Kari Smith

Kari Smith is an experienced policy professional with extensive expertise in legislative and regulatory affairs in the energy sector. Currently serving as the Director of Western Policy at Nexamp, Kari directs policy initiatives to support solar and storage business development across several Western states. Previous roles include Division Manager of Regulatory and Legislative Policy at San José Clean Energy, where leadership included supervising a policy team and collaborating with city officials, and Senior Utility Analyst at the California Public Utilities Commission, focusing on energy storage program implementation. A seasoned advocate, Kari also held leadership positions at SunPower Corporation and the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, and contributed to energy initiatives at the Natural Resources Defense Council and California Energy Commission. Educational qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and German Literature from UC Santa Barbara, a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Colorado Boulder, and study in Political Science at The University of Göttingen.