SECC board promotes current deputy director Nathan Shannon to CEO role

Effective immediately, the Smart Energy Consumer Collective (SECC) will be led by its current deputy director, Nathan Shannon, to fill a void left by the departure of former president Patty Durand in early February.

Shannon brings six years of experience as SECC’s deputy director to the role. Therein, he helped grow the SECC’s membership to more than 150 organizations and guide its research, policy, and education efforts.

“In his six years as SECC’s deputy director, Nathan has shown that he has the leadership qualities and deep knowledge of the energy industry to lead SECC to even greater heights going forward,” Lincoln Wood, electrification policy manager at Southern Company and SECC’s board chair, said. “On behalf of the entire board of directors, I look forward to working with Nathan in his new role as we enter a new chapter in SECC’s history.”

The past year has brought about a new chapter for everyone, though, complicating an already evolving energy industry. Stepping into that environment, Shannon noted that it’s now more important than ever for providers and industry stakeholders to listen to what consumers need and want while helping them gain value from smart energy.

In a State of the Consumer report released last week, Shannon noted that, among other things, environmental concern is growing among consumers, thereby driving smart energy use.

“In SECC’s study of lower-income consumers, the Environmentally Driven emerged as a distinct consumer persona, with 44 percent of them stating that they always think about the environmental benefits of energy efficiency and that their concern for future generations drives this commitment,” Shannon said. “Only 42 percent of them believe they are already doing enough to protect the environment, which suggests these consumers might participate more in energy efficiency and conservation efforts if they were more aware of programs offered by their providers.”

However, he also stressed that consumers need more education on how to evaluate programs or technology. Further, they are actively looking to their providers for support in weathering the impacts of COVID-19. All of these assessments were based on interviews with consumers, as well as quantitative research and a survey of 1,000 Americans with annual incomes under $50,000. In his new position, Shannon will be even better poised to address these trends.

“I am honored to have been appointed by SECC’s board of directors to succeed Patty Durand as SECC’s president and CEO,” said Nathan. “I look forward to working with SECC’s staff, membership, and board to deliver on our organization’s mission to help consumers learn about and benefit from smart energy advancements.”