Donnel Baird

Donnel Baird is the founder and CEO of BlocPower, a startup that uses analytics, machine learning, and structured finance to help cities, utilities, and medium sized building owners to leverage smart technologies and renewable energy to reduce $50 - $100bn of annual energy waste in US buildings. Donnel spent three years as a community organizer in Brooklyn and one year as a voter contact director for Obama For America. He managed a national Change to Win/LIUNA campaign to leverage the Dept. of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Financing to create green construction jobs for people without employment. Donnel partnered with the Washington Interfaith Network, to generate a $100M government investment in underserved communities within the District of Columbia. Donnel serves on the Board of the Sierra Club Foundation, the Small Business Advisory Board of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, and the Entrepreneurship Board of Columbia Business School. Donnel earned her BA from Duke University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Donnel lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son, and is a perpetually disappointed fan of the New York Knicks.