SEIA Appoints Tim Pawlenty As New President & CEO

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association for solar PV and energy storage in the US, has announced Tim Pawlenty as its new President and CEO. He will formally join the association on June 15, 2026.  

Pawlenty will take over from SEIA Interim President and CEO Darren Van’t Hof who has been in charge since the departure of Abigail Ross Hopper (see SEIA Names Darren Van’t Hof Interim President & CEO).  

Pawlenty, a Republican Party representative, served 2 terms as Governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. SEIA says he championed some of the country’s most forward-looking renewable energy initiatives in that capacity. He also served as the President and CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, which works to advance policies to strengthen the US financial system.  

SEIA Executive Search Committee member Jessica Lawrence-Vaca, the Chief Commercial Officer of Array Technologies, said that Pawlenty’s background in government and leading large organizations with complex challenges stood out during the search process.  

Another committee member and the President and Co-Founder of CleanCapital, Jon Powers, added, “Tim’s experience in both government and the private sector gives him a unique perspective that will help SEIA continue driving growth and opportunity across the country.” 

Pawlenty stated, “The sun is the safest, most natural, and largest nuclear reactor in the world, and it provides an abundant source of energy we should be using to its fullest potential. That’s why solar is one of the most effective tools we have to meet rising energy demand while lowering costs for families and businesses.” 

He added, “I look forward to working with SEIA’s members, policymakers, and partners to move that vision forward.”