Empowering Veterans in Clean Energy
Our community of military veterans is dedicated to supporting American energy independence with great careers, impactful projects, and sustainable solutions
Who Joins Project Vanguard?
Servant
Leaders
Military veterans are a self-selected minority in American society who have chosen to serve our country before ourselves. We are not political, we are American. We believe that energy security is national security. The closer we can have it to home the safer and resilient we are as a nation.
Clean Energy
Supporters
We are active in local communities to support clean energy projects to be developed safely, efficiently, and effectively. These projects bring well-paying jobs during and after construction. They increase the tax base in our communities supporting schools, roads, and the community at large.
Industry Professionals
We are more than just a veterans organization, we are a community of industry professionals. At Project Vanguard, we are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment for veterans to support the energy transition. When you join us, you become part of the energy transition.
Find an Impactful Career
Veterans resonate with mission-driven work and value the opportunity to contribute to a greater cause. Clean energy careers align well with this motivation, as they offer opportunities for professional growth in a young industry, enhance national energy security, and contribute to a sustainable future for Americans.
Build Your Professional Network
The two best times to build your network is ten years ago and today. Don't waste any more time building the network that will likely provide your next career role. Once your in the industry don't sleep on your network as it will be the best source for mentorship, advice, and advancement in your career.
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Secure American Energy Independence
Many of our members fought overseas in combat to secure energy supply chains for Americans. Clean energy offers not only the economic opportunity of cheap power, it unshackles us from the threat of foreign interests.
Awareness Campaigns
Promoting clean energy is the simplest way to show your support. You can follow our social media channels to see our content supporting energy independence and veteran career opportunities.
Sign up for our newsletter to learn about opportunities to volunteer, speak up and show up in support of clean energy.
Workforce Development
Promoting clean energy careers to transitioning service members. Our volunteers travel to job fairs and military installations to promote clean energy careers to transitioning service members. They also reach out to veterans after their military service at local community events, student veteran programs, and industry events.
Looking to connect with a clean energy company? Meet one of members that work at the company or talk with a member of the company's veteran employee resource group.
Community Building
Organizing events and activities for veterans to meet others in industry. Attend one of our webinars, attend an event of activity we're hosting. If you can't make one of our events then ask us how you can host your own to build your local network of veterans in clean energy.
Regional Industry Volunteers
Several of our members volunteer their time and energy to support clean energy projects in their region. We will even support their travel expenses to go out regularly to build relationships and meet other veterans in project areas. Supporting projects is a local issue and needs hyperlocal veterans to stand up and speak out on behalf of clean energy.
Showing Up
Veterans in clean energy can support the industry by just showing up. The best way to connect and meet other veterans to build your professional network is to show up. That is half the fight. Show up for events, webinars, community meetings, and public meetings.
Speaking Up
Sharing the experience of veterans in the industry is critical to educating and informing people about what it's really like to work in clean energy. Too often the narrative gets hijacked as a wedge political issue. The truth is that veterans come to clean energy more often than almost any other industry sector, bringing our discipline, drive, and excellence to an industrial sector that is the foundation of the American economy.
How to Get Involved
Share Your Perspective
Provide thought leadership through op-eds and other outlets.
Attend Community Events
Sharing the unique perspective of military veterans with your community is critical to give the true experience for people outside the industry.
Attend Webinars
Educational webinars are a great place to learn and meet others as you get started. As you progress through your career you may even be asked by us to speak or host a webinar to educate other veterans, industry leaders, or local communities in your area.
Share Other's Stories
Promote the experiences of other military veterans in the clean energy industry on social media and with your network.
Attend Industry Events
We host veteran happy hours, panels, and dinners at many of the clean energy trade events. These are great opportunities to build your network, get your first job in the industry, and find opportunities for promotion in the industry.
Sign a Petition
As veterans we understand that energy security is national security. We want to make sure our members know when and how to get involved to support initiatives for clean energy. We make it easy to get involved and support our industry.
Our Story
Our founding members found each other at industry conferences. Initially, there were only a dozen or so members of Project Vanguard, just colleagues who enjoyed hosting veteran happy hours at trade events. These small happy hours and dinners quickly expanded in scope and discussion to cover how these industry leaders could support other veterans and the industry they worked in.
It was decided that organizing and connecting the veteran employee resource groups at major companies in the industry would help bring more veterans into the industry. These employers were thrilled to have access to a military veteran talent pool. Veterans in the industry started to speak at military installations to promote clean energy careers, as well as their own companies.
After some time the group wanted to expand their impact in growing the clean energy industry and sought to connect with veterans in rural America where projects are being built. Connecting, educating, and supporting veterans closest where clean energy is being built.
Project Vanguard is a for-profit group working with trade groups, municipalities, and project developers interested in elevating the voices of industry veterans to speak up and show up to support clean energy.
Our Team
Meet the folks running Project Vanguard
Kevin Doffing
CEO/Founder
Kevin is a former Infantry officer of the U.S. Army where he was deployed to Iraq. He's an all energy advocate, having owned an oilfield supply company for over a decade. His passion for clean energy began when he left the military and has only increased as a public speaker and writer on energy transition topics.
Landon Redmon
Operations Manager
Landon served as a Sergeant with the Army National Guard. He found his entry point to clean energy through volunteering for a veterans energy transition program. His volunteering led to a role with a solar project developer.
Dakota Barton
Indiana Community Leader
Dakota entered the clean energy industry after returning home to Indiana from his time in the Army. He became a wind technician at the wind farm that was built while he was in high school. He saw first hand the impact that the wind farm had on farmers he knew personally to endure hardships, as the wind lease payments were like a drought resistant crop.
Steve Bravo
New York Community Leader
Steve is a graduate of the US Naval Academy. After his military service, he joined General Electric's junior officer leadership program, later moving to Fluence, and eventually landing at NYSERDA focused on the commercialization of clean energytech startups.
Jessica Olena
New York Community Leader
Jessica found her way into clean energy through a SkillBridge internship with DNV as she completed 14 years in the US Navy and a Masters in Engineering from MiT. Based in Western New York she's focused on offshore wind engineering assessments.
Nick Martocci
Washington Community Leader
Nick is a veteran of both the Marines and the Army Reserves. After leaving the military Nick joined the clean energy industry as a wind technician. He continued to rise in the field, eventually starting his own wind technician training company in Las Vegas, NV.