Groundswell is excited to welcome Dr. Elvis Moleka to our team as our new Data Science and Research Fellow. Dr. Moleka has more than 15 years of progressive experience in finance, risk management, data and quantitative analytics, performing complex model validation analyses, and creating executive summaries of findings, which he is already applying to his work at Groundswell.
In this installment of our "Road to Groundswell" series, Dr. Moleka shares his story.
What led you to Groundswell?
I was attracted by Groundswell’s mission of building community power by developing solar projects and programs that connect with economic empowerment. I share a commitment to energy efficiency with the aim of promoting equitable income distribution, education, jobs, and business opportunities for individuals in deprived communities.
I was also attracted by Groundswell's policy on diversity, inclusion and equality, which is vividly demonstrated on their website. This is by far the strongest reason I decided to join Groundswell, where everyone is valued, respected, appreciated, and treated fairly.
What do you do at Groundswell?
My responsibilities include collecting, managing and analyzing data in support of the LIFT (Low-Income Financing & Transactions for Solar Access Everywhere) research project and using visualizations to make comparisons of LIFT collected data outcomes with other energy program data outcomes.
I am also contributing to the design and development of a LIFT toolkit that can further expand Groundswell’s service to our partners by making this important information more accessible.
Additionally, I am working with the Groundswell team to co-author publications and presentations. These publications and the research that makes them possible are part of establishing repeatable processes for information collection from all partner organizations. This work supports the development of Groundswell’s capabilities through interdisciplinary collaborations.
How is this work similar to what you’ve done before?
In my past roles, I have successfully led many development projects. I am also the Director for Policy and Economic Development at BACDU USA INC.
What kind of impact do you hope to make at Groundswell?
I hope to add value to Groundswell by promoting data management, research, and reporting solutions.
If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would you want to have dinner with and why?
Elvis Presley playing "Suspicious Minds." If couples are allowed, then I would ask him to play "Can't help falling in love."
My Dad was a big fan of Elvis. When Elvis died in 1977, Daddy knew for sure that one of his sons would be an “Elvis.”