Suzanne Tegen

Director, Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University

2016 Government Award Winner

Suzanne Tegen is Director of the Center for the New Energy Economy, founded by Colorado’s 41st Governor, Bill Ritter, Jr. The purpose of the Center is to educate, convene, and inspire decision-makers to create policies that facilitate America’s equitable transition to a clean energy economy. The Center is housed within Colorado State University’s Energy Institute, where Tegen works directly with state legislators and other decision-makers to educate them about economic and other benefits from renewable energy, grid modernization, electrified transportation, and energy storage. She has authored over 50 reports on clean energy economics, stakeholder engagement, and the domestic energy workforce. She co-wrote a report on clean energy policies for the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Clean Energy Solutions Center. She represents the United States in the International Energy Agency’s wind energy Social Science for Public Participation and Planning task.

Before joining the Center, Tegen served as the Technology, Engineering and Development Manager for Wind and Water Power at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (now NLR), where she managed a talented team of engineers and analysts dedicated to the responsible deployment of clean energy and microgrids around the world. She also played an active role in the U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition, inspiring students to work in the clean energy arena. Her early career involved working for the U.S. Antarctic Program at the South Pole and McMurdo stations and for the Center for Resource Solutions in San Francisco.

Tegen’s advocacy extends beyond her job; she is passionate about mentoring and energy education, delivering trainings for her staff, other women in clean energy, and youth. She is a founding board member of Women in Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) and served on the Executive Committee for nine years. She educates students, teachers, and co-workers about the importance of procedural justice, climate science, and clean energy. She has a PhD in Energy Policy from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an undergraduate degree in German Literature from the UW-Madison.