Former White House Economic Advisor Gene Sperling Joins Renovate America as Senior Advisor
First NEC Director and Top Economic Advisor to Two U.S. Presidents Will Advise Nation's Fastest-Growing Residential Energy-Efficiency Financing Program
Apr 24, 2015, 09:00 ET
SAN DIEGO, April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Gene Sperling, a former principal economic advisor to both President Obama and President Clinton, has signed on with Renovate America as a senior advisor on policy and corporate strategy and growth. Renovate America administers the Home Energy Renovation Opportunity (HERO) Program, the nation's fastest-growing energy efficiency financing program, which has funded over a half billion dollars in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and water conservation improvements in 300 communities. Sperling will advise the company as it expands into new states and offers new products and services.
Sperling, who was the Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy in both the Clinton and Obama Administrations, is the first person to serve as NEC Director and principal economic policy advisor for two separate Administrations. He is currently President of Sperling Economic Strategies.
"Gene Sperling epitomizes what Renovate America is all about," said Renovate America founder and CEO J.P. McNeill. "Gene has spent his entire career finding responsible ways to grow the economy, helping American families move ahead, and looking just over the horizon for the next innovative ideas to tackle our nation's biggest challenges. Gene will help us expand our efforts to create jobs, spur economic growth at the local level, provide easy and affordable financing to consumers, upgrade our nation's residential infrastructure, and help local and state governments meet carbon emission and water conservation goals."
"I am excited about the opportunity to advise Renovate America because I believe its mission in helping homeowners renovate their homes for maximum energy efficiency aligns with the public interest in finding win-win-win solutions for jobs, family budgets, and the environment," said Sperling. "Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is an example of public policy that enables the marketplace to provide solutions that people need and want in their lives. And the need for everyone to do their part in states across the country in addressing the water drought only further highlights the importance of this important public-private sector innovation and the power of Renovate America's HERO program. I have also been impressed by the commitment to a streamlined consumer experience with consumer protections in the HERO program, as well as the professionalism and commitment of Renovate America's leadership."
Sperling joins Ari Matusiak, former White House Special Assistant to the President and Director of Private Sector Engagement, at Renovate America. Matusiak was named in December as Senior Vice President for Corporate Development and Head of New Markets at Renovate America.
About Gene B. Sperling
In the White House from 2011 to 2014, Gene B. Sperling was the Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. Sperling's service in the same role under President Clinton from 1997 to 2001 makes him the first person in American history to serve as NEC Director and principal economic policy advisor for two presidents. He was Deputy Director of the NEC under President Clinton from 1993 to 1996. Sperling was the founder and Director of the Center for Universal Education, advancing quality education in the developing world, at the Council on Foreign Relations and Brookings Institution. He was a Senior Fellow for Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress. He is currently President of Sperling Economic Strategies. Sperling received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as a Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal. He also attended The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
About Ari A. Matusiak
Matusiak served for four years at the White House, where he was Special Assistant to President Obama and Director of Private Sector Engagement. There, Matusiak was the bridge between the private sector and the Administration, working to develop, promote and implement policies that spurred job creation and promoted long-term economic competitiveness. He is the co-founder and chairman of Young Invincibles, a national organization dedicated to improving economic opportunities for 18 to 34 year olds. Earlier in his career, Matusiak was vice president for strategy and community impact at The Rhode Island Foundation, one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the country. While there, he directed HousingWorks RI, a statewide affordable housing coalition and campaign that leveraged over $500 million in affordable housing investment and created thousands of jobs in the state. Matusiak graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with an A.B. in political science from Brown University, and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a Public Interest Law Scholar.
About Renovate America & the HERO Program
Renovate America is the leading provider of residential PACE financing in the U.S. The company partners with almost 300 cities and counties to make energy efficient and water conservation improvements more affordable through the HERO Program, the fastest growing energy efficiency financing program in the nation. Through the HERO Program, cities and counties are stimulating their local economies with new investments in home improvements that create thousands of new jobs, reduce CO2 emissions, lower utility bills, raise property values and conserve water. Renovate America has funded more than $500 million of energy- and water-saving projects since HERO launched in December 2011. To learn more about the company visit www.renovateamerica.com, and the HERO Program at www.heroprogram.com.
SOURCE Renovate America