SaLisa L. Berrien,
COI Energy | STRIVE Inc.

SaLisa L. Berrien, Founder and CEO of COI Energy, has over twenty-five years of experience in the electric power and smart grid space. From working at electric utilities (PPL, PECO Energy, and ConEdison Solutions) to Smart Grid, Clean Tech, Big Data Analytics, and SaaS Solutions, SaLisa has had a diverse career in the energy space. In her early career, she sold the first electric vehicle (G-Van) in the NE region while at PPL. She later went on to help EnerNOC move to #1 Demand Response company in the industry. She believes if you do the right thing for your customers, they will remember you for that. She practices the Platinum Rule in all that she does, “Do unto your customer as they would have you to do unto them.”

SaLisa is also the Founder and Board Chair of STRIVE Inc. A 501c3 charitable organization founded in Allentown, PA in 1995 which focuses on STEM leadership development training for students in 3rd thru 12th grades. The majority of the students that participate come from her alma mater, Wm. Allen High School. In 2013, she established COI Ladder Institute to focus on delivering leadership and empowerment services to millennials and women to elevate their careers or businesses to the next level. Annually in August, COI Ladder Institute hosts a Women’s Leadership Retreat Conference in Martha’s Vineyard.

Since 1996, SaLisa established several scholarship funds for high school and college students. Her first scholarship was named in honor of her ancestors (Jackson-Stephens Excellence Award and Talibah M. Yazid Academic Excellence Award) for paving the way so that she might have a better chance at life. In 2004, she established the Karl H. Lewis Engineering Impact Alumni Endowment at the University of Pittsburgh for students of African descent enrolled in Engineering.

SaLisa attended Liberty High School and graduated from Wm. Allen High School. She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an Executive MBA from Saint Joseph’s University. She’s been a guest speaker at various conferences and events including SXSW, NSBE, the University of Pittsburgh, Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum, American Society for Engineering Education and Morgan Stanley’s Sustainable Futures Summit to name a few.

One of SaLisa’s core values is philanthropy. She believes that to whom much is given, much is required. Her mission in life is to positively impact the space she occupies by leaving it better off than when she found it.