Hello Fresh Energy friends and supporters,
I’m writing today to share some bittersweet news. At the end of the year, I will be departing Fresh Energy to take on a new role with Google, where I will be helping to lead energy policy engagement in the Midwest. While I’m sad to be leaving Fresh Energy, I am excited to be going to a place where I will still be working on clean energy and applying my expertise to new and emerging areas in our region.
Leaving Fresh Energy after nearly 12 years is a difficult choice, but one that I am able to make because I have confidence in Fresh Energy’s strong and steady leadership. I’m very proud of the work I have accomplished over the years, including helping Fresh Energy write our playbook for what effective and meaningful regulatory policy at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission looks like for the electricity sector, as well as the emerging natural gas decarbonization space.
This work continues through other Fresh Energy staff who work at the Commission on electricity and natural gas-related dockets, including Will Mulhern on the Electricity team, Caitlin Eichten on the Buildings team, and Shubha Harris, who is new to the Fresh Energy team but brings years of regulatory strategy and expertise to the organization.
My years at Fresh Energy have included more highlights than I can count, but one of the things I am most proud of is our dogged work to get retirement dates for all of Minnesota’s coal plants through Integrated Resource Planning, as well as ensuring multiple gigawatts of clean energy gets built and comes online to replace those coal plants.
In my time at Fresh Energy, we also made the strategic decision to dedicate staff time to MISO, the regional grid operator for much of the Midwest — this decision has ensured Fresh Energy is a key player at MISO across the region and the work continues with Mike Schowalter, Fresh Energy’s dedicated full-time staffer at MISO who joined the team in 2021.
More recently, the Electricity Team played a pivotal role in passing (and defending) Minnesota’s landmark 100% by 2040 clean electricity law, which has set the pace for other states around the country.
These are all career highlights for me, but I am absolutely confident that this important thought leadership and work will continue after my departure. Planning is already underway to ensure a smooth transition of my portfolio and ensure that Fresh Energy doesn’t miss a beat.
One of the things I have loved most about Fresh Energy is how much people like you, who are reading this blog post, care about our work. I’ve truly enjoyed hearing from so many of you over the years about the topics you care deeply about, from rooftop solar to nuclear and everything in between — it all helped to keep me grounded and focused on our clean energy future. Thank you!
I appreciate you and your support of Fresh Energy. Please keep reaching out to Fresh Energy staff, we love to hear from you.
