Jim Kapsis is the Director of Market Development and Policy Strategy at OPOWER, the leading behavior-based energy efficiency and smart-grid software company in the U.S. Based in Arlington, Virginia OPOWER is currently working with 52 utility clients —including 8 of the 10 largest in the U.S., to help them motivate their residential customers to use less energy and save money on their bills.  By the end of 2011, OPOWER will have engaged more than 10 million households and saved enough energy to power nearly 50,000 homes.

From 2008 to September 2010, Jim was Energy and Climate Advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In that capacity, he supported National Economic Council Director Larry Summers on the U.N. High Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF) and was a member of the U.S. climate negotiating team that helped broker the Copenhagen Accord in December 2009.  Prior to Treasury, Jim served as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).  From August 2006 to March 2007, Jim served at the State Department as Special Assistant to Ambassador David Satterfield, the Secretary’s top Iraq advisor.  Jim has also worked in Congress as Communications Director and Foreign Policy advisor to U.S. Congressman Rush Holt from New Jersey. 

Jim has a B.A. in political science from Haverford College and a M.P.A. from Princeton University.  He is married to Stephanie Amann Kapsis, Managing Director of the Greater D.C. Region for Teach for America, a national education non-profit.