Celebrating Women Leaders at NETL - Colleen Butcher

Starting off as a cooperative education student, Colleen Butcher has been working at NETL for over 25 years and was able to gain robust experience throughout the years. Butcher’s first position was at the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) in June 1992. Throughout the years, METC merged with the laboratories in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Albany, Oregon, until it became what we know today, NETL.

Currently, Butcher is a supervisory engineer in the Technology Development Center, Energy Efficiency and Manufacturing directorate, Batteries and Battery Materials team.

Butcher has not always worked in the Technology Development Center. When she began her career, she worked in what is now known as the Research and Innovation Center. Her career also took her to Environment, Safety and Health (ES&H) department, then, after a brief hiatus, to the Technology Development Center, then to Facility Operations, landing her back to the Technology Development Center where she works now.

In her current position, she works with a team of dedicated and talented project officers who are passionate about advancing vehicle technologies and doing an excellent job. Together, they run funding opportunity announcements to attract applicants who seek to obtain government funding to advance vehicle technologies and then monitor the projects once the awards are issued.

The team collaboratively works with NETL’s headquarter partners, financial assistance partners and legal partners, including NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act), to successfully execute DOE’s research goals.

According to Butcher, Women’s History Month is a time for reflection on how women have contributed in small and significant ways to the history of the United States. It is also a time to reflect on how far women have come from being treated as chattel to a time where women are vying for the highest office in the land.

“In light of that image, I still feel we have a long way to go to remove the biases, both conscious and unconscious, to lift our fellow sisters up where their light can brightly shine for all to see and where their voices can be respected for all to hear,” explained Butcher. “I am grateful to those who have paved the way for me to be here and I hope I can continue to pave the way for younger generations to do the same.”

Colleen Butcher