SEIA Promotes Three Policy Experts to Key Leadership Positions

SEIA has appointed Ben Norris, Sara Birmingham, and Kevin Lucas as vice presidents. Their extensive experience will drive SEIA’s initiatives in regulatory affairs, state policy, and policy analysis for solar and storage challenges.

Birmingham, with over a decade at SEIA, will lead the state policy team, while Norris will head the growing regulatory team. Lucas, as VP of policy analysis, will extend his expertise to diverse issues like energy storage, rate design, and cybersecurity.

“Ben, Sara, and Kevin are three of the brightest minds in the energy policy space, and all three have been key pieces of SEIA’s advocacy success over the last several years,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “It’s a critical time for the solar and storage industry and these leaders will help us capitalize on recent policy wins and deliver a robust, equitable clean energy future.”

“I am thrilled to continue my tenure at SEIA and lead state advocacy efforts on behalf of the entire solar and storage industry,” said Birmingham. “There is so much important work happening at the state level that will determine how solar projects of all sizes can be deployed, and I look forward to bringing my decades of experience to this new role.”

“We’re coming off an unprecedented year for solar as implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) rapidly advances and agencies consider new rules on interconnection and project siting,” said Norris. “It is a privilege to lead the solar and storage industry’s advocacy work on these issues as we stand at the forefront of America’s energy transition.”

“I am excited about this new role and look forward to working across the industry on a range of policy issues that are shaping the energy transition,” said Lucas. “SEIA will continue to build out its team of subject matter experts as we tackle a variety of challenges such as cybersecurity, rate design, long-term resource planning, distribution system planning, reliability, and interconnection everywhere solar and storage is deployed.”