Veteran clean energy strategist and CSAA co-founder tapped to lead Pacific Northwest's landmark sustainable aviation fuel initiative.
SEATTLE, Wash. (JULY 1, 2026) — The Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator (CSAA) today announced the appointment of Jake Gentry as its Executive Director. Gentry, who helped form the organization three years ago and has been instrumental in building the coalition and capital base that brought it to life, will now lead CSAA's efforts to make the Pacific Northwest the global center of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.
Gentry steps into the role as CSAA transitions from establishment to execution. The organization was formally launched in January 2026 with backing from a Washington state appropriation and more than $10 million in private philanthropic investment. It has assembled a broad coalition of aviation industry leaders, research institutions, Tribal representatives, policymakers, and sustainability advocates united around a single goal: scaling locally produced, low-carbon SAF to one billion gallons annually by 2035.
As Executive Director, Gentry will oversee CSAA's full portfolio of initiatives, including feedstock and supply chain development, offtake strategy, shared research and development infrastructure, clean energy integration, and policy advocacy. He builds on a coalition that includes Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Boeing, Washington State University, Snohomish County, Earth Finance, Microsoft, the Port of Seattle and the Washington State Department of Commerce, among others.
"Snohomish County is proud to be home to one of the most consequential clean energy initiatives in the country," said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, chair of the CSAA board of directors. "The Accelerator represents everything we believe in: good jobs, regional economic strength, and a cleaner future for the communities that live and work around Paine Field. Jake has been a driving force behind this vision from the very beginning,and his appointment as Executive Director signals that Cascadia is ready to move from vision to production. We are all in."
“Scaling and maturing the SAF industry will require coordinated action across policy, financing, supply chain, research and testing and more,” said Hawaiian Airlines CEO Diana Birkett-Rakow Cascadia’s purpose is to execute exactly that kind of coordinated, ecosystem-wide strategy, leveraging the incredible assets of the Pacific Northwest to ensure the related technology and economic development happens here – and expands beyond. As Executive Director, Jake Gentry brings the right combination of strategic depth, execution orientation, coalition-building instincts, and commitment to the work. We are fortunate to have him driving the work forward, and Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are proud to be part of it.”
Gentry brings deep experience at the intersection of climate strategy, aviation, and systems-level coalition building. His work on CSAA's foundation, from early concept development through fundraising and partnership formation, reflects the hands-on approach he will carry into the executive director role: coordinated, cross-sector action on the complex challenges facing the region.
The Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Institute will also sit in Gentry’s portfolio, an innovative research and development facility at Paine Field in Snohomish County. The Institute will house researchers from Washington State University and other academic institutions to test and analyze SAF, scaling the scientific advancement and speeding adoption timelines. The Institute will open in a temporary facility in Summer 2026.
"When Washington passed the Climate Commitment Act, a promise was made that the state would build a clean energy economy that works for everyone," said Garrett Kephart, Co-Founder and CEO of Earth Finance, which supported CSAA’s development and launch. "SAF is one of the most critical and underinvested pieces of that puzzle. Jake is exactly the leader this moment demands. He helped dream up CSAA three years ago, has helped raise over $10 million to make it real, and has built a coalition that spans every corner of the SAF ecosystem. The work ahead is hard, but with Jake at the helm, I have no doubt Cascadia will deliver."
"I've spent my career believing that bold, systems-level coordinated action can solve problems that seem impossibly large," said Gentry. "Decarbonizing aviation and the transition to SAF is one of those problems. The Pacific Northwest has everything it takes tolead this transition: the feedstocks, the infrastructure, the research institutions, the policy environment, and now a growing coalition of producers, buyers, and investors who are ready to move. My passion for climate impact runs deep, and there is no challenge I'd rather be working on than this one. We have a clear roadmap to 1 billion gallons of locally produced, low-cost SAF by 2035, and we are just getting started."
Unlike conventional jet fuel, SAF is produced from sustainable feedstocks including crop seed oil, agricultural residues, and forestry waste, and can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80 percent or more compared to fossil-based fuels. It requires no new aircraft or airport infrastructure, making it the most viable near-term path to decarbonizing commercial aviation at scale. The global aviation industry generates approximately $4.1 trillion in economic activity and supports 86.5 million jobs worldwide while accounting for roughly 2 to 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Scaling Pacific Northwest SAF production to one billion gallons annually would advance Washington's climate commitments, strengthen regional energy security, create new industrial jobs, and build on Cascadia's century-long legacy as a center of aerospace innovation.