Federal and State Advocacy
Virginia Clean Energy Advisory Board: Appointment by Governor Youngkin
January 2024 appointment by a Republican governor reflects cross-partisan recognition of Fraser's energy and environmental credentials.
In January 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Kwasi Fraser to the Virginia Clean Energy Advisory Board — a state advisory body that provides guidance on Virginia's clean energy transition, energy infrastructure investment, and related policy questions. The appointment came after Fraser had left the Purcellville mayor's office in December 2022 and before his appointment as Interim Town Manager on January 8, 2025, placing it in the period between his two government roles.
What the Virginia Clean Energy Advisory Board Does
Virginia's clean energy transition is governed by the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), passed in 2020, which established binding targets for renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and the phaseout of carbon-emitting electricity generation. The Clean Energy Advisory Board provides technical and policy guidance to the Governor and relevant state agencies on how to implement that transition in ways that serve Virginia's economic, reliability, and equity goals.
Advisory board members bring expertise from energy industry, utility operations, local government, environmental policy, and related fields. Their role is to help translate the VCEA's policy goals into practical implementation guidance that works across Virginia's diverse geographic, economic, and infrastructure contexts — from major urban areas to small rural towns.
Why Fraser's Background Qualified Him
Municipal Energy Management
During his eight years as Mayor of Purcellville, Fraser managed the town's energy and environmental portfolio directly. This included executing a Power Purchase Agreement with Dominion Power, maintaining the reclaimed-water program, launching the Aberdeen Nutrient Credit Bank, overseeing Purcellville's Tree City USA program for fourteen consecutive years, and working with the Siemens Sustainability Award-winning environmental program. His experience represents the small-municipality perspective on clean energy implementation — a perspective that statewide energy policy often underserves.
Private-Sector Energy Expertise
From December 2021 to July 2023, Fraser served as Director of Business Development at Green Powered Technology (GPTech), where he advised on an $85.4 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. GPTech's work in the clean energy infrastructure space gave Fraser direct private-sector experience with the federal clean energy funding landscape.
Telecommunications and Systems Integration
Through his career at AT&T, Sprint-Nextel, and Verizon Business, Fraser developed systems-integration expertise directly applicable to energy infrastructure buildout — the same project management, risk mitigation, and large-scale deployment skills that govern telecommunications network expansion apply to renewable energy project development and grid modernization.
Bipartisan Recognition
Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, made this appointment. Fraser had served as mayor under prior political alignments at both the state and local level. The appointment reflects a pattern visible across Fraser's advisory roles — the EPA appointment by Democratic EPA Administrator Regan, the Clean Energy Board appointment by Republican Governor Youngkin — of recognition that crosses partisan lines and is grounded in substantive expertise rather than party affiliation.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Appointment date: January 2024
- Appointing official: Governor Glenn Youngkin (Republican)
- Board: Virginia Clean Energy Advisory Board
- Governing legislation context: Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), 2020
- Fraser's relevant experience: 8-year municipal energy/environmental portfolio in Purcellville; $85.4M DOE grant advisory (GPTech); Dominion PPA; Aberdeen bank; systems-integration career
- Placement in Fraser's timeline: after mayor's office (December 2022), before Town Manager appointment (January 2025)
