Meet Emma Henry, CUB's Comms & Admin Intern

Emma joined the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota in 2025 as a Communications and Admin Intern while finishing her degree from Macalester College. She studies Political Science, Environmental Studies, and History.

Since moving to Minnesota in 2022, Emma has worked with several Environmental groups in the cities focused on preserving Minnesota's watershed and ensuring a just transition to clean, green energy. When she's not working or studying Emma spends her time volunteering as a clinic escort and swimming as a part of Macalester's Women's Swim and Dive Team.

In Emma’s role, she’ll help build out and implement CUB’s communications strategy, create resources to support Minnesota ratepayers, and help maintain and build the organization’s internal systems. Learn more about Emma below!

Tell us about your background and what brought you to CUB.

During the spring of my junior year of college, a pair of CUB staff members came to visit my Energy Justice class at Macalester College. This was the first time I was exposed to the organization, but the messaging about affordability, transparency in utilities, and supporting the transition to green energy stood out to me against other organizations in Minnesota. Ultimately, when applying to internships for my senior year of college, their unique message resonated with me and I was thrilled to apply.

Before moving to Minnesota for college, I grew up in a rural part of southern Virginia that is quite resistant to adopting clean energy – the city consistently votes against having curb side recycling. Growing up, my family was always trying to do our best when it came to energy consumption but resources were limited. We would have loved an organization like CUB in our area, and now I am excited about the opportunity to work at a place helping those who are just trying to do their best. 

What sparked your interest in communications, nonprofit work, or energy issues?

At the end of my first year of college, I knew I had fallen in love with Minnesota and I wanted to stay here for the summer. However, that meant I needed a job to support myself. That summer I ended up working as an Education and Outreach intern for Friends of the Boundary Waters and that inspired me to declare a major in Environmental Studies. Both this major and that past internship were the highlights of my time at Macalester, and that is because so much of the work is oriented towards supporting the community. Nonprofit organizations aren’t always perfect, but their role in uplifting people and centering the community they work in is so important and I wanted to be part of that. 

What drew you to CUB and this position in particular?

In my academic experience, we’ve talked about elements of a just transition to clean energy, but rarely did it feel like I was able to implement these practices. CUBs focus on affordability for your everyday consumer really drew me into the organization as an example of taking concepts and turning them into action - actually improving the material reality for people. At this point in my life, just about to graduate from college, I want to try and experience a variety of different roles, and working in communications and  admin from a ratepayer advocacy perspective is not something I’ve had the opportunity to do. For all those reasons, it felt like the right time to take on an internship, like this one, to learn more about how different environmental sectors focus on communicating and reaching out to members of the community.

Do you have a favorite communication channel to work with?

I can confidently say that Instagram and Facebook are my favorite communication channels because of their emphasis on images to tell stories. Storytelling, I think, can be an incredibly powerful tool. You know what they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Over the last few summers, I particularly found a love for nature photography. Nature’s beauty is generally something that is universally appreciated and Minnesota has so much of that to offer. While other social media channels offer spaces to include images, I don’t think they center them the same way that Instagram and Facebook do. 

Are there particular topics or issues you’re eager to learn more about while at CUB?

Over the next year, I am excited to learn more about CUBs role in holding utility organizations accountable to serving their customers, not just their executives and shareholders. So often I as an individual I feel as though the advocacy I can do is limited against such large corporations. While working for CUB, I am sure that I will have the opportunity to plug into their work on holding utility companies accountable, but I also hope to learn how I can participate outside of the workplace. My favorite parts of internships in the past have been learning about how I can continue to contribute to these issues that I really care about even if it doesn’t become my career. 

How do you see communications playing a role in advancing CUB’s mission?

Communications is such an important, and underappreciated, part of most nonprofit organizations. Organizations can offer the most beneficial programs, but if the public doesn’t know how to access them, the benefits won’t be reaped. Consumer help and Outreach programs are two-thirds of CUBs listed mission components and each of these requires communicating with community members. Sometimes the work can seem highly focused on social media, and that is a good amount of work, but so much work goes into creating and maintaining a brand so that our information and services can be easily found and used. 

Outside of school and work, how do you like to spend your time?

Maybe a trend is developing, but I love anything that has to do with water. I’ve been swimming competitively for almost twelve years now and competing at the collegiate level for Macalester has been one of the highlights of my time at Mac. Sticking with the water theme, I love going to lakes or beaches, canoeing, or paddle boarding. Hiking around state parks is one of my favorite things to do. Going on a long hike, taking a break to read a good book, is my ideal weekend activity. Another big part of my life is advocating for Reproductive Justice. At Mac, I am co-president of Pro-Choice@Mac where we connect with organizations in the Twin Cities are clinic escort volunteers, fundraise, and host educational events. All this keeps me pretty busy, but when I do have additional time, I love reading fiction books too. I recently read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow– it was one of my favorite reads of the year. 

Do you have a favorite Minnesota spot, season, or tradition you’re looking forward to this year?

Minnesota summers are unmatched. I’ve grown up in places with warmer climates, so often summers have unbearable heat. However, Minnesota’s cold winters make up for it with (still warm but enjoyable) summer. Each summer since moving here I have taken time to go up to the Boundary Waters for some canoeing and hiking. These activities are such a great reset for me and give me motivation going into the school year. I’m always looking forward to a chance to go back up there in the summer, but I’m intrigued by snowshoeing. A class this fall requires I spend time outside snowshoeing, so we’ll see if I’m any good.