2016 40 Under 40: Ruchi Singhal, CEM, 37

Executive Director, Chemical Engineer, Nexus Energy Center, Huntsville, Ala.   BS Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology MS Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University

Ruchi Singhal, CEM, 37

Executive Director, Chemical Engineer, Nexus Energy Center, Huntsville, Ala.

BS Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

MS Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University

Singhal is the executive director and founder of Nexus Energy Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Huntsville, Ala. The organization’s background traces back to 2008 when she was hired with grant funding by BizTech, a local business incubator, to promote renewable energy. At BizTech, she was named the program’s renewable energy outreach manager. In this role, she helped businesses and citizens understand the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including putting together many proposals for local businesses and universities to pursue funding. She and other like-minded leaders created Nexus Energy Center in 2010 and immediately applied for 501(c)(3) status to pursue many grant opportunities. Six months later, the first grant was won for the organization to administer what is now the AlabamaWISE program. Since founding Nexus Energy Center, Singhal has been successful in securing more than $2.5 million to support Nexus projects. Singhal is a member of the local Women’s Economic Development Council chapter, which endeavors to empower women in the community to achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. She also volunteers with AshaKiran, an outreach committed to educating, empathizing with, and empowering people of South Asian and other foreign-born origins. Additionally, she volunteers with the TEMP$ program through CASA of Madison County. She loves sewing, reading, and hiking with her family, and often goes for picnics around her neighborhood with her husband and two children.