Ivan Urlaub to become Chief, Strategy and Innovation for North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, Ward Lenz to become Acting Executive Director

North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) announces today an exciting executive leadership shift. Long-time Executive Director Ivan Urlaub is moving to a new role within the organization—Chief, Strategy and Innovation and Ward Lenz is filling the role as Acting Executive Director pending a selection process organized by our Board of Directors. Under Urlaub’s leadership as Executive Director, NCSEA became the pre-eminent clean energy advocacy organization in North Carolina and the Southeast. This change, proposed by Urlaub himself, is about creating pathways for NCSEA to become even more effective and innovative in transforming North Carolina’s energy system.

Originally joining NCSEA as Policy Director in 2005, Urlaub was quickly elevated to the role of Executive Director. Now, 13 years after the creation of the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) and on the brink of a monumental opportunity to transform utility regulation in our state, it is vital that NCSEA have someone solely responsible for vision, strategy development, and goal setting.

“I’m grateful for my fellow teammates and board members who helped build NCSEA’s programs and impact as a leading organization in public policy and innovative market solutions. In my new role, I’m excited to focus my talents in strategy development and innovation toward finding solutions that align the interests of all North Carolina consumers, utilities, clean energy businesses, and government,” commented Urlaub.

NCSEA’s Acting Executive Director, Ward Lenz, joined NCSEA in 2016 and most recently served as NCSEA’s Managing Director. As Managing Director, Lenz managed relationships and programs that serve NCSEA's membership, developed staff abilities, supported new technology markets, and increased business opportunities for the organization. Lenz has been working in clean energy since the early 1990’s, including serving as North Carolina’s State Energy Office Director under Governors Perdue and McCrory and Chair of the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions. Lenz is experienced, trusted, and supported by NCSEA team, and his dedication to our clean energy economy is indisputable.

NCSEA’s Board has been deeply engaged throughout this process. Incoming Board Chair Cris Masselle, who is in her seventh year of service added, “Together in their new roles, Urlaub and Lenz are poised to firmly establish NCSEA as a leader in North Carolina’s most substantive energy policy, regulatory, and market transformation in our state since the 1960’s and to diversify and strengthen the coalition of clean energy supporters NCSEA has partnered with in our 42-year history.”

The entire NCSEA team is excited about this new stage in their organization and they anticipate Urlaub and Lenz will be highly successful in their new roles as Chief, Strategy and Innovation and Acting Executive Director respectively. Read more about NCSEA’s Executive Transition on their website at https://energync.org/transition.