Oakland, CA, 28 January 2022 — New Energy Nexus announced today that energy technology industry veteran, Denise Rushing, has joined the management team as California’s Managing Director, the latest in several key additions to New Energy Nexus’ growing global team.
“Denise brings a wonderful combination of public and private sector experience along with time as an entrepreneur to New Energy Nexus,” said New Energy Nexus CEO Danny Kennedy. “She will strengthen our global management team and provide the leadership needed to propel us to the next level in California as we collectively strive to meet our 100% clean energy goal for 100% of the population”
Rushing will bring diverse perspectives from the areas of energy technology, market development, program leadership, and community transformation.
“I am thrilled to be joining New Energy Nexus, an organization that understands the scope and scale needed to face global climate challenges, but also leverages its efforts for the greatest impact,” said Rushing. “I am most excited about tackling clean energy’s equity challenges to achieve clean energy for everyone in the shortest time possible.
“The New Energy Nexus team has a solid track record of collaboration, program leadership and building justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into the clean energy economy. Together, we are looking forward to supporting California’s leaders, stakeholders, and innovators in this important work.”
Rushing earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University and devoted her career to clean technology market development. Her pioneering work in the energy industry began as a renewable energy engineer at PG&E, where she soon rose to Director of Customer Energy Efficiency, launching award-winning initiatives adopted by utilities around the world. Over the past twenty-five years, she has led and advised a number of disruptive energy technology start-ups and innovators. Key roles included Vice President of Marketing and Sales for eMeter, CellNet Data Systems, and Sage Systems, and General Manager for Invensys Goodwatts home control division.
She was elected to public office and served two terms on the Lake County Board of Supervisors from 2007 to 2014, where she was best known for her environmental advocacy and community revitalization efforts. Rushing led rural Lake County to two State-wide Green California Leadership awards and championed two of the largest public solar energy installations in the Western United States.
In her new role, Rushing will be overseeing the exciting work that is coming out of New Energy Nexus’s California programs, including the California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development (CalSEED) initiative, The California Test Bed (CalTestBed) initiative, the Clean Energy Business Roundtable (CEBR), Lithium Valley, and Lithium Bridge with the Federal Department of Energy. Rushing is joining at a pivotal time with both CalSEED and CalTestBed preparing to support new cohorts of early-stage clean energy innovators in 2022, and she will be instrumental in ensuring that the development of Lithium Valley is a part of the equitable recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. Her main goal this year will be to enhance and amplify the tremendous efforts that New Energy Nexus is making in California to build a robust and equitable energy innovation pipeline that supports diverse entrepreneurs to bring their clean energy innovations to the marketplace.