As financing becomes an increasingly important aspect of continuing clean energy’s rapid growth, I could not have picked a better time to join the Department’s Loan Programs Office (LPO).  As one of the nation’s largest project finance organizations with $40 billion in remaining authority, we have the opportunity to do some amazing things.  I am honored to have been selected by President Obama and Secretary Moniz to serve as LPO’s new Executive Director.

What LPO has already done is impressive.  I have helped to build energy investment portfolios over the past two decades, so I recognize a good one when I see it.  Notwithstanding its mandate to finance innovative and first-of-a-kind projects, LPO has a strong portfolio.  And we look forward to continuing to protect taxpayer interests through proactive portfolio management.

But what I’m most excited about is LPO’s future.  Throughout the past two decades, I’ve helped to close many deals, particularly in the oil and gas industry.  With a robust pipeline of projects covering a wide variety of technologies, I look forward to working with LPO’s team of experienced financial, legal, technical, and environmental professionals to close deals and grow our application pipeline.

These future projects are important because now is a crucial time for America to demonstrate global leadership in addressing climate change and continuing the growth of the clean energy economy.  By helping to finance first deployments of innovative technology at commercial scale, we can help launch markets and create jobs while also protecting the environment.

It’s the potential of these projects to lower carbon emissions and leave our planet in a better place that led me to step away from a comfortable job and spend time away from my home and my family in Connecticut.  But the benefits of building a stronger economy and combatting climate change for my family’s future far outweigh the downside of weekly commutes along the I-95 corridor.

To help maximize my time during those trips, I got some tips from my predecessor Peter Davidson, who helped turn around LPO over the past two years and establish a solid organization that is a recognized leader in clean energy finance.  That has allowed me to hit the ground running and I look forward to building on LPO’s success.

Over the next several months, I’ll be hitting the road to learn more about the innovative clean energy projects and advanced technology vehicles manufacturing projects that are poised for commercial-scale deployment.  To learn whether the LPO team or I will be in your community, or to request a meeting at the Energy Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., please email us at lpo@hq.doe.gov.