Gov. Chet Culver this morning announced he has appointed Roya Stanley as director of the state’s Office of Energy Independence, which will administer the recently created Iowa Power Fund.

Stanley, who currently works for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., has a record of achievement in energy efficiency and renewable energy that spans 25 years, Culver said. She has spent more than 18 years of her career in Iowa state government working on energy issues.

“This is a field that moves fast and changes on a dime, and Ms. Stanley’s experience makes her perfectly suited to lead our state’s efforts in renewable energy,” Culver said in a release. Culver in May signed legislation that created the Power Fund, which provides for $100 million in state funding for alternative energy research over the next four years. Stanley’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Iowa Senate.

Stanley, who since 2000 has worked for the NREL, leads the agency’s State and Local Initiatives Group, which provides a liaison to federal energy programs. During her time with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Stanley contributed to the development of the Iowa Building Energy Management program, which has resulted in more than $150 million in investment in energy efficiency, and the switchgrass initiative, which has laid the groundwork for a cellulosic fuel of the future.

As director of the Office of Energy Independence, Stanley will coordinate the administration of the Power Fund and lead public education about renewable fuels and energy efficiency. In addition, she will pursue funding from public and private sources and coordinate all existing state and federal grants, programs and policies having to do with renewable energy and energy efficiency.