Atlantic Council's Advanced Energy Veteran Fellows to Attend Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi

Military veterans from the Veterans Advanced Energy Project within the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center will be attending the Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi next week, thanks to the generous support from the MacArthur Foundation and sponsors of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project. Fellows Sarah Nielsen and Ryan Edwards will be joined by Colonel Greg Douquet (US Marine Corps Retired) on the 4-day trip for an immersive educational experience in global energy diplomacy and politics.

Sarah (Barbo) Nielsen served in the U.S. Army as a Medical Services officer. Today, she is a Director of Corporate Strategy at Consumers Energy in Detroit, charting the future for Michigan’s largest electric utility by assessing industry trends and technology advancements like electric vehicles and smart grids to develop new business models for the utility. 

Ryan Edwards served in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant and Naval Flight Officer. Today, he is a Finance Manager with SunPower Corporation, the leading global solar innovator since 1985 that is changing how our world is powered. Ryan also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for CleanTX, an Austin based nonprofit whose mission is the accelerate the growth of the cleantech industry in Texas.

Greg Douquet is co-director of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project. During his thirty-year career in the US Marine Corps, Greg served as chief of staff for Marine Forces in Europe and Africa, led strategic planning in Afghanistan under General Stanley McChrystal in 2010, and was the lead aviation planner for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. He is a 4,000-hour aviator and aerospace professional. Today, Greg is co-founder and managing partner of Red Duke Strategies, LLC, (RDS).

The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum is the go-to conference on the geopolitics of the energy transformation, where energy and foreign policy leaders come together to set the energy agenda for the year and examine the longer-term geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the changing energy system. Learn more here: link.

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. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org

The Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship seeks to create a cadre of future leaders within the advanced energy industry. As fellows rise in advanced energy organizations, they can more closely knit national security with energy security, as well as move the advanced energy economy forward. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship