Class of 2021 First-Year Fellow: Eileen Brady

As a First-Year Fellow, Eileen Brady ’21 interned at the American Wind Energy Association under the mentorship of Tom Kiernan ’81. The following is an excerpt from her final report.

This summer, I worked for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the national trade association for the U.S. wind industry. AWEA represents the interests of roughly 1,000 member organizations including wind power project developers, parts manufacturers, utilities, and researchers. The association promotes wind energy as a clean source of electricity for American consumers through education and advocacy on the local, state, and federal levels. This includes public outreach, grassroots and grass tops organization, and lobbying efforts.

At AWEA, I worked as an Executive Office intern specializing in Federal Affairs. In this role, I was responsible for many smaller tasks for the Federal Affairs team as well as some summerlong projects. On a day-to-day basis, my tasks often included watching and writing up congressional hearings, summarizing legislation, researching candidates or legislators, compiling contact information or other data, or completing other small projects for my mentor, AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan. Over the course of the summer, I completed a report analyzing 18 Congressional Races (13 House and 5 Senate) that are important to the wind industry. This report focused on the candidates’ views on wind energy, renewable energy in general, and environmental issues overall. I also created a wind-related questionnaire to send to candidates and elected officials to gather more information for the report. The questionnaire will also be used by AWEA going forward as the association evaluates candidates seeking support from WindPAC, AWEA’s political action committee

I am very grateful to all who make the First-Year Fellows program possible. The fellowship provides an unparalleled experience for first-year students to experience policymaking firsthand under the leadership of a Dartmouth graduate who we can observe, learn from, and strive to emulate. In addition to providing fellows with the perfect experience to jumpstart a career in public policy, the Fellows program gives participants the foundation and training necessary to be successful in this experience and far beyond. This education, paired with the professional growth our internships provide and the connections we make with alumni throughout the summer form the cornerstone for a professional career early in our time at the College and help shape our path for the future.