Ian
Ziese
Elect Ian Ziese to the Dakota Electric Association Board of Directors in District 4 in April 2023!
About me
I am a 12-year Dakota Electric member running for the Board of Directors for one simple reason: we deserve sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy as member-owners of the cooperative. The coming decades will require a rapid expansion of electrical service as newer technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps gain in popularity. Despite the potential growing pains, we also know that the growth resulting from the shift to "electrify everything" means that it is an exciting time to be member-owners of an electric company! I am eager to build on the success of Dakota Electric and serve as the voice for all our rural and suburban members.
Please continue reading below for policy positions and experience. Also, check out my Facebook page for additional thoughts, endorsements, etc.
Key Issues
SUSTAINABLE ELECTRIFICATION
I joined the Eagan Energy and Environment Advisory Commission in 2018 with one goal in mind: to ensure that the city I love continues to be green and livable for subsequent generations. As a commissioner, I've played a key role in moving the city towards adopting a climate action plan, greenhouse gas reductions in the city's fleet, and the addition of a full-time sustainability coordinator. The coming decades will require a rapid service expansion as we "electrify everything," and securing that future through ample and affordable renewable energy will be one of my primary goals on the board.
ENERGY AFFORDABILITY
As member-owners of Dakota County Electric, we deserve electricity that is affordable as well as sustainable. I will work to keep our energy affordable and reliable. At the same time, we also cannot ignore that some member-owners are currently being left behind, living in inefficient homes or apartments that needlessly tax our electric grid and their pocketbooks. As such, I will look to novel solutions like inclusive financing that present win-win opportunities for our member-owners as well as the overall cooperative.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 passed by Congress offers a bevy of grants, loans, and tax code changes designed to level the playing field between rural electric cooperatives like Dakota Electric and for-profit investor-owned electric companies. As a board member, I will work to use these resources to bolster our balance sheets with additional renewable assets while moving us away from liabilities like power purchase agreements. The end result will be a financially prosperous cooperative poised for continued success.
CYBERSECURITY
The 2023 Midwest Reliability Organization risk assessment listed cybersecurity as a top risk to our electrical system. From phishing attacks to malicious state actors to firewall breaches, our electric grid has never been under greater threat. My decades of experience in information technology and cybersecurity make me uniquely positioned to understand and address these risks.
DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS
In my capacity as an IT and data professional, I work closely with data scientists and others to solve business problems. This work involves exploring data, then generating and attempting to validate hypotheses present in the data. I will bring my objective eye to the information presented to the board, as well as a curious mind to dig into as of yet unpursued avenues of inquiry.
TRANSPARENCY
As a director, I will work to provide accurate and timely information about the overall health of the cooperative. This data will include financials as well as our progress toward the state-mandated goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040, which will include both energy production owned by the cooperative and energy sources secured through power purchase agreements.
Education
MASTERS IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management
Graduated with honors
BACHELOR OF ARTS, QUANTITATIVE METHODS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
University of St. Thomas
Graduated Magna Cum Laude
Community Volunteering
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT ADVISORY COMMISSION
City of Eagan
2018- present
Vice-chair 2021-2023
Lead the initiative to develop a climate action plan for the city, as well as EV and other sustainability-related initiatives. Helped push for the hiring of a city sustainability coordinator.
CITIZENS' CLIMATE LOBBY
Worked with leaders in Minnesota Congressional District 2 to drive support for Congressional action on climate.
Participated in multiple Congressional Education Days on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Met with the offices of multiple Representatives and Senators to urge the adoption of bipartisan climate action.
FIRST LEGO LEAGUE
Pinewood Elementary
Coach 2018-present
Financed school migration from EV3 to Spike Prime
Recent Work Experience
MACHINE LEARNING & DATA ENGINEER
3M / 2019 - Present
Working closely with data scientists during exploratory data analysis and through production release to establish and scale data science solutions to solve supply chain and other business problems.
IT ARCHITECT, DATA SCIENTIST, PROJECT LEAD, ANALYST, DESIGNER
3M / 2011-2019
Functioned as an architect, designer, business analyst, project lead, and data scientist on an internal project for our R&D organization. Co-led the inception of project, including the overall project strategy, prioritization, direction, architecture, analysis, design, and development of the platform.
IT Project Lead
3M / 2011 - 2012
Operated as Project Lead on the high-profile New Product Portal (NPP) system to track the percentage of sales contributed by “new” (<5 years) products. Determined work assignments for developers and business analysts, including managing project plans and communicating milestones with IT leadership. Also functioned as business analyst prior to hiring BA.