Dr. Curtis is a global energy policy leader with more than two decades of experience designing and implementing large-scale energy and development initiatives in the United States, Eastern Europe, Central and South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He currently serves as Senior Research Advisor at the Soka Institute for Global Solutions at Soka University of America and as an Adjunct Instructor in Environmental Studies. Previously, Dr. Curtis was an adjunct professor at George Mason University’s School of Policy and Government. His work focuses on global energy policy, clean energy transitions, and strategies to expand energy access while strengthening energy security in developing countries.

During a long career at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr. Curtis led major international programs aimed at accelerating the clean energy transition, strengthening energy security, and expanding access to affordable power in developing countries. He managed multi-hundred-million-dollar programs and worked at the intersection of energy policy, economic development, and geopolitics.

From 2022-2024, Dr. Curtis directed USAID’s $400 million energy program in Moldova that supported the country’s efforts to strengthen energy independence and counter the Kremlin’s use of energy as a geopolitical weapon. The program funded projects connecting Moldova to the European Union power grid and expanding renewable energy generation. From 2016 to 2020, he served at the USAID mission in Central Asia, where he led a regional energy program supporting market liberalization reforms, attracting private investment, establishing a regional electricity market, and advancing the $1.2 billion Central Asia–South Asia electricity transmission project (CASA-1000). Earlier, he directed a $180 million annual energy program at USAID’s Pakistan mission that helped address the country’s energy crisis by expanding generation capacity, supporting policy reforms, and promoting private investment in renewable energy.

At USAID headquarters in Washington, DC, Dr. Curtis served as Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Africa Bureau and worked closely with the White House National Security Council to help shape President Obama’s U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Power Africa Initiative. He also served as Director of the Africa Bureau’s Office of Sustainable Development and as USAID’s Research and Development Coordinator. 

Earlier in his career, Dr. Curtis served at the U.S. Department of Energy as Director of the Office of Technology Analysis in the Office of Policy and International Affairs. There he led policy initiatives to accelerate the commercialization of clean energy technologies and oversaw partnerships between national laboratories and the private sector. 

Dr. Curtis began his career as an environmental engineer leading complex environmental remediation and pollution prevention programs. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.