Earth Day Special green leaf

On a Transition Mission

Michelle Lesh ’00 is driving the growth of renewable energy in Europe
by Jenni Whalen Gritters ’12
Michelle Lesh ’00 likes to solve problems — the greater the complexity, the more satisfying the reward. She has dedicated her career to tackling complicated, multifaceted challenges to help the world transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable sources of power like renewable energy.

Lesh is the chief commercial officer for Alfen, a Netherlands-based company that builds and implements sustainable energy solutions across Europe. Lesh is tasked with making sure new technologies, like electric vehicles (EVs) and renewables such as wind and solar energy systems, can work with existing energy grids. From her office in Amsterdam, she manages the strategy that propels several key energy-related areas: creating a system of accessible EV charging stations in Europe, implementing energy storage solutions to enable more renewable energy and building sustainable electricity grids for the future.

Portrait headshot close-up photo view of Michelle Lesh smiling in a black business coat blazer suit and white blouse underneath with a chrome-colored necklace around her
Photo: Remco van den Braak, Fotostudio87
Michelle Lesh ’00 took a strategic risk pursuing a career in renewable energy; today she’s a leader in the rapidly growing industry.
While studying mechanical engineering at Bucknell, Lesh participated in the Institute for Leadership in Technology & Management program, which helped her see how her engineering expertise could one day be valuable in advancing a business. She then interned at General Electric (GE), gaining exposure to the company’s innovative work on energy systems. She parlayed that into a full-time position after graduation, and for more than 20 years, she helped utility companies generate power from renewable sources. She also worked on creating smarter electricity grids that would make it possible for more people to charge EVs at home.

“I worked at GE back when people said wind would never be a viable energy source,” she says. “Bucknell helped me learn the value of being forward thinking and taking a strategic risk. That’s allowed me to have the career I have. I’m grateful to be a leader in the energy transition.”

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