As Senior Program Director, Shawn leads SI2’s programmatic initiatives, with a portfolio including research and analysis activities around siting and permitting, interconnection, agrivoltaics and workforce development. He also plays a leading role in shaping the organization’s external affairs strategy.
Prior to SI2, Shawn spent 13 years at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), where he helped lead the organization’s research and analytical work. As part of this role, Shawn was a lead author on the SEIA/Wood Mackenzie U.S. Solar Market Insight Report series, as well as SEIA’s Solar Means Business annual report. His policy analysis directly supported a number of successful solar industry advocacy efforts, including the extension of the Investment Tax Credit in 2015 and passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.
Before SEIA, Shawn worked as a survey researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago and spent time as a student affairs consultant for the Wroclaw University of Economics in Poland.
Shawn holds a B.A in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Juniata College and an MPA from The George Washington University. He lives in midcoast Maine with his wife, son and daughter, where he enjoys running, hiking, vegetable gardening and cheering on the Boston Celtics.
David Gahl formerly served as SEIA’s Senior Director of State Policy, East where he worked on regulatory and legislative matters in Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York and provided senior-level oversight on important cross-cutting solar policy issues across the Eastern states.
Prior to joining SEIA, Dave worked at the Pace Energy and Climate Center at Pace University’s Law School, where he was deeply involved in New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision effort. Prior to Pace, David held various positions at Environmental Advocates of New York, New York State’s leading environmental advocacy organization, the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
Dave has broad expertise in renewable energy and environmental policy development, budget analysis, and a strong track record of building informed consensus around difficult issues. He has written extensively on solar policy, energy and environmental issues, and been a regular participant in regulatory dockets in the Northeast.
He earned a B.A. in History from Miami University in Ohio and an M.A. in Public Policy from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs, at the State University of New York at Albany. David lives outside Albany, New York with his wife and two daughters.