Press Kit — Need an energy expert? EFI’s analysts can identify the opportunities in a low-carbon energy economy

Ernest J. Moniz is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and president of EJM Associates, a Washington, DC-based consultancy.

The Energy Futures Initiative, a nonprofit founded in 2017, advances science-based solutions to climate change through evidence-based analysis, thought leadership, and coalition-building. EFI conducts rigorous research to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy through innovation in technology, policy, and business models.

Professor Moniz (Pronounced MO-neez) served as the 13th United States Secretary of Energy from 2013-2017, where he advanced energy technology innovation, nuclear security and strategic stability, cutting-edge capabilities for the American scientific research community, and environmental stewardship. In that role, he strengthened the Department of Energy (DOE) strategic partnerships with its seventeen national laboratories while producing energy policies that attracted bipartisan support. Since 2017, he has also served as Co-Chair and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Professor Moniz was a key architect of the Paris Agreement on climate change and Mission Innovation at COP 21. He has spearheaded international initiatives that placed energy, science, and technological innovation at the center of the global response to climate change.

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Moniz Bio

Melanie Kenderdine joined former Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz and fellow Principal Joseph S. Hezir in founding Energy Futures Initiative (EFI), a non-profit organization dedicated to driving innovation in energy technology, policy, and business models.

Kenderdine worked in the Administration of President Barack Obama at the Department of Energy (DOE) from May 2013–January 2017.

She served concurrently as Energy Counselor to the Secretary and as the Director of DOE’s Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Her 100-person office was responsible for analysis and policy development in areas that included DOE’s role in the annual review of the Renewable Fuel Standard Program requirements, energy innovation, and climate change.

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Kenderdine Bio

Joseph Hezir joined former Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz and fellow Principal Melanie A. Kenderdine in founding Energy Futures Initiative (EFI), a non-profit organization dedicated to driving innovation in energy technology, policy, and business models.

As a Principal and Executive Vice President, Hezir is the lead executive on key EFI research projects including reports examining federal support for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) research technologies; the US nuclear enterprise and its key role in national security, and white papers on the Department of Energy’s budget priorities and federal tax incentives for energy innovation.

Hezir (pronounced HE-sher) served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy from 2013 through 2017. As CFO, he led a 200-person organization responsible for the $30 billion Department of Energy budget, and supervised strategic planning, programming, budget formulation, and budget execution.

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Hezir Bio

David Ellis is Vice President of Communications and Policy Strategy for the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI), the Washington DC-based nonprofit founded by former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz to accelerate the transition to an equitable, low-carbon energy economy.

In his tenure at EFI, Ellis has focused on ways to clearly communicate the challenges of climate change. He advises Moniz and the EFI senior leadership on partnerships, media opportunities, and business strategy.

He also leads the program to brief state and federal policy makers on the leading technological pathways to a low-carbon future. Since EFI’s inception, more than 30 U.S. Senators and 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have received private briefings, and the organization’s leadership has testified before a dozen Committees, including multiple appearances before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources panel.

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Ellis Bio

Alex Kizer is the Senior Vice President of Research and Analysis at the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI). He develops and manages projects on cross-cutting issues related to technology, policy, and innovation in energy sectors at home and abroad.

An expert in developing and managing major analytical initiatives, Kizer supports funders and sponsoring organizations with advice on navigating the interaction between technology disruptions and legacy markets and systems.

At EFI, Kizer (pronounced KI-zer) oversees all qualitative and quantitative analysis for EFI reports, including “Optionality, Flexibility & Innovation: Pathways for Deep Decarbonization in California;’’ “Advancing the Landscape of Clean Energy innovation,’’ for Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy; “Investing in Natural Gas for Africans,’’ a project sponsored by the Africa50 infrastructure fund; and white papers on blockchain technology applications for energy, an examination of the U.S. nuclear enterprise and the role it plays in national security, studies on large-scale carbon management, and a variety of budgetary analyses.

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Kizer Bio