DTL Women's Lunch Series: The Social License to Operate: Bringing Energy Projects into Communities
Determined to Lead Women's Lunch Seminar - The Social License to Operate: Bringing Energy Projects into Communities with Imani Lewis
Join Imani Lewis, policy and community engagement professional, for an insightful session on the critical intersection of sustainability, energy transition, and stakeholder strategy. In an era where building infrastructure faces deep public scrutiny, earning a “social license to operate” is just as vital to a project's success as securing its technical and operational licenses.
Instead of a traditional lecture, this interactive lunch session will break down the real-world complexities of bringing new energy developments into local communities. Drawing from her extensive background in policy and community affairs, Imani will guide the audience through the entire project lifecycle—showing how early relationship-building and strategic communications directly influence public perception and project adoption.
What You'll Learn:
The Engagement Lifecycle: How to navigate community relations from initial early-stage stakeholder outreach to long-term operational partnerships.
Securing Social License: Understanding why community trust and stakeholder alignment are fundamental to avoiding costly project delays.
Strategic Project Marketing: How public perception, messaging, and policy intersect to dictate the ultimate success or failure of energy transition projects.
This event is designed for:
Founders & C-Suite Executives looking to de-risk their project deployment and build lasting local alignment.
Technical Project Managers & Engineers wanting to understand the non-technical hurdles of energy development.
Communications & Public Affairs Professionals looking to sharpen their community engagement frameworks.
Energy & Tech Leaders managing the fast-moving, socio-political complexities of the energy transition.
Agenda
1:00 PM – Light lunch served & networking
1:30 PM – Interactive Session: The Social License to Operate
2:15 PM – Open Q&A with Imani Lewis
2:30 PM – Coffee & continued networking
3:00 PM – Event concludes
Location & Important Logistics
📍 Venue: Chevron Studio, The Ion (Suite 350)
Check-in: Upon arrival at the Ion, kindly proceed to the front Security Desk on the first floor to get access to the 3rd floor. The Chevron Studio is the last suite on the right-hand side as you walk out from the elevators.
Parking Instructions:
Ion Surface Parking Lot: The first three hours are completely free.
Ion District Parking Garage: Enter 4111 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to this garage, located a block away from the Ion.
Note: Please bring your parking ticket up with you to the Chevron Suite so we can validate it for you.
About the Speaker
Imani Lewis, Policy & Community Engagement Professional Imani Lewis is a policy and community engagement professional focused on the intersection of sustainability, energy transition, and stakeholder strategy. Her work centers on helping organizations build meaningful relationships with communities and navigate the social dynamics that shape successful energy and infrastructure projects.
She is currently earning her Master’s in Sustainability Business Management at the University of Southern California, studying how sustainability can become an integral part of business operations and long-term strategy. Imani double majored in Psychology and International Affairs at Florida State University and later earned her Master’s in public and international Affairs from Virginia Tech. Outside of work, she is an avid reader and walker, serves as the Wetlands Advocate for the Houston Sierra Club, and is a founding member of the Women in Sustainability Collective.