Kate Gordon is a nationally recognized expert on the intersection of clean energy and economic development, most recently as Vice President for Energy and Environment at the Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington D.C., where she still serves as a senior fellow. She has worked on a variety of economic development and social justice issues for more than 15 years and is regarded as a leader in the national “green jobs” movement. She contributes regularly to the Wall Street Journal as one of the paper’s “Energy Experts,” blogs for the Huffington Post, and writes a weekly update on California energy and climate news for Next Generation. She was recently named one of the Top 50 “Influencers to watch ahead of the 2014 election cycle” by Campaigns and Elections Magazine.

At CAP, Kate led an energy team focused on developing policies and communications strategies to move the U.S. to a clean energy economy. She has focused on issues related to clean energy manufacturing, regional economic development in clean energy sectors, and American competitiveness.

Prior to joining CAP, she was the co-director of the national Apollo Alliance (now part of the Blue Green Alliance), where she still serves on the Board of Directors. Earlier in her career, she was a senior associate at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy and an employment and consumer rights litigator at Trial Lawyers for Public Justice in Oakland. She earned a J.D. and master’s degree in city planning from the University of California-Berkeley and an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University.

Kate leads the Energy & Climate team at the Next Generation, developing policies and communications strategies to combat climate change and move the U.S. to a clean energy economy.