A 501(c)(3) organization, OpenMinds delivers real progress on energy and climate by turning leadership, data, and influence into action. We initiate and advance high-impact projects and mobilize the people who can remove barriers and drive results, fast.
We founded OpenMinds to achieve energy and climate progress through action, not argument.
On paper, we should be at odds. David is a veteran of the energy industry. Jeff is a tech entrepreneur with a passion for the environment.
Despite our differences, we found common ground in the belief that energy and climate are not competing priorities. They are a single, shared challenge that demands integrated solutions delivering more energy and less emissions, fast.
Co-Founder & Executive Director, OpenMinds & Partner, SCF Partners
Co-Founder OpenMinds & Co-Founder Dihedral.ai
Advisor, Three Cairns Group | Former Executive at GE Vernova & Shell
Executive Chairman & Founder, Synopsys
Principal & Chairman Tishman Realty & Construction
Co-Founder & Executive Director, OpenMinds & Partner, SCF Partners
Co-Founder OpenMinds & Co-Founder Dihedral.ai
Managing Director & Operating Partner, SCF Partners
Chief of Staff
Grid Vision Director
NextGen Director
Communications Director
Communications Manager
Communications Steering Committee Chair & Communications and Public Affairs Partner, DCVC
NextGen Steering Committee Chair & Executive Director, Fellows Program at Northwestern
Answers to the most frequent questions about OpenMinds, our data-driven framework, and how we work to solve the Dual Challenge.
Why the name OpenMinds?
Energy and climate are too often treated as opposing priorities, debated as tradeoffs rather than addressed as a system. While interests may appear opposed, they are often interdependent. Yet too often, energy and climate leaders work in divergent silos, focusing their expertise on one side of the system or the other, but rarely both together.
As a result, opportunities that require coordination across disciplines go unrealized and execution falters. But when the right people finally sit in the same room with open minds, new possibilities and solutions emerge.
How was OpenMinds founded?
OpenMinds was co-founded in 2022 by David Baldwin and Jeff Katz, who came from very different viewpoints on energy and climate. Through extensive collaboration with leaders and experts across both fields, they aligned around a shared goal: delivering more energy with less emissions, fast (what we call the Dual Challenge).
How is OpenMinds different from other organizations?
OpenMinds is a nonpartisan, action-oriented nonprofit focused on delivering measurable progress, not just research or advocacy. We bring together a network of 125+ experts and leaders from energy and climate to launch targeted impact projects, remove barriers, and drive real-world solutions using data-driven, cost- and speed-focused approaches.
How can I stay informed and follow OpenMinds?
You can follow our work and stay connected through our newsletter, YouTube channel, LinkedIn page, and contact form.
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