/ News / Shaun Hoyte – Con-Ed Business Unit Leader, Diversity Champion: Harlem YMCA Award-Winner

Shaun Hoyte – Con-Ed Business Unit Leader, Diversity Champion: Harlem YMCA Award-Winner

Parul Dubey on April 8, 2022 - in News, People

As one among 14,000 employees at a historically corporate utility company, rising to the role of a national ambassador for diversity and community advocacy is no easy feat, especially when deck is stacked against you. This is a story of a black laborer from the Bronx effecting a singular impact on a dominant economic sector – greater than any corporate policy could. 

The result: more opportunity for more black and brown employees, revenue and community growth for customer business districts, and a new culture of workforce empowerment, investment, and community partnership.

Last month Con Edison’s Shaun Hoyte was honored with the prestigious Harlem YMCA’s 50th Annual Black Achievers in Industry award among 32 other Fortune 500 executives. He joins 4,600 recipients nationwide from a pantheon of brand titans, many CEOs. It is the latest recognition for a man who works quietly not for awards, but to raise the voice of others. But whose work has been steady and impactful.

When Shaun joined Con Edison in 2007, he was a general construction laborer with a community college associate degree. He leaned into his admirable work ethic to open doors to OTJ learning opportunities and completed his bachelor’s degree. 

Without any specific mentor or program in place, he found himself, eight years in, designing steam-powered distribution plants, roles not replete with black management role models. This was the time that development of new energy technology and along with stronger climate, battery storage and emissions compliance laws were being fast-tracked. Shaun leapt ahead in this journey, and generated opportunity for inclusivity.

The 2007 Con Edison Annual Report doesn’t use words like diversity, inclusivity, empowerment or community. These were not part of the utility’s vocabulary or the industry’s culture– but Hoyte would make them part of its future and success. Shaun helped to change that, as the community and the company was changing.

Shaun connected the value of relationships as a core business value, with proof points that had meaning across HR, Sales, Marketing, Business Development and Finance: increase YoY retention, revenue growth, stimulate new products launches, community service partnerships and generating customer and recruitment pipelines. 

Champion of Workforce Development Programs – and a Masters at Columbia

In 2016, Shaun returned to school, not to just any campus, but to Columbia University, to earn a master’s degree in Sustainability Management while participating its Student Mentor Program. At the same time, he expanded his company’s community impact footprint while establishing a new workforce development program that is responsible for launching 80 new clean energy careers, notably for people of color. 

Con Edison credits Shaun with championing numerous community and workforce development programs, which remain durable examples of solutions that have bridged cultural and economic divides, creating meaningful connections between Con Edison employees to the people and business they serve.

Today, Shaun runs a profitable business unit for ConEd that brings sustainable and renewable energy cost-savings solutions, to small and mid-size businesses, where the impact is high. 

Shaun is a national and global spokes-advocate for worker diversity, empowerment, and opportunity, and has changed the way Con Edison accepts responsibility for problems with visible accountability by top management. Customer retention and satisfaction numbers are at an all-time high as the company pushes forward into more wind, solar and renewable energy storage offerings. 

 

https://www.bxtimes.com/shaun-hoyte-con-edison/

 

https://www.coned.com/en/about-us/diversity/diversity-by-the-numbers

 

2007 Annual Report:

https://www.conedison.com/-/media/files/conedison/about-us/sustainability-reports/ehs_annual_report_2007.pdf?la=en

 

Professional Achievements

Shaun joined Con Edison in 2007 as a general utility worker in Construction Services where he held positions of increasing responsibility. His work included the new construction of area sub-stations and upgrading equipment in steam-generating plants that drive the Company’s complex electric, gas, and steam distribution systems. In 2015, Shaun joined the Energy Efficiency & Demand Management (EEDM) department as a specialist in the Non-Wire Alternative’s section where his role was instrumental in helping the department achieve its peak-demand reduction goals. Shaun then became the Small-Medium Business (SMB) program manager responsible for delivering innovative solutions to meet the energy needs of our small and mid-sized business customers – with a focus on transitioning from lighting to more complex technologies that deliver energy savings. 

In his current role as section manager, Shaun leads the strategy for and manages the team responsible for the cultivation of industry partnerships across EEDM incentive programs to spur market transformation and advance the clean energy economy. Shaun is an innovative problem solver who combines deep hands-on industry knowledge with technical experience to maximize best practices. His most recent achievement is the successful launch of a workforce development training program in collaboration with Willdan Energy Solutions and NYSERDA that has created over 80 new careers for individuals looking to enter the clean energy industry.

Shaun was recently selected as the Con Edison recipient of the 2022 YMCA Achievers in Industry (bai) Award, honoring African American executives across Fortune 500 companies nationwide for their professional accomplishments and community service.

Community Service 

Shaun has proudly represented the Company professionally, academically, and personally. His desire to drive meaningful change in the communities we serve and inspire others have been demonstrated on multiple levels. 

Professionally: Shaun has positively promoted Con Edison in industry and corporate communications locally, nationally, and globally. His depth of understanding and ability to craft high-impact communication and consistent messaging across all stakeholder touchpoints have been nothing short of remarkable. One speaking engagement that stands out is:

 

The Bridge – From Day One Brooklyn Conference (2018, Brooklyn NY) where he sat alongside three C-suite executives from AT&T, Zillow and the NYU Veterans Future Lab as a panelist – the topic was “Setting Your Values and Following Them.” During the session Shaun tackled questions about Con Edison’s push for transparency for our customers, employees, and shareholders. He went on to discuss one of the six core principles of Con Edison, “seek and accept responsibility,” which was applauded by his fellow panelists, the moderator, and the audience. 

 

Link to published article of the event [https://thebridgebk.com/company-values-matter/

Link to published video of the event [https://vimeo.com/showcase/5510265/video/297337620]

Shaun is also a Con Edison Power of Giving volunteer, and mentor at Energy Tech High School and for the Company’s Tools for Employees Advancing into Management (TEAM) program. 

Academically: Shaun’s recognition as a volunteer leader began when he was a student at Columbia University and served as president of the Sustainability Management Student Association (SUMASA). In this role, Shaun demonstrated the importance of being an effective leader, how to influence a cultural shift towards sustainable initiatives, and led his team to develop solutions to combat the increasing global challenges all organizations may encounter. Shaun’s hard work, dedication, and leadership within the community was further cemented when he was selected as the 2016 School of Professional Studies (SPS) Student Speaker at Commencement (16 Master’s programs; over 700 graduates). 

 

Link to Commencement Speech [https://youtu.be/gDXv2ykNzEM]

 

 

Shaun’s Impact

Shaun’s impact and volunteer work did not end once he graduated. He is a founding member of the SPS Alumni Advisory Board where he serves as vice chair of the executive committee and is a member of the board of directors for the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA). In these roles, Shaun has spearheaded programming that promotes healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities and co-designed a mentoring framework for the inaugural CAA Scholarship program. Shaun is also leading the charge in creating a Sustainability Shared Interest Group (SIG) across all Columbia University School’s and is the chair of the 2022 Columbia Alumni Leaders Experience, an annual conference where the University’s top alumni leaders and volunteers gather to exchange best practices, advice, and ideas. 

In 2020, Shaun received the Alumni Dean’s Excellence Award, the highest honor bestowed by the School of Professional Studies.

Personally: Shaun believes there is a demand to treat sustainability as a significant and strategic value driver that ensures the needs of the present are met without compromising the security and prosperity of future generations. He holds himself and others accountable for their actions and continues to have a positive impact to the people that cross his path. 

 

 

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