ABOUT US
At Innova Power, our purpose is to transform the geography and scale of solar energy production through turning underutilized land into sources of clean, inclusive power. We bridge the gap between renewable energy, innovation and community investment — leading solar solutions which power environmental restoration, economic opportunity, and long-term social impact.
OUR MISSION
Innova Power, a social enterprise, is revolutionizing the geography and scale of solar energy by transforming underutilized urban and rural spaces into solar preserves bridging clean energy, workforce investment, economic development and ecological sustainability.
OUR VISION
Innova Power is realizing an energy resilient future, globally, in which underused urban and rural spaces are transformed into solar preserves powering communities, economies and ecosystems.
OUR COLLECTIVE VALUES
Innova Power is a part of the Al2O3 Group, a collective of social enterprises dedicated to ensuring that "every person has a home both physical and communal that reflects, respects, and responds to their lived experiences."
OUR FOUNDER
Davon T.T. Woodard, Ph.D., leads Innova Power in its social-enterprise mission to revolutionize the geography and scale of solar energy, transforming underused urban and rural spaces into solar energy preserves which power local energy resilience, workforce and economic investment, and ecological sustainability.
Innova Power is the outgrowth of his community-engaged scholarship and practice exploring how energy, technology, and governance shape belonging, resilience, and opportunity in cities and communities.
Redefining what solar power can mean for people and place, Dr. Woodard’s work sits at the intersection of community‑grounded innovation, data science, and urban planning.His research and scholarship are rooted in community-based econometrics, predictive analytics, social network analysis, and critical urban theory, with projects ranging from regional workforce investment and development, institutional fiscal resilience, and dynamic modeling of 3‑1‑1 community service systems to community planning and visioning through Afrofuturist frameworks. Across these efforts, he brings a consistent focus: designing systems that honor lived experience while enabling bold, structural change.
Before founding Innova Power, Dr. Woodard served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington - Tacoma, where he taught and developed curriculum in community development, metropolitan systems, community economics, urban analytics, and critical urban theory. He also held leadership roles including Interim Chair of MACP and SUS Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, guiding institutional strategy and culture during pivotal periods of growth.
His earlier career spans influential roles in the public and nonprofit sectors—advancing strategic partnerships for the City of Evanston, leading corporate and foundation relations at Center on Halsted, and supporting citywide engagement and fundraising initiatives for the Chicago Park District. Across these roles, he built coalitions, launched new programs, and secured multimillion‑dollar investments that expanded organizational capacity and community impact.
Dr. Woodard’s community‑engaged research includes collaborations with the City of Kalamazoo (MI), EcoNorthwest, the Obama Presidential Center CBA Committee, and grassroots organizations in Johannesburg, South Africa focused on housing justice, economic mobility, and equitable development. He has held research fellowships with the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics at Virginia Tech, and the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience. He also served as a Visiting Scholar in the Centre for Urbanism and Built Environment Studies (CUBES) at the University of Witswatersrand (Johannesburg, South Africa).
Dr. Woodard holds a Ph.D. in Planning, Governance and Globalization and NSF Graduate Certificate in Urban Computing from Virginia Tech, an MS in Economics and Policy Analysis (Urban Economics and Business Strategy), and an MBA in (Predictive Analytics) from DePaul University (Chicago); a Certificate in Nonprofit Strategy from Stanford Graduate School of Business; and, a BS in Public Policy and Psychology from Michigan State University.
Dr. Woodard leads Innova Power from the belief that clean energy is not just infrastructure, it is a platform for belonging, resilience, and the re‑imagining of the future of community.
Innova Power Leadership
Davon T.T. Woodard, Ph.D.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Innova Power
Davon T.T. Woodard, Ph.D., leads Innova Power in realizing its social-enterprise purpose as a visionary catalyst supporting communities, industries, and institutions transition into the clean‑energy future.
As Founder and CEO of Innova Power, he leads a mission to revolutionize the geography and scale of solar energy, transforming solar preserves into solar energy preserves which power local energy development, workforce and economic investment and ecological sustainability—redefining what energy infrastructure can mean for people and place.
Dr. Woodard’s work sits at the intersection of community‑grounded innovation, data science, and urban planning. His research and practice explore how energy, technology, and governance shape belonging, resilience, and opportunity in cities. His research and scholarship spans community-engaged research econometrics, predictive analytics, social network analysis, and critical urban theory, with projects ranging from regional investment for workforce re-engagement, drivers of municipal fiscal resilience in response to macroeconomic shocks, dynamic modeling of 3‑1‑1 service systems to Afrofuturist frameworks for community visioning. Across these efforts, he brings a consistent focus: designing systems that honor lived experience while enabling bold, structural change.
Before founding Innova Power, Dr. Woodard served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington - Tacoma, where he taught and developed curriculum in community development, metropolitan systems and governance, community economics, urban analytics, and critical urban theory. He also held leadership roles including Interim Chair of MA Community Planning and School Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, guiding institutional strategy and culture during pivotal periods of growth.
His earlier career spans influential roles in the public and nonprofit sectors—advancing strategic partnerships for the City of Evanston, leading corporate and foundation relations at Center on Halsted, and supporting citywide engagement and fundraising initiatives for the Chicago Park District. Across these roles, he built coalitions, launched new programs, and secured multimillion‑dollar investments that expanded organizational capacity and community impact.
Dr. Woodard’s community‑engaged research includes collaborations with the City of Kalamazoo (MI), EcoNorthwest, the Obama Presidential Center CBA Committee, and organizations in Chicago and Johannesburg, South Africa focused on housing justice, economic mobility, and equitable development. He has held fellowships with the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics at Virginia Tech, and the eScience Institute at the University of Washington.
He holds a Ph.D. in Planning, Governance and Globalization from Virginia Tech, with an NSF Graduate Certificate in Urban Computing; an MS in Economics and Policy Analysis and an MBA focused on Predictive Analytics from DePaul University; a Certificate in Nonprofit Strategy from Stanford Graduate School of Business; and a BS in Public Policy and Psychology from Michigan State University.
Dr. Woodard leads Innova Power with a belief that clean energy is not just infrastructure—it is a platform for belonging, resilience, and the re‑imagining of what communities can be.