After nearly two decades leading GPI, one of the longest-tenured nonprofit executives in Minnesota, Rolf Nordstrom announced this week that he will retire from the organization on July 31, 2026. Rolf’s time as president and CEO was transformative and was essential to defining the organization’s local and national impact, reach, and leadership in the energy and climate space.
Under Nordstrom’s leadership, GPI has grown from five employees to over 80 dedicated professionals spread across 23 states and Washington, D.C., with an annual budget of $17 million. It expanded from a small regional nonprofit to a nationally recognized organization, forging and facilitating some of the most respected energy, climate, and industrial innovation forums in the country. Over the past 20 years, GPI has built trusted relationships across business, government, labor, academia, philanthropy, and NGOs to advance significant policy progress and accelerate clean energy implementation at the local, state, and national levels in ways that improve people’s lives, strengthen the economy, and reduce climate-warming emissions.
“It has been the honor of my professional life to lead GPI through two decades of remarkable change and progress,” Rolf said. “What I’m most proud of is the integrity, creativity, and service ethic of this team and the partners and funders who have joined us in forging common ground for uncommon achievement. Our ‘meet people where they are’ approach has enabled us to craft solutions among many different kinds of people and institutions. That consistent track record is why GPI is strong, stable, and poised for its next chapter. This is the right moment for new leadership to carry the work forward.”
GPI’s board of directors has formed a search committee and retained the executive search firm Scion Executive Search to conduct a national search. The search will officially launch in early December, with outreach to candidates across the nonprofit, public, academic, and private sectors. The board anticipates an early summer hire date for the new CEO. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Ellen Johnson at Scion Executive Search: [email protected].
Nordstrom will assist the board and executive team during the transition period to ensure continuity and support the next CEO’s successful onboarding.
“Rolf’s leadership has fundamentally shaped GPI’s identity and impact,” said Priti Patel, chair of GPI’s board of directors. “He and his team built an organization known and trusted for helping diverse interests succeed at pragmatic problem-solving, and an unwavering commitment to both broad public benefit and climate progress. As we begin the search for GPI’s next CEO, we do so from a position of financial strength and strategic opportunity. This moment allows GPI to build on the legacy that Rolf and his team have built while navigating an increasingly complex and dynamic energy landscape.”
Priti noted that the search process will emphasize candidates who bring strong strategic leadership and credibility, a demonstrated commitment to partnership and consensus-building, and the ability to guide an organization working at the intersection of policy, markets, infrastructure, and community.
During Nordstrom’s tenure, GPI played a central role in the following:
- Building diverse coalitions that led to major bipartisan federal energy policy.
- Facilitating successful clean energy policy and implementation initiatives at state and regional levels.
- Helping hundreds of communities and dozens of states plan and pursue their own economic, clean energy, and climate goals.
- Advancing transformative climate and infrastructure solutions that make it both possible and affordable to run a modern economy on clean energy.
- Expanding GPI’s operational footprint and technical capabilities across the country.
“GPI has a critical and unique role to play as we enter one of the most consequential periods in history,” Rolf said. “We have always seen climate change as both an existential threat to human progress and an opportunity for a new industrial revolution. This is as much about out-competing China as it is achieving a clean economy. The opportunities ahead to make people’s lives better—via technology, markets, and community-centered climate solutions—are enormous. GPI’s next leader will inherit an organization that is ready for what the moment and the future require.”
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