North Star Award recognizes professionals who advance energy efficiency

SANTA FE, NM – Last night, New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Designate Melanie Kenderdine received the prestigious North Star Award from the Alliance to Save Energy.

The North Star Award honors professionals who have made significant impacts in their careers, serving as guiding lights for others and advancing the field of energy efficiency in profound ways.

Secretary Designate Kenderdine was selected for the 2024 North Star Award for demonstrating exemplary leadership throughout a distinguished career, according to Paula Glover, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit coalition of business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders advocating for the advancement of federal energy efficiency policy.

"Whether in your role as director of the U.S. DOE's Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis, or your work as co-founder of the Energy Futures Initiative, your contributions have consistently driven innovation and inspired others to follow in your footsteps," Glover said of Secretary Designate Kenderdine. "It is with immense pleasure that I announce that that the Alliance to Save Energy has selected you as the recipient of our prestigious North Star Award."

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Kenderdine as Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) in May 2024.

Before joining EMNRD, Kenderdine was co-founder, Principal and Executive Vice President of the Energy Futures Initiative, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to harnessing the power of technology and policy innovation to accelerate the clean energy transition.

Prior to co-founding the Energy Futures Initiative, Kenderdine held high-level positions at the U.S. Department of Energy in both the Obama and Clinton administrations.

In the Obama administration, Kenderdine helped create Mission Innovation, now a 26-country initiative that supports transformational clean energy research, development, and demonstration; North American grid integration and security; and the modernization of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Kenderdine's DOE office led the management and analysis for the Quadrennial Energy Review, a multi-year, 22-agency roadmap for U.S. energy policy.

The award was presented at the 32nd annual Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards Dinner at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.

"This is an honor I never expected to receive, but is one I will cherish because it comes from an organization that I know is truly committed to helping us grow our national economy while simultaneously protecting our planet," Secretary Designate Kenderdine said. "The Alliance to Save Energy has worked for decades to mitigate climate change, enhance our energy security, and ensure energy equity. Energy efficiency and conservation are critical for addressing these challenges and the Alliance has played a pivotal role in addressing key goals. I share these goals and again, I am deeply honored by this award."