As an energy efficiency advisor for Ameren Illinois, Angie Ostaszewski is sought by industry peers across the country as a leading expert at the intersection of energy access and diversity, equity and inclusion. Among her key projects for Ameren, she led programs to support the development of a more diverse contractor base and has grown the Smart Savers initiative to become an industry-leading example for supplier diversity. In 2020, she developed a novel program to offset losses of minority-owned contractors during the COVID-19 shutdown and led a statewide research effort to measure the effects of the pandemic on the energy efficiency workforce—culminating in the launch of a pilot program connecting underserved individuals with jobs that pay a living wage.
Prior to her work with Ameren, Ostaszewski was instrumental in establishing LISC in Peoria and supporting the implementation of multiple AmeriCorps cohorts which invested hundreds of thousands of federal grant dollars in distressed neighborhoods in the Peoria area.
Outside of her professional career, Ostaszewski is a sitting board member for the Center for Prevention of Abuse, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, ICC Educational Foundation and Renaissance Park Community Association. She has also supported the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum, Jolt Harm Reduction Services and Central Illinois Friends with her time and talents.
Ostaszewski has also become one Peoria’s most prominent community boosters through her popular social media channel @AngiesListings. With her wildly engaging posts, she has single-handedly attracted nearly 40 individuals and families to move to central Illinois, inspiring a new generation of Peorians who will help shape it for years to come. She was named the 2020 Emerging Professional of the Year by the Association of Energy Services Professionals and was voted Best Individual Community Supporter by the public in Peoria Magazines’ 2021 Best of Peoria competition.
Leading from the front with compassion, Ostaszewski has a heart for serving people and is unafraid to take on systemic challenges. In everything she does, she follows the key principles of equity, inclusion and kindness, advocating for greater representation for the most vulnerable and underserved in our community. PM
