In January of 2020, Ivan Urlaub stepped into the role of Chief, Strategy and Innovation of North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association after serving nearly 15 years as NCSEA’s Executive Director. Ivan originally joined NCSEA in 2005 as Policy Director to translate NCSEA’s volunteer educational and policy leadership into a robust energy policy institution. Today he works in a consulting role as Strategic Advisor and continues to serve as Director of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, facilitating NCSEA’s program development, ED&I strategy and implementation, and market intelligence supporting staff projects and creating impact metrics.

As one of the top clean energy leaders in the Southeast, over much of his tenure Ivan provided the strategic vision for transforming our energy system and economy through both public policy and market solutions. He led NCSEA’s business model development to deliver on the vision of North Carolina where financial incentives set forth in policy and regulation and the interests of all consumers, utilities, energy industry, communities, and government are aligned. Success will be when all North Carolina achieves and shares in the benefits of universally affordable and accessible clean energy in a decarbonized economy.

Ivan is an original lab team member of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s national Electricity Innovations Laboratory (e-Lab), served on three eLab Accelerator teams, founded the NC Clean Energy Business Alliance (rebranded as CCEBA), serves on the Strategic Advisory Board of OUR&D and the Board of Directors of EarthShareNC, and leads his own consulting business.

From 2006-2010, Ivan co-led the creation and implementation of the NC Renewable Energy and Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) and was appointed by the Senate President to two terms on the NC Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change. Prior to his 15 years advancing sustainable energy, Ivan provided pollution and environmental justice geospatial research to help create the Burn Wise Program as a NEMS Fellow with the U.S. EPA. His career in Washington DC included ensuring U.S. and military oil pipelines had adequate worst-case scenario emergency response plans and resources in place, preceded by five years on conflict resolution over water resources in the Mideast and North Africa, where he gained experience and insights highly applicable to resolving North Carolina and the Southeast’s energy challenges of today.

A graduate of Leadership NC and an Eagle Scout, Ivan has most recently been recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal as a 2015 Energy Leader for North Carolina, by the NC Business Council in 2017 for his visionary leadership in climate and energy and was named Audubon NC’s 2019 Clean Energy Champion. Ivan holds both a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University, where he focused on climate science, economic globalization, poverty, and energy. In his free time, Ivan is a baseball fanatic, enjoys the fellowship and father-child activities of YMCA programs and volunteerism, coaching little league, playing the piano, surfing, generally loving all things related to the coast and mountains, and North Carolina’s minor league baseball teams.