Season 2, Episode 6: Dr. Tony Reames, Senior Advisor for the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity with the Department of Energy

Dr. Tony Reames is a Senior Advisor for the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity with the Department of Energy. He is on leave from the University of Michigan where he is a professor of Environment and Sustainability and where he established the Urban Energy Justice Lab to conduct research and develop solutions on racial, income, and geographic disparities in energy access, affordability, decision making, and participation. Reames served in Iraq as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has worked in the public and private sectors as a licensed professional engineer. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, a Master of Engineering Management from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Kansas.

In this episode, Mosby asks Tony about his roots in South Carolina and how that shaped the way he thinks about energy and the environment. A champion of energy and environmental justice, Tony discusses some of his ground-breaking research on disparities in the cost of energy, the efficiency of living space, and the effectiveness of programs aimed at reducing energy poverty. He reflects on his service in Iraq as a commissioned officer with the Corps of Engineers and the ability of professional norms to connect cultures. Tony shares his perspective on the Infrastructure Bill which provides DOE and other government agencies with billions of dollars. Tony and Mosby discuss the Justice40 Initiative, its goal of delivering 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities, and what that might look like for projects and timelines. They also dig in to what he has learned over his dynamic career in the private sector, government service, and academia.