Agenda

Amy Kidd

Team Lead, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Amy A. Kidd has been with the State Energy Program (SEP) in various roles since 2010.  She currently leads a team of project officers to streamline SEP program operations, enhance program management, and promote state success in advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy.  Prior to joining DOE, Amy consulted on air quality and climate change issues in California.  She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Molly Cripps

Director, Office of Energy Programs, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

Molly oversees the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Office of Energy Programs (OEP), which is comprised of two sections: the Governor-designated State Energy Office (SEO) and the State Facility Utility Management Section (SFUM).  OEP’s efforts and activities include education, outreach, technical assistance, and/or funding and financing opportunities that focus on energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy, utility data management, energy security planning and preparedness, sustainable transportation, and alternative fuels.

Molly is the Administrative Lead for Tennessee’s Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Settlement EMT) allocation and a member of the Executive Committee for the Drive Electric TN Consortium.  She serves as Governor Lee’s designee to the State Energy Policy Council and represents TDEC on the Energy Efficient Schools Council and TVA’s Energy Efficiency Information Exchange.  She has served on the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Board of Directors since 2014 and is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Executive Committee.

In addition to Molly’s energy-related work, she oversees TDEC’s Office of Emergency Services, which coordinates TDEC’s emergency response efforts, and is the Department’s Compliance Coordinator for the Division of Internal Audit.  Prior to joining the State in 2010, Molly spent several years practicing law in Tennessee, with a focus on compliance and municipal liability defense.  She holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Tennessee and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.

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.

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 programs in support of the nation's 56 State and Territory Energy Offices. The organization communicates the states' views on virtually all national energy issues, including electricity policy, energy efficiency market transformation, renewable energy commercialization and deployment, industrial energy efficiency, energy assurance and reliability, building codes and efficiency, and climate oriented energy programs.

Mr. Terry has 20 years of experience working on a range of energy issues for such organizations as the Association of State Energy Research Institutions, Governors' Biofuels Coalition, National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to working in the energy area, Mr. Terry was a statistical analyst for a market research firm, an analyst with the National Academy of Sciences, and a researcher for The Washington Post. 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.

Dr. Will Toor

Executive Director, Colorado Energy Office

In January 2019, Will Toor joined the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) as its Executive Director appointed by Governor Jared Polis. Will’s background spans transportation electrification, sustainable transportation, smart growth, electric vehicle policy, clean energy finance, green building policy, local government policy and regional planning. Prior to CEO, Will was Transportation Program Director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP). Before SWEEP, Will served as Boulder County Commissioner for eight years where he led the effort to create and adopt a countywide Sustainable Energy Plan, the BuildSmart green building code, the EnergySmart program, and the ClimateSmart Loan Program. Prior to being elected Boulder County Commissioner, Will served as Mayor of Boulder for six years where he developed Boulder's community transit network, EcoPass unlimited access transit pass programs, and policies for denser, mixed-use urban infill development as an alternative to sprawl. Will previously served on and chaired the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). He was appointed by Governor Ritter to the state Transportation Funding and Implementation blue ribbon panel, the Governor's Climate Action Panel, and the Regional Air Quality Council. He was appointed by Governor Hickenlooper to the Air Quality Control Commission and the state oil and gas taskforce. Will spent 12 years as Director of the University of Colorado Environmental Center, where he developed campus sustainability programs in the areas of solid waste, building energy use, and transportation planning. Will holds a BS in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Chicago.

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.

Dr. Sumesh Arora

Director, Energy and Natural Resources Division, Mississippi Development Authority

Dr. Sumesh Arora is the director of the Energy & Natural Resources Division of the Mississippi Development Authority which is the state energy office.  Since assuming this position in November 2016, Sumesh has reorganized this office to focus on four areas: energy efficiency programs, energy education and workforce development, energy projects and policy development, and energy data and security.

Previously, Sumesh served as vice president of Innovate Mississippi, director of the Strategic Biomass Solutions, and the Energy-Economy-Environment (E3) program manager for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi.  He has led programs in cleantech commercialization, combined heat and power, innovation strategy development, STEM education, and technology-based entrepreneurship.  Prior to that, he worked for 13 years as a researcher and product development engineer in the chemical fertilizer industry.

Sumesh is the co-inventor of a patented technology to convert poultry litter into bioenergy and testified before the United States Senate in 2014 to lend support for advanced biofuels technologies.  He has over 125 presentations and publications including two book chapters.  Sumesh received his PhD in international development from the University of Southern Mississippi and his BS and MS degrees in engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Brian Selinger

Team Leader, Energy Office, Iowa Economic Development Authority

Brian Selinger manages the Iowa Energy Office, a division of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). The Energy Office manages a diverse mix of state, federal and utility-funded programs and initiatives that provide energy-economic benefits for Iowa’s citizens, businesses, and organizations. Brian led the daily activities in the development of the state’s most comprehensive, strategic energy roadmap, the Iowa Energy Plan.

Selinger joined IEDA in 2015 after serving as the Deputy Director of Policy and Research for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. His professional experience includes work with Lockheed Martin as part of an Energy Efficiency partnership with a St. Louis utility.

Robert Jackson

Director, Energy Office, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Robert Jackson is a chemical engineer with over 20 years of industrial energy efficiency and environmental engineering experience.  Mr. Jackson is currently the Director of the Michigan Energy Office.  He is directly responsible for the state of Michigan’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Revolving Loan Program, and the State Energy Program’s Clean Energy Advanced Manufacturing, Technology Demonstration and Deployment Programs, and Agricultural Energy Programs.

Mark Glick

Specialist, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Mark Glick is a tenure track faculty of the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, overseeing energy policy and innovation and coordinating State and University of Hawaii assets towards fulfillment of Hawaii’s ambitious energy transformation and supporting similar objectives in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.  Glick previously served five years as Administrator of the Hawaii State Energy Office where he led Hawaii’s internationally regarded clean energy transformation efforts.  He also served as Vice Chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), the only national non-profit association for energy officials from each of the 56 states and territories with the purpose of advocating for the interests of the state energy offices to Congress and federal agencies.  Selected highlights of his tenure as Hawaii’s Energy Administrator include: 1) exceeding Hawaii’s 2015 interim renewable portfolio and energy efficiency portfolio standards; 2) contributing to passage of the nation’s first 100 percent renewable portfolio standard and interim goal of 30 percent RPS by 2020; 3) leading the nation for five consecutive years in the per capita value of energy savings performance contracts; 4) spearheading the statewide Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement process culminating in publication by the U.S. Department of Energy of a programmatic EIS that examines the potential environmental impacts of energy efficiency activities and renewable energy technologies that could assist the State of Hawaii in meeting the goal established under the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative; and 5) overseeing all energy related regulatory filings and legislative testimony of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Glick served as senior advisor to the Texas Land Commissioner from 1987 to 1991, during which time he played a decisive role in passage of amendments to the Texas Clean Air Act and similar provisions in the federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. For the next decade, Glick was a successful small business owner focused on reducing urban air pollution in the U.S. and abroad in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Gas Research Institute, Petrobangla, Southern California Gas Company, Pacific Gas & Electric, Transco, Southern Union Gas Company and the New York City Department of Transportation among others.  Returning to the public sector in 2003, Glick headed operations and economic development for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs from 2003 to 2010. Glick serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Place Foundation and previously served three terms as Executive Committee Chair of the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club and as Vice Chair of the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority.  Glick has a Master of Science, Public Management & Policy from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Lamar University.

David Nemtzow

Director, Building Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

David Nemtzow brings to the Building Technologies Office (BTO) of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) more than three decades of experience in energy, including in industry, government, utility, non-profit associations, and consulting. As Director of BTO, David is responsible for leading this $200 million per year office that helps develop innovative, cost-effective energy efficiency R&D and other solutions for U.S. building technologies, equipment, systems and whole buildings.  Previously, he was Director-General (CEO) of the Department of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability for New South Wales?Australia’s most populous state?where he played a central role in the State’s electricity, greenhouse, energy, and water strategies and policies. He also served as President of the Alliance to Save Energy, a prominent Washington, D.C.-based association of industry, government, utility, consumer, and environmental executives that promotes invest¬ment in energy efficiency. In addition, he has been a member of the executive committee of a distributed energy storage startup company, an independent energy consultant, and a senior congressional energy staff member. David has served on numerous governmental advisory committees and the boards of energy associations and organizations. He has published and speaks regularly in the field. He earned a master’s degree from Harvard University in public policy and a bachelor’s from Brown University in environmental policy.

Greg Davoren

Supervisory Team Lead, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Venus Welch-White

National Rural Energy Program Coordinator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Venus Welch-White serves as the National Rural Energy Program Coordinator in USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. In her current role she conducts stakeholder engagement, outreach, business strategy and development, policy support, and facilitates collaborations with internal and external partners in agriculture, energy, biofuels, business development, and financial institutions.  She completed a detail assignment Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, where she analyzed policy and budget legislation, developed Congressional Reports and supported implementation of Executive Orders and Administrative initiatives of across federal agencies. Prior to joining the USDA, she conducted work in agriculture food systems, biotechnology, business, international and state policy. Venus has industry experience with Pioneer Hi-Bred/ DuPont and completed Harvard Business School’s Summer Ventures in Management Program. Venus was 2014 Presidential Management-STEM Fellow, holds a B.S. Degree in Biology, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Integrative Biosciences from Tuskegee University in Alabama.

Heather Reams

Executive Director, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions

Heather Reams is the Executive Director of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) a right-of center non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that engages policymakers and the public about responsible, conservative solutions to address our nation’s energy, economic, and environmental security while increasing America’s competitive edge. Heather leads the talented CRES team and oversees core activities of the organization, ensuring the successful expansion of conservative clean energy policies across the nation. She is a frequent commentator on the politics and policy of clean energy and the environment, and has been featured in The Hill, Washington Examiner, Morning Consult, Politico, Time, E&E News, Real Clear Energy and Utility Dive, among others. Heather serves as Chair of National Clean Energy Week and is on the board of directors for the American Conservative Coalition.

Heather is a 25-year veteran in strategic communications, public affairs, and advocacy and has held a number of senior nonprofit positions. Prior to her non-profit work, she spent a decade working for DC-based public affairs firms focused on strategic and crisis communications. She started her career as a staffer working for Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) and Congressman Gerald Weller (R-IL11), and as an intern for Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA) while pursuing her degree. A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Political Science, Heather is active in Republican local and state affairs in her home state of Virginia.

Dr. Tony Atti

Director, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Phononic

Dr. Tony Atti is an experienced energy technology investor, entrepreneur, and executive who has demonstrated expertise and leadership in venture financing, business development, start-up growth and operations, and negotiating joint venture relationships.

As founder and CEO at Phononic, he’s led the development and growth of the company as the leading innovator of solid-state cooling and heating management solutions through accretive venture capital and institutional investor support. As a former Director at MHI Energy Partners, a seed- and early-stage energy private equity fund, Dr. Atti managed deal flow networks, conducted due diligence, structured venture financing transactions, and provided direct portfolio company leadership.

Dr. Atti earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at the University of Southern California. Dr. Atti also holds an MBA from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Ithaca College.

Charles Hernick

Policy and Advocacy Director, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions

Charles Hernick is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Forum in Washington, DC. Charles leads CRES Forum’s policy work and executes strategies to advance clean energy solutions and innovative approaches to reducing carbon emissions. Charles is an energy expert who understands emerging clean technologies, market barriers, and policies and regulations. For over a decade he has worked at the crossroads of economic development, energy, and natural resource management across the U.S. and on the ground in over a dozen countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He is also a climate change expert who has integrated climate change considerations into U.S. government programs and policies and has authored climate mitigation and adaptation best practice guidelines for over a dozen development sectors. Charles is a proud appointed member of the Maryland Clean Energy Center Advisory Council.

David Hart

Senior Fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

David M. Hart is a senior fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and professor of public policy and director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. He is also a former member of ITIF’s board.

Hart’s work at ITIF focuses on clean energy innovation. Prior to joining ITIF as a senior fellow, he co-authored (with Richard K. Lester) Unlocking Energy Innovation (MIT Press) and published numerous articles on energy innovation policy in academic and policy publications.

In 2011 and 2012, Hart served as assistant director for innovation policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he focused on advanced manufacturing issues. He contributed to the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing and the reports of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. After leaving the White House, Hart co-authored (with Robert D. Atkinson and Stephen Ezell) the ITIF report “Why America Needs a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation.”

Hart served as senior associate dean of the George Mason School of Public Policy during the 2014 and 2015 academic years. He currently co-chairs the Innovation Policy Forum at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. His other books include The Emergence of Entrepreneurship Policy (Cambridge University Press), and Forged Consensus: Science, Technology, and Economic Policy in the U.S., 1929-1953 (Princeton University Press). He earned his Ph.D. in political science from MIT in 1995.

Marco Rubin

Senior Investment Director, Center for Innovative Technology

Marco Rubin, Senior Investment Director, Center for Innovative Technology (CIT)

Marco is responsible for sourcing, diligence and closing of seed and early stage investments on behalf of the CIT GAP Funds designated as "Virginia's Most Active Investor" by CBInsights.  He serves as a board representative to a numerous portfolio companies and leads seed/early stage investment in energy in his role as investment director for the Commonwealth Energy Fund.

Marco has held leadership roles with funds recognized on five occasions by Entrepreneur Magazine’s VC 100 rankings and has invested in over 200 early stage startups throughout his career.
Prior to CIT, Marco founded Exoventure Associates, LLC (“Exo”). There he conducted diligence, mentored entrepreneurs and served as a judge in global business plan competitions sponsored by the World Bank and the State Department in former CIS countries. 

Prior to Exo, he was founder of Monumental Venture Partners, LLC (MVP) making investments in security, information technology, telecommunications, software and medical devices sectors. MVP produced acquisitions of portfolio companies to Dolby Labs and Level 3 Communications. Before MVP, Marco launched New Ventures, MCI’s venture capital unit. Prior to MCI, he served Fortune 500, Federal and emerging market clients while with Booz Allen & Hamilton.

He began his career as an engineer at the Johnson Space Center training astronauts and flight controllers. Marco holds an MBA from The George Washington University and a BSEE from the University of New Mexico. He has been a National Science Foundation commercial reviewer since 2007 as well as a former NSF SBIR grant winner.

Dr. Emily Reichert

Chief Executive Officer, Greentown Labs

Dr. Emily Reichert serves as Chief Executive Officer of Greentown Labs, the largest clean technology startup incubator in the United States. As the company’s first employee, Emily has spearheaded the rapid growth of Greentown Labs into a global center for clean technology innovation, attracting visitors and partners from around the world.

Emily started her career at Arthur D. Little as a Ph.D. scientist and progressed into R&D, business development and general management roles. Prior to Greentown Labs, she was the Director of Business Operations at the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry where she helped grow the angel-funded startup into a sustainable contract R&D business with a mission to minimize environmental impact of chemical products. Emily also served as a MIT Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership as well as a Venture Labs Fellow at Flagship Ventures, a Boston-based Venture Capital firm.

Emily has served as a board member or as a key advisor for a number of innovation and entrepreneurship-focused organizations including the Northeast Clean Energy Council, Cleantech Open Northeast, Cyclotron Road, the Incubatenergy Network and the MIT Enterprise Forum. She has been appointed to leadership positions on innovation, economic development, entrepreneurship and clean technology commercialization at both the state and federal level including Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Economic Development Planning Council and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Emily has earned international recognition for her leadership in cleantech innovation and has received invitations to speak at International Conferences such as Les Rencontres Economiques d’Aix-en-Provence, France, and the Fish Family Foundation’s Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative in Tokyo, Japan.

She holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.
 

Eddy Trevino

Director, State Energy Conservation Office, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Eddy Trevino is the Director of the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO).  In addition to his daily management and oversight activities, he oversees the State Energy Program activities, the LoanSTAR revolving loan program, and the Clean Energy Incubator initiative. 

Under Mr. Trevino’s management of the LoanSTAR revolving loan program, fund value has increased to $230 million with over 310 loans.  There have been no loan defaults over the life of the loan program.

Between September 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019, the Clean Energy Incubator program activities resulted in an economic impact of $28,435,933 to the state of Texas and supported 499 new jobs.

Mr. Trevino’s professional designations include a registered Professional Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager. He has 29 years of engineering and management experience. 

While attending the University of Texas at Austin, Mr. Trevino earned the following degrees: Bachelor in Architectural Engineering (1980), an MBA (1986), and a Master in Technology Commercialization (2001).

Katherine Fox

Assistant Administrator for Mitigation, Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Ms. Katherine Fox serves as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistant Administrator for Mitigation within the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA). In this role, she oversees the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grants, and the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Floodplain Management Program and Community Rating System (CRS). Ms. Fox also oversees FIMA’s Disaster Operations and leads the Hazard Mitigation Disaster Workforce Cadre.

Before joining FIMA, Ms. Fox was the Director of the FEMA National Preparedness Assessment Division, where she focused on a range of analytic efforts to evaluate the Nation’s preparedness posture, such as publishing the annual National Preparedness Report, evaluating state preparedness capabilities through the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Reviews (SPR), and supporting the FEMA Continuous Improvement Program. Recently, Ms. Fox served as the Acting Assistant Administrator for the FEMA National Preparedness Directorate (NPD). In this capacity, she set NPD’s strategic priorities to build and validate National preparedness capabilities through national risk analysis, training more than two million first responders annually, conducting over 100 exercises, and researching individual and community preparedness actions. Subsequently, she supported the FEMA Recovery Directorate with several critical needs during the response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Ms. Fox has also served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Management and Performance Improvement in the FEMA Office of Policy and Program Analysis, in Branch Chief roles within the Individual Assistance Division, and as Senior Policy Advisor and Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Recovery Directorate. Before she joined FEMA in 2008, Ms. Fox worked at the White House Office of Management and Budget as the FEMA Resource Analyst in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Ms. Fox holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA degree in History from Oglethorpe University.

Alex Fitzsimmons

Chief of Staff and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Alex Fitzsimmons is Chief of Staff for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy and the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency (DAS-EE). In his role as Chief of Staff, Alex leads strategic planning, policy and communications, supporting the Assistant Secretary in advancing the mission of the office.

In his role as Acting DAS-EE, Alex leads a diverse energy efficiency program and research portfolio that includes advanced manufacturing, buildings, federal energy management, low income weatherization, and intergovernmental partnerships. As part of EERE's senior leadership, he implements and advances administration priorities and initiatives that increase energy affordability, productivity, and resiliency of the built environment.

Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Alex worked on energy policy for a variety of D.C.-based organizations, including the Institute for Energy Research, where he served as the Policy Director managing energy and environmental issues at the state and federal level.

Alex is a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Jibonananda Sanyal

Group Leader and Senior Scientist, Computational Urban Sciences Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Recently named one of Knoxville's 40 under 40, Jibo directs the activities of the Computational Urban Sciences group at the laboratory. He brings a unique blend of computer science with applications in geosciences, technical, institutional, and strategic leadership with a track record of technology development, commercialization, and national recognition. His research falls at the intersection of high performance computing leaning towards the exascale, extreme scale data and analytics, simulation and modeling, visualization, scalable machine learning, and sensors and controls building both research and operational systems.

The specific applications are many: GIS, climate, IAV research, situational awareness, remote sensing, urban-science, multi-scale and multi-resolution simulation and modeling, building energy modeling, transportation, model-predictive control, as well as agent-based models. Leading the group’s multi-petabyte image processing needs and defining the growth strategy for future hardware, software, and scalable computational needs. This includes architecting multi-objective workflows across multiple clusters and strategies to scale to the Titan supercomputer and beyond.

His prior research focused on visualization techniques and creating operational tools for meteorological and hydrological ensemble simulations. He has a strong interest in devising sustainable solutions that bridges disciplines and requires synergy across energy, water, geophysical, and anthropomorphic processes in our environment at local, regional, and global scales.

Yuka Nagashima

Executive Director, Food Shift, Founder, Paideia Enterprises

With 20+ years of experience as a senior executive, Yuka possesses skills from several domains that are rarely found in the same person: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); nonprofit leadership; organizational management; policy/government; innovation strategy; entrepreneurship; and education. After founding two tech-startups, she led the tech-based economic development agency of the State of Hawaii, where she oversaw tech park development and incubation, created innovation policy frameworks, and implemented entrepreneurship and other business programs, including Innovate HI, as NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center Director for Hawaii. Most recently, based on her executive consulting work on DEI, and her experience with Astia, a non-profit operating globally to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs, she developed an inclusive leadership curriculum for Stanford Continuing Studies. She is currently the Executive Director of Food Shift, shifting the way people think and interact with food by uplifting communities through rescued produce: reducing waste, creating jobs, and feeding people: “hunger is not caused by lack of food, but lack of financial security”.  Yuka was born and raised in Japan, educated in Canada and the U.S. Having spent most of her professional life in Hawaii, she moved to San Francisco Bay Area via Denmark.

Michael Furze

Assistant Director, Energy Division, Washington State Department of Commerce

Michael joined the Department of Commerce in 2014 and is assistant director for the Energy Division, which includes policy, initiatives, energy emergency management and the weatherization program. Michael joined the weatherization network in 2009, drawn by the convergence of social justice and environmental sustainability.

After working for five years in New Mexico Energy$mart Program, he transitioned to Washington’s weatherization program in 2014 and has been actively involved in the weatherization network’s Weatherization Advisory Committee. Michael earned his master’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico.

Maggie Molina

Senior Director for Policy, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Maggie Molina is Senior Director of Policy at ACEEE. She oversees federal, state, and local policy work as well as utility regulation. She conducts energy efficiency program and policy research and provides technical assistance to a variety of groups.  Since joining ACEEE in 2005, she has authored numerous reports on state policy and utility-sector energy efficiency topics, including the first editions of the State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, energy efficiency potential studies, utility business models, the cost of saved energy, and efficiency programs.  Maggie completed a Master of Engineering and Public Policy (MEPP) at the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts at Colgate University.

Dr. Shelley Francis

Co-Founder, EVNoire Mobility Intelligence Group

Dr. Francis, a former Medical School Faculty member, is an entrepreneur and transportation disruptor. Dr. Francis is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of EVNoire Mobility Intelligence Consulting Group (EVNoire). EVNoire, a national, award-winning organization, works at the intersection of transportation, energy, and environmental health equity. The EVNoire Team specializes in providing engagement to next-generation vehicles (electric vehicles) through equity mobility models, education and outreach, expanding the charging infrastructure, facilitating vehicle marketing/launches, workplace charging, workforce development and public policy advocacy. Dr. Francis's vision led to the Co-Founding of the Nation's largest network of diverse EV drivers and enthusiasts, EVHybridNoire, a 501c3 Nonprofit with thousands of members across the U.S. and abroad. EVHybridNoire, is a national multicultural organization focused on increasing EV adoption and awareness in under-represented communities. ?

In addition, the EVHybridNoire Team is intentional about providing resources and access to underserved and diverse communities and Frontline communities, around affordable, clean and sustainable energy vehicles and platforms. Dr. Francis and fellow Co-Founder, Terry Travis, are recognized as national thought leaders in the E-Mobility space. EVNoire works with Utilities, Non-Profits, Transit Agencies, Government Agencies, Public Health Organizations, and Regional and National organizations to expand this market share. EVNoire also engages communities on workforce development opportunities in the alternative fuel/electric vehicle economy.

Dr. Jeremy Richardson

Senior Energy Analyst, Climate and Energy Program, Union of Concerned Scientists

Jeremy Richardson is a senior energy analyst in the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Hailing from a third-generation coal mining family in West Virginia, and with more than ten years of experience in climate and energy issues, Dr. Richardson focuses on federal climate and energy policy development, specializing in the economics of energy—particularly coal and nuclear power—and writes and speaks passionately about the need for a just transition for the coalfields. He has testified before a West Virginia field hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the importance of economic diversification in Coal Country in the context of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. In 2007-2008, he was the American Association for the Advancement of Science Roger Revelle Fellow in Global Stewardship.

Dr. Richardson has been quoted widely in the media, including by the Associated Press, The Charleston Gazette-Mail, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and National Public Radio, and has appeared on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry. He holds PhD and MS degrees in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a BS in physics from West Virginia University.

Kelley Smith Burk

Director, Office of Energy, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Member, NASEO Board of Directors

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.

David Althoff Jr.

Director, Energy Programs Office, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

David has worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for over 25 years.   David began his career with the Bureau of Land Recycling and Waste Management and then in 1998 transitioned to the Pennsylvania State Energy Office located within the agency.   David’s role in the Pennsylvania Energy Office, currently named the Energy Programs Office is to manage programs designed to encourage the development and deployment of alternative energy projects resulting in environmental improvement.  David has previously led the deployment and use of over $125 Million of ARRA Stimulus funding as well as Pennsylvania’s $100 million Pennsylvania Sunshine Program and the $20 million Natural Gas Energy Development Program.  David is currently serving as the Principal Investigator for the U.S. DOE funded PA Solar Future Initiative and is also the primary point of contact for the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority. David assists in the management of DEP’s Green Energy Loan fund as well as providing key oversight of DEP’s responsibilities for Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard.   David and his currently staff lead the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program and are key contributors in the development of an Electric Vehicle Roadmap for PA as well as designing future programs resulting from the historic Volkswagen Settlement.

Dr. Mary Beth Tung

Director, Maryland Energy Administration

Mary Beth Tung, PhD, Esq., Director of the Maryland Energy Administration, works to ensure that Maryland’s energy portfolio benefits Maryland residents, businesses and local government organizations by improving the effective use of all of energy resources available in the state. Dr. Tung oversees nearly 30 energy related programs including grants that benefit low-to-moderate income families, commercial and industrial entities, and residential. These programs also promote expansion of renewable energy and promotion of energy efficiency for businesses and nonprofit organizations. Tung previously served as Deputy Secretary of Operations at the Maryland Department of the Environment where she developed innovative efficiency solutions and lead the Department in Emergency Preparedness and Radiation Health efforts.

Previously, Dr. Tung worked as an attorney practicing business, government contracts and intellectual property law. Tung earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Cincinnati, a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Wright State University, was a Postdoctoral Associate in pharmacology and virology at the Yale University School of Medicine and received her J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Dan Burgess

Director, Maine Governor's Energy Office

Dan Burgess, was appointed as the Director of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office by Governor Janet Mills in March of 2019. Governor Mills has set an ambitious climate and clean energy agenda, including the recent signing of legislation that requires emissions reductions of 45% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 and increases Maine’s Renewable Portfolio Standards to 80% by 2030. Prior to his return to his home state of Maine, Burgess spent eight years working in leadership roles at the Massachusetts at the Department of Energy Resources and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Burgess has a business degree from the University of Maine Orono and a masters in Public Administration from Northeastern University.

Michelle Gransee

State Energy Office Director, Energy Division, Minnesota Department of Commerce

Michelle Gransee serves the MN Department of Commerce as the State Energy Office Director for the Energy Division. She is an experienced energy manager with a demonstrated history of working in government administration. She has particular expertise in program development and evaluation, energy policy, clean energy technologies, training and conflict resolution. She has worked for the state since 2009. She received her B.A. from Concordia College – Moorhead in philosophy and art history, post-baccalaureate certification in education from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and M.S. in natural resource from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

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

Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Commissioner Richard 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, Commissioner Glick 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, Commissioner Glick 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.

Commissioner 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.

Commissioner Glick is a graduate of George Washington University and Georgetown Law.

John Lochner

Vice President, Innovation, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

John Lochner joined NYSERDA as Vice President, Innovation in 2019.   John Lochner founded Headland Advisors, which advises on and structures investments in sustainability-focused opportunities. As an investor in and advisor to businesses in water, energy, and sustainable resource management, he formerly served in leadership and advisory positions at Natural Resources Defense Council and Locus Energy. His experience in renewable energy includes work as a consultant to the Department of Energy, as a Board member, Treasurer, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Solar Energy Finance Association (SEFA), and as an investment banker in the Global Energy Group at Credit Suisse, where Lochner executed transactions across the traditional and renewable power sectors. He is a graduate of Duke University and received an MA from Harvard University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Christine Ashburn

Chief of Communications, Legislative and External Affairs, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

Christine Ashburn oversees legislative affairs, internal and external corporate communications, media relations, and public outreach and education. This includes development and execution of legislative strategy; interacting with and responding to the Florida Legislature, the executive branch and local government officials; and conducting public outreach and education on Citizens’ behalf. She also is responsible for the development and implementation of Citizens’ corporate communications strategy, which aims to improve communications and education for all Citizens stakeholders.

Her diverse legislative background includes serving as a governmental consultant representing business clients before the Florida legislative and executive branches. There she gained grassroots organizing and communications expertise, along with extensive experience evaluating, drafting and advocating on behalf of legislative proposals.

Ashburn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Florida State University.

Bruce Knight

Lead Consultant, Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

Bruce Knight is a nationally recognized expert on conservation, agriculture and the environment, serving in the Bush Administration at USDA as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the federal agency for conservation on private working agricultural lands, and as Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

In 2009, after leaving federal service at USDA, Knight founded his own consulting firm, Strategic Conservation Solutions, providing services to a range of clients in the agriculture, conservation and sustainability arena, including his work as the Lead Consultant to the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium. Drawing on his experience as a former association executive, lobbyist, regulator and Capitol Hill staffer, Knight has a broad understanding of how Washington works.

Knight also brings firsthand knowledge of farming to his national policymaking credentials. A third-generation rancher and farmer and lifelong conservationist, Knight operates a diversified grain and cattle operation in South Dakota using no-till and rest rotation grazing systems. His farming and ranching background gives him the opportunity to practice stewardship and husbandry, providing firsthand knowledge of the interdependency of animal, plant and human health with the environment.

Knight serves on the board of the Soil Health Institute and the Soil and Water Conservation Society, has served on a local level as a member of the City of Fairfax Environmental Sustainability Committee and is a member of Vienna Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Julie, have two children. Knight is a graduate of South Dakota State University.

Lindsay Fitzgerald

Director of Government Affairs, Renewable Energy Group, Inc.

Lindsay has a history of working in the biofuels industry. Prior to working at REG, she worked as the Director of Regulatory Affairs for the National Biodiesel Board and before that, with the Environmental Protection Agency serving as a specialist on the Renewable Fuel Standard. Lindsay, has experience as a research analyst and legal assistant and is a graduate of Indiana University in Pennsylvania.

Jennifer Richardson

Executive Director, Indiana Office of Energy Development

Jennifer Richardson was named Executive Director of the Indiana Office of Energy Development and Chief Energy Advisor to Governor Holcomb in December 2019. Richardson joined the Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) as the Director of Energy Security Policy, Renewable Development & Resilience in 2018 where she supervised initiatives and programs that advanced diverse energy options that support the reliable and affordable policy solutions for Hoosiers.  Her work developing energy and fuel policies for the state has brought together key stakeholders and leveraged private sector resources that help Indiana’s economy.

Previously, Richardson worked as a regional manager for state regulatory affairs and policy for Midcontinent Independent System Operator. She also worked for several years for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and had a 10-year career at the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, including working as the director of federal and legislative policy to ensure Indiana’s voice on key policy decisions impacting the state. Jennifer’s experience ranges from energy and infrastructure security, emerging technology integration into wholesale energy markets, long-term planning initiatives including energy storage, DERs, resource adequacy and traditional capacity resources.  Jennifer graduated from Purdue University with Honors and went on to Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs for a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.  She recently completed a post-graduate executive education program in Strategic Management and Leadership at Yale University’s School of Management.

Brooke Tucker

Managing Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development

Brooke Tucker currently serves as the Managing Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development (OED). In this role, Ms. Tucker manages Utah’s DOE State Energy Program formula grant and two DOE competitive grants – one to study market options in the West and another to develop energy efficiency and resiliency plans for local communities. Ms. Tucker also manages a DOD grant to proactively analyze sites for compatible renewable energy development in the state of Utah. Additionally, Ms. Tucker manages Utah’s C-PACE program and energy efficiency revolving loan fund. In her previous role at OED, Ms. Tucker served as the Office’s Senior Project Manager, which entailed overseeing OED’s efforts to create jobs throughout the state, developing metrics for office initiatives, and engaging in energy policy issues, including regionalization. Previously, Ms. Tucker served as a Policy Analyst at Energy Strategies, LLC. Responsibilities for this position included preparing reports, comments, and presentations for clients on topics such as regional transmission planning, federal and state legislation, the Energy Imbalance Market, and developments at WECC, CAISO, and the MWTG. Ms. Tucker holds a Master of Business Administration degree and bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communication.

Jennifer Taylor

Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Relations, Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy

Ms. Taylor was appointed in January 2019 to support Governor Sisolak’s vision for Nevada’s clean energy leadership and innovation. She served in 2016 as Vice Chair for the Clean Energy Sources Technical Advisory Committee of the New Energy Industry Task Force, providing recommendations to revise Nevada’s Integrated Resource Planning to reduce customer exposure to fossil fuel price volatility and potential costs of carbon.  She was appointed to the Governor’s Committee on Energy Choice, and as Chair of the working group on Innovation and Technology in Renewable Energy Development.  She served on the Las Vegas City Manager’s Energy Advisory Committee and as executive director for the Clean Energy Project.  She holds law licenses in Nevada, Washington, California and Texas, and admitted before the District Court of Nevada, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. She represented homeowners’ in one of Nevada’s largest perchloroethylene ground water contamination cases.

Jeffrey Baumgartner

Senior Advisor, Berkshire Hathaway Energy

Jeffrey Baumgartner has more than 15 years of Federal, state, and private sector experience in energy security and response. Now at Berkshire Hathaway Energy, he helps serve customers and end-users across 18 states in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Canada. As a National Security and Resilience Senior Advisor Jeff supports all nine locally-managed energy businesses that share a common vision for a secure and sustainable energy future. Jeff is a nationally-recognized expert and has worked effectively with government agencies, state and local partners, and industry to improve the security and resilience of critical energy infrastructure.

Kristin Baja

Programs Director, Climate Resilience, Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Kristin Baja (‘Baja’) is USDN’s Climate Resilience Officer and is responsible for helping cities identify strategic ways to advance climate resilience planning and implementation and building their capacity to take proactive action. Baja focuses her time on supporting members and partners in working at the nexus of resilience, mitigation and equity while also helping center equity in their climate and sustainability work. She helps facilitate deeper relationships between local governments and stakeholders while helping to identify and shift focus to more collaborative and transformational action. Prior to USDN, Baja served as the Climate and Resilience Planner with the City of Baltimore's Office of Sustainability where she led the city's climate and equity work. She holds a Masters of Urban Planning and a Masters of Science from the University of Michigan. She is also an Aspen Global Change Institute Fellow, is an EPIC-N board member, and serves on several local and international advisory committees. In 2016, she was recognized by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change for her work on climate and equity.

Yasmin Yacoby

Energy Justice Program Manager, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources

Yasmin Yacoby is the Program Manager for Energy Justice issues at the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources. Her role focuses on the equitability and accessibility of Rhode Island’s energy systems, programs, and policies, and she is working to ensure that all Rhode Islanders have access to clean, affordable, and dependable energy. She is working together with members of her department, other state agencies, and community members to strengthen support for low-to-moderate income households and communities of color.

Yasmin is a Govern for America Fellow and graduated from Harvard University with Honors in May 2019 with a BA in Environmental Science and Public Policy. She wrote her Honors Senior Thesis on the flaws within the National Environmental Policy Act that lead to and exacerbate environmental injustice in marginalized communities. In her spare time, Yasmin loves to hike, and is a freelance light designer for various theatres in the Boston and Providence area.

Curtis Thayer

Executive Director, Alaska Energy Authority

Curtis Thayer serves as the Executive Director of the Alaska Energy Authority.

Curtis most recently served as President and CEO of the Alaska Chamber, the largest state trade associations. Previous to that position, he served as Commissioner for the Department of Administration and as a cabinet member for Governor Sean Parnell, with responsibility for 1,100 public employees and an annual budget of $350 million. Additionally, his public service includes time as the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development and working in Washington, D.C. with Congressman Don Young and Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski.

Prior to public service, Curtis worked on the management team of ENSTAR Natural Gas Company and for the Alaska Gas Producers Pipeline Team.

Curtis has served on boards at Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, Alaska Retirement Management Board, Alaska Royalty Oil and Gas Development Advisory Board, U.S. Chambers’ Committee of 100 and currently chairs the Alaska Board of Marine Pilots.

A life-long Alaskan, Curtis is a graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Spencer Nelson

Professional Staff Member, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senate

Spencer Nelson is a professional staff member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee who covers applied energy innovation and climate change. Before coming to the Committee he was at the nonprofit ClearPath, where he was a policy program director and established their nuclear energy portfolio. Prior to that he conducted research at UNC and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Nelson has degrees in environmental science and quantitative biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Brie Van Cleve

Senior Democratic Energy Advisor, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Brie Van Cleve is senior energy advisor to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources serving Ranking Member Senator Joe Manchin III.  In that role Brie leads the Senator’s energy policy team and advises Senator Manchin and the members of the Committee on energy policy issues relating to the electric grid, energy research and innovation, and clean energy.  Prior to joining the Committee staff, Brie worked at the Department of Energy and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, one of DOE’s 17 national labs. 

Originally from rural Washington state, Brie began her career working for her home state Senator on marine and environmental policy followed by a stint working for county government and another working for Washington State Department of State Fish and Wildlife. 

Brie holds a Master’s degree from the University of Washington in marine policy and a Bachelor’s degree from Smith College in biological sciences. Brie, her husband, and their daughter live in Washington, DC.

Eric McCarthy

Senior Vice President, Government Relations, Public Policy and Legal Affairs, Proterra

Eric McCarthy is senior vice president of government relations, public policy and legal affairs at Proterra. Eric brings more than 20 years of executive leadership experience to Proterra. In 2017, he was selected as a SC Liberty Fellow, Class of 2019, and was invited to serve as a Commissioner for the Alliance to Save Energy’s 50x50 Commission on U.S. Transportation Sector Efficiency.  Before joining Proterra as its general counsel and head of government relations, he served as general counsel of both private and public companies, including Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc., a Honeywell subsidiary. Prior to joining Honeywell, Eric was an antitrust trial litigator and a partner in the antitrust and competition practice groups of Latham & Watkins LLP and Howrey in Washington, D.C. He attended Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Jeffrey Bennett

Associate Director, Transit Delivery Division, District Department of Transportation

Jeffrey Bennett leads The District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Transit Delivery Division (TDD) in the Office of Project Delivery. TDD provides the public with efficient, affordable and diverse means of travel within the District of Columbia, via The Circulator Bus System, and H St/Benning Rd Streetcar. In addition to working for DDOT, Bennett also serves as President of the Washington D.C. Chapter of Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), as well as the President and State Coordinator of DC Operation Lifesaver.

Before this, Bennett served as Denton County Transportation Authority’s (DCTA) Assistant Vice President of Operations. At DCTA, Bennett was responsible for bus and rail operations, maintenance, safety, security, and infrastructure capital projects. Bennett led DCTA’s positive train control infrastructure capital project, and managed the rail operations and maintenance contract, valued at $198 million.

Mr. Bennett received Mass Transit Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 Award in 2017, and Progressive Railroading Magazine’s Rising Star Award in 2018. Bennett holds an MBA from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and a BA from Virginia Military Institute.

Sushma Masemore

Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Environment and State Energy Director, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

Sushma Masemore serves as DEQ’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment and the State Energy Director.  She has 29 years of public and private sector experience related to environment, energy, and climate.

As a consultant, Sushma designed pollution control equipment and led demonstration projects with industries, technology developers, and energy companies.  In state government, Sushma managed a team of engineers and scientists to develop air quality rules and Clean Air Act mandated state implementation plans.

In her current role, Sushma is leading implementation of Governor Cooper’s Executive Order on climate and energy through impact assessments, clean energy planning, and resiliency measures.  As the State Energy Director, Sushma oversees programs related to low-income weatherization assistance, energy planning, and energy efficiency.

Sushma has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Maryland Baltimore County, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in NC.

Melanie Kenderdine

Principal, Energy Futures Initiative

Melanie Kenderdine is a principal of Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. She is also currently a Visiting Fellow at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). Kenderdine served at the Department of Energy from May 2013–January 2017, as the Energy Counselor to the Secretary and concurrently as the Director of DOE’s Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis. She was responsible for analysis and policy development in DOE’s annual review of the Renewable Fuel Standard Program requirements, energy innovation, and climate change. She produced two installments of the Quadrennial Energy Review and helped conceive of and develop the Energy Security Principles adopted by G-7 leaders in 2014. As Energy Counselor to the Secretary, Kenderdine provided key strategic advice on a range of issues, including Mission Innovation, a 22-country+ EU initiative that supports transformational clean energy RD&D; North American grid integration and security; and the modernization of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Prior to her service at DOE, Kenderdine helped to establish the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and served as its Executive Director for six years. Kenderdine also started the C3E Symposium series, a joint MIT-DOE program to support the careers of women in clean energy with cash prizes; she still serves as a DOE C3E Ambassador. Before joining MITEI, Kenderdine served as the Vice President of Washington Operations for the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) from 2001 to 2007. From 1993 to 2001, Kenderdine was a political appointee in President Bill Clinton’s administration, where she served in several key posts at DOE, including Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary, Director of the Office of Policy, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Dr. James Zahler

Associate Director for Technology-to-Market, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

Dr. James Zahler currently serves as the Associate Director for Technology-to-Market at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) where he is responsible for oversight of all Technology-to-Market activities. He is also responsible for advising teams within the Full-Spectrum Optimized Conversion and Utilization of Sunlight (FOCUS) and OPEN portfolios, which include photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), and heat engine technologies.  Additionally, Zahler supports performers in the Micro-Scale Optimized Solar-Cell Arrays with Integrated Concentration (MOSAIC) portfolio, which is designed to develop novel PV and optics technologies for concentrated photovoltaics (CPV).

Zahler joined ARPA-E from GT Advanced Technologies in Merrimack, NH. As the Senior Director of Product Technology, he managed research and application development activities for industrial sapphire materials and growth equipment. These activities included leadership in equipment design, process development, and materials characterization for projects that supported more than $250 million in equipment sales. Zahler also played a key role in adapting and scaling-up ASF™ technology in support of GT’s contract with a Fortune 50 consumer electronics manufacturer.  Prior to GT Advanced Technologies, Zahler was a Cell Technology Manager at BP Solar, co-managing its advanced solar cell technology development activities. He also supported BP Alternative Energy Ventures by assessing commercial and strategic value of clean-tech opportunities, including the spinout of a BP-supported technology through co-investment with a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Zahler started his career co-founding Aonex Technologies to develop and commercialize his thesis technology.  As VP of Technology, he led an effort that resulted in development of a novel substrate technology for III-nitride semiconductor growth and processing that was acquired by a major microelectronics manufacturer.

Zahler earned both a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and a M.S. in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Jack Surash

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy and Sustainability, U.S. Army

Mr. J. E. "Jack" Surash became the Acting DASA (E&S) in September 2016. In this position he is responsible for overall program direction, establishment of policies, development and refinement of strategies, and oversight for implementation of all programs and initiatives related to Energy Security and Sustainability within the Army.

Jim Cabot

Managing Director, External Affairs and Policy, Breakthrough Energy Coalition

Jim has been working on sustainability and clean technology development for the past 25 years. He spent 12 years at the US EPA, founding a clean technology development center and later became Director of Strategic Planning for EPA New England. He then moved to the private sector running the energy and environment practice for a national public affairs firm where he built one of the nation’s leading clean energy practices focusing on policy and strategic communications. In this role, Jim advised a wide variety of clients ranging from multinational energy companies to venture-backed startups to clean energy advocacy organizations. Jim founded his own advisory firm, Cabot Strategies, in 2015 offering strategic communications services.

Jim serves on the President’s Council for the Woods Hole Research Center and the Global Leadership Council for NRDC. He has a BA from Harvard College and MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Jo Brickman

Deputy Director and Director of Impact Strategy, VertueLab

Jo has responsibility for the development and execution of strategic direction and programs at VertueLab. With the organization since its early days as Oregon BEST, she translated her previous decade of experience leading sustainable design at ZGF Architects into the creation of a collaborative research program focused on the sustainable built environment, and then into expanding the set of services offered to cleantech startups. Jo’s current focus is on on ensuring VertueLab’s organizational excellence. She partners with our executive director in essential internal firm leadership activities such as strategic communications, managing VertueLab’s master work plan, and driving ongoing improvements in internal systems and cross-programmatic alignment. In addition, Jo leads our efforts for impact measurement and management, ensuring that VertueLab programs and supported companies are designed and managed to achieve our ambitious targets for triple bottom line impact.

Dr. Rajesh Mehta

Program Director, SBIR/STTR, National Science Foundation

Rajesh Mehta is a Program Director in the Small Business Innovation Research Program at the National Science Foundation. The $200M program provides up to $1.75 M to small businesses with technologies based on discoveries in fundamental science and engineering, and funds about 400 such small businesses and startups every year. These companies focus on high-risk, high-impact technologies — those that show promise but whose success hasn’t yet been validated — and are led by entrepreneurs across the country.  Their focus span across a range of markets including energy, environment, manufacturing, advanced materials, healthcare, robotics, biomedical, IoT, AI/IT and much more.  The program fosters and encourages participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by women and people of color as well as first-time entrepreneurs from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Rajesh’s current focus area is Environmental Technologies.  In the past, he has also managed Advanced Manufacturing, Nanotechnology, and Educational Technologies.

Elaine Urlich Urlich

Solar Energy Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus is the Solar Energy Technologies Office Director within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, where she leads a team that supports early-stage research and development in the technology areas of photovoltaics, concentrating solar-thermal power, and systems integration with the goal of improving the affordability, reliability, and performance of solar technologies on the grid.

Dr. Jones-Albertus has spent her career advancing solar technology, from fundamental research and development to manufacturing. Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Dr. Jones-Albertus was at Solar Junction, where she led efforts developing the company’s two-time world record solar cells and transitioning the technology to manufacturing.

Dr. Jones-Albertus graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a B.S. in electrical engineering, and also holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She has more than 10 patents and 40 technical publications.

Ben Bolton

Energy Programs Administrator, Office of Energy Programs, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

Mr. Bolton serves as the Primary Emergency Services Coordinator for Energy for the State of Tennessee.  In his role as helps administer the Tennessee Office of Energy Programs activities related to energy security/assurance, critical infrastructure, & energy policy. In 2018, Mr. Bolton was selected as co-chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Energy Security Committee & serves on the FEMA's Mitigation Framework Leadership Group. Originally from Mule Capital of the World – Columbia, Tennessee, he has a B.A. in English and B.S. in biology from Birmingham-Southern College. 

Megan Levy

Local Energy Programs Manager, Office of Energy Innovation, Wisconsin Public Service Commission

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Megan has spent more than a decade working with building energy efficiency both with the low-income weatherization program and with the Wisconsin State Energy Office (now known as the Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation). Megan is currently the Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinator for the state and also oversees the Energy Independent Communities program which counts more than 147 communities as members. Megan designed and is the manager of the Municipal Energy Efficiency Technical Assistance Program (MEETAP) in which the Energy Office provides expertise to municipalities, tribes, and schools across the state to facilitate successful energy efficiency projects.  Megan served on the Board of Directors of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association in 2016-17 (www.midwestrenew.org).  In August of 2017, Megan was named Co-Chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials Energy Security Committee. A chanteuse for the last 20 years, Megan performs jazz, jump blues, and swing all over Wisconsin under the moniker Madison Red, with her four piece band.

Maureen Neighbors

Energy Division Chief, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs

Maureen Neighbors is a graduate of Auburn University. She has been with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) since 2002.  She currently serves as ADECA’s Energy Division Chief. As the Energy Division Chief, she is responsible for programs including the State Energy Program, Alabama Energy and Residential Codes, AlabamaSAVES, Weatherization Assistance Program, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and Community Services Block Grant, among others.  She currently serves as the ADECA Director’s Designee to the Alabama Space Authority Commission and the Alabama FirstNet Commission as well as coordinating ADECA’s broadband initiative.

Dr. Carolyn Snyder

Director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Dr. Carolyn Snyder is currently the Director of U.S. EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships Division.  The Division uses the power of voluntary partnerships to remove market barriers for energy efficiency and renewable energy and to reduce the emissions of harmful air pollutants, resulting in both economic and environmental benefits to American families and businesses.  The Division’s programs include the EPA’s flagship partnership program, ENERGY STAR, which offers energy efficiency solutions across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.  Other programs include the Green Power Partnership, the Combined Heat and Power Partnership, the Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, and the State and Local Energy and Energy program.

Carolyn previously served as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, a White House Fellow in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and Director of Delaware's Division of Energy & Climate.  She earned a Ph.D. in Environment and Resources from Stanford University, Masters Degrees as a Marshall Scholar from Oxford and Cambridge, and a B.A. from Amherst College.  Her scientific research has been published in Nature, Paleoceanography, and Climatic Change.

Lise Trudeau

Emerging Technology Policy Director, Division of Energy Resources, Minnesota Department of Commerce

Lise Trudeau is an engineer at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources, where she has worked since 2006.  She provides technical analysis and stakeholder engagement to bridge technology and policy in the transition to a clean energy system.   Prior joining the State Energy Office, Lise worked to improve semiconductor and electronics manufacturing processes. Lise holds a Bachelor’s in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Cyril Yee

Principal, Digital Ventures, Rocky Mountain Institute

This is Cyril’s second stint with RMI, where he is a Principal with RMI Ventures. RMI Ventures is a new initiative focused on unlocking energy innovation by channeling capital and coaching to early stage companies with transformative ideas, and scaling them rapidly together with our global network of collaborators.

Cyril has held a number of positions in the cleantech and investment industries. Most recently, he was the US Cleantech and Energy Lead at IP Group, Europe’s largest VC Fund with over $1.5B under management. IP Group funds and spins-out high-potential technologies from partner universities and national labs. He was previously a principal in RMI’s China electricity practice. He led business development and strategy at INEOS Bio, company with a  gasification/fermentation technology that converts biomass to ethanol. With DOE and USDA support, INEOS Bio built one of the world’s first commercial-scale advanced biofuel plants. Prior to INEOS Bio, Cyril was a strategy consultant focused on private equity diligence, energy, and financial consulting.

Joan Glickman

Acting Director, Residential Buildings Integration, Building Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Sasha Mackler

Director, The Energy Project, Bipartisan Policy Center

Sasha Mackler directs the Energy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He has worked for more than two decades at the intersection of energy policy and commercial markets. Prior to leading the Energy Project, he spent nearly 10 years in the private sector, first as vice president of Summit Power Group’s carbon capture business and then overseeing market development activities for Enviva, the largest biomass fuel supplier to the global utility industry. His professional work has focused on the innovations necessary to scale emerging energy technologies along with developing the business models and policy frameworks that support the deployment of low carbon energy systems.

Earlier in his career, Mackler played a key role in BPC’s first project as the Research Director at the National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP), which produced a comprehensive set of policy recommendations many of which were incorporated into the 2005 Energy Policy Act. He subsequently launched BPC’s energy innovation portfolio, including the formation of the American Energy Innovation Council. Mackler has managed a number of energy policy projects on topics such as tax incentives, federal RD&D, finance, workforce transition, carbon capture and storage, low carbon fuels, cap and trade, climate impacts and adaptation, and geoengineering research. Prior to his work with NCEP, he was an analyst in the Clean Air Markets Division at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Mackler holds both a Master of Science in Earth Resources Engineering and Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Geomechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester.

AnnaMaria Garcia

Director, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Anna Garcia is the Director of the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the Department of Energy (DOE). She provides leadership to maximize the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy through technology deployment, accessing new partnerships and resources, and communications and outreach activities.

Previously, Ms. Garcia served as Executive Director of the Ozone Transport Commission, the organization of 12 states and the District of Columbia created by Congress in 1990 to assess and coordinate the development of policies to reduce regional ground-level ozone or "smog" in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Before joining the Commission, she was Director of Operations and State Programs for the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, a non-profit that is a division of the Global Environment and Technology Foundation. She provided unique environmental and energy expertise through creating partnerships with and among state agencies to design multi-pollutant strategies that have both environmental and economic benefits.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Princeton University and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the George Washington University.

Dr. Sunita Satyapal

Director, Fuel Cells Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Sunita Satyapal is the Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and is responsible for $120 million per year in hydrogen and fuel cell R&D. She has two and a half decades of experience across industry, academia and government, including at United Technologies managing research and business development, and as a visiting professor. She is also the current Chair of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy, a partnership among over 18 countries to accelerate progress in hydrogen. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and did postdoctoral work in Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University.

She has numerous publications, including in Scientific American, 10 patents, and a number of recognitions including a Presidential Rank Award.

Brent Rice

Executive Manager, Strategic Partners, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Prior to his position at NREL, he served as the Executive Director of Customer Solutions at PNM Resources, a $2.5 billion energy holding company serving electric and natural gas customers in New Mexico and Texas. He also served as the Executive Vice president and Chief Operating Officer of Avistar, Inc., a wholly owned, unregulated energy technology subsidiary of PNM Resources. Prior to PNM Resources, Mr. Rice served as a partner and energy practice leader at Towers Perrin in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. Rice planned and directed marketing, business development, and intellectual capital development activities for the energy industry consulting practice in the Strategy & Organization line of business. He also served in several line management positions in the Nuclear Engineering Department at TXU Corporation in Dallas, Texas from 1982 to 1990. Mr. Rice holds B.S. and M.S.  Degrees in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Brent serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), a regional energy efficiency advocacy organization. He also serves as an external advisor on the Operational Technology Advisory Council for Arizona Public Service and on the Innovative Clean Technologies Steering Committee for Xcel Energy.

Robert (Lee) Cheatham

Director of Technology Deployment and Outreach, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Lee Cheatham is the Director of Technology Deployment and Outreach at the spent the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Mr. Cheatham first 17 years of his professional career at PNNL where he worked as a computer sciences researcher and manager, addressing issues as diverse as information systems for the military, environmental management and emergency planning, energy systems and robotics. From 1992-95, while at PNNL, he led the largest-ever (at that time) DOE-industry cooperative research project, one focused on using technology to increase the competitiveness of the U.S. textile and apparel industry.

From 1998 to 2010, Cheatham served as the executive director of the Washington Technology Center in Seattle, an organization charted by the State of Washington to accelerate the growth and expand the economic impact of small and medium-sized businesses in the state through partnerships with Washington's universities and research institutions.

From 2010 to 2013, Cheatham served as the chief operating officer and general manager of commercialization for the 500-person Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Cheatham earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University in Corvallis, a master's degree in electrical engineering from Washington State University in Pullman, and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Carnegie- Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He currently serves on the National Science Foundation's Business and Operations Advisory Committee.

Anna Pavlova

Vice President of Government Relations, Schneider Electric

Anna Pavlova is Vice President for Government Relations at Schneider Electric North America.  Anna advocates for the use of digital energy, resilience and automation in communities, buildings and industry in hopes of bringing a more sustainable future to our planet.   Prior to joining Schneider Electric Anna was Director for Policy for Johnson Controls for six years, with a similar focus on energy efficiency and energy management.  Before working on energy issues Anna spent nine years advocating for US farmers on international trade and biotechnology.   Anna is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with a degree in international politics and economics.  She took a brief vacation from politics to study for a Masters in Art History.

Jocelyn Durkay

Policy Analyst, Colorado Energy Office

Jocelyn Durkay is a Policy Analyst in the Policy Unit at the Colorado Energy Office. In her role, she helps fulfill the Office’s mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumer energy costs by advancing clean energy, energy efficiency and zero emission vehicles to benefit all Coloradans. Jocelyn supports the Office’s regulatory strategies before the Public Utilities Commission and provides policy research for the CEO’s programs and initiatives. She previously served as a Policy Analyst in CEO’s Low-Income and Residential Energy Services Unit, where she provided policy and regulatory research for the various initiatives her unit, including the state Weatherization Assistance Program, building energy codes, and residential energy efficiency and financing opportunities.

Prior to joining CEO, Jocelyn was a Senior Policy Specialist in the Energy Program at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which is the nation’s largest bipartisan policy research organization for state legislatures. At NCSL, Jocelyn provided technical assistance on legislative actions and state programs, authored numerous publications and reports, and has been contacted to present on state perspectives and trends in energy policy.

Jocelyn holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a master’s degree from the University of Denver. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Colorado and the West’s mountains and deserts through a range of outdoor activities.

Jason Berwen

Vice President, Policy, U.S. Energy Storage Association

Dan Ton

Program Manager, Smart Grid Research and Development, Office of Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy

Dan Ton is Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE), responsible for developing and managing R&D activities in microgrids and resilient electric distribution systems.  He also served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Power Systems Engineering from May 2014 until July 2015.  Prior to the OE, Dan managed the Renewable Systems Integration program within the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program. Dan holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Business Management, both from the University of Maryland.

Dan Reicher

Executive Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance

Dan Reicher is Executive Director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University, a joint center of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, where he also holds faculty positions. Reicher came to Stanford in 2011 from Google, where he served since 2007 as Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. Reicher has more than 25 years of experience in energy and environmental policy, finance, and technology.  He has served three Presidents including in the Clinton administration as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Department of Energy Chief of Staff, as a member of President Obama’s Transition Team and Co-chair of the Energy and Environment Team for Obama, and as a staff member of President Carter’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island.

Reicher is a member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, the National Academy of Sciences Board on Energy and Environmental Systems and co-chairman of the Board of the American Council on Renewable Energy. He also serves on the boards of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and American Rivers, the Advanced Energy Economy Advisory Committee, the Vermont Law School Environmental Advisory Committee, and is an advisor to Renewable Funding LLC and Sighten. He is also Senior Advisor to the Atlantic Wind Connection, a project backed by Google and other investors to build an underwater transmission line for offshore wind power and grid reliability along the US east coast.

Reicher holds a B.A. in Biology from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. He also studied at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and MIT.  In 2012 Reicher received an honorary doctorate from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and was also named one of the five most influential figures in U.S. clean energy by Oilprice.Com.

Eric Hsieh

Director, Grid Systems and Components, Office of Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy

Eric Hsieh is the Director for Grid Systems and Components at the U.S. Department of Energy. His group conducts cutting edge research and development for new grid hardware technologies, including energy storage, robotics, and power electronics. He previously held positions at Nexans, A123 Systems, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Eric received degrees in Public Policy from UC Berkeley and Computer Science from MIT, and was recently named a “young and rising star” by Public Utilities Fortnightly.

Kaci Radcliffe

Energy Analyst, Oregon Department of Energy

Kaci Radcliffe is an Energy Analyst and Sustainability Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Energy. She works in building energy efficiency programs, helping schools, government, and businesses make long-term building improvements and become leaders in energy and sustainability. Other duties include project management, policy analysis, grant administration, regional coordination, and managing sustainable business practices.

Her professional experience includes 13 years working in the built and natural environment, in the fields of natural resources and restoration, community planning and engagement, energy management, and sustainability. Kaci previously worked for city and county governments in the Northwest, focused on program implementation, inter-jurisdictional coordination, environmental systems, and stakeholder engagement. She is an Oregon Project Management Associate, Board Member for Oregon Green Schools, Master Recycler, and has a Bachelor degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University.

Chris Yunker

P.E., Energy Systems and Transportation, Hawaii State Energy Office

Chris Yunker is the Energy Systems and Transportation Program Manager for the Hawaii State Energy Office.  Mr. Yunker is an energy industry professional with a broad range of experience in a variety of functions and roles including start-ups, venture capital, and central station power plant development. Most recently Chris was the Rates and Analysis Manager for San Diego Gas & Electric where he oversaw rate design, forecasting and load analysis. Prior to that he held positions at SDG&E in Strategic Planning, Finance, RD&D, and Resource Planning. In these roles he oversaw the development of applications and served as an expert witness in proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission covering topics ranging from rate policy, rate design, procurement and finance.  In addition Mr. Yunker has worked for Sempra Connections which installed micro-turbines in combined heat and power applications on the customer side of the meter as well as for GEA Power Cooling Systems, Inc. which developed condensing systems for steam turbines in utility scale central station power plants.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of California – San Diego and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Southern California.  He is also a professional engineer (PE) in mechanical engineering and a certified energy manager (CEM) through the association of energy engineers.

Deana Dennis

Senior Manager, External and Government Affairs, Electric Power Research Institute

Ms. Dennis is Senior Manager of Government & External Relations for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent nonprofit organization performing research and development across the electric power sector for the benefit of the public.

Located in EPRI’s Washington, DC office, Ms. Dennis serves as liaison between EPRI’s executive management and the federal and state
governments including Congress, the administration, federal regulatory agencies, state public utility commissions, state legislators, governors, consumer advocates, and energy trade associations.

Prior to joining EPRI in May 2015, Ms. Dennis led the state government affairs and advocacy program for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). At NEMA, Ms. Dennis advocated on issues
impacting the electro-manufacturing industry including electric grid modernization, energy efficiency, electric transportation, and building design standards.

She has testified before state legislatures in California and North Carolina and has participated in state public utility commission proceedings in
California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York.

Ms. Dennis began her career in the energy policy industry through her work at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, a national state-based organization representing the 50 state public utility commissions.

Ms. Dennis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from St. Lawrence University and participated in the American University’s Washington Semester Program in Foreign Policy.

Representative

State Energy Office

Megan Meadows

Deputy Chief, Office of Community Assistance, Energy Section, Ohio Development Services Agency

Megan Meadows joined the Ohio Development Services Agency in March 2016, as the Assistant Deputy Chief in the Office of Community Assistance. Meadows oversees the Community Services Block Grant, Low-income Weatherization Assistance programs and Energy programs such as the State Energy Plan, the Energy Loan Fund, and Loan Loss Reserve Program. These programs help Ohioans improve the efficiency of their homes and Ohio businesses reduce their energy costs.

Prior to joining the Ohio Development Services Agency, Meadows was the Director of Planning and Operations for the Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency. Meadows has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wheeling Jesuit University.

Chad Kruse

Manager, Office of Energy, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Chad’s childhood love of water and the outdoors matured into a desire to apply his education in anthropology, earth sciences, and law to environmental concerns.  He has over a decade of environmental law and policy experience with the State of Illinois.  His work with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency includes serving as Assistant Legal Counsel for the Bureau of Water and his current role as Manager of the Office of Energy.

Over the past year, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has worked to align the State’s energy programs with environmental protection.  One example of this effort is the Agency’s focus on energy efficiency at publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants with the objectives of energy savings for municipalities and improved water quality.

Anne Hoskins

Chief Policy Officer, Sunrun Inc.

Anne Hoskins serves as Chief Policy Officer of Sunrun, the largest dedicated residential solar and storage company in the United States. She leads Sunrun's policy efforts to expand consumer access to solar energy and deploy local solar energy that modernizes the grid and benefits all grid users.  Anne previously served as a Commissioner on the Maryland Public Service Commission where she was a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Board of Directors, Chair of the NARUC International Relations Committee and a board member of the Organization of PJM States (OPSI).  Anne also led federal and state advocacy for Public Service Enterprise Group, and served as a Visiting Research Scholar and Instructor at Princeton University, a regulatory attorney at Verizon Wireless and McCarter and English and as a policy advisor to New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, and Cornell University.

Michael Li

Energy and Technology Policy Bureau Chief, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Joanne Morin

Deputy Commissioner, Energy Policy, Planning and Analysis, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources

Joanne Morin serves as Deputy Commissioner of Policy, Planning and Analysis for the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources in support of Baker-Polito Administration’s plan to create a clean, affordable, and resilient energy future for the Commonwealth. She is responsible for directing the policy research and analyses for the Commissioner’s consideration related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, green communities and emerging technologies, and coordinates with other agencies in order to assure synergy in understanding and reaching DOER’s goals. She supports the Department’s efforts and initiatives to meet the Global Warming Solution Act’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2020, and 80 percent below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2050. She has worked as an environmental consultant and as a corporate environmental, health and safety manager for The Timberland Company where she dealt with, among other things, environmental and labor standards in overseas manufacturing facilities. She served in numerous positions in NH’s Department of Environmental Services Air Resources Division where she focused primarily on energy and climate issues and headed up the Governor’s Office of Energy and Planning for three years.

Amy Royden-Bloom

Manager, State Energy Program, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Amy Royden-Bloom is the manager of the State Energy Program in the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office, which is housed in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy (DOE).  The State Energy Program (SEP) provides funding and technical assistance to states, territories, and the District of Columbia to enhance energy security, advance state-led energy initiatives, and maximize the benefits of decreasing energy waste.

Prior to joining DOE in 2013, Amy was a Senior Staff Associate for 12 years at the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), where she led the association’s efforts on global warming, enforcement, agricultural air pollution and training.  She previously worked as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and, before that, as a lawyer at DOE.

Amy holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and Spanish from the University of Virginia.

The Honorable Bruce Walker

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

Bruce J. Walker was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in October 2017. The focus of his responsibility is to provide leadership on a national level to develop technologies to enhance the security and reliability of energy infrastructure and facilitate the federal and state electricity policy planning that shapes electricity and market operations. This is critical to meeting the Nation’s growing demand for resilient electricity by overcoming the challenges of our Nation’s aging electricity transmission and distribution system and addressing the vulnerabilities in our energy supply chain.

He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College and a Juris Doctor in Law from Pace University where he was the technical editor on the Environmental Law Review and received an Environmental Law Certificate.  He has completed the Distribution Systems program from Siemens – Power Technologies International.  He is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School and received an Honorable Discharge from the United States Military Academy.

Alexa Voytek

Energy Programs Administrator, Office of Energy Programs, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

Alexa serves as the Principal Investigator for the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program in Tennessee, oversees the TDEC Office of Energy Programs' energy in transportation programming, and assists with the implementation of the State's initial allocation under the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust. Alexa is also the Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Middle-West Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, through which she acts as a technical resource for fleets and individuals evaluating alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. Alexa serves on the leadership team for the National Association of State Energy Officials' Transportation Committee and is an Advisory Group member for the National Association of State Energy Officials' Energy Technology Innovation Project.

Conner Prochaska

Chief Commercialization Officer and Director, Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy

Conner Prochaska currently serves as Chief Commercialization Officer for the Department of Energy and Director as Office of Technology Transitions. Prior to OTT, Prochaska served as Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

As part of the agency’s leadership team Conner managed day-to-day operations and provided strategic leadership for the agency. Prior to joining DOE, Prochaska was Senior Vice President and the Associate General Counsel at a public investment fund where he led fund operations.  Prochaska also served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Navy, obtaining the rank of Lieutenant.  During his Navy career Prochaska focused on Anti-submarine Warfare and Counter –Weapons of Mass Destruction intelligence.

Prochaska earned his J.D. at The George Washington University School of Law and his B.A. at Texas A&M University where he was elected Student Body President.

The Honorable Paul Tonko

Chair, House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, U.S. House of Representatives

Congressman Paul D. Tonko is a sixth-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York’s 20th Congressional District in the Capital Region, including the cities of Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, and his hometown of Amsterdam.

Throughout his career, he has been a champion for the working class, advancing policies that create jobs, provide economic opportunity, and ensure senior citizens can retire with dignity.

Tonko is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and was elected by his peers to serve as chair of the Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change, where he oversees a wide range of issues including clean drinking water, regulation of toxic substances and national climate action. In addition, he was appointed to join the Committee on Natural Resources and to continue his service on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee where he has been a longtime advocate for scientific integrity and public research.

In addition to his committee duties, Tonko co-chairs the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. He is also a longtime honorary vice chair of the Alliance to Save Energy, a bipartisan, nonprofit coalition that promotes energy efficiency across all sectors of the global economy.

Prior to serving in Congress, Tonko was the president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Before that, he served in the New York State Assembly for 25 years, 15 of which he was chair of the Committee on Energy. At the age of 26, he was the youngest person in the history of Montgomery County to be elected to the county’s Board of Supervisors, which he chaired until 1981.

Tonko graduated from Clarkson University with a degree in mechanical and industrial engineering and is a former engineer for the New York State Public Service Commission. He is a lifelong resident of Amsterdam, New York.

Valri Lightner

Acting Director, Advanced Manufacturing Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Valri Lightner has been a technology development manager for the federal government for 35 years. Valri’s team manages research, development and adoption of energy-related advanced manufacturing technologies and practices to drive U.S. economic competitiveness and energy productivity. The program is executed through collaborations of industry, academia, and government. Valri previously worked in the Loan Programs Office where her team provided the technical management of a portfolio including vehicle manufacturing and innovative energy projects. Valri also led public-private research and development partnerships in cellulosic biofuels, fuel cells for transportation, and pulp and paper energy efficiency.

Valri has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Villanova University.

Edward O’Brien

Senior Economist, Technology Assessment Division, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

Mr. Edward O’Brien is the Senior Economist for the Department of Natural Resources and State Energy Office, overseeing energy revenue and production projections for the State, as well as spearheading the initiative for data assimilation to benchmark the efficiency upgrades within state buildings in Louisiana. He has over 15 years of experience in energy economics with industry and the State, and managing the Clean Fuel programs in Louisiana. 

He holds a Bachelor in International Economics from the University of Richmond, a Master in Economics from Trinity College, and an MBA with a focus on Strategy and Finance from Louisiana State University.

The Honorable John Curtis (R-UT)

Member, Natural Resources and Foreign Affairs Committees, U.S. House of Representatives

John R. Curtis proudly represents Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, serving on the House Natural Resources and Foreign Affairs Committees. After being elected to Congress on November 13, 2017, John sponsored 12 bills in his first year in office. Four of these bills passed through the House and three were signed into law: The POPPY Study Act to combat the opioid crisis, the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act, and the Small Business ACE Act.

The Congressman cares deeply about hearing the diverse perspectives and feedback from his constituents: he held over 100 town halls in 2018. Utah’s third district is the youngest in the country, with an average age of 26 years old. John is also sensitive to the many constituents that live in rural Utah and has focused on legislation that can fit needs of both demographics such as student loans, rural broadband access, and more.

John has been committed to helping Utah’s growing tech scene flourish and was recognized by Silicon Slopes as their first Community Hero Award recipient. Other personal awards comprise of Civic Innovator of the Year by Utah Valley University, Thayne Robson Award for Leadership in Economic Development, and Outstanding Citizen Award from the Office of Civic Engagement Leadership by Brigham Young University.

Prior to coming to Washington, John was the 45th mayor of Provo City, serving two terms. He was named the #1 Top Elected Official on Social Media 2015 by the Government Social Media group and has been recognized by Forbes for his commitment to citizen engagement. As mayor, he averaged an approval rating of 93%.
 
Before becoming mayor, John was a small business owner in Provo, working with his partners to build their business “Action Target,” where he led sales and operations strategy.

Congressman Curtis and his wife Sue have six children, seven grandchildren. He maintains a fluency in Mandarin Chinese and a closet full of stately socks.

Lynn Felcyn

Program Manager, Electrification and Commercial Business Development, DTE Energy

Lynn Felcyn is a Program Manager for DTE (NYSE: DTE), a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services.  As a large investor-owned utility, DTE provides reliable electric and natural gas to more than 3.2 million customers throughout Michigan.

Leading with Energy, Lynn and her team of experts connect key customers and stakeholders to electric-drive technologies that optimize energy use, decrease operating costs and reduce overall GHG emissions. 

With a focus on both mature and emerging technologies, Lynn’s team provides consultancy services and turn-key solutions to firms in the government, institution, manufacturing and logistics sectors.  Securing $15 million in subsidies for the deployment of technologies in transportation electrification is among the key highlights of Lynn’s success in just over the last two years. 

Prior to developing DTE’s Electrification business, Lynn has led efforts in Product Development, Competitive Intelligence and other marketing functions at DTE.  Lynn’s background also includes automotive and healthcare marketing.

Lynn holds a Bachelor of Arts from Oakland University and a Master’s in Business Management from Walsh College of Business and Accountancy.

Sara Bluhm

Director, Division of Clean Energy, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Sara Bluhm Gibson serves as the Director of Clean Energy at the NJ Board of Public Utilities. The Office of Clean Energy manages and coordinates cross-cutting issues within the BPU related to energy and economic development.  The Office of Clean Energy is responsible for statewide energy efficiency programs and the development of clean, renewable sources including offshore wind and solar. Sara oversees the team responsible for developing programs such as: New Jersey’s Community Solar Program, the largest single state solicitation for offshore wind, electric vehicles, energy storage, and microgrids.   In addition Sara is the BPU representative on Team NJ for the National Governor’s Association (NGA) Smarter States Initiative. Prior to joining the BPU, Sara was active in policy development on the state level specializing in energy and environmental policy. Sara holds a B.A. from Douglass College-Rutgers University, an MPAP from the Bloustein School-Rutgers University, and Wharton Program for Working Professionals Business Certificate, The Wharton School-University of Pennsylvania.

Brian Marko

Program Manager, Energy Sector Exercises, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Brian Marko, serves as the Program Manager for the Energy Sector Exercises, in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security & Emergency Response (CESER). The program focuses on two flagship exercise series, Clear Path, an annual all-hazards series now in its seventh iteration, and Liberty Eclipse, the Department’s only cybersecurity focused exercise. Mr. Marko coordinates on behalf of the Energy Sector and the Department, externally sponsored exercises such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency-led (FEMA) biennial National Level Exercise (NLE) series and the National Security Council sponsored Senior Officials Exercise series. Mr. Marko’s responsibilities also include assisting in the development of a Department-wide exercise strategy and the management of cybersecurity training initiatives to include the CyberStrike training module.

Mr. Marko started his federal career with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). At DHS, Mr. Marko worked for the National Exercise Division, planning, conducting, and supporting NLEs. Since 2005, Mr. Marko has supported, planned, conducted, and managed over 300 preparedness exercises.

Mr. Marko received his M.A. in Strategic Security Studies from the National Defense University’s College of International Security Affairs and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University.

Joseph Paladino

Senior Advisor, Office of Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy

Joe Paladino serves as Senior Advisor within the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability where he oversees the effort to determine the impact of smart grid projects. Mr. Paladino has worked at DOE for 20 years in programs involving: a) nuclear waste management, b) energy efficient buildings, and c) electric grid modernization. His particular interest is in the advancement and commercialization of technology. Prior to joining DOE, he worked for over 10 years in the private sector. This experience includes undertaking marketing, sales and technology development efforts at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Paladino has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Middlebury College and a graduate degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

John Williams

Vice President, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

As Vice President for Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Mr. Williams’ primary responsibility is to help guide state energy policy development. At NYSERDA, Mr. Williams oversees the Energy and Environmental Analysis unit, providing economic analysis and scientific research to best inform policy-makers in energy and environmental issues, as well as the Performance Management unit, which provides market characterization and evaluation, clean energy market insights and statistical analysis that all guide effective clean energy strategies. Mr. Williams serves as NYSERDA’s designee on the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment.

Mr. Williams’ previous work experience includes serving as Energy Counsel for the New York State Assembly; Staff Attorney for The Energy Project of the Pace University School of Law; and Financial Analyst for the Public Service Company of New Mexico, a combined electric and natural gas utility serving the largest markets in the state of New Mexico. Mr. Williams earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Columbia University, a Juris Doctor degree from the St. John’s University School of Law, and a Master of Laws degree in Environmental Law from the Pace University School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in the states of New York and New Jersey.

Christopher Perry

Research Manager, Buildings Program, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Christopher Perry conducts research to support energy-efficiency building codes and equipment standards, as well as smart and grid-interactive buildings. He joined ACEEE in 2015.

Prior to joining ACEEE, Chris worked at URS Corporation in Ohio as an energy management engineer, and most recently in Virginia as a sustainability consultant at JDM Associates.

Chris is a registered professional engineer in Washington DC, LEED Accredited Professional (building design + construction), and Certified Energy Manager. He earned a masters in engineering management from George Washington University and a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Jacqueline Patterson

Director, Environmental and Climate Justice Program, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Jacqueline Patterson is the Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Since 2007 Patterson has served as coordinator & co-founder of Women of Color United. Jacqui Patterson has worked as a researcher, program manager, coordinator, advocate and activist working on women‘s rights, violence against women, HIV&AIDS, racial justice, economic justice, and environmental and climate justice. Patterson served as a Senior Women’s Rights Policy Analyst for ActionAid where she integrated a women’s rights lens for the issues of food rights, macroeconomics, and climate change as well as the intersection of violence against women and HIV&AIDS. Previously, she served as Assistant Vice-President of HIV/AIDS Programs for IMA World Health providing management and technical assistance to medical facilities and programs in 23 countries in Africa and the Caribbean. Patterson served as the Outreach Project Associate for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Research Coordinator for Johns Hopkins University. She also served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica, West Indies.

Patterson’s publications/articles include: ”Jobs vs Health: An Unnecessary Dilemma”, “Climate Change is a Civil Rights Issue”, “Gulf Oil Drilling Disaster: Gendered Layers of Impact”, “Disasters, Climate Change Uproot Women of Color”; “Coal Blooded; Putting Profits Before People”; “Just Energy Policies: Reducing Pollution, Creating Jobs”: “And the People Shall Lead: Centralizing Frontline Community Leadership in the Movement Towards a Sustainable Planet”; and book chapter, “Equity in Disasters: Civil and Human Rights Challenges in the Context of Emergency Events” in the book Building Community Resilience Post-Disaster.

Patterson holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. She currently serves on the International Committee of the US Social Forum, the Steering Committee for Interfaith Moral Action on Climate, Advisory Board for Center for Earth Ethics as well as on the Boards of Directors for the Institute of the Black World, Center for Story Based Strategy and the US Climate Action Network.

Dr. Lola Infante

Senior Director, Clean Energy Technology and Policy, Edison Electric Institute

Lola Infante is Sr. Director Clean Energy Technology and Policy at the Edison Electric Institute, where she focuses mainly on market and policy developments in clean and alternative energy resources as well as other critical fuels for power generation. Lately, she has been focusing on distributed energy resources, including solar energy, energy storage, and microgrids. She is a frequent speaker on these issues at many technical and policy groups, has authored several articles and papers on energy related topics, and participates in several industry committees.

Prior to joining EEI, she worked at the Center for the Advancement of Energy Markets, a Washington DC think tank, and at GAB-Robins in Paris, France, where she worked in marketing and corporate finance. She holds a BA from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, a master’s degree in International Economics and Finance from Paris Sorbonne, a master’s degree in Energy, Environment, Science, and Technology, and a PhD from the Johns Hopkins University on the subject of the liberalization of the electricity industry in the European Union.

Scott Glenn

Chief Energy Officer, Hawaii State Energy Office

Scott Glenn serves as the Chief Energy Officer for the State of Hawaii, leading the Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) in its mission to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean transportation to help achieve a resilient, clean energy, decarbonized economy. Scott specializes in innovative, consensus-oriented problem solving for difficult challenges. He is especially focused on climate change, energy, environment, and sustainability that improves decision making and enhances public engagement.

Gov. David Ige designated Scott to be the co-chair of the Sustainable Hawaii Initiative and liaison to the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of state governors working to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. In these roles Scott works with state, county, and federal agencies, as well as communities across the state, and stakeholders nationally and internationally to coordinate state policy development on energy, climate change, and key sustainability initiatives.

Prior to joining the HSEO, Scott served as the Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control, where he led the modernization of the state environmental review process. Scott also worked in the private sector as a professional environmental planning consultant on environmental and energy projects and volunteered on numerous boards.

Scott received his master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaii in 2009 and his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and archaeology from the University of Evansville (IN) in 2000.

Laura Van Wie McGrory

Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Alliance to Save Energy

For more than two decades, Laura Van Wie McGrory has been designing and carrying out energy efficiency programs in the United States, Asia, Africa, SE Europe, and Latin America. As Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the Alliance, she manages the Systems Efficiency Initiative and the Alliance’s other domestic and international energy efficiency programmatic activities. Her work at the Alliance has focused on international energy productivity, building systems efficiency, building code implementation, energy efficiency policy and regulatory reform, utility demand-side management capacity building, municipal energy efficiency programs and financing, energy efficient transportation, gender and climate change, and water and energy efficiency in water supply and wastewater systems. Laura also serves as Vice President for North America with the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC).

Laura previously worked with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for nine years, as a Program Manager and then Head of the Washington, DC office. At LBNL, she supported the U.S. Department of Energy’s development of energy efficiency appliance standards rulemakings, provided technical support for the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and managed a range of international energy efficiency programs for U.S. DOE and other funders. Prior to that, Laura helped produce climate change mitigation reports with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She also has consulted with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Bank, and has published numerous reports and articles related to international energy efficiency.

Laura has a bachelor degree in Geography and Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College and a master of international affairs focusing on International Environmental Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Michael DiRamio

Manager, Strategic and Interagency Initiatives Program, Weatherization and Intergovernemntal Program Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Michael leads a team in the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs office focused on making energy affordable for under-resourced communities. He organizes interagency collaborations, cross-office partnerships, and technical assistance focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for low income communities. Prior to joining DOE in 2016, Michael managed low-income and market rate utility programs in the Midwest and advised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Labor, and the State of Michigan, on major energy efficiency and renewable energy policy initiatives and investments. He co-founded and led community organizations and worked for over 10 years to advance environmental sustainability and economic solutions for residents in Detroit. Michael began his career working on energy and environmental issues in Boston. He earned an M.S. in environmental policy from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in government from Wesleyan University.

Katy Hatcher

ENERGY STAR National Manager, Public Sector, Climate Protection Partnerships Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Caterina (Katy) Hatcher is the US EPA’s ENERGY STAR Public Sector National Manager.  She works with public sector organizations, such as government agencies and schools, to help improve energy performance through the use of ENERGY STAR tools and resources, including ENERGYSTAR Portfolio Manager. Katy has been working for EPA since 1996.  She holds a degree from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture in City Planning. By the end 2016, more than 500,000 properties have been benchmarked in Portfolio Manager, representing 50 percent of the nation’s commercial building space. Portfolio Manager has become the standard national platform for benchmarking energy use in commercial buildings in the United States and Canada. It has been adopted for use by leading US commercial real estate, retail, healthcare, and educational organizations. Many local governments incorporate Portfolio Manager into state and local benchmarking requirements.

Steve Crout

Director, Policy and Resilience Programs, Smart Cities Council

Steve has extensive public policy experience with an expertise in technology, energy and environmental issues. He has served in senior public policy positions in the U.S. Congress, the Executive Branch, and the private sector.

Steve began his career in Washington, DC, working for his hometown Congressman, ultimately serving as Legislative Director where he managed all legislative activity. He received a Presidential Political Appointment during the Clinton Administration to serve at the U.S. Department of Energy. This included positions as Senior Advisor for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, and Associate Director of the Office of Policy. He continued practicing energy and environment policy as Managing Director of Government Affairs at the American Gas Association.

Steve then transitioned to the telecommunications and high-tech arena where he served in senior positions at both Motorola and Qualcomm. In these positions he focused on a wide variety of issues including grid modernization, Internet of Things, smart cities, cybersecurity, privacy, identity management, and sustainability.

Steve currently serves as Director of Policy and Resilience Programs at the Smart Cities Council where he has helped spur the introduction of federal legislation such as the Smart Cities and Communities Act, and the Street Act. In addition, he serves as project manager of the “Readiness for Resilience” program focused on helping communities impacted by natural disaster enhance infrastructure resiliency through the deployment of smart technology and best practices.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Rollins College, and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Jim Ferris

Bureau Chief for New Technology, Clean Energy Division, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Jim has been providing professional consulting and engineering services for over 40 years.  For the past 20 years Jim has provided energy and sustainability consulting services to public and private clients in New Jersey and New York, assisting in the development of energy conservation, carbon emission reduction, and sustainability goals; and providing short and long-term planning and assistance towards achieving those goals.

In his role with the NJ BPU, Jim is the Bureau Chief of New Technology in the Clean Energy Division, leading teams working on New Jersey’s offshore wind program, alternative fuel vehicles, energy storage program, and Microgrids.

Jim received a BS degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is a registered Professional Engineer and a Certified Energy Manger.

Alan Zelenka

Assistant Director for Planning and Innovation, Oregon Department of Energy

Alan is the Assistant Director for Planning and Innovation at the Oregon Department of Energy. His team works on energy efficiency, renewable resources, sustainable transportation, energy planning, and climate change issues.

Before joining ODOE he was the Energy Services Leader for Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for over 10 years, a consulting firm where he worked with clients all over the west on climate change, energy efficiency, and renewables.

Prior to that Alan worked at Emerald PUD in Eugene for over 21 years, where he was the Power Manager.

Alan Zelenka graduated with a degree in political-economy from UC Berkeley, and got his master’s degree in energy planning and policy from the University of Oregon.

In his spare time, Alan is in his fourth term as a Eugene City Councilor.

Cliff Majersik

Director of Market Transformation, Institute for Market Transformation

Cliff Majersik is IMT’s Director of Market Transformation. Under his guidance as executive director from 2009–2019, IMT became a trailblazer in the energy efficiency field, recognized across the globe for accelerating investment in energy-efficient buildings through hands-on guidance, technical and market research, policy and program development, and promotion of best practices.

Cliff is a pioneer of energy efficiency concepts in appraisal, lending, codes, and building performance policy that have gained national prominence. His advice is often sought on developing legislation, including instrumental work on Washington, D.C.’s Green Building Act of 2006, Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008, and Clean Energy DC Act of 2018 as well as key guidance on the bipartisan, federal Energy Efficiency Improvement Act and California Assembly Bill 802, both of which were signed into law in 2015.

A respected industry leader, Cliff frequently speaks to real estate, government, and energy service providers, often serving as a keynote speaker and industry judge. He is an active member of the District of Columbia Green Building Advisory Council, serves on the Board of Directors of the Emerald Cities Collective, and is a judge of the Nareit Leader in the Light Awards.

Cliff draws on previous experience as a management consultant, including an understanding of the complexity of change management and what influences company decision-making processes, to better promote the adoption of best practices.

A LEED Accredited Professional, Cliff holds a bachelor’s of arts degree in political economy from Williams College.

Kate Marks

Director, Preparedness and Exercises, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Kate Marks leads efforts to secure U.S. energy infrastructure against all hazards, reduce the impact of disruptive events, and respond to and facilitate recovery from energy disruptions. Previously Ms. Marks served as the office director for state, local, and tribal policy analysis in the Office of Policy, overseeing state and local regulatory and policy analysis and supporting stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining DOE, Ms. Marks was the managing director for the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) where she was responsible for informing the nation’s 56 state and territory energy offices of Federal action, sharing energy program best practices, and coordinating peer exchange. There she managed NASEO’s regional activities and program staff covering efficient buildings, energy security, renewable energy, and electricity issues. Before NASEO, Ms. Marks served as the energy program director in the Environment, Energy and Transportation Division of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) where she advised state legislators and legislative staff on energy policy. Ms. Marks has authored numerous publications and testified before state legislative bodies on energy and environmental issues. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University and a Master of Resource Law Studies in Energy Law and Policy from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

Nicholas Andersen

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

Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Nick Andersen served in the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the Federal Cybersecurity Lead and Senior Cybersecurity Advisor to the Federal Chief Information Officer, where he led the OMB Cyber Team and was responsible for government-wide cybersecurity policy development and compliance of shared federal security services.

Andersen previously served as Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Vermont, where he was appointed to lead State efforts pertaining to the security and protection of data, security compliance activities, risk reduction, security operations, and threat intelligence.
Prior to this, Andersen was a senior executive and senior intelligence officer serving as the Chief Information Officer for Navy Intelligence and was the Head of the Office of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Systems and Technologies at the U.S. Coast Guard.  He has served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, managing intelligence mission systems in Iraq, Europe, and Africa; and has led cybersecurity and technology programs worldwide with several leading and emerging companies.

Andersen holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Management and a Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance. He has received awards from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and Intelligence Community.

Rob Bectel

Senior Program Analyst for Data Management and Digital Communications, Office of Technology Transitions, U.S. Department of Energy

A senior technology executive, Robert currently serves as Senior Program Analyst, for the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), where he helps accelerate the commercialization of energy solutions. Prior to joining OTT, Rob served four years as the Chief Technology Officer for the Office of Energy Efficiency at the Department of Energy. He seeks to establish strong enterprise IT solutions that establish efficient, agile, and robust information infrastructures. To do this, he brings a unique passion, focus and expertise on using cutting-edge technologies to know what enterprise projects to undertake; why to undertake them and when to best do them. He works to develop low cost and easily accessible distributable content, information architectures, robust software and interactive solutions – all with the goal of helping transform and expedite market acceptance, transparency and efficiency.

Prior to his transition to government, Rob's 20 years of experience included both the public and private sectors. He managed his own company, where he focused on the development of health informatics solutions. He also built and managed the first online business network for pharmacists, at the National Community Pharmacists Association, and led its Committee on Innovation and Technology.

Prior to NCPA, Rob directed the development of a USDA consumer website and was the marketing director for ChainDrugStore.net. As the portal manager for the TruSecure Corporation, he performed interactive outreach activities to customers and the public on matters of information and cyber security. He has co-authored several publications and textbooks on long-term care systems in the United States and Europe.

He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Ken Sandler

High-Performance Building Advisor, Office of Federal High-Performance Buildings, U.S. General Services Administration

Ken Sandler is a High-Performance Building Advisor to the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Federal High-Performance Buildings. He has shaped federal research, policy and communications on sustainability through his work at 5 different agencies over nearly 30 years. During that time, he helped advance federal practices to the point that they exceed commercial building performance. Ken co-chairs the Interagency Sustainability Working Group and manages GSA’s Green Building Advisory Committee, which has produced policy papers on topics from healthy building practices to building and grid integration. He recently concluded a detail to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office, where he managed energy efficiency research projects and funding competitions. Ken holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and is a PhD candidate in Environmental Science & Policy.

Daniel Simmons

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

In his role as Assistant Secretary in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Daniel Simmons leads EERE to achieve its vision of a strong and prosperous America powered by clean, affordable, and secure energy. He oversees technology development in the energy efficiency, renewable power and sustainable transportation sectors.

He previously served on the Presidential Transition Team. Beforejoining the Department of Energy, Daniel served as the Institute for Energy Research's Vice President for Policy, overseeing its energy and environmental policy work at the state and federal level.

He also served as director of the Natural Resources Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council, was a research fellow at the Mercatus Center, and worked as professional staff on the Committee on Resources of the U.S. House of Representatives.

He is a graduate of Utah State University and George Mason University School of Law.