Brian F. Keane

About Brian F. Keane

I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of policy, markets, and real-world implementation - focused on a pretty simple question: How do you actually get things to happen at scale?I started in Washington, working for Congressman Joe Moakley, Congressman Les Aspin, and former Senator Paul Tsongas, and later helped launch The Concord Coalition. That experience grounded me in how policy and economics are supposed to work.But over time, I became more interested in what happens after the policy is in place, because that’s where things usually break down.For the past 20+ years, I’ve focused on the execution side—especially in clean energy. As Founder and President of SmartPower, I’ve worked with utilities, states, and communities across the country to design and run programs that actually drive adoption. That work has helped generate more than $100M in clean energy deployment.What it taught me is this: We don’t have a technology problem in energy. We have an adoption problem.And SmartPower and WeeGreen fix that.WeeGreen is focused on building a more scalable way to originate and deploy distributed energy—connecting community engagement, data, and capital to move projects from interest to installation.Across both efforts, my work tends to center on:Building and leading mission-driven organizationsStructuring public-private partnershipsTurning policy and incentives into real-world outcomesConnecting institutions, markets, and communitiesI build partnerships at the intersection of energy, policy, and implementation—especially those that involve designing or leading initiatives at scale.

Experience

1. Founder & President

   Smartpower

   Jul 2002 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   SmartPower is a national nonprofit focused on accelerating clean energy adoption through consumer engagement, behavior change, and public-private partnerships. SmartPower’s work sits at the intersection of policy, markets, and consumer behavior, addressing one of the central challenges of the energy transition: converting intent into action at scale.Built and led one of the nation’s leading clean energy engagement organizations, working with utilities, states, municipalities, and mission-driven partners to drive large-scale adoption of solar, energy efficiency, and EVsDesigned and executed community-based campaigns that have helped generate more than $100M in clean energy deployment, translating policy and incentives into real consumer action.Partnered with major utilities and state agencies to implement programs that increase participation, improve customer acquisition, and support grid modernization goals.Developed scalable engagement models (e.g, Solarize and PowerSmart-style campaigns) that have been replicated across multiple states and markets.Served as a bridge between policy, market actors, and communities—ensuring that public investments and programs achieve measurable, on-the-ground results.Built and managed a multidisciplinary team spanning communications, program delivery, and stakeholder engagement.

Education

• American University

  BA, Broadcast Journalism & Political Science

  1985 — 1989

• Harvard Business School Online

  Certificate, Sustainable Investing

Skills

• Photovoltaics
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Energy Audits
• Cleantech
• Sustainable Business
• Leadership
• Legislation
• Public Speaking
• Wind
• Community Organizing
• Policy Analysis
• Speech Writing
• Political Campaigns
• Politics
• Political Consulting
• Solar Energy
• Sustainable Energy
• Sustainability Consulting
• Coalitions
• Nonprofits
• Grassroots Organizing
• Public Affairs
• Energy
• Political Commentary
• Marketing
• International Relations
• Renewable Energy
• Sustainable Development
• Public Relations
• Green Technology
• Non-Profits
• Economic Development
• Policy
• Strategic Planning
• Energy Conservation
• Entrepreneurship
• Climate Change
• Sustainability
• Environmental Awareness
• Alternative Energy