It was a bold idea: Build a business that harnesses renewable energy and operates with a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
That’s exactly what English alumna Maria Kingery did. In 2001, two years after Kingery graduated, she co-founded Southern Energy Management (SEM) with her husband, Bob, a fellow NC State graduate, and has been helping to shape the future of solar power ever since.
Kingery’s career success underscores how a College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) degree provides graduates with the analytical and communication skills needed to bridge technology and science. This foundation helps graduates drive effective societal change with a unique, people-focused approach.
“As one of the first 250 Certified B Corps in the world, I believe that businesses have the power and the responsibility to create a more sustainable future for us all,” Kingery says. Such companies meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency, and balance profit with positive change.
Over the last 24 years, Kingery has used her critical thinking and communication skills to launch and grow SEM, inspire employees and others, articulate impactful visions, and adapt in a progressive industry. In 2015, she started 360 Impact to help other sustainability-minded entrepreneurs scale their businesses, which she explains, “is all about leveraging what I’ve learned to help others expand their impact.”
“Being able to articulate a vision that engages people to do their best work is an invaluable skill that I got from CHASS.”
Kingery says she’s felt a deep connection to the natural world her entire life. “Growing up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, every day I’d see railroad cars filled with coal that came from the mountains that I loved, and instinctively felt a desire to protect them,” she adds. ”It just made sense to me that we needed to find ways to use renewable sources of energy, which are clean and abundant, rather than destroying the environment with extractive practices.”
At SEM, Kingery’s role has changed many times over the years. She says she has gone from an entrepreneur building the team and defining the business’s vision to a coach, guiding the team.
Specifically, Kingery developed and oversaw SEM Youniversity, a program she describes as fostering personal and professional growth while empowering team members to contribute at their highest level. The program also emphasizes culture, helping employees embody SEM’s SHINE values: Seek Solutions, Have To to Get To, Invest in the Greater Good, Never Settle, and Enjoy the Journey.
Last October, her role changed again when she and her husband sold SEM to seven team members. She continues as their leadership and strategy advisor and works with other sustainability-focused companies in a similar capacity.
Her work comes with rewards and challenges.
“The most rewarding part is working with other people to lead the change we want to see in the world,” says Kingery. “No day is the same. There are always new opportunities to make an impact, new technologies to evaluate and new systems to develop and implement.”
The challenge? “Finding the right balance of responsible growth in what often feels like a feast-or-famine business environment,” she adds.
As an English major, Kingery says she developed the ability to connect ideas in new ways, uncovering deeper insights. She adds that studying Renaissance Literature, written during a time of rapid change, has given her a historical lens to navigate today’s similarly transformative world and the confidence to envision new and innovative business solutions.
“Being able to articulate a vision that engages people to do their best work is an invaluable skill that I got from CHASS,” Kingery adds. “Being able to collect and synthesize a wide variety of information from different sources is another skill I use every day; in a rapidly evolving industry like clean energy, this is required.
“Add to that nerves of steel, and you’ve got what it takes to lead in business and life.”
In 2025, Kingery says she plans to launch a speaking career based on her experience growing SEM. “This will give me the opportunity to use the skills and knowledge I gained at NC State in a whole new way,” she explains.
Despite the uncertainty the future will bring, Kingery says one thing is assured: Humans must know how to relate to one another.
“A CHASS degree,” she stresses, “prepares students to articulate a clear vision of what they want to create in the world, connect with others around that vision, and, ultimately, realize the potential of human co-creation in their personal and professional lives.”
This post was originally published in College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
