The Alliance to Save Energy has named Jason Hartke, a veteran energy efficiency leader who has overseen key programs at the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Green Building Council, as the organization’s next president.

Hartke takes the reins from longtime former Alliance president Kateri Callahan.

“Jason is exactly the kind of leader the Alliance needs at this time,” said Alliance board chair Gil Quiniones, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority. “He brings deep knowledge of energy efficiency and experience in the field. He’s a collaborative leader who knows how to champion sound policy and navigate Washington politics in a bipartisan way. And he’ll bring an entrepreneurial spirit and fresh vision to our mission that I have no doubt will create tremendous new opportunities and progress for the organization.”

For the past three years, Hartke led DOE’s efforts to advance and accelerate energy efficiency in commercial buildings, a sector that accounts for nearly 20 percent of the nation’s energy consumption. In overseeing DOE’s commercial buildings integration, a $32 million program, he led work to develop and deploy innovative solutions, strategies and technologies aimed at unlocking significant energy savings. For nearly a decade before that, he worked as senior vice president of global policy development at the U.S. Green Building Council. He also served in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the West Wing of the White House.

“As someone who has followed the Alliance’s work since I came to Washington almost 20 years ago, it’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to lead such a storied organization,” said Hartke, who holds a Ph.D. in public policy. “For 40 years, the Alliance has been the premier leader in driving solutions and policies to deliver the many benefits of saving energy. I’ve always admired not just the Alliance’s impact on efficiency policy, which is in a class of its own, but also the way they go about it – always constructive, always bipartisan and always pushing for real solutions that move us forward.”

Callahan, who left the Alliance after 14 years to become president and CEO of CMC Energy Services, said the organization is in good hands with Hartke’s hiring.

“The Alliance holds a special place in my heart and so I was very vested in making sure we had a smooth transition and strong, new leadership,” she said. “I have known Jason for years and couldn’t think of a better person to take over and continue building on the Alliance’s success. He will bring fresh ideas and a clear vision, and I predict that the Alliance will soar on his watch.”