Kevin Kennedy

After more than 14 years working at World Resources Institute (WRI) and much longer than that working on assorted energy and environmental issues, Kevin retired at the end of July 2025. Kevin started at WRI in 2011 focusing on various climate and clean energy issues, including carbon pricing, state and local climate action and industrial decarbonization. 

Prior to WRI, Kevin served as the Assistant Executive Officer in charge of the Office of Climate Change at the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In this role, he had broad responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), including leading the team responsible for evaluating and developing market-based compliance mechanisms, incentives, voluntary actions, offsets and other approaches for achieving emission reductions in support of AB 32. 

Before working for CARB, Kevin spent seven years working for the California Energy Commission. He served as Special Advisor to Commissioner Jeffrey D. Byron from Byron’s appointment to the Commission in June 2006. Mr. Kennedy also served as Special Advisor to Energy Commission Chairman Joseph Desmond prior to Desmond’s appointment as Undersecretary of energy affairs for California’s Resources Agency. His work at the Energy Commission also included managing the work for the 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report proceeding, which resulted in the Commission adopting a comprehensive review of California’s energy situation and recommendations for policies that will increase California’s energy supplies, reduce energy demand, broaden the range of alternatives to conventional energy sources, and improve the state’s energy delivery infrastructure.