First in a series of events this year featuring women leading the industry

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is hosting its Women's Empowerment East Coast Summit on April 6 in Washington, D.C. Started last year, SEIA's Women's Empowerment Series aims to educate, connect, and provide thought leadership for and from women in the solar industry.

According to the National Solar Jobs Census 2016, the percentage of women working in the U.S. solar industry is rapidly increasing. Last year, the solar industry created one out of every 50 new jobs in the U.S. and remains committed to the growth of a diverse workforce.

Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA's president and CEO, has made the industry's diversity one of her top priorities. She will moderate the feature panel and be joined by leading women in solar energy today, including:

Andrea Luecke, President & Executive Director, The Solar Foundation
Laura Stern, Co-founder and President, Nautilus Solar Energy
Jodi White, Chief Financial Officer, BayWa r.e. Solar Systems
The Summit will also be an opportunity to network and hear from key industry leaders diving into topics, such as:

Women Running for Office & Careers in Public Service
Diversity and the Bottom Line
Making Solar a Story
In 2016, SEIA hosted its inaugural Women's Empowerment Conference in D.C. to great industry response. Following that popular event, SEIA held two more Women's Empowerment conferences and founded the SEIA Women's Empowerment (WE) Committee among the organization's membership.

Today, the WE Committee is made up of more than 60 industry leaders working together on the following initiatives:

Recruit, retain, and promote women within the solar industry
Increase diversity and amplify women's voices in industry public forums & events
Partner with and support the work of organizations that strive for diversity within the solar industry
The WE Committee is committed to education, to the advancement of careers for women in the solar industry, to mentoring future solar leaders, and to establishing opportunities for women.

To see the full agenda and register, go to https://events.bizzabo.com/WEEast2017

About SEIA®: Celebrating its 43rd anniversary in 2017, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry, which now employs more than 260,000 Americans. Through advocacy and education, SEIA® is building a strong solar industry to power America. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to build jobs and diversity, champion the use of cost-competitive solar in America, remove market barriers and educate the public on the benefits of solar energy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org.