Diana McKeown is the CERTs Co-Director/Metro CERT Director at the Great Plains Institute. Diana has led the Metro region of CERTs since October 2007, coordinating and participating in a number of clean energy initiatives: Apple Valley’s Better Energy Program, Neighborhood Energy Service — a partnership to deliver residential energy workshops and home visits in all 17 Saint Paul neighborhoods, an energy makeover of the Lao Family Community Center in partnership with Xcel Energy. Diana has also collaborated on the launch of a number of projects/programs including GreenStep Cities, and several peer cohorts including Powering Ahead with Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) with Municipal Utilities and Cities Charging Ahead with over 40 Minnesota communities to learn about and take action on vehicle electrification, and the launch of MN EV Smart Cities & MN Native Nations EV Smart in 2023. Most recently Diana has helped launch a project focused on equitable access to rooftop solar for underserved, especially BIPOC and immigrant owned small businesses. Diana has coordinated successful events, forums, and tours, including the annual Brake for Breakfast gathering and the SolarWorks workshop series.
Prior to joining CERTs, Diana worked for over 14 years at Clean Water Action where she gained experience with media work, grassroots organizing, campaign planning, lobbying, and fundraising.
Diana has extensive experience building strategic campaigns and coalitions. Diana has a state certificate in residential energy auditing from Dunwoody and holds a B.S. in environmental studies from the University of Minnesota.
