Hehewutei “Cody” Amakali serves as Vice President of Impact & Community Engagement at Reactivate and is a member of the Executive Committee. In her role, Cody supports Reactivate’s benefit design for community-centered solar project initiatives, working to create meaningful benefits for all households, particularly those with unmet needs across the United States. Cody’s team directs investment capital into low and moderate income (LMI) communities to ensure they benefit from renewable energy technology. She spearheads initiatives to create sustainable career pathways for more American workers and contractors, reduce energy costs for their families, meet rising energy demand with renewable solar, and build community-centered projects that enhance local resilience and prosperity.
Prior to joining Reactivate, Cody served as an Executive Strategist and U.S. Policy Advisor for Low Carbon Markets at ExxonMobil Corporation’s Low Carbon Solutions division. There, she developed and implemented the company’s first corporate-wide framework for equitable access to low carbon development and environmental co-benefits, securing over $33 million in federally supported clean energy investment by aligning IRA incentives with domestic carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and critical mineral projects.
Cody is an expert in integrating community benefit frameworks, workforce development, environmental benefits, and equity ownership in major renewable energy projects. Notably, her community-centered designs unlocked significant renewable energy investment in local communities, delivered environmental restoration funding, and established sustainable workforce development programs that trained hundreds of local participants.
Throughout her career, Cody has championed community-centered engagement, achieving unprecedented stakeholder approval through meaningful inclusion of communities, collaboration with Tribal Nations, and partnerships with local organizations. She has also led the development of programs emphasizing local hiring, resilient supply chains, and community-based training involving technical schools and emergency response organizations.
Cody holds a Master of Arts in Global Environmental Politics from American University and a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Geosciences from Appalachian State University. She is passionate about ensuring that communities hosting energy infrastructure receive tangible, lasting benefits, fostering an approach where economic opportunity and sustainability work hand-in-hand.
