David Kolata at a news conference during the campaign that led to passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).
I thank you for your interest in clean energy, consumer protections and lower utility bills—and I want to make sure you were notified of my big news:
After 22 rewarding years at CUB—including nearly 18 as Executive Director—I am moving on to work in the clean energy industry.
I make this announcement with mixed emotions, because while I am thrilled about my new challenges, I am sad to leave CUB. At the same time, I am also extremely happy to report that Deputy Director Sarah Moskowitz—my good friend and a great consumer advocate—is CUB’s new Executive Director. Sarah is a longtime CUB leader and a lifelong consumer champion, and CUB will be stronger than ever under her leadership!
Please read…
- CUB’s news release about this announcement.
- My note to you, below.
While I look forward to my new challenge (working at Sealed, a climate tech company that designs, manages, and finances home weatherization and electrification projects), this announcement is bittersweet.
I am proud of the work we’ve done over these past two decades—challenging rate hikes and in the process helping to increase the amount of money we’ve saved consumers over the years, to $20 billion. And we played a leading role in passing two of the greatest pieces of energy legislation in state history: the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).
But equally rewarding were the little victories I witnessed when I watched the CUB team at work. Some days I would pass by the office of a CUB counselor and hear them giving expert, money-saving guidance to a consumer. Even better, I would see it in person, at utility bill clinics I attended from Chicago to Peoria to Alton. As I witnessed another happy customer grateful for our expertise, I was reminded how enormously satisfying it was to be CUB’s Executive Director.
I was lucky enough to lead an organization that fought tenaciously for nation-leading legislation and consumer protections in the halls of the State Capitol; that authored complex academic papers proving how clean energy cuts utility bills; that filed intricate expert testimony to challenge rate hikes before the Illinois Commerce Commission. And yet, we always took the time to stop by libraries, city halls and senior centers across the state of Illinois, analyzing utility bills for grateful consumers and never (ever) forgetting our core mission to serve individual utility customers.
I’ve already written too many words when all I really had to write were two: Thank You.
Thank you to the CUB staff, for being the best consumer advocates in the country. And thank you to our supporters, for your faith in CUB’s mission and for your unwavering support.
It’s been an honor.
I’m moving on, but I will always consider myself a member of CUB—and together we will continue to fight in our own way for lower utility bills and cleaner energy. So let’s get to work—we’ve all got a lot to do!
Thank you,
David
