Olga Khakova is the deputy director for European energy security at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center (GEC). She leads GEC’s portfolio on synchronizing climate and energy security efforts through transatlantic cooperation. Khakova addresses these issues through in-depth reports and high-level convenings, such as the Central and Eastern European Energy Security Conference in Washington, DC. She conceptualized and launched GEC’s Innovation Stream, as well as the Model COP26 competition.

Khakova frequently appears on BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Deutsche Welle, NPR, and Times Radio as a guest commentator, and her work has been published in Barron’s, The Economist, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, National Journal, Politico, and The Washington Post.

Before joining the Atlantic Council, Khakova was a senior program coordinator for the US Energy Association’s Energy Technology and Governance Program. She helped start and manage the Western Balkans’ Electricity Market Initiative working group.

Khakova’s experience also includes serving as program director for The Climate + Energy Project (CEP), a clean energy nonprofit in the Midwest. While at CEP, she co-led the conception and development of the Clean Energy Business Council and facilitated statewide stakeholder engagement on energy issues, such as education and outreach on rate design dockets at the Kansas Corporation Commission. During her time at Bombardier Aerospace, Khakova organized aviation safety programming focused on human factors called Safety Standdown, which took place in Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States.

Khakova is on the Board of Directors Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment. She has a professional science masters in environmental assessment from the University of Kansas.