Ken Smith

President and CEO

Ken Smith, PE, MBA, has been the president and CEO of Ever-Green Energy and its parent company District Energy St. Paul and has served in those roles 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. Since 2012, Smith 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.

Prior to joining Ever-Green Energy in 2006, Smith 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 U.S. Department of Defense. Smith 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 EV startup Zeus Electric Chassis.  He currently serves on the board of trustees of the Science Museum of Minnesota, the board of directors of the St. Paul Downtown Alliance and the Corporate Council for Metropolitan State University, and has been a fellow of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment since 2016.  In 2022, Ken was awarded the Norman R. Taylor Award by the International District Energy Association for his bold leadership and lifelong commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable energy solutions. He has bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from North Dakota State University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN, and is a registered professional engineer in multiple states.

Leadership

Ken Smith

President and CEO
Michael Auger

Michael Auger

SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Mike Burns

Chief System Operations Officer

Andrew Kasid

Executive Vice President, CFO

Pam Sarne

Vice President – Accounting

Steve Rambeck

Director of Business Development

Jenae Batt

Director of Marketing and Public Relations

Tom Thomalla, Jr.

Director of Information Systems

Board of Directors

Heidi Conrad

Heidi Conrad

Chairperson
Ken Peterson

Ken Peterson

VICE-CHAIRPERSON
Beverly Jones Heydinger

Beverly Jones Heydinger

Heide Kempf-Schwarze

Eric Krause

Kelly Lange

Pat Wolf

Pat Wolf

David Ybarra

David Ybarra

Ken Smith

Ex Officio

Bill Buth

Bill Buth

Director Emeritus
George Fremder

George Fremder

Director Emeritus
Former Mayor, George Latimer

George Latimer

Director Emeritus
Robert Lowe

Robert Lowe

Director Emeritus
Barbara Lukermann

Barbara Lukermann

Director Emerita
Susan Sands

Susan Sands

Director Emerita
Bernard St. Peter

Bernard St. Peter

Director Emeritus
John Taylor

John Taylor

DIRECTOR EMERITUS