Meet a Solar Ready Vets Fellow: Karl D. Lanier, Sr.
IREC leads the Solar Ready Vets Fellowship in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program. Offered at no cost, the fellowship matches solar industry employers with service members who are in transition from the military to the civilian workforce.
Karl D. Lanier, Sr.: Senior Recruiter for Military Programs, Sunrun
Karl Lanier came to Sunrun as a Solar Ready Vets Fellow in September 2021, then joined the company as a Senior Recruiter for Military Programs.
Through his military career, Karl Lanier gained extensive experience in human resources management, project management, and information security. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps after high school as a Field Radio Operator, and was stationed at Camp LeJeune, N.C. He later joined the Army Active Guard Reserve to support infantry communications, monitoring world-wide operations of all major Army commands and maintaining classified and sensitive information for senior Army leadership at the Pentagon. This high-visibility position required a high attention to detail, troubleshooting and coordination with various service branches and agencies.
After a brief stint as an Information Security Specialist Officer, Karl began working as a Senior Recruiting and Leadership Manager, where he guided the careers of enlisted people to become warrant officers and officers, supported service members through the retirement process. In this capacity, he became adept at sourcing and recruiting uniquely qualified candidates, and creating personnel retention programs and career development plans.
His skills and experience gained as a military career counselor proved highly transferable to a recruiting role in the solar industry: He brought these skills to Sunrun through the Solar Ready Vets Fellowship program, then was hired on to support Sunrun’s Military Spouse Employer Partnership program with Department of Defense, identifying high quality career opportunities within the company for the diverse and unique skill sets of military spouses. Sunrun is committed to invest in the leadership skills, passion and teamwork that veterans and military-connected professionals offer, and Karl continued to be engaged with the Solar Ready Vets program – this time as an employer partner, recruiting veteran graduates of SkillBridge training partners for skilled trades roles.
He reflects that “the solar industry is wide open, and growing fast—but many transitioning service members aren’t aware of the breadth and diversity of opportunities across the industry. The fellowship program is a great way to explore how your military skill set and experience can carry over and make you an asset in the civilian workforce.”