WASHINGTON, D.C. — By unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, the American Wind Energy Association announced today that Tom Kiernan has been named as the organization’s new chief executive officer. Kiernan has served as president of the National Parks Conservation Association since 1998. Kiernan will officially take the helm at AWEA on May 28.
The announcement was made by the Chair of AWEA’s Board of Directors, Tom Carnahan.
“Bringing Tom Kiernan aboard as CEO represents a huge win for AWEA and another step forward in our efforts to elevate wind energy’s role as a critical national resource,” said Carnahan. “Tom brings the right combination of bipartisan, practical experience at the national and state levels as well as in small, rural communities where wind energy is most often developed. His respected management style and significant executive abilities, combined with his skills as a communicator, will ensure that AWEA’s voice and potential are leveraged not only in Washington but, even more importantly, in the communities in which our members operate.”
Kiernan commented, “I am honored and excited to take on this role at such a critical time in our nation’s history. With wind energy building over 40 percent of new electrical generation in the U.S. last year, the massive public support for more renewable energy, and the recent extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) by Congress and the President, we have a unique opportunity to work together to make wind energy a more integral part of our national energy portfolio.”
“I look forward to working within the wind industry and with our many partners and supporters to craft a long-term strategy that creates healthy and consistent wind energy production in the United States,” Kiernan said. “Implementing such a strategy will create jobs in our communities, strengthen our national economy, help address climate change, and diversify our energy portfolio with a low-cost source of power that will never run out.”
Before heading NPCA, Kiernan served as President of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire and was a senior-level official in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation under President George H.W. Bush, where he won the Gold Medal for his role in achieving consensus with businesses and environmentalists on a $450-million pollution-control project at Grand Canyon National Park. He has also held positions with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and with Arthur Andersen & Company.
— Source: American Wind Energy Association
