Cindy Taff, a former vice president at Shell in Houston, frequently faced questions from her daughter about her involvement in the oil and gas sector. Her daughter, Brianna, who was in middle school at the time, asked whether there was a future in the industry and why Taff had not transitioned to a cleaner energy field. These questions led Taff to reflect deeply on her career. While at Shell, she managed operations related to unconventional oil and gas drilling, focusing on extracting hard-to-reach resources. Although Taff urged Shell to explore geothermal energy, the company opted not to pursue these projects due to concerns over long-term financial returns.

As Brianna entered college and interned at Sage Geosystems, a geothermal company founded by Taff’s former colleagues, she encouraged her mother to consider a transition into renewable energy. This advice prompted Taff to leave her 36-year career at Shell and join Sage as the Chief Operating Officer, believing the shift better aligned with her values. Currently serving as Sage’s CEO, Taff has overseen the company’s growth by advancing geothermal technologies that generate and store energy. Sage is now building geothermal energy storage systems in Texas and collaborating on international projects. Taff has expressed optimism about the potential of geothermal energy to contribute to stabilizing and cleaning the global electrical grid. She believes that this shift will have a transformative impact on the energy sector and aligns with her personal and professional aspirations.