Jason Hartke

Executive Vice President, External Affairs

IWBI

Jason Hartke is the Executive Vice President of External Affairs at the International WELL Building Institute where he leads the organization’s strategic communications, PR and media relations, as well as its advocacy efforts and outreach to Congress, governors, state legislators, and mayors across the nation.

Prior to IWBI, Jason was the President of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit dedicated to achieving bipartisan policy solutions that advance energy efficiency. Jason was named one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyist in 2018 and 2019 for his efforts to keep energy efficiency a top priority in Washington, helping protect critical R&D programs and significantly increasing federal funding.

Before that Jason led the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts to advance energy efficiency in commercial buildings, a sector that accounts for nearly 20 percent of the nation’s energy consumption. In the role, Jason managed a nearly $30-million program, working closely with national laboratories as well as industry partners to develop and deploy innovative energy efficiency solutions, strategies and technologies.

Jason also spent nearly a decade as a senior executive at the U.S. Green Building Council, leading mission-critical policy and advocacy efforts that helped result in the passage of historic federal investment in green building, new federal leadership programs in energy efficiency, and a fourfold increase in green building policies at the state and local level. While there, he led several signature national advocacy programs in sustainable and resilient communities, energy efficiency, green schools, and green affordable housing.

Over his career, he has created numerous collaborative initiatives and partnerships with other organizations, including the C40 Cities, the World Green Building Council, the National League of Cities, the American Institute of Architects, the Real Estate Roundtable and the Natural Resources Defense Council.  

Jason also served in the Clinton Administration, working in the West Wing of the White House in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, a policy and outreach team that serves as the president’s liaison to state and local elected officials throughout the country. Early in his career, Jason was an award-winning journalist, working as a reporter with the Connection Newspapers covering state and local politics, real estate, land use and community affairs.

Jason received his Ph.D. in public policy from George Mason University and holds his master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jason lives outside Washington, D.C. with his wife and two children, and he is outside hiking or playing basketball with them every chance he gets.