Jamie Beard

An energy and regulatory attorney, Jamie Beard left the white-shoe law firm scene to try her hand at bringing about fast and efficient climate change solutions. She is Founder and Executive Director of Project InnerSpace, a non-profit organization focused on removing the major barriers standing in the way of fast global growth and development of geothermal energy. She is also the Principal Investigator of a $165 million grant from the US Department of Energy focused on oil and gas technology transfer into geothermal.

Additionally, Beard founded the Geothermal Entrepreneurship Organization (GEO) at the University of Texas at Austin, a US Department of Energy funded program aimed at recruiting oil and gas talent to launch geothermal startups, and the PIVOT from Hydrocarbons to Heat conference series, the largest geothermal conference in the world.

A passionate advocate for geothermal energy as the natural and obvious future business model for the oil and gas industry and the missing link to meeting or exceeding 2050 climate goals, Beard has been credited with catalyzing a wave of investment and engagement by oil and gas entities in the geothermal space. She has recruited and mentored hundreds of new voices into the geothermal industry.

Beard is an internationally recognized leader in the ‘geothermal anywhere’ movement. She has spoken at SXSW, delivered a TED talk, and been featured in a Wired Magazine cover story. She received her undergraduate degree at Appalachian State University and her law degree at Boston University of Law.