Speaker Bio

Rob brings a career’s worth of environmental, climate, and energy expertise to his advance clean energy solutions for Pennsylvania. As Energy Center director, he analyzes and provides expert comments and testimony on legislation and regulations. He works with regulatory agencies and clean energy industry experts on climate and energy issues and provides technical assistance and research on methane and fossil fuel impacts. Rob speaks extensively throughout Pennsylvania to students, community groups, and other organizations on climate and energy issues. 

Rob has also provided testimony to the U.S. Environmental Protection and the White House and co-authored a chapter on federal climate policy in the 2nd edition of the book "Climate Change and US Law".

Rob previously spent nearly 22 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). He calculated and predicted emissions from factories, vehicles, and off-road equipment. That led to predicting concentrations of air pollutants for the Bureau of Air Quality using computer models. For several years, Rob was the primary forecaster for southcentral and Lehigh valley regions of Pennsylvania, deciding if days meet the parameters for air quality action days. He served as an executive policy specialist in DEP’s policy office advising the governor’s office and department executive staff on a variety of environmental and public health issues. 

While working for DEP, Rob attended Widener Commonwealth Law School in the evenings. He graduated cum laude, earned certificates in both environmental law and administrative/constitutional law through Widener’s Law and Government Institute. He is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania.

Rob worked in software development and systems administration. While serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, he commanded a combat engineer company and earned the U.S. Army Parachutist Badge jumping out of airplanes.  

Rob is an avid hiker, serving on the board of directors of the Keystone Trails Association. He is also certified scuba diver and dived on shipwrecks in the Atlantic as well as local lakes and quarries. He travels extensively with his wife, Juliet, and is sure to get a few hikes in during his journeys. (https://www.pennfuture.org/rob-altenburg)

Rob currently also serves as the President of the Mechanicsburg-North Rotary Club.