One of the largest women-owned energy service companies in the U.S. is losing its female leader after just six months in the role.
Kateri Callahan resigned Thursday from her position as CEO and president of CMC Energy Services, headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, with operations in Cranbury, to return to Washington, D.C., and her commitment to advocating for effective clean energy policies.
“While I very much enjoyed my time leading CMC and I have always admired CMC’s numerous contributions to the energy efficiency industry, I have decided that my highest calling to combat climate change is in policy advocacy back in my home in Washington, D.C.,” Callahan said in a statement.
Prior to joining CMC, Callahan was president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nationwide organization of more than 170 members aimed at enhancing energy productivity and security, and a board member at CMC.
In August, Callahan spoke with ROI-NJ about having accepted the position in April.
“My entire career up until this point has been in policy advocacy and coalition building,” she said. “I thought it would be interesting to move from thought leadership into actually seeing how the policies I spent my career helping to put in place are conditioning and shaping the market.”
Eileen McGinnis, CMC’s former CEO and current board secretary, will act as the interim CEO while the board of directors conducts a national search for Callahan’s successor.
“CMC is fortunate to have two strong women leaders in Eileen McGinnis and Kateri Callahan,” Mimi Iklé Khalsa, chairman of CMC, said. “Each have devoted substantial energies to creating CMC’s successful path. I am confident that Eileen will continue CMC’s tradition of providing outstanding service to our clients.”
McGinnis, former chief of policy to former Gov. Christie Whitman and former chief of staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, led CMC from 2010 through March of this year, in which she oversaw exponential growth for the company.
The company has worked with New Jersey clients such as Public Service Enterprise Group, Elizabethtown Gas, New Jersey Natural Gas and Jersey Central Power & Light for nearly four decades to help provide energy audits to commercial buildings and residence, while also administering free or low-cost energy efficiency programs, such as the New Jersey Comfort Partners Program, for residents in multiple states.
CMC employs 25 in New Jersey and 230 overall, with women comprising the company’s entire leadership team and more than a third of its employee base in the state.
“We have benefited tremendously by having women leadership in energy, but we need more women like me who want to come and spend their careers in this space,” Callahan said to ROI-NJ in August.
