Van L. Vincent is a climate change visionary and urban developer who works with community and elected leaders, housing portfolio owners, utilities, educational institutions, and purchasers of renewable energy credits to bring resilience and economic benefit to low-income communities.    As President & CEO of VLV Development, a wholly owned certified MBE/WBE, veteran-owned firm, Van leads efforts to deliver impactful renewable energy and sustainable projects to urban centers. Embracing the idea that clean energy, climate security and economic development are intertwined, in 2009 he founded VGI Energy Solutions, LLC, a full-service clean energy and energy efficiency company, to create opportunities to invest in renewable energy projects in disenfranchised communities.   VLV recently completed construction of the 1.1MW PV Solar component for the Bronzeville Community Microgrid, a pilot of the nation’s first utility-operated microgrid clusters, in collaboration with local stakeholders and the utility. The project is the cornerstone of VLV’s vision to develop a series of microgrids for critical facilities, affordable housing projects linked to microgrids by creating 50MW of solar-plus-storage for critical facilities, affordable housing and commercial development, placing one microgrid in each of Chicago’s 50 wards.    A free-thinker and innovative disrupter, Van’s experience in the public and private sectors has helped him bridge gaps, educate the public, drive development and foster partnerships. He previously led the affordable housing practice for the Chicago office of Virchow-Krause now Baker Tilly) and spearheaded the development of affordable housing post-Hurricane Katrina in the Mississippi Delta and the Gulf Coast.    He also played a key role in transforming the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development's Project-Based Section 8 portfolio while serving in HUD’s Office of Affordable Housing Preservation. There, he managed a portfolio in excess of $150 million across 16 states.  Van holds an MS in Human Services Administration from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. He participated in executive-level programs at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and PHD programs abroad.   A U.S. Navy veteran, Van was nominated as a White House “Champion of Change” for his leadership in advancing clean energy initiatives and promoting greater climate security. In 2016, Van also studied with former Vice President Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader.