Rachel Strohl

Rachel Strohl is a contracts professional in the energy industry at ACES, a nationwide energy management company that helps clients buy, sell, and manage energy more efficiently with less risk. In her role, she negotiates and reviews contracts on behalf of clients and provides recommendations drawn from the company's experience with such agreements. She has been in this field for a little over two years after transitioning from academia, where she earned a master's in archaeology and a master's in anthropology. Her previous background in research informs her current work, which she describes as similarly research and thinking heavy. Rachel attributes her success to being curious and humble, willing to ask questions when she does not have the answer, and embracing that every day is different with no guarantee of having all the answers. She is an active member of WINUP, the Women's International Network of Utility Professionals, and volunteers for the Great Banquet, a nationwide church retreat program that offers weekend retreats for men, women, and high school girls and boys. Rachel advises others entering the field, particularly young women, to avoid siloing their learning to contracts alone and instead build base knowledge across areas like trading to ask better questions and pursue opportunities. She notes both challenges and opportunities in the power industry, including those posed by data centers and population growth in a new technological era, which are opening doors for women to bring fresh ideas and challenge the status quo.