Lovins changing roles at RMI

By Aspen Times Staff
November 21, 2006

Internationally renowned energy efficiency expert Amory Lovins is about to step down, or at least sideways, as head of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Old Snowmass.

Lovins, 58, announced Monday he is looking for someone to replace him as CEO of the institute. The move would permit him to devote more time and energy to "launching and advancing RMI's high-visibility projects," according to a statement issued by the institute.

Lovins, an acclaimed scientist, researcher and author, co-founded the "think and do tank" in 1982. Over the ensuing years, RMI has gained an international reputation as a valued consultant to corporate and government clients, both in the United States and abroad. Staffers said Lovins has become a highly sought-after adviser to everyone from the captains of industry to heads of state around the world.

Insiders at RMI said these demands on Lovins' time have driven the decision to find a new CEO, explaining Lovins will stay at the post until a replacement is found. Then, he will be known as "Chairman and Chief Scientist" and "focus solely on strategic influence, thought leadership, and guidance of RMI's key strategic projects," in the words of the statement.

"The convergence of costly oil, global tensions, climate change, and political polarization makes RMI's nonpartisan and systemic approach even more needed and effective," Lovins added.

The statement also explained that Executive Director Marty Pickett, who has been at RMI for more than eight years, will become chief operating officer of the organization.

The organization will continue to operate its Boulder office, to which the U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded the world's first LEED Platinum rating for commercial interior retrofits.

The Aspen Times, Aspen, Colo.