Our 2023 #Veterans Advanced Energy Project Fellowship Application is open!
Make sure to follow the link and join the only #leadership community of veterans in the #energytransition. This year-long fellowship will develop a diverse group of leaders to advance our mission that #EnergySecurityisNationalSecurity.
As part of the yearlong leadership program, each fellow prepared a policy proposal related to national security and advanced energy with the assistance of an advisor from the Atlantic Council network. Each policy proposal diagnoses a problem and proposes a solution to a specific actor or actors. The Fellows consider the counterarguments of the policy prescription to strengthen the proposed pathway and were encouraged to select a topic that they have a professional and personal connection. Click the button below to read the full proposals.
Applications for the next cohort of the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship are open until August 15, 2022. Click here for more information.
The Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship seeks to create a cadre of future leaders within the advanced energy industry. A successful fellow will become a peer mentor, advocate, and spokesperson for other veterans, reservists, and military spouses, helping to solidify the advanced energy connection to national security and the mission-driven advancement of veterans’ employment in advanced energy. As fellows rise within advanced energy organizations, they can more closely tie national security to energy security, as well as move the advanced energy economy forward.
Click the image above to read the full proposals
Dan Misch, Founder and Co-Director of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project, joins Liz Ramsay Dalton, Executive Director of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute and member of the VAEP Advisory Committee, for a Q&A session on applications for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship - housed within the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org
Read MoreThe Veterans Advanced Energy Project is pleased to share nine policy proposals from the 2020-2021 Veterans Advanced Energy Fellows.
Read MoreWASHINGTON, DC – June 8, 2021 – The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center announced today the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship is now accepting applications for the 3rd cohort of fellows, now through August 16, 2021. Over the course of the next year, the veteran fellows chosen from this highly selective process will gain the skills and tools needed to serve as next-generation leaders in the rapidly evolving advanced energy industry.
Read MoreNashville, TN | Veterans Advanced Energy Fellow Ryan Edwards recently published an article featuring veteran employees at Silicon Ranch, the largest developer, owner, and operator of solar facilities in the Tennessee Valley. Read the whole article here.
Ryan Edwards, Veterans Advanced Energy Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center
“There will always be demand for energy, and as the costs of green energy continue to compete with traditional energy sources there will be increasing, high-quality career opportunities to deliver it. After years of service to their country and while maintaining a “service over self” mantra, Veterans are pivoting their post-military careers to join the advanced energy economy as companies in the renewables space continue to expand.”
The Veterans Advanced Energy Project is designed to drive US leadership in advanced energy by recruiting, equipping, and empowering military veterans who understand the importance of the evolving energy landscape to our future security and prosperity. The Veterans Advanced Energy Project is managed by the Global Energy Center within the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit. www.AtlanticCouncil.org
Dan Misch, Founder and Co-Director of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project, joins Liz Ramsay Dalton, Executive Director of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute and member of the VAEP Advisory Committee, for a Q&A session on applications for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship - housed within the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org
Read More
By Ryan Edwards, Veterans Advanced Energy Fellow
The Global Energy Forum, hosted by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center on January 10-12, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, was an enlightening and thought-provoking experience that inspired me to rethink energy security and how the U.S. contrasts with the international community when it comes to visions of the advanced energy future.
Read Ryan’s blog post on Energy Source: “Global Challenges Require Global Solutions,” by Ryan Edwards, Atlantic Council Energy Source, February 25, 2020
Veterans Advanced Energy Fellows, Ryan Edwards and Sarah Nielsen, with Veterans Advanced Energy Project Co-Director, Colonel Greg Douquet (USMC Retired) at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi (January 12, 2020)
The Veterans Advanced Energy Project (VAEP) is designed to drive US leadership in advanced energy by recruiting, equipping, and empowering military veterans who understand the importance of the evolving energy landscape to our future security and prosperity.
Veterans tend to have a global perspective because of their military experience, and energy is one of the most important issues that all nations must manage. A consistent trait among veterans is “operational excellence.” Veteran skill sets add value to the advanced energy industry, improve return on investment (ROI) for investors, and ultimately promote sustainable development. These Veteran skill sets include:
Adaptable to challenges
Focus on accomplishing the mission
Delivering results on time
Taking charge when situations demand it
All of the above are important soft skills and opportunities for hiring managers of sustainable investment companies to de-risk their workforce and projected profitability, thereby lifting financial outlooks and spurring investment.
The purpose of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project is to inspire transitioning veterans to pursue advanced energy jobs, which will drive sustainability investing as the ROIs of those companies more frequently exceed general market returns.
Ryan Edwards is a Veterans Advanced Energy Fellow within the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. He is a former U.S. Naval Flight Officer, now a Finance Manager in the solar industry and Chairman of the Board of Directors for CleanTX.
Military veterans from the Veterans Advanced Energy Project within the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center will be attending the Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi next week, thanks to the generous support from the MacArthur Foundation and sponsors of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project. Fellows Sarah Nielsen and Ryan Edwards will be joined by Colonel Greg Douquet (US Marine Corps Retired) on the 4-day trip for an immersive educational experience in global energy diplomacy and politics.
Sarah (Barbo) Nielsen served in the U.S. Army as a Medical Services officer. Today, she is a Director of Corporate Strategy at Consumers Energy in Detroit, charting the future for Michigan’s largest electric utility by assessing industry trends and technology advancements like electric vehicles and smart grids to develop new business models for the utility.
Ryan Edwards served in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant and Naval Flight Officer. Today, he is a Finance Manager with SunPower Corporation, the leading global solar innovator since 1985 that is changing how our world is powered. Ryan also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for CleanTX, an Austin based nonprofit whose mission is the accelerate the growth of the cleantech industry in Texas.
Greg Douquet is co-director of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project. During his thirty-year career in the US Marine Corps, Greg served as chief of staff for Marine Forces in Europe and Africa, led strategic planning in Afghanistan under General Stanley McChrystal in 2010, and was the lead aviation planner for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. He is a 4,000-hour aviator and aerospace professional. Today, Greg is co-founder and managing partner of Red Duke Strategies, LLC, (RDS).
The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum is the go-to conference on the geopolitics of the energy transformation, where energy and foreign policy leaders come together to set the energy agenda for the year and examine the longer-term geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the changing energy system. Learn more here: link.
The Veterans Advanced Energy Project is designed to drive US leadership in advanced energy by recruiting, equipping, and empowering military veterans who understand the importance of the evolving energy landscape to our future security and prosperity. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org
The Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship seeks to create a cadre of future leaders within the advanced energy industry. As fellows rise in advanced energy organizations, they can more closely knit national security with energy security, as well as move the advanced energy economy forward. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship
New initiative to incubate new generation of veterans to lead advanced energy economy
WASHINGTON, DC – November 22, 2019 – The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center announced today the launch of its Veterans Advanced Energy Project. This innovative initiative will recruit, equip, and empower a new generation of veterans, servicemembers, and military spouses to serve as leaders of the advanced energy economy and contribute to long-term US national security and economic competitiveness.
“America’s veterans are our nation’s greatest asset, and they have an acute understanding of the role energy plays in our national security” said General James L. Jones, executive chairman emeritus of the Atlantic Council and former US National Security Advisor and 32nd Commandant of the US Marine Corps. “The experience and knowledge veterans gain while serving in uniform is unparalleled, which is why we are tapping this incredible resource to raise awareness of how the evolving energy landscape will be a decisive factor for our future security and prosperity.”
The Veterans Advanced Energy Project will have a national reach, featuring veteran fellows from across the United States and a major, national summit next summer in Chicago. This flagship event is designed to address the trends, technologies, and policies that are shaping the energy sector and to develop a community of veterans and allies committed to advancing US energy leadership. The next Summit will take place August 2020 in Chicago. The program will feature business and military leaders, policymakers, and industry stakeholders with insights into where energy markets and energy technologies are heading, and how this impacts the economic competitiveness and national security of the United States. It will also highlight the role of veterans and military spouses in energy and will open doors to new career opportunities for those in transition.
A key component of the project is the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, which seeks to create a cadre of future leaders within the advanced energy industry. The program provides a select group of high-performing, high-potential leaders with policy and skills training, mentorship from senior national security and energy leaders, and exposure to key workforce development opportunities. Fellows will also organize site visits, training opportunities, and other special projects for fellow veterans and allies throughout the year. The Project is pleased to welcome its first class of fellows:
Heather Takle, US Marine Corps Veteran, Boston MA
Ryan Edwards, US Navy Veteran, Austin TX
Sarah Nielsen, US Army Veteran, Detroit MI
Jack Boger, US Marine Corps Veteran, San Francisco CA
Zach Roberts, Ohio Air National Guard, Dayton OH
The Veterans Advanced Energy Project will receive strategic guidance from its advisory committee, which will be led by honorary chair General James L. Jones. The advisory group will consist of leaders in the energy and national security fields, and includes:
Sherri Goodman, Board Member, Atlantic Council; first Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security
Dorothy Robyn, former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations & Environment
Vice Admiral Dennis V. McGinn, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment
Joe Bryan, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy
Morgan Bazilian, Director, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, Former Lead Energy Specialist, World Bank
Jon Powers, Co-Founder and President, Clean Capital; Former Federal Chief Sustainability Officer of the United States
Kevin Johnson, President, GlidePath Federal Solutions;
Liz Ramsay Dalton, Executive Director, Clean Energy Leadership Institute; former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy (OE)
The Veterans Advanced Energy Project is made possible thanks to the generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, Exelon Corporation, and founding sponsor Invenergy. At the 2019 Veterans Advanced Energy Summit, Invenergy hosted a reception at their downtown Chicago headquarters with tours of the Invenergy Control Center and remarks about energy entrepreneurship led by Bunker Labs. Exelon exclusively sponsored travel scholarships that enabled 40 veterans from 17 states and the District of Columbia to attend the event.
The Veterans Advanced Energy Project is managed by the Global Energy Center within the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit | www.AtlanticCouncil.org
