The Great Plains Institute Seeks Passionate New Board Members 

Increasing demand for GPI’s unique blend of energy expertise and consensus-oriented climate solutions has driven rapid organizational and programmatic growth. GPI’s footprint is national in scope, even as we retain our prairie-like roots in the midcontinent. GPI is powered by some 75 dedicated professionals across 17 states and D.C., and by some of the nation’s most respected philanthropies and donors. 

GPI’s Board of Directors is seeking new board members who have the passion, life experience, and influence to help GPI add speed and scale to its already high-impact work. 

VISION: An equitable net-zero carbon economy. 

MISSION: Accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions for the benefit of people, the economy, and the environment.  

VALUES: Trusted. Inclusive. Equitable. Pragmatic. Transformative. 

The Great Plains Institute combines a unique consensus-building approach, expert knowledge, research and analysis, and local action to find and implement lasting energy solutions that bridge political, economic, geographic, and cultural divides. Our “center-out” approach strives to build on our historical success in the Midwest and galvanize the political center by meeting people where they are on the climate issue. This translates into progress in places where climate is not a key driver. 

We work all along the energy supply chain, from applied research and analysis that informs what is possible, to helping diverse leaders co-create sound policy, regulation, and action plans, to providing technical assistance to get clean energy deployed. 

We help create the policy, regulatory, and market system conditions and social norms necessary to dramatically accelerate the historic technology adoption rate for clean energy. Our work helps make it politically and economically possible for the largest number of institutions, cities, and states to take the most aggressive action possible. 

This skill set has yielded results in many economic and political environments and offers an important antidote to today’s often fractured public discourse. 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:  

GPI recognizes that the impacts of climate change fall disproportionately on lower income people and communities of color. One of our strategic goals is to ensure that GPI’s staff, board, and programs reflect diversity, inclusion, equity, and environmental justice, and that our work involves the communities affected by our work. Progress thus far includes a board diversity strategy, equity policy statement and work plan, equity lens tool used in launching new work, a review of HR practices, organization-wide cultural competence training, building equity and environmental justice considerations into all that GPI does; founding member of a new chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy in our home state of Minnesota. We have much more to do! 

GPI PROGRAMS 

Carbon Management. GPI leads regional and national efforts on carbon capture, storage, utilization, and removal. Our work led to putting a value on carbon dioxide at the federal level for the first time ever, creating the incentive to remove carbon from the atmosphere. We bring together government, industry, labor, NGOs, and EJ interests to achieve the economic, jobs, health, and environmental benefits of carbon management technologies critical to reaching climate goals. 

Communities. GPI helps large numbers of communities institutionalize and pursue their energy and climate goals, with the aim that equitable and inclusive action on clean energy, resilience, and climate mitigation becomes the norm for all Minnesota and Midwestern cities and communities. 

Energy Systems. GPI works with states and a broad range of interests to decarbonize the electricity and thermal sectors as fully as possible by midcentury (or sooner) through transformative system change to energy markets and infrastructure, utility regulation, and by aligning financial incentives with this goal. 

Renewable Energy. Now that renewable energy is competitive, we are tackling the remaining barriers to full-scale deployment. For example, siting wind and solar so that it delivers other community benefits, predictable and transparent interconnection to the grid, and equitable access, wealth creation, job creation and economic development in host communities. 

Transportation & Fuels. Finally, GPI seeks to reduce GHG emissions in the transport sector up to 90 percent—while cutting the cost per mile—by electrifying transportation where practical, switching to renewable, low- or carbon-negative fuels where that is the better solution and enhancing mobility for all. 

What is GPI Seeking in New Board Members? 

Over the next 2-3 years, we are seeking 6-9 new board members who would help transform our organization on a national scale and to meet our impact-driven growth strategy. 

Expertise/professional qualities: 

• Past or current CEOs; background in HR  
• Expertise in strategy, consulting, government, and/or the nonprofit sector 
• Expertise in a topic related to energy transition other than electricity generation and transmission e.g., expertise related to agriculture, buildings, carbon management, communities, industry, transportation) 
• Venture capital/green tech investment, including entrepreneurship and new business models, finance, law, philanthropy, or emerging clean technologies.  

Expectations: 

• Collaborative, personable and committed to active participation 
• Attend all board meetings, currently a mix of virtual & in-person. Board meets quarterly in Sept., Dec., April & June. For those outside the Twin Cities, travel to the Twin Cities for at least two meetings. 
• Serve on at least one board committee (can be by phone/video) and devote at least 10-15 hours/month to board-related service 
• Bring a regional, national and/or global lens and breadth of experience and represent the diversity of the stakeholders and population GPI serves.  
• Make a personally meaningful annual financial gift and able and willing to leverage professional relationships to enhance GPI’s mission.   

Great Plains Institute Fast Facts

• 27-year-old 501 (c) 3 nonpartisan, nonprofit
• One of the premier energy policy & technology institutes in the country, catalyzing the most promising energy policies, technologies, and practices
• A national organization with prairie-like roots in the Midcontinent, based in Minneapolis, with a staff of 75 in some 17 states and DC
• Grown ~40%/year over past eight years to $17 million, suggesting GPI’s growing reach & impact
• Funded by many of the nation’s top philanthropies & donors, including Breakthrough Energy (Gates), MacArthur, Hewlett, Joyce, McKnight, Heising-Simons, and Energy Foundations
• Rated in top 15% nationally by Charity Navigator, the largest NGO evaluator in the country
• Track record of brokering durable low-carbon energy solutions among disparate interests
• Trusted by industry, government, academia, and the NGO community

To learn more, click here to watch a short video on GPI’s unique approach, or visit the Great Plains Institute website