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NEW YORK — The Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs announced today Richard L. Kauffman has joined the Center as an Adjunct Senior Research Scholar. He will conduct research focused on the power sector and clean energy finance, manage collaborative projects that contribute to the University’s wider research, and engage with public and private sector leaders, journalists, and students.
 
“Dramatic changes are underway in the power sector, including efforts to implement new technology, improve access, efficiency and resilience, and respond to climate change. Richard’s experience implementing clean energy projects will add to our efforts to inform the decisions of those who will shape our energy future -- from policymakers who design laws and regulations to industry and finance leaders who will deploy trillions of dollars in capital,” said Jason Bordoff, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs and Founding Director of CGEP.
 
“We need as much policy and finance innovation as technology innovation to transform the power sector. I’m delighted to be part of a team that is doing exactly that,” Kauffman added.
 
Kauffman is Chairman of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He is also Chair of Generate Capital, a leading financier of clean energy projects. Prior to these roles, he served in the Executive Chamber of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo as New York State’s first “Energy Czar,” or Chairman of Energy and Finance, where he oversaw the State’s energy agencies, including the Department of Public Service, the New York Power Authority, the Long Island Power Authority, and NYSERDA. He currently serves on the boards of Altaba, the successor company of Yahoo, and the Wallace Foundation, as well as the advisory board of the Precourt Energy Institute at Stanford. He previously served on the boards of the Brookings Institution and the Wildlife Conservation Society, and was a co-chair of the advisory board of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale and a member of the Yale School of Management advisory board. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Kauffman received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a master’s degree in international relations from Yale University, and a master’s in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.