Jonathan Livingston is a leading authority on demand-side management (DSM) and energy efficiency, and is broadly recognized as a thought leader and change agent. He has launched and guided numerous record-breaking energy efficiency initiatives, including California’s acclaimed statewide Energy Efficient Emerging Technologies Program and its stakeholder group the Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council. In 2019, he shifted to focus exclusively on climate change mitigation as founder of The Gaea Prize.

Prior to founding LEI in 2008, Jonathan created and led the Product and Service Innovation division at Ecos Consulting, now a subsidiary of CLEAResult.  There he developed programs to commercialize and promote energy efficient LED lighting, consumer electronics, and zero net energy commercial buildings.

Jonathan’s 20-year career of innovation management at PG&E culminated in his leading their Emerging Technologies team from 2003 to 2007. During that period, his passion for building communities of innovation in the energy sector led him to develop and launch the biennial Summit on Emerging Technologies in Energy Efficiency and to establish the Energy Efficiency award for the Cleantech Open business competition and accelerator.

He continued as a Cleantech Open special advisor and competition judge through 2015. He also served on the advisory boards of the Environmental Business Cluster, which was recognized in 2008 as the top U.S. technology incubator, and the California Clean Energy Angel Fund.

Jonathan is a Professional Engineer in Mechanical Engineering, and holds a B.A. in Psycholinguistics from Yale University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.  His publications include “Traversing the Valley of Death” (Forbes.com, co-authored with Dr. Evan Mills), on the challenges of accelerating energy innovations from laboratory to market.