Amy S.
CEO and Innovation Catalyst at muGrid Analytics
Renewables and Environment
Education: SB Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - MS Astronautical Engineering, University of Southern California
Denver, CO, USA
Biography
As co-founder and CEO at muGrid Analytics, Amy Simpkins solves wicked problems at the intersection of energy technology and economics using math and modeling. muGrid provides bankable techno-economic analysis, optimized control, and project development of renewable energy, energy storage, and microgrids to maximize economic return, increase energy resilience, and promote energy equity in the US and around the world. Amy is also an internationally recognized speaker on innovation and iterative development for entrepreneurs. She is the author of Spiral: A Catalyst for Innovation and Expansion and host of the Power Flow Podcast, which amplifies diverse voices in the energy revolution (launching September 2021). Prior to muGrid, Amy designed and operated spacecraft as a Systems Engineer with Lockheed Martin. Her technical expertise includes system and software architecture, system-level performance modeling, and design tradespace analysis. Amy holds an MS in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California and an SB in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a messy chef, a world traveler, a taekwondo green belt, a vocal music minor, a mom to three curious innovators, and a tough cookie in the Colorado backcountry.
Passion
I believe that innovation is for everyone and holds the key to both personal fulfillment and lasting global change. And I believe innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum -- we need to come together in collaborative conversation, bringing a more diverse set of minds to the white board than have ever been accepted "in the room" before. I believe that the challenge of bringing our energy generation and consumption "into the doughnut," as Kate Raworth would say, of being in the safe and just space for humanity to be supported while also protecting the planet. I believe that access to electricity is no longer a luxury, it's a human right. I believe that energy touches everything - from food security to transportation to community resilience to equity. And I believe that women hold the key to solving such complex, intersectional issues.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I sometimes get paid for speaking
Topics
Origin Story
I was born and raised outside Detroit, Michigan, where most engineers are destined to design and build cars. But I wanted to be an astronaut and advance human scientific knowledge through the exploration of space. With single-minded focus, I earned an SB in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and an MS in Astronautical Engineering from Univ. of Southern California, before embarking on a career designing, integrating, and operating spacecraft at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. During my 10-year tenure as a Spacecraft Systems Architect, I worked on diverse programs such as Juno, Stardust-NExT, Orion, and Space Radar, as well as spent time in dynamic idea incubation groups for new and exciting aerospace innovation. After exiting corporate to start my own business coaching and consulting business, I joined forces with my partner to launch muGrid Analytics and make the leap in the energy space. I now combine everything I've ever learned -- system architecture, performance modeling and analysis of complex systems, innovation methodology, business strategy and development, entrepreneurship, authentic listening, a deep connection to intuition, narrative crafting, and alchemizing vision to reality -- to tackle some of the toughest problems on the planet.
Example talks
The Future of Energy
A look at how principles of innovation can help us achieve energy parity worldwide while protecting the planet.
SPIRAL LEADERSHIP: FOSTERING INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY TO BUILD INNOVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
Healthy, dynamic organizations must “innovate or perish.” But when innovation is treated as too risky, it can be difficult to cultivate a culture of innovation and embrace change. Luckily, organizations and teams are made up of humans who are innately innovative beings. In this talk, we’ll bring the human element to innovation, helping leaders leverage their most powerful assets, the complex humans on their team. You’ll walk out with a practical understanding of the individual creative cycle, the difference between team/organizational cycles and individual cycles and how to integrate them, how to build in safe spaces for innovation to flourish without being seen as “high risk,” and how to convert individual creativity into an innovation-open organization.
THE INNOVATION ADVANTAGE: THE ULTIMATE KEY TO MEANINGFUL BUSINESS GROWTH
Innovation is for tech geeks, for venture-backed startups with millions of dollars at their disposal, and for a select few gifted visionaries, right? Wrong. If you are solving problems for people, you are an innovator, no matter your job title or industry. If you can embrace that title, you can access a whole innovation skill set already latent within you in order to more deeply serve your clients, differentiate yourself, make a stronger pitch, drive more business, make sure you are nourished as a person or team, and yes, change the world.