Executive Transition

No! Certainly not. Ivan requested this change to allow him to be more accessible and strategically engaged with NCSEA’s members, partners, and donors. He will spend significantly more time engaging in strategic dialogue and planning how we can take advantage of the monumental policy, utility, and transformative market opportunities in front of us. 

As North Carolina’s clean energy economy has grown, NCSEA has grown alongside it. 2020 is poised to be a critical juncture for clean energy in North Carolina, and Ivan is moving from the role of Executive Director of NCSEA to the role of Chief, Strategy and Innovation to better position NCSEA as the natural leader of the transformative opportunities ahead. Ward Lenz (formerly NCSEA’s Managing Director) is stepping into the role as Acting Executive Director. 

Ivan’s leadership as Executive Director for the last 15 years has positioned NCSEA as a clean energy leader in the southeast, and the clean energy landscape would not be what it is without him. As was true 15 years ago, North Carolina’s energy system is on the cusp of major change. We, the clean energy community, have an opportunity to transform our outdated utility regulatory model to be cleaner, more affordable, more reliable, and more accessible to all North Carolinians. NCSEA is perfectly positioned to collaboratively lead this effort, and this change will enable Ivan to more fully utilize his unique talent for developing strategies and innovative solutions to take advantage of the monumental opportunities to set the course ahead and strengthen North Carolina’s clean energy economy.  

Throughout the years NCSEA has adapted to innumerable changes to remain the leader in North Carolina’s transition to a clean energy economy. Our organization has accomplished so much in our 42 years, but we know we are capable of even more. There is the potential for dramatic, positive change to North Carolina’s energy system just ahead of us, and we are making ourselves ready to grasp it.  

As Chief, Strategy and Innovation, Ivan Urlaub is the designated Visionary of NCSEA, developing and integrating that vision with partners, stakeholders, and the NCSEA board and team. This position provides leadership and vision across the organization to ensure that strategies and programs are integrated by design and implemented to effectively advance NCSEA’s impact and ensure its financial strength.   

Ward Lenz has been working in clean energy since the early 1990’s and has been with NCSEA since 2016. As Managing Director of NCSEA, Ward managed relationships and programs that serve  NCSEA's  membership, developed staff abilities, supported new technology markets, and increased business opportunities for the organization. If you don’t know Ward from his time at NCSEA, you probably know him from his previous roles 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. Ward is experienced, trusted, and supported by the NCSEA team, and his dedication to our clean energy economy is indisputable. 

Ward will remain Acting Executive Director until the Board of Directors, which is responsible for the management and appointment of the Executive Director, has completed their Executive Director selection process. The timeline for these actions is not yet final. 

Ivan approached the rest of NCSEA leadership in early 2019 with this idea—to step aside as Executive Director and step into a new role that better utilized his rare visionary and strategic talents. This idea was presented to the Board of Directors, who voted in November 2019 to approve the change. 

NCSEA’s Board of Directors voted in November 2019 to approve this change. Ward is officially NCSEA’s Acting Executive Director and Ivan is officially NCSEA’s Chief, Strategy and Innovation. 

As Acting Executive Director, Ward will oversee the organization and ensure that it is running efficiently, effectively, and within budget. He will work closely with Ivan, who will provide leadership and vision across the organization to ensure that programs are coordinated and implemented to effectively advance NCSEA’s impact and ensure its financial strength.   

NCSEA will be even stronger and more prepared to lead North Carolina into the most substantive transformation in our state’s energy policy and regulation since the 1960s. We will continue to do the work we have always done of driving public policy and market development to align consumers, utility providers, and the clean energy industry in creating an affordable, reliable, and accessible clean energy economy for North Carolina. In fact, we will be doing more—more events, more coalition building, more policy development, more education. In short, NCSEA will remain the trusted and reliable leader you have come to know and be a part of. 

Please reach out to Jordan Jones, Manager of Communications, Engagement, and Equity with any questions. She will be able to answer your questions or direct you to the appropriate staff member.