Washington, D.C.
October 19, 2023
C2ES Announces New Board Members
The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to the Board of Directors: Jane Park, Rob Leary, and Rick Thigpen. With their combined experience in organizational leadership, clean energy, community partnerships, sustainable investing, and public affairs, they will help guide the organization at this critical moment for climate policy — and at a time of rapid growth in the organization, which has doubled in size in the past two years.
The new Board members will play an integral role in shaping C2ES’s impact and continued growth, across all three pillars of the organization’s work: developing and advocating for strong U.S. climate policies, supporting the environmental effectiveness of the Paris Agreement, and strengthening local and business climate resilience. Two of the new members, Jane Park and Rick Thigpen, are also senior executives at member companies of C2ES’s Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC).
“We could not be more thrilled to have Jane, Rob, and Rick join our team,” said C2ES Board Chair Ann Klee. “The board and the organization will benefit greatly from the breadth of their individual experience and insights on decarbonizing the power sector and the transition to a clean and equitable energy future, sustainable investing, and how we can more effectively engage with vulnerable communities on climate policy.”
“I am honored that Jane, Rob, and Rick have all committed their time and talents to the C2ES Board and our mission,” said C2ES President Nat Keohane. “The rich experience they bring perfectly aligns them with C2ES’s combination of policy and analytical expertise, longstanding relationships with leading businesses, and reputation as a trusted convener — and with our mission of accelerating the transition to a thriving, just, and resilient net-zero economy.”
C2ES, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, was founded in 1998 as the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Underpinning every aspect of C2ES’s work is its belief in equitable climate solutions — ensuring that the benefits of the transition to a net-zero economy are widely shared, and that vulnerable communities are protected from climate impacts. Each new Board member brings a demonstrated commitment to these values and rich experience to C2ES’s efforts in ensuring a just transition.
Jane Park is currently Senior Vice President for Federal Governmental and Regulatory Affairs, and Public Policy at Exelon Corporation. Her career has been dedicated to implementing clean energy at the utility scale and building and strengthening partnerships with a variety of utility stakeholders. Park also implemented an Exelon business investments portfolio that included operationalizing the company’s Path to Clean commitment and helped implement Exelon’s federal clean energy initiatives.
Rob Leary has an accomplished career in financial services, investment, and corporate leadership. He was formerly CEO of The Olayan Group and of Nuveen, the asset management business of TIAA, and currently serves on the boards of several financial corporations including Citizens Financial Group, Intact and Wilton Re. He is also a member of the boards of the National Forest Foundation and Friends of Acadia and serves as a Senior Advisor to LeapFrog Investments.
Rick Thigpen currently serves as SVP of Corporate Citizenship at PSEG, a New Jersey-based utility. Throughout his career in public affairs, government relations, and law, he has been dedicated to advocating for sustainable forms of energy, along with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices. Thigpen serves on the board of several non-profits and energy focused organizations, including the Alliance to Save Energy and as the Board Chair of the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
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About C2ES: The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) works to secure a safe and stable climate, by accelerating the global transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and a thriving, just, and resilient economy. Learn more at www.c2es.org.