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The American Council On Renewable Energy Announces New Members to its Board of Directors

Senior executives from EDF Renewable Energy and GE Energy Financial Services join Board of leading national renewable organization

 

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2017 – The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Jacob Susman, Vice President, Head of Origination at EDF Renewable Energy and Kevin Walsh, Managing Director, Group Head of Power and Renewable Energy at GE Energy Financial Services.

 

“I am honored to welcome two such respected renewable energy professionals to the ACORE Board” said Gregory Wetstone, ACORE’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “They are joining the board at a time of remarkable growth in the renewable energy sector. Their talent, commitment and experience will be a tremendous help as ACORE addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with changing federal and state policies, and works to promote the transition to renewable energy.”

In his role at EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE), Jacob Susman leads customer-facing activities in the United States, with a primary focus on originating long-term power contracts with corporate and utility customers. Jacob has been developing projects and investing in renewable energy since 1999. Previously, he founded and led OwnEnergy from inception to its successful sale to EDF RE. Earlier in his career, Jacob was a founding member of Goldman Sachs’ Alternative Energy Investing group. EDF RE, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, is a leading U.S. independent power producer with over 30 years of experience in the renewables industry and a portfolio of over 9 gigawatts of developed projects and over 10 gigawatts under O&M contract.

Kevin Walsh is the Managing Director of N.A. Renewable Energy at GE Energy Financial Services, which has committed to invest $15 billion in renewable energy globally since 2004. Kevin oversees the firm’s clean energy investments of over $1 billion per year. He has held leadership positions in energy, capital markets and industrial. He is on the Board of the Connecticut Green Bank and is a member of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)’s policy committee. He has served on ACORE’s Leadership Council and the Board of the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). Kevin is a frequent speaker at energy conferences.

“Jacob Susman and Kevin Walsh have already made great contributions to the renewable energy sector,” said Dan Reicher, Executive Director of Stanford University’s Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance and Chairman of the ACORE Board of Directors. “We are eager have their expertise on the board as we continue to find innovative solutions to advance renewable energy policy and finance at this moment of great opportunity but also significant challenge.”

The two newly elected members join a collection of other major players from the renewable energy industry on the ACORE Board, including: Frank Armijo, Vice President, Lockheed Martin Energy; Mona Dajani, Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP; Joseph “Joe” Desmond, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & Communications, Bright Source Energy; Jamie Evans, Managing Director and Head of U.S. Energy Solutions, Panasonic Corporation of North America; Matt Ferguson, Founder and Director, Project Seastar; Neil Gerber, Global Director, Smarter Lifecycle Asset Management (SLAM) Initiative, IBM; David Giordano, Managing Director, BlackRock Alternative Investors (BAI); Mark Goodwin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Apex Clean Energy; Skip Grow, Managing Director and Head of Clean Technology Group, Morgan Stanley; Ja Kao, President, Onyx Renewable Partners L.P.; Shannon Kellogg, Director of Public Policy, Amazon; Stephen Morgan, Chief Executive Officer, American Clean Energy; Susan Nickey, Managing Director, Hannon Armstrong; James “Jim” Spencer, President and Chief Executive Officer, EverPower Wind Holdings; Michael D. Ware, Managing Director, Advance Capital Markets; Kathy Weiss, Vice President, Federal Government Affairs, First Solar; Ray Wood, Managing Director and Global Head of Power and Renewables, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Patrick Woodson, Chairman, E.ON North America.”

 


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About ACORE
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is a national non-profit organization leading the transition to a renewable energy economy. With hundreds of member companies from across the spectrum of renewable energy technologies, consumers and investors, ACORE is uniquely positioned to promote the policies and financial structures essential to growth in the renewable energy sector. Our annual forums in Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco set the industry standard in providing important venues for key leaders to meet, discuss recent developments, and hear the latest from senior government officials and seasoned experts. For more information, visit the ACORE website and follow @ACORE on Twitter.

Media Contact:
Gil Jenkins
Vice President of Communications
jenkins@acore.org | 202.777.7584