New Columbia Solar Adds Industry Giant, Tony Clifford, to Board of Directors

Top solar industry executive Tony Clifford has joined New Columbia Solar’s Board of Directors. Recently ranked as an honoree of the Washington Business Journal Fastest Growing companies, New Columbia Solar has rapidly developed from a three-person, newly formed startup in 2016 to the largest commercial solar developer in Washington, DC. Mr. Clifford, a national leader in commercial solar, has joined the Board to help guide the company as it continues to scale.

While Mr. Clifford was most recently the CEO of Solar Power World’s #6 top-ranked U.S. solar commercial company Standard Solar Inc., he started his career at one of the world’s first solar companies to specialize in terrestrial photovoltaics called Solarex Corporation. BP later acquired Solarex Corporation, and since working there, Mr. Clifford served as CEO and CFO to several other high growth technology companies that were later acquired by major corporations. He served as an elected board member and executive committee member of SEIA, the national Solar Energy Industries Association, and the president of the regional chapter of SEIA, MDV-SEIA.

Mr. Clifford can apply his robust knowledge of project development, new market development, and high-level business strategy to assist New Columbia Solar in their next chapter of growth.

“While maintaining a concerted effort inside the Beltway to even the playing field for solar in terms of policy and governmental relations, it’s truly a passion of mine to catalyze growth for promising solar companies like New Columbia Solar,” said Tony Clifford. “I’m advising the company through political, financial and other barriers while trying to help take those barriers down.”

“While it’s a challenge to achieve such a growth rate as a startup, it’s even more difficult to sustain it,” says Mike Healy, CEO of New Columbia Solar. “One of the greatest pieces of advice I could give to aspiring entrepreneurs is to recruit the top talent in the industry; those who could help you meet new challenges as you scale and help you to continue to advance as a company, because they have already been there before. We are excited to have Tony Clifford, not only because he’s been there before, but because he helped to write the playbook for success in the solar industry. We couldn’t be more proud to have him on our Board.”

Mr. Clifford is the author of a DOE report entitled Tax-Advantaged Investments in Renewable Energy Projects; and received a “Special Achievement Award for Technology Demonstration” from the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He was awarded the 2011 Industry Leader Award by the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC), for his contributions to the advancement of solar and other clean energy resources in the state. Mr. Clifford earned his MBA at University of Virginia’s Darden School and his undergraduate degree at Penn State University.