Eric is the Data and Tools Manager for Urban Efficiency & Climate at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. He helps cities obtain the information and stakeholder agreement they need to develop and implement broadly beneficial strategies to optimize, electrify and decarbonize their energy systems. He also coordinates data strategy across the Center and acts as the Cities data liaison to WRI’s Resource Watch, Energy and Climate programs.

Eric manages technical and use case development of globally relevant methods, tools and datasets on energy performance and urban form characteristics of cities. His projects include AI-driven mapping of the heat and resilience aspects of urban surfaces, methods to develop “quick start” city energy and emissions inventories, scenario modeling to support locally beneficial plans for city transitions to 100% clean energy, and computer vision-based urban land use modeling.

Prior to his current position, Eric was Building Efficiency Manager at WRI Ross Center. He continues to support the Buildings Initiative team, including as liaison to many of the Building Efficiency Accelerator deep dive city engagements and on the use of data and tools in city strategies to improve building performance. He has helped WRI develop global projects and partnerships with dozens of cities on energy efficiency, including in Colombia, India, Mexico and Turkey.

From 2010-2015, Eric worked at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), where he led an initiative focused on community-based, local government implementation of energy efficiency strategies in the United States. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen publications on energy policy, urban energy systems and community development. Eric also has experience in affordable housing policy and environmental campaign organizing. He is on the board of Emerald Cities Collaborative, a national non-profit focused on a “high-road” transition to the green economy in the U.S.

Eric holds a Master of City Planning and Environmental Planning Certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning and a B.A. in Political Science, Public Policy, and Environmental Studies from Albion College.

Eric grew up in Michigan. He enjoys learning, design, exploring new places and being outdoors (in both natural and urban environments). Eric and his spouse live in Seattle, where they moved in 2019 after nine years in the District of Columbia.