Full Agenda

David Terry

Executive Director, National Association of State Energy Officials

David Terry is the Executive Director of the National Association of State Energy Officials and has worked with NASEO in a variety of capacities since 1996. Mr. Terry leads NASEO's policy actions and programs in support of the 56 governor-designated state and territory energy directors and their offices. NASEO communicates the states' views on virtually all national energy issues. Mr. Terry has participated in governor-led policy meetings, testified before U.S. Congressional Committees and presented at White House and international energy forums.  Mr. Terry has 25 years of experience working on a range of energy issues for such organizations as the Governors’ Wind and Solar Energy and Coalition and Energy Services Coalition. Prior to working in the energy area, Mr. Terry was researcher at the National Academy of Sciences and a statistical analyst for a consumer products market research firm. He received a BA degree from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, and he has completed graduate coursework in statistics and marketing at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Jeffrey Genzer

General Counsel, National Association of State Energy Officials

Jeff Genzer has been Counsel to NASEO since the organization began in 1986.  He represents the organization before Congress and the Administration, working closely with David Terry and the NASEO staff.  He has also practiced energy and environmental law since 1985 at the law firm of Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer and Pembroke, PC.  Mr. Genzer serves as President of the law firm.  Prior to going into private law practice, he served as counsel and energy lobbyist for the Energy and Environment Committee of the National Governors Association.  Mr. Genzer also worked on low income energy issues for the National Consumer Law Center.  He began his energy career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Micronesia 41 years ago.

Kelley Smith Burk

Director, Office of Energy, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Kelley Smith Burk has been with the Florida Office of Energy since 2008 and oversaw the development and administration of over $176 million of federal and state grants to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.  Kelley serves as the director for the Office of Energy.  Kelley is responsible for leading the Office of Energy as it develops energy policy and implements programs as well as promotes the use of renewable energy, energy efficient technologies, and alternative transportation technologies for the state of Florida.

Prior to joining the department, Kelley worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Strategic Projects and Planning as a policy analyst for the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change. Kelley has also served as the director of Scheduling in the Executive Office of the Governor. Kelley received her bachelor’s degree in history from Florida State University and her master’s degree in public policy from Pepperdine University.

Al Christopher

Director Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program, Virginia Department of Energy

Jason Lanclos

Director, Technology Assessment Division, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

Jason Lanclos, P.E. (Jason) has worked at the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR) since August of 2018.  After serving as the Deputy Executive Director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) for the Governor’s Office since 2014, Mr. Lanclos took the opportunity to return to working in the oil and gas and emerging energy technologies sector at LDNR after working in private industry for almost 13 years.  Mr. Lanclos currently serves as the director of the State Energy Office and Technology Assessment Division of LDNR.  Mr. Lanclos is currently serving as the coalition representative for the State and Midwest region on CCUS technologies and is a central board member for the National Association of State Energy Officials.  Mr. Lanclos has worked on and managed a variety of projects/programs in the oil and gas sector during his time in private industry and managed one of the largest ecosystem restoration efforts for the State of Louisiana while at CPRA.  He holds a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Louisiana State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

The Honorable Richard Glick

Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Chairman Richard Glick was named by President Biden to be Chairman of the Federal Regulatory Commission on January 21, 2021 and is serving a Commission term that ends June 30, 2022.

Glick was nominated to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by President Donald J. Trump in August 2017 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 2, 2017.

Before joining the Commission, he was general counsel for the Democrats on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, serving as a senior policy advisor on numerous issues including electricity and renewable energy.

Prior to that, he was vice president of government affairs for Iberdrola’s renewable energy, electric and gas utility, and natural gas storage businesses in the United States. He ran the company’s Washington, DC, office and was responsible for developing and implementing the U.S. businesses’ federal legislative and regulatory policy advocacy strategies.

Glick previously served as a director of government affairs for PPM Energy and before that was director of government affairs for PacifiCorp. He served as a senior policy advisor to U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, and before that was legislative director and chief counsel to U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas. From 1988-1992 Commissioner Glick was an associate with the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand.

He is a graduate of George Washington University and Georgetown Law. He and his wife Erin have a son.

Patricia Hoffman

Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy

Serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Ms. Patricia A. Hoffman also served as Acting Under Secretary for Science and Energy from January 2017 until November 2017 when the U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Menezes as Under Secretary of Energy. Ms. Hoffman served as Acting Assistant Secretary for OE from January 2017 until October 2017 when the OE Assistant Secretary was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Ms. Hoffman was named Assistant Secretary for OE from June 2010 to January 2017, after serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary since November 2007. The focus of her responsibility was to provide leadership on a national level to modernize the electric grid, enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply both domestically and internationally. This is critical to meeting the Nation’s growing demand for reliable electricity by overcoming the challenges of our Nation’s aging electricity transmission and distribution system and addressing the vulnerabilities in our energy supply chain.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Hoffman served in a dual capacity as Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Research and Development (R&D) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) within OE. During her tenure as the DAS for R&D, she developed the long-term research strategy and improved the management portfolio of research programs for modernizing and improving the resiliency of the electric grid. This included developing and implementing sensors and operational tools for wide-area monitoring, energy storage research and demonstration and the development of advanced conductors to increase the capacity and flexibility of the grid. She also initiated a new research effort focused on integrating and distributing renewable energy through the electric grid, such as promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and implementing smart grid technologies to maintain system reliability. As COO, she managed the OE business operations, including human resources, budget development, financial execution, and performance management.

Prior to joining OE, she was the Program Manager for the Federal Energy Management Program within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE. This program guides the Federal government to “lead by example” promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and smart energy management. Complementing her building energy efficiency experience, she also was the Program Manager for the Distributed Energy Program, which conducted research on advanced natural gas power generation and combined heat and power systems. Her accomplishments included the successful completion of the Advanced Turbine System program resulting in a high-efficiency industrial gas turbine power generation product.

Ms. Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Ceramic Science and Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Puesh Kumar

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Kumar leads DOE’s mission to address cyber, physical, and natural hazards and threats to the U.S. energy infrastructure. Kumar has over 15 years of experience in grid modernization, cybersecurity, and emergency response within the energy sector.

Most recently, Kumar was the principal manager for cybersecurity engineering and risk management at Southern California Edison. There, he led a team that addressed cyber threats to critical infrastructure at one of the largest electric utilities in the United States.

Kumar previously served as director of preparedness and exercises for CESER’s Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration division and as senior advisor for policy and strategy at CESER. In those capacities, he led the development of national-level policies, strategies, and programs related to energy sector hazards and threats.

Kumar has also held industry positions at the American Public Power Association as director of engineering and operations and at Memphis Light, Gas, and Water as a power systems engineer.

Dr. Jennifer Wilcox

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, U.S. Department of Energy

Jennifer Wilcox, the PDAS in the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at DOE, was the Presidential Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. As a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute, she led WRI’s Carbon Removal Program.

Having grown up in rural Maine, Wilcox has a profound respect and appreciation of nature. That appreciation permeates her work; she focuses on minimizing the negative impacts of humankind on our natural environment. Wilcox holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and an M.A. in Chemistry from the University of Arizona and B.A. in Mathematics from Wellesley College.

Wilcox's research takes aim at the nexus of energy and the environment, developing both mitigation and adaptation strategies to minimize negative climate impacts associated with society's dependence on fossil fuels. She has served on committees of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society to assess carbon capture methods and impacts on climate. She is the author of the first textbook on carbon capture, Carbon Capture, published in March 2012. She co-edited the CDR Primer on carbon dioxide removal in 2021.

David Althoff Jr.

Director, Energy Programs Office, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

David has worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for over 27years.   David’s office, the Energy Programs Office, is involved in supporting, designing and implementing energy focused programs to encourage the development and deployment of energy efficiency and alternative energy projects in Pennsylvania.  The Energy Program’s Office’s mission is to support energy activities which result in environmental improvements including  mitigating the effects of and adapting to climate change.

During his career with DEP, David has led the development and implementation of several significant energy incentive programs including deployment of $125 Million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Stimulus funds, the $100 million Pennsylvania Sunshine Program, a $20 million Program focusing on encouraging natural gas use in on-road heavy duty vehicle fleets and a $15 million Green Energy Revolving Loan Fund.

David and his staff lead the very popular Pennsylvania Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Programs distributing nearly $5 Million annually to support alternative fuel use in the transportation sector in Pennsylvania.  In addition, Dave and a few key staff persons have spent the last two years developing Pennsylvania’s Electric Vehicle Roadmap and creating an EV focused stakeholder group, the Drive Electric Pennsylvania Coalition.  David is also the acting Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and is currently working on behalf of PEDA to develop a Pennsylvania Green Bank Partnership.

Dave is a life-long Pennsylvanian, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and lives in Hummelstown, PA.

Jessie Stolark

Public Policy and Member Relations Manager, Carbon Capture Coalition

Jessie Stolark joined the Coalition in November 2019 from Third Way, where she has been a Policy Advisor managing the Climate and Energy Program’s carbon capture and industrial decarbonization portfolio. In that role, she provided advice and counsel on carbon capture policy and served as that organization’s principal liaison to the Carbon Capture Coalition.

Previously, Jessie served as a Policy Associate at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. She holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Geosciences from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Environmental Science from Bryn Mawr College. She currently serves on the board of the Women’s Council for Energy and Environment.

Kelly Speakes-Backman

Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Kelly Speakes-Backman is the Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the U.S. Department of Energy. In her role, Speakes-Backman leads and directs EERE, focused on creating and sustaining American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy.  She oversees the planning and execution of the organization’s $2.8B portfolio of research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation.

Speakes-Backman most recently served as the first CEO of the Energy Storage Association, the national trade organization for the energy storage industry. She has spent more than 20 years working in energy and environmental issues in the public, NGO, and private sectors. In 2019, Speakes-Backman was honored by The Cleanie Awards as Woman of the Year.

Rob Gramlich

Founder and President, Grid Strategies LLC

Rob Gramlich is Founder and President of Grid Strategies LLC where he provides economic policy analysis for clients on electric transmission and power markets in pursuit of low-cost de-carbonization.  He serves as Executive Director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, Executive Director of the WATT Coalition, on the board of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy Foundation, on the Advisory Council for the Energy Systems Integration Group, and on the Advisory Board of the National Regulatory Research Institute’s Regulatory Training Institute.

Rob oversaw transmission and power market policy for the American Wind Energy Association from 2005 through 2016 as Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs, Interim CEO, and Policy Director. He was Economic Advisor to FERC Chairman Pat Wood III from 2001 to 2005, Senior Economist at PJM Interconnection in 1999 and 2000, Senior Associate at PG&E National Energy Group in 2000-2001, and an analyst at the FERC Office of Economic Policy, ICF Resources, the World Resources Institute, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the 1990s. He testifies frequently before the US Congress, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), US Department of Energy, and state legislatures and regulatory commissions.  He has served on advisory committees for the U.S. Department of Energy and the North American Energy Standards Board, on boards of a number of regional clean energy organizations, as Vice Chair of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, and as Interim Executive Director of the Wind Energy Foundation (now Wind-Solar Alliance).

Patrick Woodcock

Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources

Patrick Woodcock was named DOER Commissioner in February 2020. Formerly, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Undersecretary of Energy, Commissioner Woodcock was named Acting Commissioner in December 2019 and served in this role until his current appointment.    

Woodcock joined the Baker-Polito Administration in 2017 and served as the Undersecretary of Energy in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for over two years. In that position, Woodcock oversaw the Department of Energy Resources and the Department of Public Utilities. Woodcock serves on the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Board and Investment Committee, represents Massachusetts on the Boards of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Inc. and National Association of State Energy Officials, and is a member of the Energy Facilities Siting Board.

Prior to his time in the administration, Woodcock was Director of the Maine State Energy Office, a position he held from 2013 through 2016. Previously, Woodcock worked for United States Senator Olympia Snowe in her Washington, D.C. office. Woodcock graduated from Bowdoin College and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government.

James Campbell

Director, Innovation and Sustainability Policy, PacifiCorp/Berkshire Hathaway Energy

James Campbell is the Director of Innovation and Sustainability Policy at Rocky Mountain Power.  James joined Rocky Mountain Power in 2007 where he worked on crafting corporate environmental policy and strategy and designed and implemented the company’s GHG Cap and Trade program in California.  He has successfully led major pieces of legislation enabling innovative technologies including most recently the creation of a $50 million EV infrastructure program in Utah, He has led projects that have been awarded over $15 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to joining RMP, James was the staff lead for Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s Renewable Energy Initiative and Blue Ribbon Advisory Council for Climate Change.   James earned a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering, a Masters in Environmental Engineering, and a Masters in Business Administration all from the University of Utah.     

Kara Saul Rinaldi

President and Chief Executive Officer, AnnDyl Policy Group, LLC

Kara has twenty-five years of experience in advocacy, policy strategy development, lobbying, and media relations. As one of the leading energy and climate policy experts, she has directed national policy, communications, and grassroots campaigns leading advocacy efforts with the Administration and Congress on tax, appropriations, authorization, and climate change policy for national and international NGOs and corporations.

Prior to starting AnnDyl Policy Group, she held positions as the Policy Expert on Energy and Climate Change for ERM, a multi-national environmental consultancy firm; the Director of Government and Public Affairs for Owens Corning, a Fortune 500 company that is a leader in insulation technologies; and, the Senior Director of Policy for the Alliance to Save Energy. Kara has been elected to the board of various energy and environmental groups and coalitions; and, has used her contacts with the non-profit community to assist industry in stakeholder engagement to advance clean and efficient energy policy. Kara has also worked on the Climate Change Campaign for the World Wildlife Fund as well as in the offices of Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey (D-Calif.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Kara has testified before congressional committees on energy policy and appeared in a variety of media, including: Fox News, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CNBC, Business Week, USA Today, and The New York Times. She also appears in podcasts and as a news guest for National Public Radio. She has authored numerous articles on energy policy for trade publications and provided many keynote and panel presentations on energy and climate policy. She has also led delegations and ran strategy efforts at numerous UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) meetings.

Kara holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego. She is fluent in English and French.

David Townley

Director of Public Policy, CTC Global Corporation

David works with CTC Global Corporation as Director of Public Policy where he communicates with Federal and State policy makers about the benefits of using high performance transmission conductors to increase electric grid efficiency, capacity, and resilience. With over 39 years of experience in energy service and technology companies, his experience has been in both the regulated electric utility industry as well as the fast-paced electric technology development world. He is an executive with S&P 100 managerial experience, an adviser to multiple electric technology startup companies, and participated in the White House Executive Exchange Program. David has a Bachelor of Nuclear Engineering (Georgia Tech); Bachelor of Arts – Religion, Psychology (Lee University); MBA Studies at Georgia State University; and International Business Studies at Harvard University.

Suzanne Lemieux

Director, Operations Security and Emergency Response Policy, American Petroleum Institute

Dr. Andrew McAllister

Commissioner, California Energy Commission

Andrew McAllister was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in May 2012. He fills the Economist Member position on the five-member Commission where four of the five members by law are required to have professional training in specific areas - engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics, and law.

Mr. McAllister has over 20 years of technical, programmatic and policy experience in the fields of energy management, efficiency and renewable generation. Before joining the Commission, he worked at the California Center for Sustainable Energy for six years, most recently as managing director and director of policy and strategy. Previously, he worked with NRECA International Ltd. in the electric sectors of countries in Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Africa on a variety of load management, generation and utility planning projects. He was a project manager at an energy consulting firm and worked as an energy efficiency analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has published on various energy topics in academic, trade, and popular journals.

Andrew studied both engineering sciences and art history at Dartmouth College and holds M.S. and PhD degrees from the Energy & Resources Group at UC Berkeley. He is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer.

Dr. Karen Wayland

Chief Executive Officer, GridWise Alliance

Dr. Karen Wayland is a recognized expert in national energy and environmental policy and served in leadership positions at the highest levels of government and nonprofits. Through her business, kW Energy Strategies, she has been providing strategic consulting on grid modernization policy, coalition building and communications for major clean energy companies, national environmental organizations, local officials, and foundations. At the U.S. Department of Energy during the Obama Administration, she established a team for Secretary Moniz to conduct analyses and develop strategies for DOE’s work with states, local authorities, served on leadership team for the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), and was the primary author of the QER “Modernizing the Grid” chapter and policy recommendations. She also served as Senior Advisor for Domestic Energy Policy to the Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. Dr. Wayland worked on energy and climate legislation for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid when he was Majority Whip. She has extensive experience working with nonprofit organizations, including as CEO of the Clean Energy Project, Legislative Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Director on the Board of Center for Sustainable Energy, and Distinguished Associate at former Secretary Moniz’ think tank Energy Futures Initiative. She has been the Policy Advisor to GridWise Alliance for the last year. Dr. Wayland is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy and an Equity in Energy Ambassador at the US DOE. She holds a Master of Science from the University of Connecticut and a Dual Ph.D. in the fields of geochemistry and resource development from Michigan State University.

Pablo Koziner

President, Energy and Commercial, Nikola Corporation

Lily Li

Chief Executive Officer and Product Architect, Hancock Software

Responsible for the vision, innovation and growth of Hancock Software. In 2004 Lily created the company's first software system that helped energy efficiency programs service low income households. Under her leadership, the company has emerged as the top cloud and mobile software provider for the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program and has expanded its reach to utilities and commercial and industrial energy efficiency providers. Lily is fluent in three languages and earned a MS and BS in optics from one of China's most prestigious universities, Zhejiang University.

Matthew Brown

Co-Chair and Founder, National Energy Improvement Fund, LLC

Matthew has worked in the energy finance and policy field for more than 25 years, beginning his work with the accounting and consulting firm of KPMG in New York. He subsequently worked with an environmental, energy and finance consulting firm conducting research on viability of clean coal companies in the late 1980s. He went on to work with the City of New York, where he was in charge of establishing public-private partnerships for the financing of natural gas fueling stations, among other related activities.

In 1994 he moved to Denver where he headed the National Conference of State Legislatures energy program for 11 years. In this role, he directed a program that provided non-partisan advice on a wide variety of state clean energy policies, including renewable energy standards, tax policy, and establishment of public benefit funds, among numerous other roles. During this time, he testified in more than 35 state legislatures, as well as in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In 2005, Matthew moved to Paris, France to begin consulting work with the International Energy Agency, focusing on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Upon his return to Colorado, Matthew built upon his background in a combination of clean energy policy and finance to develop an extensive practice that involves assisting state governments, utilities, lenders, the U.S. Department of Energy, national associations and others in the area of clean energy finance.

As Co-Chair and Founder of the National Energy Improvement Fund (NEIF) he provides strategic direction for the overall activities of the firm, co-leads all capital raise activities to satisfy loan and other capital needs, and leads implementation of the firm’s commercial and rebate advance product activities. Prior to founding of NEIF, Matthew was principal with Harcourt Brown and Carey, a clean energy finance consulting firm. In that role he, among many other activities, led HB&C’s engagement with the four California investor owned utilities to develop and implement energy efficiency financing programs as well as a similar engagement to develop a third party financing program with utility bill collections for utilities, utility commissions, energy offices or others in many other locations including Michigan, Colorado, New York, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Wisconsin and elsewhere. Matthew has worked extensively with financial institutions to advise on deployment of capital through loans and leases for clean energy in the western United States as well as nationally. Matthew’s expertise in advising governments that are looking to support financing program development and has developed multiple public-private partnerships between state governments and private capital providers and lenders.

Matthew holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School.

Donnel Baird

Chief Executive Officer, BlocPower

Donnel Baird is the founder of BlocPower, a clean tech startup based in New York City. BlocPower develops portfolios of clean energy retrofit opportunities in underserved communities and connects those opportunities to investors seeking social, environmental, and financial returns. BlocPower creates jobs for qualified local low-income workers, energy savings for community institutions, reduces carbon emissions, and provides returns to investors. In 2021, the company announced a historic partnership with Ithaca, New York to decarbonize all of the city’s buildings—the first such project in the United States. BlocPower is backed by Kapor Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Eric and Wendy Schmidt, the American Family Institute for social and environmental impact, and Salesforce. Baird is a graduate of Duke University and Columbia Business School, where he was a recipient of the Board of Overseers Fellowship and a recipient of investment from the Lang Fund for Entrepreneurial Initiatives. He spent four years as a political and community organizer, and more than two years managing a national initiative to leverage American Reinvestment and Recovery Act energy efficiency investments in underserved communities. He sits on various boards including the New York Federal Reserve Bank Advisory Board. Baird lives in New Jersey with his wife and son.

The Honorable Ernest J. Moniz

President and Chief Executive Officer, Energy Futures Initiative

Ernest J. Moniz is the CEO of Energy Futures Initiative and EJM Associates. He served as the thirteenth United States Secretary of Energy from 2013 to January 2017. In that role, he advanced energy technology innovation, nuclear security and strategic stability, cutting-edge capabilities for the American scientific research community, and environmental stewardship. He also strengthened the Department of Energy’s (DOE) strategic partnerships with its seventeen national laboratories to produce science-based policy proposals that attracted strong bipartisan support.

A key architect of the Paris Agreement on climate change and Mission Innovation at COP 21, Professor Moniz championed international initiatives that placed energy, science, and technological innovation at the center of the global response to the climate crisis. He also negotiated the historic Iran nuclear agreement alongside Secretary of State John Kerry. Today Professor Moniz also serves as CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit organization that has advanced innovative solutions for securing nuclear materials, building international cooperation for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, preventing the spread of disease, and reducing radiological threats.

Professor Moniz was the Founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and Director of the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment. He received a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in physics from Boston College, a doctorate in theoretical physics from Stanford University, and has received multiple honorary doctorates.