ClearPath Announces New Chief External Affairs Officer
Washington D.C. – Thursday, August 13, 2026 – ClearPath announced Bill Meierling joined the organization as Chief External Affairs Officer, where he will lead external affairs and communications. A public affairs and communications strategist who has built coalitions and led advocacy initiatives across Washington's leading trade organizations and nonprofit organizations, Meierling brings significant expertise to ClearPath's mission to accelerate American innovation to reduce global energy emissions.
“Bill adds more than two decades in public affairs and advocacy to our leadership team, and that's exactly the kind of firepower we need to build on the momentum we've created over the past 12 years,” said Jeremy Harrell, ClearPath CEO. “As Chief External Affairs Officer, he will sharpen how we tell the story of American energy leadership – making the case for more clean, reliable, affordable power of all kinds – at a moment when global demand is surging and the race for energy leadership is picking up speed.”
In his role, Meierling will lead ClearPath’s External Affairs team, where he will shape the organization’s public affairs, advocacy, communications and strategic initiatives. His work will help ClearPath’s vision for American energy leadership reach the policymakers and partners who can turn it into action.
Prior to ClearPath, Meierling was Senior Vice President of External Affairs at the National Automatic Merchandising Association, where he led federal, state and local government affairs strategy. Meierling also directed the association’s communications and partnership work, convening members and industry allies behind a shared policy agenda. He has also held leadership roles at the International Franchise Association and the American Legislative Exchange Council. Earlier in his career, Meierling worked at United Way Worldwide, where he directed the organization's global media efforts.
Beyond his association work, Meierling has lectured as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University and written commentary for major national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Washington Times.
Meierling joins ClearPath’s distinguished External Affairs Team, including Emily Johnson, Managing Director of External Affairs; Mitch Kersey, Senior Creative Director; Anthony DiGrado, Senior External Affairs Manager; Lauren Fookes, Senior Events Manager; Frances Wetherbee, External Affairs Advisor and Reagan Reese, External Affairs Fellow.
Media Contact:
Emily Johnson
emily@clearpath.org
(678) 761-1864
ABOUT CLEARPATH
ClearPath's mission is to accelerate American innovation to reduce global energy emissions. To advance that mission, we develop cutting-edge policy solutions on clean energy and clean manufacturing innovation. An entrepreneurial, strategic nonprofit, ClearPath (501(c)(3)) collaborates with public and private sector stakeholders on innovations in nuclear energy, carbon capture, hydropower, natural gas, geothermal, energy storage, and clean manufacturing to enable private-sector deployment of critical technologies. Learn more at clearpath.org. Follow us on Twitter: @ClearPathAction, @Jharrell