Alexa is TDEC OEP’s Deputy Director of Programs, Innovation and Transportation, and Communications. Alexa serves as the Principal Investigator for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) State Energy Program, oversees OEP’s sustainable transportation and alternative fuels programming, and assists with the administration of a variety of funding sources, including the State of Tennessee’s initial allocation under the Volkswagen Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust, the State’s annual allocation under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Program, and the implementation of formula funding under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. Alexa also serves as the Coalition Director for U.S. DOE’s Clean Cities Middle-West Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, through which she acts as a technical resource for fleets and individuals evaluating alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. Alexa is Co-Chair of the National Association for State Energy Officials’ (NASEO) Transportation Committee and also serves as the Governor’s designee to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Regional Energy Resource Council, which provides guidance on how TVA manages its energy resources against competing objectives and values.
Prior to joining TDEC, Alexa interned with the UN Division for Sustainable Development and the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia. Most recently, Alexa served as Asst. Account Executive for the public relations firm Ketchum, Inc., where she was assigned to energy and technology related projects. Alexa holds an M.A. from Columbia University in Russian, Eastern European, Balkan, and Eurasian Studies and graduated summa cum laude from Duke University, with a B.A. in History and Russian Language / Area Studies.