Obama administration official Abigail Ross Hopper previously led Maryland Energy Administration

Hopper

The Solar Energy Industries Association has chosen the head of the federal government's ocean energy agency to be its next CEO, effective Jan. 17.

SEIA has tapped Abigail Ross Hopper as head of the $9 million-revenue association. Hopper currently is director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the U.S. Department of Interior.

Recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles assisted in the search.

Hopper will succeed Rhone Resch, who stepped down last May after leading the association for 12 years. Tom Kimbis, SEIA's vice president of executive affairs and general counsel, has been interim president of the organization since Resch's departure. He will remain with the association and has been promotoed to executive vice president and general counsel.

Hopper is only the second person to hold the position of BOEM director. In that role, she has overseen President Barack Obama's efforts to restrict offshore oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Alaskan coasts—a decision blasted by oil industry groups.

Before joining the bureau in 2015, Hopper was director of the Maryland Energy Administration and energy adviser to former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. She previously spent two years as deputy general counsel with the Maryland Public Service Commission. She has a law degree from the University of Maryland.

"Abby possesses the leadership skills, experience and infectious enthusiasm needed to help drive solar's rapid but sustainable growth trajectory," SEIA Board Chairman Nat Kreamer said in a statement. "Her unique experience and bridge-building talents are an asset for the entire industry and will aid in strong solar success for years to come."

When Hopper assumes the post, the new CEO will join an association representing an industry facing a bright if still uncertain future. The industry has expanded as the cost of producing solar energy has dropped, but President-elect Donald Trump has promised to boost the use of fossil fuels and expressed skepticism about renewable energy. (Although he did once say he "loved solar.")

SEIA has enjoyed policy successes in recent years. Congress passed a five-year extension of a tax credit for solar projects in 2015. More recently, Florida voters rejected a 2016 ballot measure that would have amended the state constitution to slow the growth of the solar industry there. SEIA staff toured the state to campaign against the measure.