As I travel around the world working on Smart Communities and utilities, it is inspiring to see the growth of the number of women doing great things in the industry and in their communities. When I first joined the utility industry, it was 90% men or so it seemed. However, the empowerment of women within utilities and their advancement in technology companies, as well as early focus on girls in STEM is going a long way toward the of equality between women and men in many places. Of course, there is still a long way to go. The way to strengthen all communities is through empowering women. Companies, educational institutions, and governments need to continue to focus on women as key drivers