CLEAN ENERGY: SHE FOUNDED A BUSINESS TO KEEP EV CHARGING STATIONS UP AND RUNNING

Kameale Terry saw it coming before almost anyone else did. She realized the expanding network of electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. would need a workforce to maintain it.

The realization came as she found herself back in South Central Los Angeles - where she grew up-taking care of her mom, who was on her third recurrence of cancer. It was 2016 and she had left a job in banking to come home. Now she needed some work flexibility to address her mom's needs.

Terry ended up taking a job with EV Connect, a company that made software for electric vehicle charging stations, in a position called "driver support." When EV drivers found something wasn't working at a station, they called in and she would talk them through the issue or send out a technician. It made her realize the need.

"When I saw that the charging experience wasn't a great experience, I wanted to figure out how could I be helpful in ensuring that it is a great experience," Terry said.

So, in 2020 she co-founded the company ChargerHelp! with the aim of training a nationwide workforce of technicians to repair charging stations and reduce the amount of time they are down.

The calls Terry fielded from frustrated drivers weren't the only thing that prompted the decision to found ChargerHelp! She now understood the big picture when it came to charging infrastructure, and she rose through several roles to become a director at EV Connect, heading up programs in Australia and Canada, as well as the U.S.

During the early pandemic lockdowns, it struck her that there were hardly any cars on the roads and suddenly see the Hollywood sign from her home. Usually it was hidden by thick smog. "It really just hit me... if folks drove electric or chose more sustainable transportation, this could be an everyday thing," she said.

Terry also had firsthand experience with air pollution, having grown up in South Central Los Angeles.