Who We Are

Our Mission

Advanced Energy Institute provides research and information to help individuals and decision makers understand the path to an inclusive 100% clean energy economy. 

 

Our Focus

Advanced Energy Institute works to help people understand the benefits and opportunities of transitioning to 100% clean energy through research, education, and engagement with decision makers who are positioned to affect real progress today. We envision consumers who are empowered through this transition and an economy that is powered by American-made clean energy. 


Meet our Board of Directors:

  • aei-board-suedeen-kelly

    Suedeen Kelly - Board Chair

    Partner, Jenner & Block

    Bio

    Suedeen Kelly represents a variety of Jenner & Block clients in the electric and natural gas industries on business, regulatory, litigation, enforcement and policy matters. She served two terms on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under Presidents Bush and Obama, was chairwoman and commissioner of the New Mexico Public Service Commission, and served as regulatory counsel for the California Independent System Operator. Suedeen was also a lawyer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Defense Council and worked as a legislative aide to Senator Jeff Bingaman, then ranking member of Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. She earned her J.D. from Cornell Law School and B.A. from Rochester University.

  • United Board Member Headshot Kemkar

    Neal Kemkar

    Senior Fellow, Aspen Institute

    Bio

    Neal Kemkar has spent his career as a lawyer and policy advisor focused on climate action. Prior to Aspen Institute, Neil held policy and regulatory affairs leadership roles at Galvanize Climate Solutions and General Electric, where he advised the full portfolio of business units on climate policy risks and opportunities. Neal also held climate and energy policy roles during the Obama Administration, with the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Secretary of the Interior, and in the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office. 

    Previously, he was in private law practice, served as an adjunct professor, and as a law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He began his career as a grassroots organizer, leading advocacy campaigns for several environmental nonprofits. He currently sits on the board of trustees of the National Park Trust, and is a fellow of the Aspen Institute and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. He is a graduate of Brown University, Georgetown University Law Center, and the Senior Managers in Government Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He lives with his wife and daughter in Washington, D.C.

  • United Board BW Web Liesl Clark

    Liesl Eichler Clark

    Director of Climate Action Engagement, University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability

    Bio

    Liesl leads a new initiative aimed at linking the university’s expanding sustainability research, collaborations and engagement with external partners to accelerate climate action across the state of Michigan and beyond. Previously, Clark served as director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet, chaired the Council on Climate Solutions and led development of the MI Healthy Climate Plan. 

    In addition to her role as prior director of EGLE, Clark is a successful entrepreneur in the clean energy and sustainability space having co-founded the clean energy consulting firm 5 Lakes Energy. She also was instrumental in the creation of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council and served as the president for three years as well as serving on a variety of business and nonprofit boards. Her professional career combines the public and private sectors to inform her passion for leadership, communication, and the beautiful state of Michigan.

     

     

  • Nat Kreamer

    Advanced Energy Leader and Investor

    Bio

    Nat Kreamer is the Executive Chairman of AMP Robotics Corporation, a member of the board of directors of Highland Electric Fleets, and a partner in HDM Renewable Finance. Nat is the founder of Fairtide Renew, which invests in helping traditional industries adopt new technologies that create sustainable value for customers, shareholders, and societies. Fairtide’s current investments include AMP Robotics, Charge Robotics, Formic Technologies, Highland Electric Fleets, HDM Renewable Finance, and Synop.ai. Nat is on the boards of Advanced Energy Institute as well as Counterspark and is a member of the Executive Council of the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Northwestern University (ISEN).

    Nat sold the first residential solar power purchase agreement when he co-founded Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN), the nation’s second-largest solar company, and served as its president. In addition to SunRun, he has built multiple distributed solar and energy efficiency businesses, which include Nat being an equity sponsor for HDM Renewable Finance, CEO of Spruce (NYSE: SPRU) and its predecessor, Clean Power Finance, and president of Acro Energy Technologies (TSX: ART). Nat was named to Forbes’ "Solar 100" for his work pioneering and building the solar industry.

    Nat has helped secure >$100B of incentives for the energy transition as the CEO of Advanced Energy United and Chairman of the Board of the national Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). He has served as a strategic advisor to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Grid Alternatives, and Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

    Nat is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, where he served as a US Navy officer in the Special Forces and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. President Obama named Nat a Champion of Change for his work as a veteran in clean energy. He also received the Truman Visionary Leadership Award and Most Admired CEO Award from the “San Francisco Business Times.” He has an MBA from Rice University and a BS from Northwestern University. Nat is an Eagle Scout.


     

  • Hemant Taneja

    Managing Director, General Catalyst Partners and Co-Founder, Advanced Energy Economy

    Bio

    Hemant Taneja is Managing Director of General Catalyst Partners, a multi-billion dollar investment firm with offices in Cambridge, New York and Palo Alto. Mr. Taneja leads the global energy practice for General Catalyst and serves on the boards of a diverse set of energy companies. He has broad experience in developing advanced energy ecosystems, having co-founded and chaired the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC), a nonprofit focused on advancing New England's energy economy. Under his leadership, NECEC worked with Governor Patrick’s administration to develop a comprehensive slate of advanced energy legislation in Massachusetts. He was also a founding board member of Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, as Governor appointee. Prior to joining General Catalyst in 2002, he was founder, Chairman and CEO of a mobile software company that was acquired. Mr. Taneja is a graduate of MIT, earning an M.S. in Operations Research, an M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, a B.S. in Mathematics, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, and a B.S. in Biology & Biomedical Engineering.

  • Edward D. (Ted) White

    Director, Fennemore

    Bio

    Edward D. (Ted) White is a Director at the Denver-based law firm Fennemore. He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Advanced Energy Group, and his legal practice focuses on complex transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, and financings. Ted currently serves as Senior Counselor for a prominent investor and philanthropist’s extensive business, policy, political, and philanthropic efforts.  He is also the founder and advisory board chair for Estabrook Funds, a fund of global, multi-strategy absolute return hedge funds, one of the first of its kind in the United States. He is on the Limited Partner Advisory Committee of multiple investment funds and serves on the board of directors or advisory boards of several investment funds and companies. He is the author of Business Contracts (Bradford Publishing Co. 2010); Business Contracts: A Guide (Bradford Publishing Co. 2013); and Business Contracts: A Guide for Lawyers and Business Owners, 2016 Edition (CBA-CLE). Ted has a strong record of civic leadership, serving as an officer and trustee of many community organizations. He is a former Chair of the Boettcher Foundation, one of the largest privately endowed grant-making organizations in Colorado, and a former Director of Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Foundation (SASB). Ted is a former adjunct professor of law at the University of Colorado School of Law, where he designed and taught the popular Business Transactions course.

 

 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

The mission of Advanced Energy Institute is to raise awareness of the public benefits and opportunities of advanced energy. Advanced Energy Institute and its affiliate Advanced Energy United, have a shared vision of a prosperous world that runs on secure, clean, affordable energy.At Advanced Energy United and Advanced Energy Institute, we are committed to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice across our organization. We also incorporate these values into our mission to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy in the United States. We know that varied perspectives and a commitment to social justice are needed to succeed in making the United States an advanced energy economy. In order to ensure that our work is representative of the needs of the diverse communities we seek to serve and to achieve long-term stability for our endeavors, we are committed to building diverse teams who can lead on these issues.

We commit to building and supporting an inclusive workforce that represents different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints.

We welcome every person who brings a unique perspective to advance our mission.

We count on authenticity.

We expect commitment to the mission and to each other.

 

To get a better understanding of our work,
check out our resources by clicking the link below!

CHECK OUT OUR RESOURCES