New leaders to strengthen and scale VEIC’s growing list of climate solutions work nationwide

The nonprofit celebrates new Managing Directors and steady growth amidst uncertainty in the clean energy industry.

VEIC is excited to announce that Puja Vohra, Lara Bonn, and Nikki Kuhn will serve as new Managing Directors leading the nonprofit’s large-scale implementation solutions, enterprise services, and consulting work. We’re proud to have three industry-leading women driving our delivery of clean energy programs and consulting services across the country at this critical moment for clean energy and climate progress.

Puja joins the organization as a new employee, while Nikki and Lara are both continuing their VEIC journeys after more than a decade of success in previous roles, including interim leadership positions.

The news adds to the recent celebrations for VEIC’s new Chief Operating Officer, Matt Dooley, and DC Sustainable Energy Utility Managing Director, Ben Burdick. Collectively, this group of leaders has more than 65 years of experience within VEIC and nearly 100 years of combined clean energy expertise.

Since 2020, VEIC’s consulting work has grown by 45%, and its services now reach more than three quarters of the United States. This growth has resulted in the company’s impact surpassing $5.6 billion in lifetime customer savings delivered and 115 million metric tons of CO2e avoided nationwide. This is equivalent to removing the greenhouse gas emissions from over 26,860,000 gas-powered cars for one year.

As the challenge of energy affordability and climate mitigation becomes more urgent every day, VEIC is well-positioned to continue growing its impact with a consistent team of long-tenured, mission-driven clean energy champions leading the way.

“These new leaders level up the organization’s ability to keep delivering impactful energy solutions for the communities we serve,” said CEO Rebecca Foster. “Together, we’re better positioned than ever to help our clients, partners, and programs find pathways to success in today’s fast-changing clean energy landscape.”

Get to know each new leader below, or visit our contact page to get in touch.

Puja Vohra, Managing Director of Large-Scale Implementation

“I am excited to join VEIC and bring large-scale implementation of regional decarbonization programs into the next era. I believe that by empowering our teams, we will strategically deliver innovative and equitable market transformation solutions.”

Puja has over 20 years of experience shaping strategies, partnerships, and programs that advance equitable decarbonization and clean energy access. Prior to joining VEIC, Puja was the Vice President of Partnerships at a nonprofit climate solutions provider and held previous roles in the utility sector and sustainability consulting. She has a broad range of expertise including market development, planning and implementation of utility and state-run energy efficiency programs, building decarbonization, clean energy policy, and multi-stakeholder facilitation with a proven track record of delivering impactful results. 

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Lara Bonn, Managing Director of Enterprise Services

“I am honored and grateful to serve this incredible organization in this role alongside talented staff who make an impact every day. VEIC’s work is so important for our communities and for driving transformative solutions forward across the entire industry.”

Lara has been with VEIC for 15 years and is officially stepping into the Managing Director of Enterprise Services role after serving in an interim capacity. Her journey and expertise have evolved through several different roles across the organization, including Efficiency Vermont program management and design, founding the emerging technology and service departments, managing Efficiency Vermont’s engineering group, and leading those teams in strategy and planning. Her continuous dedication to lasting market transformation, innovation, and building strong partnerships across the industry, as well as within every project she leads, will be invaluable to achieving VEIC’s goals.

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Nikki Kuhn, Managing Director of Consulting

“I am thrilled and humbled to have the opportunity to lead the Consulting team and continue to grow my career at VEIC. We’ve built an amazing culture of resilient, creative, and collaborative people here that focus all their energy on meeting the needs of our communities and planet, and I can’t wait to see the future we build together.”  

Nikki has been with VEIC for 16 years and is now the Managing Director of Consulting following an impactful interim position in the role. She has held several positions at the company, overseeing all aspects of program design through implementation and evaluation, and built an intimate understanding of what’s needed to propel the team’s impact to new heights. Her consistent success and inclusive approach to leadership have fostered greater trust and confidence with her teams, clients, and partners on award-winning projects such as TECH Clean California, Hawaii Energy, and CalNEXT.

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