Anna J. Siefken
Deputy Director, Federal Energy Management Program, Department of EnergyAnna J. Siefken, LEED AP BD+C, has spent her career making the business case for energy efficiency, climatetech innovation, and building performance to address the world’s most pressing energy challenges and the global urgency of climate change.
In October 2023, Siefken assumed the role of Deputy Director for the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Infrastructure. Previously, she was Senior Advisor to the Energy Department’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) after nearly a year as Commercialization Executive to the same office. At OTT, she championed long-duration energy storage (LDES) commercialization by driving industry, manufacturing, and start-up engagement toward the goal of cutting grid-scale energy storage costs by 90%. She created an innovative new partnership between DOE, Edison Electric Institute, Electric Power Research Institute, and the LDES Council with a specific focus on offtake, supply chain, and tech innovation.
Siefken concurrently serves as the Delegate to represent the United States on Mission Innovation’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) with oversight on Zero-Emission Shipping, Industrial Decarbonization, and the Green-Powered Future. In 2020, Siefken was appointed Ambassador of the DOE Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) by the Secretary of Energy.
Prior to DOE, Siefken was the inaugural Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Energy Institute, which the American Energy Society designated as among the “Top 10 Energy Elites.” She led the Institute’s efforts to develop breakthrough technologies that will continue to have meaningful impact and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon energy future. She worked extensively to develop Pittsburgh’s regional energy and cleantech ecosystem. During her seven-year tenure, the start-ups that she supported captured more than $313M in follow-on funding.
Before joining CMU in 2016, Siefken was Pittsburgh 2030 District Director and VP of Strategic Engagement for Green Building Alliance, one of the nation’s largest chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council. She helped create the governance structure to launch the national 2030 Districts Network, which currently includes 24 global cities and 615M square feet of real estate pursuing and reporting against aggressive reduction goals. Prior to that role, she was a Principal and Officer at ICF, a global consulting firm with a strategic focus on decarbonization and the energy transition, and Global Product Merchant, Energy and the Environment at The Home Depot Store Support Center in Atlanta, GA. Siefken is a graduate of Duke University.