Emily Schapira is Philadelphia Energy Authority's (PEA) President, CEO, and a member of the board. Emily joined PEA as Executive Director in 2016 to execute the Philadelphia Energy Campaign, a $1 billion, 10-year initiative to advance energy efficiency and clean energy across Philadelphia, while creating over 10,000 jobs. Emily has been a PEA board member since 2010 as a City Council appointee.
Prior to joining PEA full-time, Emily was Director of Global Accounts for Lighting at WESCO Distribution, a Fortune 500 electrical supply company. Her focus was on developing portfolio-wide energy-efficient lighting upgrades for large commercial, industrial, and institutional customers. WESCO acquired Emily’s previous company, Aelux, in 2015, where Emily served as Chief Operating Officer, managing sales, marketing, and operations teams, and VP of Marketing and Business Development since 2012. Aelux was a lighting and controls retrofitter serving clients across North America.
Prior to joining Aelux, Emily worked on sustainability for Verizon and Intel, and started and ran the Wharton School’s Sustainability Program, based in Wharton’s facilities management group. Emily’s efforts focused on operational eco-efficiency and behavior change, and supported LEED certifications and attempts across the Wharton portfolio, earning the first LEED for Commercial Interiors certification at Penn. Emily also spent five years running a consumer heating oil co-op in Philadelphia and advocating for low-income energy assistance at the federal, state, and local levels.
Emily holds an MBA from Wharton and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been a LEED Accredited Professional focused on Operations and Maintenance, sat on the Alumni Advisory Board of Penn’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership, and is a member of the Special Districts Program Advisory Board for Government Technology magazine. She was also a 40 under 40 honoree in 2020 and a finalist for the S&P Platts Rising Star Award. Emily lives in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.
About the series:
The Fels Racial Equity and Social Justice Series, led by Fels alum Matt Stitt, is designed to provide students with a variety of perspectives on how public policy impacts racial equity and social justice. The series will include conversations with elected officials, policymakers, and public sector leaders to examine how policy, legislation, and practice can further racial equity and social justice goals. Fels is proud to offer these important conversations to Fels students and alumni, the entire Penn community, and members of the public.
