Travis Nels is a Veterans Advanced Energy fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. Nels is the vice president of planning, analytics, technology, and transformation at AES Corporation in Arlington, Virginia. In this role, Nels leads strategic planning, financial forecasting, budgeting, and integration of advanced digital technologies across AES’s operations in thirteen countries. He has more than twenty years of experience in the energy and infrastructure sector working on strategic transformation, financial planning, and digital innovation.

Nels formerly served as chief financial officer for AES’s business incubation unit. He also founded AES Vets, the company’s veteran employee resource group. Prior to working at AES, Nels was a regional business manager at NextEra Energy, where he oversaw renewable energy projects across North America. He began his career as an officer in the US Air Force, where he held key operational roles, including serving as an air battle manager with NATO and as a liaison officer with the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division.

Nels holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MA in international relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a BA in international relations and economics from the College of William and Mary. He, his wife, and their two children live in northern Virginia.