Montgomery College Receives $650K in Grants from Pepco to Fund Scholarships, Teacher Training and Curriculum Development to Support Next Generation Energy Workforce

Pepco has provided $650,000 to five local community colleges and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), including our very own Montgomery College.

The donation is to support local scholarships, teacher training and the development of curriculum geared toward educating the next generation of the energy workforce. The funding builds on $400,000 in grants provided as part of Pepco’s Community Scholars Program during the 2020-2021 academic year to support students across the company’s service area struggling to continue their education due to the impacts of the pandemic.

Per Pepco:

“We hope this funding helps open the door to educational opportunities that all too often are just a dream for many young people within our communities,” said Rodney Oddoye, senior vice president of Governmental, External and Regulatory Affairs for Pepco Holdings. “Through our partnerships with local community colleges, HBCUs, and workforce development programs like the DC Infrastructure Academy, we are not only expanding the possibilities for our youth, we are building the talent pool for the future energy workforce.”

Pepco provided $400,000 in grants to Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia. In addition to the support for HBCUs, Pepco has provided $250,000 to three local community colleges including the University of the District of Columbia, Montgomery College  and Prince George’s Community College. This funding is provided as part of Pepco’s Community Scholars Program, which provides gap funding for limited- and moderate-income community residents pursuing degrees in energy related fields, such as Engineering, Mathematics, Urban Sustainability, Business Management, Communications and more.

As part of a partnership with UNCF (United Negro College Fund) Pepco’s parent company, Exelon, and the Exelon Foundation, also provided $2.4 million in scholarships to 24 college freshmen as part of its HBCU Corporate Scholars program launched in the fall 2021. As part of this program, seven local students will receive up to $100,000 in need-based aid over their four years of college. These students are:

• Nolanda Graves and Hnin Swe, both of Washington D.C. and who are attending University of the District of Columbia
• Michael Johnson and Kiley Strong of Washington D.C. and Tolulope Oluyadi of Upper Marlboro, Md. who are both attending Howard University
• Jaylin Lee-Sumlin of Greenbelt, Md. who is attending Clark Atlanta University
• Emmanuel Marfo of Hyattsville, Md. who is attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

“We appreciate the wonderful partnership with UNCF and the opportunity to further the support and relationship with our HBCU’s to provide greater and more meaningful impact to local students who are building their knowledge and preparing themselves to become the future energy workforce, added Oddoye.”

These community college and HBCU grants add to the initiatives of Pepco and Exelon that support education and workforce development. As an example, Pepco has partnered with the DC Infrastructure Academy to graduate more than 120 participants in the Pepco Utility Training Program where 100 percent of the graduates are offered jobs with Pepco or a company contractor of choice. Pepco and Exelon are helping bridge the gender and racial gap in STEM careers with the annual Exelon Foundation STEM Leadership Academy, a program, to encourage and support the involvement of young women in science technology, engineering and math.

These commitments extend outside of Pepco’s walls through philanthropic support of similar work by other organizations in the community. In 2021 alone, Pepco provided more than $3.2 million in grants for nonprofits and programs across the District of Columbia and Maryland.