Marie Kills Warrior took her first SEI course in 2017. She was sponsored through SEI’s Native American Program, an initiative that Johnny Weiss championed with particular conviction. She has returned to campus several times since. Today, she is one of the people building the workforce pipeline that Indian Country’s energy future depends on.
Marie is Oglala Lakota and lives in Kyle, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. She recently joined Tribal Energy Alternatives (TEA) as Tribal Technical Trainer, a role in which she delivers hands-on solar training, supports job placement, and builds career pathways for tribal community members. In April, she traveled to Washington D.C. to join TEA’s Workforce Development team for Installation Basics Training (IBT) programming. This summer, she is leading two IBT cohorts through a partnership with the Northwest Native Chamber, hosted at Clackamas Community College in Portland, Oregon, alongside live solar installations on tribal homes in the Portland area.
TEA is GRID Alternatives‘ first Tribal-led affiliate. It works with Tribal Nations through grant funding, workforce training, policy support, and construction services, building energy solutions grounded in tribal values.
Marie is also continuing her own education. She is completing SEI’s Solar Professionals Certificate and working toward NABCEP PV Design certification as a 2026 recipient of the Les Nelson Scholarship through NABCEP, an honor she accepts with both gratitude and purpose.
In her words: “I am very encouraging and supportive of Indigenous women and men to pursue solar and give the opportunity back to those that are open to receiving it.”
At SEI, we love to train people who train others, and Marie is proof of what that investment compounds into over time.
