Dennis V. McGinn (USN, Retired) President & CEO, American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE)

In 2011, Retired Vice Admiral Dennis V. McGinn took the helm as President of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). ACORE is dedicated to creating a more secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy.

For more than a decade Admiral McGinn has been actively engaged in efforts at the national level to highlight the close link between energy, climate and national security. He is a strong advocate for innovative government policy, public and private partnerships, and investments that will promote clean energy growth and innovation. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on the national and economic security implications of climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels, highlighting the need for action on clean energy. He is a widely recognized energy and national security expert, who has interviewed with major news networks and national journalists. He is regularly asked to participate in public forums about energy and national security and has been published in newspaper articles and opinion pages across the country. Admiral McGinn serves as co-chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board advising policy makers on the nexus of energy and national security, and as an international security senior fellow at the Rocky Mountain Institute. He is also a director of the National Conference on Citizenship.

In addition to his public work, Admiral McGinn serves as Chairman and CEO of RemoteReality, a high technology optical and software research firm. He was previously with Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest nonprofit independent research and development organization, where he was a corporate officer and led the energy, transportation and environment division. Additional assignments with Battelle included serving as VP of strategic planning and national security business development, and as a director on the board of Brookhaven Science Associates.

His continued commitment to bettering the nation follows a 35 year career with the U.S. Navy where he served as a naval aviator, test pilot, aircraft carrier commanding officer, and national security strategist. His capstone assignment with the Navy was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs at the Pentagon, where he oversaw the development of future U.S. Navy capabilities. In a previous operational leadership role, he commanded the U.S. Third Fleet, responsible for some 50 million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean. As Third Fleet Commander, he was recognized for leading great advances in operational innovation, rapid prototyping of sea-based information technology, and international naval force experimentation and coordination. He has also served as chairman of the board of directors of the U.S. Naval Institute and as a commissioner on the National Commission on Disabled Veterans’ Benefits in Washington, D.C.

Admiral McGinn earned a B.S. degree in naval engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, attended the national security program at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and was a Chief of Naval Operations strategic studies fellow at the U.S. Naval War College. He lives just outside of Washington DC.