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Name: Arvizu, Dan
Current Position: Previous Director
Dr. Dan Arvizu was appointed the eighth director of NREL on January 15, 2005. Dr. Arvizu is also the current Senior Vice President at Midwest Research Institute (MRI); MRI manages NREL for the Department of Energy. He is a current member of the National Science Board, appointed in 2004 by President Bush. Dr. Arvizu received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico (1973) and a Master’s Degree (1974) and Ph.D. (1981) in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He first started working at AT&T Bell Telephone Labs Customer Switching Laboratory, then moved on to Sandia National Laboratories, where he spent 20 years directing Research Centers for Advanced Energy Technology, Technology Commercialization, and Material and Process Sciences. In 1998, Arvizu joined CH2M HILL Companies, Ltd. and became the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President prior to his appointment at NREL. He has been a member of many advisory boards including: Secretary of Defense’s Army Science Board, Secretary of Energy’s National Coal Council, and from 2000-2002 he served on the Advisory Board for the G8 International Renewable Energy Task Force. Arvizu has been a campaign donor to members of Congress from both major parties.
