Fellows will participate in a yearlong policy and leadership development program for high-potential, high-performing veterans in advanced energy

WASHINGTON, DC – September 28, 2020 – The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center announced today the selection of its 2020-2021 Veteran Advanced Energy Fellows. Over the course of the next year, the veteran fellows chosen from this highly selective process will gain the skills and tools needed to serve as the next generation of leaders in the rapidly evolving advanced energy industry.

The Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship develops leaders to become peer mentors, advocates, and spokespeople for other veterans, reservists, and military spouses, and solidifies the advanced energy connection to national security and the mission-driven progress of veterans’ employment in advanced energy. Advanced energy is defined by leading edge energy technologies including solar, wind, batteries, microgrids, advanced nuclear, electric vehicles, end-user energy efficiency, among other innovations.

“America’s veterans are our nation’s greatest asset, and they have an acute understanding of the role energy plays in our national security” said General James L. Jones, executive chairman emeritus of the Atlantic Council and former US National Security Advisor and 32nd Commandant of the US Marine Corps. “This year’s class of fellows brings an exceptional level of talent, experience, and drive to this program. As the energy landscape shifts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can think of no better time to tap the incredible resource of Americans veterans to raise awareness of how the advanced energy industry will be a decisive factor for our future security and prosperity.”

America’s veterans are our nation’s greatest asset, and they have an acute understanding of the role energy plays in our national security.

General James L. Jones

The 2020-2021 class of Veteran Advanced Energy Fellows includes:

  • Jonathan Gillis | Chicago, Illinois | US Marine Corps Veteran
  • Robert Hayward | Dallas, Texas | US Army Veteran
  • Mike Henchen | Boulder, Colorado | US Army Veteran
  • Jessica Klinge | Chicago, Illinois | US Army Veteran
  • Justin Lau | St. Louis, Missouri | US Air Force Veteran
  • Jesse Medlong | San Francisco, California | US Navy Veteran
  • Michael Petersen | Washington DC | US Navy Veteran
  • Taylor Searcy | Detroit, Michigan | US Navy Veteran
  • David Tancabel | Washington DC | US Navy Veteran
  • Robin Tyner | Exeter, New Hampshire | US Navy Veteran

Participation in the fellowship includes monthly policy webinars with experts from the Atlantic Council network; policy proposal development for publication in the Global Energy Center’s EnergySource blog; fostering veteran connections in the advanced energy industry across local communities; and participation at the 2021 Veterans Advanced Energy Summit.

The Veterans Advanced Energy Project is designed to drive US leadership in advanced energy by recruiting, equipping, and empowering military veterans who understand the importance of the evolving energy landscape to our future security and prosperity. The Veterans Advanced Energy Project is managed by the Global Energy Center within the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit. www.AtlanticCouncil.org