Bob Goodson Announces Retirement

Robert (Bob) Goodson has announced that he will be retiring on October 1, 2024, and stepping down as president and executive director of Advanced Energy, positions he’s held since 2018. Goodson has made a large and lasting impact on both Advanced Energy and the energy industry as a whole. Please join us as we congratulate him and wish him the very best in his retirement!

Goodson’s career has spanned more than 50 years and has seen him go from roles in engineering to business development, strategic planning and management. He began his journey in 1970 in nuclear power plant design and construction with Combustion Engineering Inc. and then with Bechtel Power Corporation. Working for the world’s largest construction company and with a technology that was seen as the fuel of the future was eye-opening. That all changed, however, with the Three Mile Island accident of 1979, and nuclear plants began taking longer and costing more to build.

Goodson then transitioned to the electric utility industry with Entergy Corporation in New Orleans, where he focused on strategic and corporate planning, with an emphasis on alternative energy solutions. Advanced Energy, 875 miles away, was being founded at around the same time to navigate the same issues: With growing demand for electricity, what approaches could be taken to avoid the need to build more power plants and alleviate electricity rate increases for consumers?

“What an extraordinary job Bob has done with and for Advanced Energy — he led the transition from Dr. Koger’s foundational tenure seamlessly, and the Board is enormously indebted to him. Bob’s work ethic was of the highest order, and we always knew we could rely on his guidance, regarding both small and large issues and through difficult times. That, in combination with his inclusion of all stakeholders and his boundless good will, underscores my heartfelt thanks to him as a colleague and a friend.” – Jo Anne Sanford, Sanford Law Office (former Chair, North Carolina Utilities Commission)

Following more than a decade at Entergy, Goodson headed home to Tennessee as an executive with the Tennessee Valley Authority. He then returned to an Entergy subsidiary to lead its marketing and sales efforts before beginning with North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives.

Goodson spent 19 years in executive roles with the co-ops, first with their market research and energy services subsidiary, TSE Services, and then with the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives. During this period, he met Dr. Bob Koger — then president of Advanced Energy — and grew deeply familiar with the company, its work and its employees. He was a key player in the founding of NC GreenPower, Advanced Energy’s renewable energy subsidiary, and was chairman of its board of directors for its first 15 years, which also afforded him a place on Advanced Energy’s board.

When Dr. Koger retired in 2018 and Goodson stepped in, the clean energy transition was gaining momentum and — unlike decades earlier — the requisite technologies were catching up, quicker to implement and quicker to evaluate. The days of breaking ground on a 10-year project were in the rearview mirror.

Some of Goodson’s early goals at Advanced Energy were to further the legacy of Dr. Koger but also take the company in a new direction as it prepared for the future. With that in mind, he developed key personnel and engaged more directly with members of the board to benefit from their expertise.

Perhaps Goodson’s greatest challenge — and greatest accomplishment — of his tenure at Advanced Energy was navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Goodson’s leadership and thanks to the creativity of staff, Advanced Energy not only survived this period, but flourished. “You can never predict what outside challenges will bring, but we stayed flexible and got things done, which was a testament to the skills of our staff and management team,” he said.

“Bob has provided so many wonderful services for the organization. His service as President and Executive Director was built on his previous experience as Chair of the NC GreenPower Board of Directors and as a steady representative of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives for the Advanced Energy Board.” – Bob Powell, Chair, Advanced Energy Board of Directors

Goodson departs the energy industry at a time of excitement and possibility, but also one of uncertainty. Questions loom large about meeting growing electricity demand in clean and affordable ways — and the technologies needed to get us there — and Goodson is eager to see Advanced Energy continue to lead the way.

“It was an honor to be a part of Advanced Energy and help it reestablish itself for the next 40 years. What North Carolina as a whole has been able to accomplish puts the state in excellent position to compete for business and industry,” he said.

In a way, Goodson’s career is coming full circle. He began as a co-op student designing nuclear power plant components, and ends on the campus of NC State University, which has its own co-op program that has been invaluable to the next generation of engineers.

Advanced Energy’s Future

Advanced Energy’s board of directors has named Brian Coble as Goodson’s successor. Coble has held executive roles with Advanced Energy since 2013 and currently serves as chief operating officer (COO). He will begin as president and executive director on October 1, 2024.

“It has been a true honor working closely with Bob over the years. I am deeply grateful for his unwavering dedication to Advanced Energy and for his vision and leadership, which have positioned us for continued success. His commitment to ensuring a bright future for the company will leave a lasting legacy.” Brian Coble, COO and Incoming President and Executive Director, Advanced Energy