Bill Ritter Jr., former governor of Colorado, will open the 2014 Kansas Energy Conference as the first General Session speaker on Sept. 16. Governor Ritter will address the strategies for state leadership in a new energy economy in his appropriately titled presentation, "What does it take to be a leader in the New Energy Economy?"

Ritter is currently the Director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. The Center works directly with governors, legislators, regulators and policymakers to provide technical assistance in creating policies and practices that will facilitate America's transition to a clean-energy economy. He is a member of the Board of the Directors of the Energy Foundation; and also a Senior Fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the Advanced Energy Economy Institute.

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