Ken Smith

President and CEO

Ken Smith, PE, MBA, is the President and CEO of District Energy St. Paul and has served in his role since 2010. Recognized globally for his leadership in community and campus scale energy systems, Ken is actively engaged in industry, policy, and academic forums addressing the transformation of our energy system and is a frequent speaker nationally and internationally.

Ken worked globally in the engineering and construction industry for over 20 years, planning, designing and implementing highly reliable energy projects, including central plants, microgrids, datacenters, and other mission critical facilities for advanced tech industry, campuses, international airports, and US Department of Defense. Ken has served as board chair for the International District Energy Association (IDEA), the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, the Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System (M-RETS), and the electric vehicle startup company, Zeus Electric Chassis. He also served on the board of directors for the Corporate Council for Metropolitan State University. He currently serves on the board of directors for St. Paul Downtown Alliance and on the board of trustees of the Science Museum of Minnesota as vice chair. He has also been a fellow of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment since 2016. Since 2012, Ken has participated in the energy policy exchange between Germany and the State of Minnesota and is cofounder of the highly successful Climate Smart Municipalities exchange with Germany. In 2022, Ken was awarded the Norman R. Taylor Award by IDEA for his leadership and lifelong commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable energy solutions.