Our values
At Rockport Republic, we believe strategy should serve the public good. We are a mission-driven consulting firm helping movements, communities, and changemakers power meaningful change—across clean energy and social impact.
We don’t just advise. We organize. We build. We help ideas take root and grow—into campaigns, coalitions, and programs that deliver real results for people and planet.
Founded on the shores of Lake Erie, we bring a deep commitment to justice, sustainability, and democratic values. From designing community solar programs to advancing bold policy at the statehouse, we work at the intersection of strategy, equity, and systems change.
Leadership
Tristan Rader, Managing Director
Tristan is a strategist, public servant, and advocate for energy democracy and social equity. With 15+ years of experience at the intersection of public policy, clean energy, communication, marketing, and grassroots organizing, Tristan founded Rockport Republic to help communities take back power—literally and politically.
A former local councilman and current member of the Ohio House of Representatives, Tristan has authored and championed legislation to expand solar access, improve utility transparency, and defend public resources from corporate takeover. He previously served as the Ohio Program Director for Solar United Neighbors, where he helped families, businesses, non-profits, and governments go solar and led statewide efforts to advance pro-solar policy.
Tristan's career has spanned government, nonprofit, and political sectors—always grounded in the belief that big ideas should be paired with real-world action. He has worked with city governments to craft sustainability plans, supported frontline organizers in environmental justice campaigns, and built bipartisan coalitions to push clean energy reform in Ohio’s legislature.
A longtime resident of Lakewood, Ohio, Tristan is known for bringing humor, hustle, and a relentless focus on justice to everything he does. He founded Rockport Republic to offer bold, values-driven strategy for organizations, leaders, and movements working to build a more equitable, sustainable future.
Experience Matters
Tristan brings a rare blend of policy insight, grassroots experience, and technical know-how to the work of building a cleaner, more equitable future. A graduate of Yale University’s School of the Environment, Tristan has combined rigorous academic training with real-world implementation across the Midwest and Appalachia. His focus: turning big policy into tangible impact for the communities that need it most.
Tristan has played a key role in multiple successful grant strategies under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), helping secure nearly $500 million in federal funding for clean energy and sustainability programs across the region. From Columbus to Cleveland, Dayton to deep Appalachia, he has helped design and administer community-based programs that connect thousands of working families with energy savings, resilience tools, and sustainable opportunities.
His project consulting includes everything from solar site selection and compliance design to grant program management and stakeholder coordination. Tristan led one of the Midwest’s first Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) Solar Pilots, partnering with Habitat for Humanity to bring solar to homeowners historically shut out of clean energy access. That model became a blueprint—helping over 30,000 people across 8 states go solar through the U.S. EPA’s Solar for All initiative.
From national policy tables to on-the-ground program delivery, Tristan’s work is rooted in one principle: the people closest to the problem deserve to be at the center of the solution. Rockport Republic is the next step in that mission—offering strategy and support to power change where it’s needed most.
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