The Southern States Energy Board today announced the retirement of Kenneth J. Nemeth, Secretary and Executive Director, whose extraordinary career spans more than 54 years of service to the organization and the Southern region. Nemeth will retire on July 31, 2026, after notifying SSEB Chairman Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi of his intention to retire earlier this year.
Nemeth joined the Southern States Energy Board in 1972 and was appointed Secretary and Executive Director in 1974. In over five decades of executive leadership, he guided the Board through periods of significant change in the nation’s energy landscape while expanding SSEB’s role as a trusted interstate compact serving governors, legislative leaders, the energy industry, state and federal agencies, universities, and communities across the South.
Created by interstate compact in 1960 and consented to by Congress, the Southern States Energy Board serves 16 Southern states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands by advancing collaboration on energy policy and security, new and innovative energy technologies, economic development, environmental stewardship, workforce development, and international partnerships.
“For more than five decades, Ken’s leadership has left a lasting imprint on this Board, our member states and territories, and the broader energy landscape of the Southern region,” said Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Chairman of the Southern States Energy Board. “Institutions are strengthened by steady leadership over time, and Ken’s tenure has provided that stability and vision. Today, we express our gratitude for his exemplary service while recognizing the culmination of a remarkable chapter in the Board’s history.”
Under Nemeth’s leadership in 1978, SSEB expanded its mission beyond its original focus as an early driving force in the development of nuclear energy and nuclear medicine to encompass the full spectrum of energy and environmental issues affecting the Southern region. The Board has become a nationally recognized leader in energy policy, fossil energy and carbon management, nuclear energy, energy infrastructure, critical minerals, environmental stewardship, advanced technology applications, workforce development, and interstate policy coordination.
Throughout his tenure, Nemeth cultivated lasting collaborations and partnerships among state governments and energy industries, universities, federal agencies and national laboratories, international partners, and nonprofit organizations. His leadership positioned SSEB to secure and manage over two billion dollars in partnership investments supporting energy research, technology demonstrations, workforce augmentation, and regional economic growth. Nemeth fostered international collaborations with Brazil, Thailand, Mexico, Vietnam, Hong Kong, UK, Australia, Italy, and Uzbekistan during his long career.
During the 1970s, SSEB was a driving force in developing nuclear power throughout the region. Ken Nemeth testified in numerous state legislative committees on the value and benefits of nuclear power, especially in states without fossil energy resources. Today, the Southern region is home to more than 30 percent of the nation’s operating nuclear power reactors. Nemeth was heavily involved in the development of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, passed by Congress in 1982.
In 1977, Nemeth led a Southern Governor’s staff team in founding the first Regional Solar Energy Center established in the South. Every state competed for this site, but Southern Governors coalesced around SSEB due to its staff, resources, and capabilities.
Governor John Y. Brown of Kentucky served as Chairman of SSEB in 1982-83. His international experiences, working with foreign governments and energy leaders, determined that more energy industries should work with SSEB to lend their perspective and expertise. Ken Nemeth responded to a request from the Governor that created the SSEB Associate Members Program from among the South’s energy resource developers, utilities, and energy research organizations. Today, 65 Associate Members contribute their time and technical expertise on the Board’s programs, projects, and activities.
Business and academic associates of SSEB from Tennessee and Texas involved the Board as the lead governmental representative in a $500 million project with the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1995. The purpose of the project was to convert vehicles from gasoline to natural gas. Located on the Tibet Plateau with superb natural gas supplies, Uzbeks were using 67 octane Russian petrol and car engine blocks were cracking in winter. Following two years of trade missions led by Ken Nemeth to Tash Kent, Samarkand, and a reverse trade mission to study natural gas conversion kits in San Antonio, the deal proved successful.
In the early 2000s, SSEB and the Western Governors Association partnered to develop the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC), which provided an opportunity for state environmental regulators to discuss the means to accelerate permitting for environmental projects. When no states or regional groups would step up, Nemeth hired an ITRC executive director and led and funded workshops for state regulators to engage on problems such as how to permit an incinerator and how to expedite permitting of power plants. Nemeth served on the ITRC Board for 10 years. It now resides with the Environmental Council of States in Washington, D.C.
SSEB served as the lead for the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership in 2003. There were 185 member participants from energy industries in this project. In 2011, SSEB and its partners developed the first Carbon Capture, Transportation, and Storage unit at a coal fired power plant in the U.S. in Bucks and Citronelle, Alabama, that was later commercialized in Texas. This development was a landmark in determining the valued use of carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery. In 2020, SSEB and industry partners developed a technology to capture CO2 from ambient air. After a year of tests at the National Cabon Capture Center in Wilsonville, Alabama, the CO2 recovery was over 99% pure. That technology is being commercialized today.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this organization and the states and territories we represent,” said Nemeth. “The Southern States Energy Board has always been about bringing people together to solve problems and creating opportunities for collaboration on projects that no single state could accomplish alone. I am deeply grateful to the governors, legislative leaders, Board members, Associate Members, staff, and partners who have made this journey so rewarding through their steadfast support.”
Pursuant to the Board’s Succession Plan and By-Laws, the Southern States Energy Board has initiated an orderly leadership transition to ensure continuity of operations and continued service to its member jurisdictions.
Nemeth plans to attend the Southern States Energy Board’s 66th Annual Meeting, to be held September 21-23, 2026, in Biloxi, Mississippi, where the Board will formally recognize and celebrate his remarkable career and lasting contributions to the organization.
