Mary Blanchard is the Associate Director of the Wisconsin Energy Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Focused on real-world energy innovation and opportunity, the Wisconsin Energy Institute supports clean energy research, moves new technology toward commercialization, and prepares students for future leadership in the energy sector.

Formerly the Director of Marketing and Governmental Affairs at Virent, Inc., Blanchard brings extensive knowledge of the biofuel industry and a broad understanding of the economic, social and environmental opportunities created by sustained, cross-disciplinary research on energy. Her career spans nearly twenty years of industry experience in business development, product management, governmental relations, and international and domestic marketing.

Blanchard holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and BA in English from the University of Notre Dame. She has also earned a MSc from the London School of Economics and a MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.