenges—both historical and current—influence the way the impacts of major projects and investments manifest across communities.

• Centering equity. Environmental justice communities, disadvantaged communities, and those who have borne the burden of decades of pollution and environmental racism must be at the forefront of the transition to a clean energy economy—in terms of inclusion, impact, and benefits.

• Structured implementation. We focus on the long game when developing community investment and benefits strategies, incorporating accountability benchmarks, outlining the strategic dispersal of funds, and planning for the long lifetime of projects.

What do community benefits strategies look like in action?

Karp Strategies is proud to showcase two recent examples of community benefits work highlighted below—the development of Equinor Wind US’s Offshore Wind Ecosystem Fund and the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) Green Economy Fund.

Equinor Wind US: Offshore Wind Ecosystem Fund

In 2022, Karp Strategies worked with Equinor Wind US to conceive and initiate the company’s community benefits strategy, setting it up to deliver on the $47 million in community benefits and $25 million in environmental research commitments made to New York State. As a result of this collaborative effort, the $5 million Offshore Wind Ecosystem Fund was launched. This fund was purposefully created to make targeted investments in historically marginalized communities and environmental justice areas within New York City.

Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE): Green Economy Fund

Karp Strategies, with our partner Empowering Work Advising (EWA), launched and is administering the $40 million Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) Green Economy Fund. This government-sponsored project is designed to support disadvantaged communities, low-income individuals, and transitioning fossil fuel workers in accessing and building careers in New York State’s green economy. The Green Economy Fund will finance workforce development programs and organizations providing wrap-around services that support workers in these target communities to access good jobs in the green economy.

Let us know how we can support you!

Karp Strategies' community benefits practice draws on our expertise across engagement, impact analysis, and strategy design to help our clients develop successful and equitable strategies that center the needs of diverse communities. Let us know how we can support your work!