Swati Dandekar is a former Ambassador, state utility regulator, and state legislator – and now an advocate for the growth of renewable energy in Iowa as Chairperson of Bright Future Iowa. 

Swati has a long history of service to her community, state and county. Swati served as a member her local school board before taking on a role with the Iowa Association of Schools Boards. She then spent eight years representing Linn County in the Iowa Legislature as both State Representative and State Senator. During that time, she had the honor of serving as the Chair of the National Foundation of Woman Legislators. 

In 2011 she was called upon by Iowa’s Governor to help chart Iowa’s energy future as an appointee to the Iowa Utilities Board. During her time on the IUB, Swati focused on telecom, rural connection, renewable energy and Smart Grid technology. 

In 2015 her service extended to our country, when she was Presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed in 2016 as the U.S. Executive Director and Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  

Now, after over a decade of leading our nation in renewable energy, she wants to ensure Iowa continues to both lead and benefit from a continued transition to clean energy, especially solar.   Like wind energy and ethanol, solar energy will help provide new economic opportunities and jobs for our state while advancing our efforts to combat climate change. 

Swati hopes you will join her in this endeavor.