Kassie Ernst joined the Southeastern Wind Coalition as Program Director in the summer of 2026, bringing more than a decade of experience advancing energy and environmental initiatives across the southeastern U.S.

Prior to joining SEWC, Kassie served as faculty at Florida State University with a joint appointment at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University where she taught engineering classes and created and directed academic programs focused on sustainability and resilience. Her professional path has wound through Sweden, where she spent time as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar researching climate services, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Alaska National Park Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Kassie earned her Ph.D. focused on energy and climate sciences from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2018.

Kassie lives with her husband and their twins in Tallahassee, Florida where she enjoys rollerblading, hiking, and jogging with her rescue sheepadoodle, Rocket.