Full Agenda

Dr. Henry McKoy

Director, Office of State and Community Energy Programs, U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Henry C. McKoy, Jr. is a seasoned professional in business, community and economic development, policy, government, finance, energy, philanthropy and the academic worlds.  Prior to the Department of Energy he served on the faculty at North Carolina Central University School of Business where he led the entrepreneurship program, with additional appointments at Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Harvard.  He is a former banking executive, entrepreneur, and former Assistant Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce.  He holds degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School (B.S.), Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment (M.S.), and UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of City and Regional Planning (PhD).

David Terry

Executive Director, National Association of State Energy Officials

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

Kelley Smith Burk

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

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

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

Ward Lenz

Executive Director, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association

As NCSEA's Executive Director, Ward Lenz manages relationships and programs that serve NCSEA's membership, develops staff abilities, supports new technology markets, and increases business opportunities. Ward also serves as an integrator of internal operations and programming to ensure smooth business processes throughout the organization.

Ward has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Drake University. He is the former Director of North Carolina’s State Energy Office under Governors Perdue and McCrory. He has also participated in the Executive Development Program at the University of North Carolina and completed Executive Education at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Kenya Stump

Executive Director, Office of Energy Policy, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet

Angela Navarro

Head of State Regulatory Affairs, Arcadia

Angela Navarro is the Head of State Regulatory Affairs at Arcadia, where she leads the energy
technology company’s state-level policy and regulatory program. Previously, she served as a
Commissioner on the Virginia State Corporation Commission, which regulates the
Commonwealth’s investor-owned utilities and a variety of other industries. She also served as a
senior advisor across two Governor’s offices in Virginia. First, as Deputy Secretary of Natural
Resources under Governor Terry McAuliffe, where she advised on energy and environmental
policies. Second, as Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade under Governor Ralph Northam,
where she worked on housing, small business, economic development, and energy policies.

Before entering government service, Angela practiced law with the Southern Environmental Law
Center (SELC). While at SELC, she led the organization’s energy efficiency practice across a
six-state southeastern region, and she was the organization’s lead attorney on energy matters in
Virginia. Angela holds degrees in business and English from the University of Florida and a law
degree from Georgetown Law.

Sean Sullivan

Executive Director, Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition

Sean Sullivan leads a team of professional planners and regional thinkers who work throughout the six county Tampa Bay Region to improve the quality of life for all.  He has worked with elected and appointed leaders throughout the region to establish the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition, the 18th such initiative of its kind in the United States.  Mr. Sullivan has spent over 30 years working in local, regional and federal sectors in the planning, environmental, economic development, climate resiliency, and public transportation fields.  He is the two-time recipient of the Federal Transit Administration Administrator’s award for his work advancing public transit.  Mr. Sullivan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Suffolk University in Boston.

Kevin Underwood

Director, Project Management for Customer Delivery, Duke Energy

As Director of Project Management for Customer Delivery Florida, Kevin is responsible for the implementation of Customer Delivery Storm Protection Plan projects.  He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.  Kevin has a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute and is also member of IEEE.

Suzanna Mora-Schrader

Director, Federal Policy and Agency Relations, Exelon

As Exelon’s Director Federal Policy and Agency Relations, Susan represents Exelon in its engagements with all federal agencies and the White House.  To accomplish this, she works closely with the strategy, policy and regulatory teams across Exelon’s operating companies to provide linkage between public policy and business strategies. Susan also supports Exelon with external stakeholders and outreach campaigns. Issues of particular focus include grid resilience, DER integration and optimization; EV infrastructure and microgrid integration; innovative business models; and, customer affordability.  Prior to joining Exelon, Susan served as the primary interface with the U.S. Congress, White House, federal agencies for Pepco Holdings.  Issues of particular emphasis in her lobbying portfolio included critical infrastructure security, event response and recovery, grid resilience, and smart grid functionality.

David Althoff Jr.

Director, Energy Programs Office, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

David’s office, DEP’s Energy Programs Office, is involved in supporting, designing, and implementing energy-focused programs to encourage the development and deployment of energy efficiency, energy resiliency and alternative energy projects in Pennsylvania.  The Energy Program’s Office’s mission is to support energy activities which result in environmental improvements including mitigating the effects of and adapting to climate change.

David along with his staff have spent the last several years developing forward-looking plans centered on positioning Pennsylvania to take advantage of the clean energy economy. Recent products include: A 2021 Climate Action Plan and Climate Impacts Assessment for Pennsylvania, A Clean Energy Program Plan for Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania’s Solar Future Plan, Pennsylvania’s Electric Vehicle Roadmap, a Food Waste to Energy Assessment and an Energy Storage Assessment for Pennsylvania.  These foundational plans have led to the creation of various follow-on stakeholder groups including, the Drive Electric Pennsylvania Coalition and the Pennsylvania Energy Storage Consortium. 

During his career with DEP, David has led the development and deployment of $125 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Stimulus funds, the $100 million Pennsylvania Sunshine Program, and the $15 million Green Energy Revolving Loan Fund.  Dave has also served as the Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority.  Dave and his staff also lead the very popular Pennsylvania Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Programs which distributes nearly $5 Million annually to support innovation and emission reductions in the transportation sector.
Dave has proudly served the citizens of Pennsylvania through his work at DEP for nearly 30 years, is a life-long Pennsylvanian, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and lives in Hummelstown, PA.

Maria Redmond

Director, Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, Wisconsin Department of Administration

Maria Redmond serves as the Director of the Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy. She is leading the development of a plan that assists the state of Wisconsin in advancing a clean energy economy and fight the effects of climate change. Redmond is working on a comprehensive statewide clean energy plan to actively implement the use of clean energy resources and technology to help the state reach a 100% carbon free electricity by 2050 goal, build the clean energy workforce and foster innovation.

Redmond has worked for the State of Wisconsin for 19 years and is accountable for planning, administration and oversight of statewide energy programs and regulatory policies. She has significant experience in directing federally funded grant and loan programs, and ratepayer energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Certificate of African Studies and is a Certified Public Manager all from UW Madison.

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.

Jody Raines

Deputy Director, Reliability and Security, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Jody Raines, MBA is Deputy Director of Reliability and Security for the Board of Public Utilities for the State of New Jersey. Previously Jody was the Manager of Cybersecurity Oversight and Compliance for the NJ Board of Public Utilities. Jody's real-life experience dealing with cyber threats, a Masters in Technology Management and investigative nature in an evolving cyber environment are well-suited to generating policy to protect the infrastructure.

Steven Polunsky

Senior Energy Policy Specialist, Energy Policy Office, Washington State Department of Commerce

Steven Polunsky is a senior policy specialist in the Energy Policy Office at the Washington State
Department of Commerce, working at the intersection of transportation, energy, economic
development, environment, and equity to facilitate the state’s movement into clean
transportation. His career in public service includes Director of the Transportation Policy
Research Center at the University of Alabama, Research Scientist with the Texas A&M
Transportation Institute, Committee Director for Texas Legislature committees with jurisdiction
over energy, transportation, and homeland security, Research and Planning Director for the
Texas High-Speed Rail Authority, and Legislative Policy Analyst at the Texas Department of
Transportation. Polunsky serves on the ENO Foundation Board of Regents and is a member of
several committees of the Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Science,
Engineering, and Medicine.

Alex Ehrett

Western Public Policy and Market Development Manager, ABB E-Mobility North America

As part of the external affairs team at ABB E-mobility, Alex Ehrett leads public policy and market development efforts in the Western United States. In this role, she focuses on managing legislative and regulatory policy engagement on transportation electrification and electric vehicle charging infrastructure issues with key state agencies, utilities, and cities.

Prior to ABB E-mobility, Alex acted as a consultant for GBSM, Inc. where she worked closely with and advocated for private entities, local municipalities, and state agencies in the West to implement large scale transportation and utility projects.

She currently resides in Colorado and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from John Carroll University.

Christian Williss

Managing Director, Transportation Fuels and Technology, Colorado Energy Office

Christian Williss is Managing Director, Transportation Fuels and Technology at the Colorado Energy Office. Christian leads office efforts to accelerate adoption of zero emission vehicles through policy, planning, and research, management of statewide infrastructure and eMobility grant programs, and education and outreach. He previously served as Director of Programs and Initiatives where he oversaw a team of program managers and engineers responsible for managing existing programs and launching new initiatives in the energy efficiency and alternative fuels markets.  Prior to coming to the Energy Office he worked as Sustainability Program Administrator at the City and County of Denver where he led a number of citywide sustainability initiatives including the City’s energy efficiency program. Christian holds a BA in Political Science and an MS in Construction Management.

Rob Bennett

President and Chief Executive Officer, Emera Technologies

Rob began his career in electrical engineering in 1988 when he first joined Nova Scotia Power. Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, Rob has held senior management and leadership positions across the Emera companies.

In 2018, Rob was appointed CEO of Emera Technologies Inc., a new Emera company that will capitalize on business opportunities and develop new technologies related to energy transformation.

Prior to this, Rob led Emera’s integration with TECO Energy, which Emera acquired in July 2016. His earlier leadership positions at Emera include Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Emera Inc., President and Chief Executive Officer at Nova Scotia Power, and President and Chief Operating Officer of Bangor Hydro Electric Company (now part of Emera Maine).

Rob offers his time to many causes throughout his community, particularly those in the fields of healthcare, education and ethics. Rob is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University and holds an engineering degree from the Technical University of Nova Scotia (Dalhousie University).

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.

David Bobzien

Director, Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy

David Bobzien serves as the Director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy for Governor
Steve Sisolak. Mr. Bobzien holds a B.A. in Government and Politics from George Mason
University, and a Masters of Public Administration, natural resources and public lands policy
emphasis, from Boise State University. He is currently the chair of the Western Interstate Energy
Board. Mr. Bobzien has served as a Council Member for the City of Reno where he worked on
climate planning and energy efficiency. Previously, Mr. Bobzien served four terms as an
Assemblyman in the Nevada Legislature and worked on clean energy policy including net
metering, renewable incentives programs, energy efficiency, the renewable portfolio standard
and coal generation retirement.

Janine Benner

Director, Oregon Department of Energy

Janine Benner is the director of the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE). Janine joined ODOE in 2017 as assistant director for Planning and Innovation and was confirmed by the Oregon Senate as director in February of 2018. Janine came to ODOE from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where she served as associate assistant secretary in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. Janine also spent 12 years working for Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), as energy and environmental policy advisor, legislative director, and deputy chief of staff. She grew up in Portland, OR and has a degree in history from Princeton University..

George Lynch

Legal Counsel and Mineral Program Manager, Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources

John McAuliff

Climate Policy Advisor, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

John is an energy policy specialist and small business owner in rural Fauquier County, Virginia. He joined the Rural Business Coop. Service at USDA after having served the Virginia House of Delegates as a Chief of Staff and working at Clean Virginia, a policy think-tank and energy utility watchdog. John graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in Leadership Studies, and received a Certificate of Biotechnology from Georgetown University. He enjoys kayaking, sailing, hiking and exploring new energy technologies.

Jordan Solomon

President and Chief Executive Officer, EcoStrat

Jordan Solomon has held the position of President and CEO of Ecostrat for over 20 years where he oversees the Biomass Advisory Group and the Biomass Supply Group. He has constructed and managed feedstock supply chains for over 5 million tons of municipal and post-industrial waste, wood fiber, agricultural, and organic biomass feedstock. His responsibilities include new project origination, evaluation and commercialization, corporate strategy and team support. His areas of expertise include project development, supply chain risk-assessment, bio-resource trading, contracting and financing, and risk mitigation for bio-feedstock supply and export.

For over 6 years, he led the development of the US National Standards and Risk Ratings for Biomass Supply Chain Risk (BSCR) together with US National Laboratory INL for the US Department of Energy (BETO). He is currently leading the Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone Program to unlock new sources of capital for biochemical, biofuel and biomaterial plants by using the BSCR Standards and Ratings to certify regions across the country that have the best potential for bio-based economic development.

Dr. Glen Murrell

Executive Director, Wyoming Energy Authority

Dr. Glen Murrell has over two decades of experience in the oil and gas industry and is the inaugural Executive Director for the Wyoming Energy Authority. He previously worked for the University of Wyoming Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute, launching their reservoir data program and leading programs analyzing the CO2 EOR industry in the State.

Dr. Murrell has also served in a variety of leadership roles aimed at advancing projects and technologies in the oil and gas industry for General Electric and Baker Hughes.

John Litynski

Director for Carbon Transport and Storage, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, U.S. Department of Energy

John currently serves as the Director for Carbon Transport and Storage in the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.  He previously served as the Deputy Director for Advanced Fossil Technology Systems, Program Manager for Carbon Capture at Department of Energy, the Technology Manager for Carbon Sequestration at the National Energy Technology Laboratory and as a senior team lead on environmental compliance and assessment with the U.S Army.  He has over 20 years of experience working on environmental compliance and technology development for the energy industry and Department of Defense.  He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and M.S. from Johns Hopkins University in Environmental Engineering and Science.

Maria Effertz Hanson

Director, Division of Community Services, North Dakota Department of Commerce

Maria Effertz Hanson is the Community and Economic Development Lead with the North Dakota Department of Commerce. She works with the Main Street Program, ED&F developers and state liaison for community development programming. Prior to joining Commerce in April 2020, Maria worked in marketing and external relations for engineering and oil and gas development.

Maria has degrees in public relations, political science and management. Maria is from and currently lives near Velva, has two kids, two horses, one dog and too many cats to count.

Ryan Kammer

Research Manager, Carbon Management, Great Plains Institute

Ryan joined the Great Plains Institute in 2022 and serves as the Research Manager for the Carbon Management Program. Prior to joining GPI, Ryan was a Research Geologist at the Indiana Geological and Water Survey, where he focused on carbon storage opportunities in deep saline formations in Indiana and throughout the United States. Ryan earned a MS in Geology from Indiana University and BS and BA degrees from Wheaton College (IL) in Geology and Spanish.

Ben Bolton

Senior 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. 

Jessica Kelleher

Director, Recovered Energy Generation, Ormat Technologies, Inc.

Jessica is Director of Recovered Generation at Ormat Technologies, Inc. where she is working to decarbonize heavy industry andoil and gas sector by deploying clean energy.  Her years of experience in the midstream gas business exposed countless opportunities to capture wasted heat, so her work now is a labor of love.  Prior to joining the energy business, she worked in various positions in energy and environmental policy, including the White House Council on Environmental Quality, The Wyss Foundation, and the United Nations Foundation. Jessica serves as Board Chair for the International Mountain Biking Association and previously served in the same role for the Colorado Youth Corps Association.  A Colorado native, Jessica's true love is rolling down any of the state's alpine trails or skiing the backcountry during off-season when she is not chasing after her toddler twins.

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.

John Balfe

Senior Manager, Buildings and Communities Solutions, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships

John Balfe works on the Buildings and Community Solutions Team at NEEP to help drive energy efficiency in new and retrofitted schools and public buildings throughout the region. John works with various industry stakeholders to advance public policy with high performance building standards in the region, including facilitation of information exchange and knowledge transfer between states and programs.

Prior to joining NEEP in 2015, John interned at the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission located in Manchester, NH. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2014 with a BS in Community and Environmental Planning. Eager to have a positive impact on the natural environment, John is interested in advancing NEEP’s mission to improve our built environment and ultimately all of our surroundings.

Malissa Gordon

Manager, Community and Government Relations, Piedmont Lithium

Ms. Gordon joined Piedmont in 2020 as Manager – Community and Government Relations. Malissa most recently spent over 12 years with the Gaston County (North Carolina) Economic Development Commission. Ms. Gordon brings deep local roots to the Piedmont team with strong connections to community leaders, non-profit and business organizations. Ms. Gordon received her BS in Corporate Communications from Western Carolina University.

Lorrie Skiffington

Geology and Energy Communications, Virginia Department of Energy

Lorrie Skiffington is a geologist who has worked for Virginia’s Geological Survey for 16 years.  In her current role, Lorrie helps develop data visualizations, maps, graphics and outreach material for the Geology and Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programs for the Virginia Department of Energy.  Mrs. Skiffington earned a Master’s in Geology from Vanderbilt University and a bachelors in geology and education from the College of William and Mary.  Lorrie is a graduate of Virginia’s Natural Resources Leadership Institute and has experience teaching science to middle, high school and university students.

Angie Fyfe

Executive Director, ICLEI

Angie joined ICLEI USA in 2014 as the Director of Resource Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She was promoted to Executive Director on January 1, 2016 and as such is a member of ICLEI’s global senior management team.

Since 1990, ICLEI has built and served a movement of local governments pursuing deep reductions in carbon pollution and tangible improvements in sustainability and resilience. ICLEI is the world’s leading network of over 1,500 cities, towns and metropolises, providing hands-on assistance with technical experts located in 17 global offices.

Angie’s strategic vision for the organization is to create exceptional value for ICLEI local government members, partners, and funders by harnessing the power of the ICLEI network and to build on ICLEI’s unique global role as the focal point for local governments in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

With a focus on climate finance and the implementation of the Paris Agreement, she aims to weave health and equity considerations into ICLEI USA offerings based on her interest in human-centered design

Pat Stanton

Director of Policy, E4TheFuture

A nationally recognized, award-winning expert in regulatory policy analysis and advocacy, Pat Stanton works tirelessly to improve public policies related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and the full range of demand resources.

Among other initiatives she is leading the Faces of EE campaign. Prior to E4TheFuture she served as policy advocacy lead at CSG (2003-2015) and led a consulting service for Clean Energy Markets participants. Before CSG, she was Deputy Commissioner at Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources (DOER). She was Assistant Commissioner of Waste Prevention at Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) where she contributed award-winning program design, and was a director of DEP’s Division of Water Supply. Stanton earned master’s degrees from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government (Public Administration) and MIT (Civil Engineering). She is also a power knitter and a cyclist in the American Lung Association’s Trek Across Maine the past few years.

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.

Dr. Anne Arquit Niederberger

Senior Vice President Market Development, Enervee

Anne is currently Senior Vice President Market Development at Enervee, where she is responsible for thought leadership and collaboration with utilities, government agencies and retail market actors around the globe to drive innovation and expand markets for energy efficient consumer products.

Prior to Enervee, Anne was Principal at the international consultancy Policy Solutions, where she spearheaded diverse implementation partnerships, such as the Standards for Energy Efficiency of Electric Motor Systems (SEEEM) harmonization effort, the $1.2 billion Swiss Climate Cent and the World Bank National Strategy Studies program to support national carbon market development. She served during the 1990s in senior positions within the Swiss Federal Office of Environment and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, where she led international climate and energy policy and established Swiss carbon markets.

Anne graduated with High Honors from Dartmouth College, holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography, completed a post-doctoral fellowship with a focus on global change at the University of Bern (Switzerland), and served as Visiting Scholar at Columbia University.

Spencer Nelson

Managing Director, Research and New Initiatives, ClearPath

Spencer Nelson is Managing Director of Research and New Initiatives at ClearPath. He leads ClearPath’s research on the cheapest path to energy system decarbonization. Spencer works with industry, national labs and other stakeholders to develop insights that guide both ClearPath’s work and broader carbon mitigation advocacy efforts.

Prior to this role, Spencer worked for Chairman Lisa Murkowski on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where he was the lead on all the Committee’s clean energy and climate activities. He was a lead architect of the Energy Act of 2020, which is the first comprehensive energy legislation enacted in over a decade and comprises over 40 different clean energy bills.

Before his stint on the Hill, Spencer worked at ClearPath for four years during which he held multiple roles. Most significantly, he managed ClearPath’s work on nuclear energy, energy innovation, and international engagement as a Policy Program Director.

Before that, Spencer worked on state-level solar policy and conducted environmental genetics research at both UNC Chapel Hill and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Spencer has a B.S. in Energy and Sustainability from UNC Chapel Hill, B.S. in Quantitative Biology from UNC Chapel Hill.

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.

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).

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.

Kara Saul Rinaldi

President and Chief Executive Officer, AnnDyl Policy Group, LLC

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

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

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

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

Dr. Emma Stewart

Chief Scientist, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Emma Stewart is the Chief Scientist of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) where she works to help NRECA and electric co-ops drive towards new horizons in the science and engineering space. She leads the NRECA Research program to advance research into grid resilience and reliability, transmission and distribution, cybersecurity and more. Emma most recently led projects on cyber and infrastructure resilience for the defense community at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.  She has worked for nearly two decades in electric grid resilience and reliability across multiple domains and holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering. Emma's extensive experience throughout the energy industry helps her bring a holistic perspective to her work on behalf of electric cooperatives.

Tucker Perkins

President and Chief Executive Officer, Propane Education and Research Council

Tucker Perkins is the president and CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit which invests in the research and development of propane-powered innovation, and promotes the safe, efficient use of propane through safety training and education programs.

Perkins joined PERC in 2015 as Chief Business Development Officer and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer before the Council named him President and CEO in 2018.

A Virginia Tech graduate with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Perkins earned his MBA from the University of Richmond. He is active with many industry organizations including the National Propane Gas Association, the Industrial Truck Association, the Outdoor Power institute, and the World LP Gas Association.

Perkins is a dynamic and relatable leader who has amplified propane’s voice in the national energy conversation as a frequent keynote speaker on energy-related topics.

Tucker is also host of the podcast, Path to Zero, in which he engages energy thought leaders in provocative discussions regarding energy and the environment and the path to zero carbon emissions.

Stacey Washington

Senior Energy Program Manager, Energy Office, South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff

Stacey Washington holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. She has 2 years of process engineering experience, and over 20 years of industrial and state government environmental sustainability experience. She currently works in the SC Energy Office – Office of Regulatory Staff as a Senior Program Manager. In this role, Ms. Washington works in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean transportation as it relates to education, outreach, energy planning, and energy justice.

Nam Nguyen

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

Leading the Virginia Energy Management Program, Nam Nguyen works to reduce energy consumption and costs for state facilities. As part of Virginia Energy, the state’s energy office, he serves as technical lead for the Governor and Executive Branch on energy issues.

Nam promotes renewable energy projects on public facilities across the Commonwealth. He and his team serve state agencies and localtities to help reach energy efficiency goals through the Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) program. In June 2021, that program celebrated $1 billion in energy savings for the Commonwealth. They also ensure the grid is secure during peak times by working with state facilities that can go “off the grid” when demand for electricity is high.

Nam joined Virginia Energy with 20 years experience in the electric utility industry. He holds an electrical engineering degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Dr. Timothy Unruh

Executive Director, National Association of Energy Service Companies

Dr. Timothy D. Unruh is the Executive Director of the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO).  In this role, he manages the representation of its member Energy Service Companies.  NAESCO provides advocacy for the industry at the Federal, State and Local levels, and provides for member company Accreditation.

Prior to this role, Dr. Unruh was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Renewable Power at the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office of the US Department of Energy (DOE).  As the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Dr. Unruh managed the nation’s renewable power research, while also providing oversight to the Grid Modernization Initiative.

Also while at the DOE EERE, Dr. Unruh Directed the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).  As FEMP Director, Dr. Unruh oversees the implementation of policy and actions that result in energy efficiency implementation, renewable energy adoption, and reductions in energy and water use in Federal government operations. Dr. Unruh coordinates with DOE national laboratories and other Federal agencies in this capacity. 

Dr. Unruh was formerly director of operations for ConEdison Solutions where he led a team of engineers and project managers to implement energy savings projects within government and private installations.  While in this role, Dr. Unruh worked to educate energy users about alternative finance methods to achieve energy-reduction goals. He was heavily involved in the measurement and verification of energy savings resulting from these projects. 

Earlier in his engineering career, Dr. Unruh built a program to provide energy services to major industrial clients. He trained and coordinated industrial clients on methods to produce energy savings while operating a short financial payback environment. Dr. Unruh is a licensed Professional Engineer in multiple states across the U.S. and is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) as well as a Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). 

During his career, Dr. Unruh has performed numerous assessments, project analyses, and energy engineering services for an array of facility types. He is involved in the development of electrical power quality standards with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Quality Subcommittee. 

Dr. Unruh has doctorate, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.

Emily Levin

Director, Strategic Market Development, VEIC

Emily Levin is the Director of Strategic Market Development at VEIC, where she leads national market development and strategic partnerships to advance innovative and equitable decarbonization. Emily has designed and advised on energy efficiency and building decarbonization programs in states ranging from California to Maryland. She is an expert in residential energy efficiency and a nationally recognized speaker on topics such as equity metrics and climate-forward efficiency. Emily has been with VEIC since 2007 and previously managed the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program for Efficiency Vermont, an energy efficiency utility operated by VEIC. As a Building Performance Association board member, Emily serves on the Executive Committee and co-chairs the Policy Committee, where she works to support the building performance industry through federal and state policy.

Robin LeBaron

Co-Founder, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Pearl Certification

Robin LeBaron is the president, and co-founder of Pearl Certification, a national firm that is transforming the way homes are bought and sold in the U.S. by certifying high-performing homes and creating a platform that connects homeowners with the professionals who build, improve, sell, and finance high-performing homes. Prior to co-founding Pearl, Robin served as the Managing Director of the National Home Performance Council, a national non-profit organization created to promote energy efficiency upgrades in U.S. homes, where he led national efforts that developed energy efficiency, real estate home data, and certification standards, and authored guides on best practices in energy efficiency for the U.S. Department of Energy and other stakeholders. He previously served as the executive director of Hope Community, Inc., a non-profit based in East Harlem, New York, that built and managed 1,200 units of affordable housing, including the first affordable LEED Silver multi-family buildings in New York City.

Justin Hill

Principal Research Engineer, Southern Company Services

Justin Hill is a Principal Research Engineer in Southern Company’s Energy End Use R&D organization.  His research focuses on grid-interactive efficient buildings, specifically their integration to the grid and developing valuation models for them.  He has been involved with Southern Company’s Smart Neighborhood initiative since their conception and is the technical lead for the Georgia Power Smart Neighborhood.  He has been in this current role since February 2012.

An Alabama native, Justin holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  He is also a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Alabama.

Demetra Tzamares

Manager, Distributed Energy Resources, Center for Sustainable Energy

Demetra Tzamaras, P.E. is a Senior Manager on the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) team at the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), a national clean energy nonprofit with one mission – Decarbonize. Demetra is a licensed civil engineer (C 90123) and has worked as a consultant in building enclosure design, construction and rehabilitation. At CSE, she supports a diverse and dynamic portfolio of projects. She manages a grant-funded microgrid demonstration and evaluation project, leads the development and implementation of a residential solar incentive program, and managed the development of a DER implementation plan and a fleet electrification plan for a southern California municipality. Demetra holds a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Maryland – College Park and a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Anne Hampson

Technical Partnerships Program Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Anne Hampson currently serves as the program manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) Technical Partnership programs, which support the development and validation of technologies and practices to increase the productivity and competitiveness of American manufacturers and other large energy-using facilities.  The five core programs that Ms. Hampson oversees are the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Deployment Program, Better Plants, ISO 50001, Industrial Assessment Centers, and Technologist in Residence.

Before joining AMO, Ms. Hampson was a resilience fellow at the Federal Energy Management Program where she focused on tool development and stakeholder outreach related to energy and water resilience.  Ms. Hampson also spent over 15 years at ICF focused on distributed generation and CHP, where she led a team focused on CHP technology assessment, market potential, and regulatory/policy considerations.

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

Co-Founder, Promise

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is the founder and CEO of Promise, a financial technology company that leverages the power of technology to help people succeed by making payments to governments and utilities easier through customer tailored, non-punitive payment plans and direct relief distribution.

Prior to founding Promise, she was the Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, the Executive Director of Working Partnerships USA, and the CEO for Green For All. Phaedra also worked with the musician Prince and led the effort to secure ownership of his masters, and ran revenue and operations at Honor, a home care technology company. She currently serves on the boards of Honor and Tipping Point.

Over the course of her career, Phaedra has been recognized for her leadership. She was honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, Essence for their 25 Most Influential African Americans, Ebony for their Power 150, The Grio for their 100 History Makers in the Making, and Black Enterprise for their 40 Next: Emerging Leaders for Our Future. San Jose Magazine named her one of the 100 most powerful people in Silicon Valley.

She is a labor and community organizer by trade who is committed to making measurable change.

Sandy Fazeli

Senior Managing Director, National Association of State Energy Officials

Sandy Fazeli leads NASEO policy and program priorities coordination; workforce development; equity, access, and inclusion; and state and local cooperation and coordination on energy, climate, and resilience planning. She oversees NASEO’s private sector Affiliates program, which connects state energy policy makers, companies, and non-profits, and helps lead the content development of NASEO’s major conferences and events. She serves as an Adjunct Fellow for the Center for Strategic and International Studies Wadhwani Chair in U.S. India Policy Studies; on the Advisory Board of the Energy Policy Institute at Boise State University; as the Vice-Chair of the City of Minneapolis's Community Environmental Advisory Commission; and on the National Academies' Committee on Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States. Prior to NASEO, Ms. Fazeli worked on energy efficiency and state policy issues at the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Colorado Energy Office, and the Alliance to Save Energy. She received a Bachelor of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University and a Master of Development Practice from the University of Denver.

Henry Golatt

Chief of Strategy and Partnerships, Historically Black Colleges and Universities Community Development Action Coalition

In his current role with HBCU, Mr. Golatt helps executive leadership communicate and execute on the strategic vision sanctioned by the Board of Directors.  He also serves as a senior organizational representative and voice at national and regional conferences and assists in developing and drafting funding proposals to ensure organizational growth.  Mr. Golatt has also held many senior leadership positions in other organizations, including leading efforts within the Economic Development Division for the City of Columbus and acting as an executive director at the Economic Research and Development Center at the University of Arkansas.

Mr. Golatt has won numerous honors and awards, such as the Delta Entrepreneurship Network Fellow, Booker T. Washington Economic Development Award from Tuskegee University Arkansas, District Director Partnership Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration, among others.  He also sits on several boards and is an active member of numerous professional committees. Mr. Golatt graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.S. in Accounting.

Karen Soares

Director, Clean Energy Initiative, Historically Black Colleges and Universities Community Development Action Coalition

Karen is an accomplished Chairperson, CEO, CIO, visionary, and aspiring author. She has over 20 years of experience in renewable energy practices, leadership, strategy, communications, technology, and project management. Karen holds several certificates from the FEMA Emergency Management Institute and was named a Top 50 Entrepreneur by Business Leader Magazine. Karen’s background of working within both public and private organizations combined with her in-depth knowledge of clean energy will enable her to significantly increase CEI’s impact for all stakeholders.

Carol Davis

Executive Director, Simon Green Atkins Community Development Corporation

Carol Davis is executive director of the non-profit S.G. Atkins Community Development Corporation and special assistant to the Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University.  Davis is on a mission for equity and social justice to increase the homeownership rate and business ownership rate in East Winston-Salem.  She collaborates with local, state and federal partners to make targeted investments for impactful community economic development.   With her leadership, the Atkins CDC builds homes for families, provides technical assistance and office spaces for entrepreneurs, operates the first shared-use commercial kitchen in Forsyth County and supports the efforts of neighborhood leaders.  In 2010, she directed the Atkins CDC to purchase and transform a 40,000 square foot building into The Enterprise Center - a LEED certified hub for community engagement and business incubation for entrepreneurs and non-profits.  In 2021, Davis was instrumental in opening a Small Business Administration Women’s Business Center to serve Winston-Salem.   She has secured over $10 million in grant awards and other project funding.

Education:
Wake Forest University School of Law, Juris Doctorate
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Masters of Business Administration
Virginia Commonwealth University, B.S. Business Administration

Shalaya T. Morissette

Chief, Minority Business and Workforce Division, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, U.S. Department of Energy

Shalaya Morissette is Chief of Minority Business and Workforce Division in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity for the Department of Energy. She hails from the Northeast region where she was in the utility sector in safety and regulatory compliance. During the last year she took on an additional role as an engineering teacher to 11th and 12th graders in Boston. Previously she held various roles in higher education and in global transportation as the Director of Affiliate Relations. Serving as president of the Greater Boston chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy for the last 3 years and former board member of the New England Women in Energy and Environment and Georgia Gwinnett College Alumni Association. As a committee member for Browning the Green Space, she has been devoted to elevating and engaging minorities in the energy space. With a passion for bringing young people into the clean energy industry she has coached for Girls Inc and WriteBoston.  Morissette received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgia Gwinnett College and her Master of Education degree from Cambridge College. As a lifetime learner she is continuing her education by pursuing a second bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering technology with Excelsior College.

Maya Goodwin

Senior Manager, Policy, Markle Foundation

Maya Goodwin, Senior Manager for Policy at the Markle Foundation, is an economic policy strategist and researcher focused on expanding economic security, mobility and empowerment through advancing critical policy reforms and reshaping economic narratives.

At the Markle Foundation, Maya leads initiatives to investigate and elevate federal and state workforce policy approaches that expand access to good quality careers, especially among populations facing pronounced barriers in the labor market. These initiatives include an effort, in partnership with NASEO and the Eno Center for Transportation, to interrogate and clarify how state infrastructure and workforce leaders can capitalize on the federal boost in infrastructure funding, much of which flows through state agencies, to expand access and inclusion to good quality jobs in transportation and clean energy.  Previously, Maya advised clients in workforce development on policy, strategy, program development, and communications as a Senior Consultant with the social impact consulting firm, Kinetic West. She has also worked as a Senior Economic Advisor with Sperling Economic Strategies, where she advised private sector stakeholders and economic policy expert Gene Sperling on pressing economic challenges, as well as investment and policy reform approaches. She has also worked as a fiscal policy researcher at the Pew Charitable Trusts' Fiscal Federalism Initiative, and in workforce development and anti-poverty research at the Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program.

Maya holds masters' degrees in international economic policy and political economy from Sciences Po and the London School of Economics, respectively. She also holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology, with a focus on political and economic anthropology, from Princeton University.

(pronouns: she/her/hers)

Alex Winn

Clean Energy Lead, Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship

Michael Li

Acting Deputy Director, Community Energy Programs, Office of State and Community Energy Programs, U.S. Department of Energy

Michael is the Acting Deputy Director for Community Energy Programs in the newly created Office of State and Community Programs. In his role, he leads a team charged with supporting local governments in meeting their energy and climate goals. His programs include the Energy Efficiency Block Grant program, the Public School Facilities program, and others that will invest over $1 billion to address climate change and improve the lives of people in every state and territory.

Previously, Michael was the bureau chief for energy and technology policy at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The energy bureau leads the state’s work in energy efficiency, transportation and building decarbonization, integrated resource planning, wholesale market design, offshore wind development, among other areas. He previously served as a senior policy advisor in the Office Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Michael has also worked in the Office of Electricity and the Secretary’s Office at DOE.

Prior to joining DOE the first time, Michael worked at the British Embassy on climate change negotiations in the run up to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.  Before that, Michael was the chief of staff for the Maryland Energy Administration. He also worked in other state agencies, including the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Governor’s Office of Smart Growth.

Kristofor Anderson

Director of Energy Resources, Georgia Environmental Finance Authority

Maria Robinson

Director, Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Maria Duaime Robinson was the first Korean-American elected to the Massachusetts General Court, where she served in the House of Representatives from 2019-2022. While in office, she led the bicameral Clean Energy Caucus, was the Massachusetts state lead for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators where she also served on the board, and was the only state legislator on the U.S. EPA Clean Air Act Advisory Committee. She also served on faculty at Tufts University's School of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, bringing her expertise in energy policy to graduate students. Prior to her election in 2018, Maria led Advanced Energy Economy's Wholesale Markets Program, including engagement at FERC and the regional transmission organizations. Previously, she focused on regulatory issues relating to energy and air, including a 27-state campaign with Governors' offices, legislatures, and energy and environmental regulators. She also managed AEE’s report development and data-driven analysis at both the state and national level. She worked for Navigant Consulting in the renewable energy practice, supporting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in analyzing and procuring contractors for statewide renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Maria is a proud lifetime Girl Scout. She holds an S.B. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Masters of Jurisprudence in Energy Law from the University of Tulsa.

Patrick Woodcock

Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources

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

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

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

Michael Furze

Assistant Director, Energy Division, Washington State Department of Commerce

Michael Furze is an Assistant Director at the Washington State Department of Commerce where he leads the State Energy Office. The Office catalyzes the transition to a clean and just energy future through policy leadership, investing in leading edge clean technologies, planning & responding to energy emergencies and expanding access to clean energy and environmental justice. Their work strengthens communities so that the people of Washington thrive in a clean, affordable and just energy economy.

He currently serves on the Board of the National Association of State Energy Officials and co-chairs the NASEO equity committee. Michael holds a Master’s Degree in Community and Regional Planning and a graduate certificate in Town Design from the University of New Mexico.

He waits patiently for the sun to emerge from behind the rain and clouds of the Pacific Northwest.

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.

Mitchell Simpson

Director, Energy Office, Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment

Mitchell Simpson is the director of the Arkansas Energy Office (AEO), a division of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. Mr. Simpson has managed various local, state, and federal programs and divisions in municipalities like Little Rock and in branches of state government including the Arkansas Department of Health and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. At AEO, he directs the office’s energy efficiency, weatherization, transportation, financing, and market preparation programming. He holds a master's degree in public administration from Arkansas State University and a juris doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Dan Lloyd

Bureau Chief, Energy Office, Montana Department of Environmental Quality

Dan Lloyd has led the Montana Energy Office (MEO) at the Department of Environmental Quality since August of 2020. Prior to this, Dan was employed by an energy development company working on transmission and storage projects and has served the state of Montana state for nearly a decade including positions with the Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the Department of Commerce. Dan has a business degree from the University of Notre Dame and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member focused on improving access to energy efficiency. He lives with his wife and two dogs in Helena, Montana.

Robert Brabston

Executive Director, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

Elizabeth Schrader

Director, Energy Group, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

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.

Dr. Jeremy Mehta

Technology Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Jeremy Mehta PhD is a Technology Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. His work focuses on the advancement of material supply chains and process technologies that promote economy-wide decarbonization and circular economy approaches. Dr. Mehta supports the design and management of research, development, deployment, and commercialization activities through consortia models such as energy innovation hubs and clean energy manufacturing institutes. Dr. Mehta earned a masters in teaching and a doctorate in physics from Binghamton University before joining the Department of Energy as a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow.

Elizabeth Beardsley

Senior Policy Counsel, U.S. Green Building Council

Thomas King, Jr.

Director, Sustainable Electricity Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Thomas J. (Tom) King, Jr. is the Director of the Sustainable Electricity Program at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. He is responsible for leading, coordinating and implementing ORNL's research and development portfolio conducted within the DOE's the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The diverse R&D portfolio consists of renewable energy integration, grid modeling and analysis, systems integration, advanced components & materials and energy security. In 2012, Mr. King took on a joint role with the University of Tennessee, where he serves as the Director of Innovation & Industry for the NSF/DOE Engineering Research Center, CURENT. The Center focuses on wide area situational awareness and wide area controls of the electric grid. Prior to joining ORNL, Tom was employed at Progress Energy where he held various management positions in the fossil generation area. He also was a program manager at DOE working in areas of distributed energy and industrial technologies. He holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University and an M.S. in Materials Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He also received a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee.

Joseph Paladino

Program Manager, Grid Deployment Office, 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.

Cynthia Adams

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Pearl Certification

Cynthia is CEO and Co-Founder of Pearl Certification, a vertical SaaS firm that provides investment grade data on a home’s performance features to increase its value in the refinance or real estate transaction. Cynthia is also the co-founder of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council and a twenty-year veteran in energy efficiency and green construction. Voted 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council, she is also the 2018 winner of the Linda Wigington Leadership Award from the Building Performance Association, and she serves on NAR’s Sustainability Advisory Group. Cynthia has been a gubernatorial appointee to the Virginia Energy Council and Executive Committee on Energy Efficiency. She has been certified as a USGBC LEED Accredited Professional and NAR Green Designee.

Dr. Melvin Isadore Douglass

Former President, Barber-Scotia College

Dr. Melvin Isadore Douglass was the president of Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina, from 2019 to 2022. He was also the senior chaplain of the Kittie M. Sanson Chapel and Leland Stanford Cozart Professor of Education at the college. Barber-Scotia College was founded immediately following the Civil War in 1867 and affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). It is the first college established for African American women in the United States. The college's most notable graduate is Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, renown educator and advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Dr. Douglass’s passion to preserve the college’s rich history and secure its place as a leading institution of higher education, runs deep. As a result, he made a request to the school’s board of trustees that his annual salary be $1. Dr. Douglass’s request was intended to ensure stakeholders that all available funds would be used for the college’s growth and development. During his presidency, Dr. Douglass eliminated the college's multi-million-dollar debt and reestablished healthy relationships with church and community leaders.

A native of Harlem, New York, he has earned his degrees from Vincennes University, Tuskegee University, Morgan State University, New York University, Columbia University and Harvard University. Dr. Douglass did post-doctoral studies at Clare College, Cambridge University, England, and the Goethe-Institut, Germany. He was also selected as a Japan Fulbright Memorial Scholar. While attending Columbia University on a full academic scholarship, he was elected to the prestigious Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society, Golden Key International Honour Society and Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. In 2018, he was elected to the Royal Historical Society of the United Kingdom (RHistS). Two years later, Dr. Douglass was selected as an Associate Fellow in the Society. The aforementioned is one of the oldest and most prestigious learned historical societies in the world.

Among Douglass's many awards are: Doctor of Humane Letters degree (Honoris Causa) from Metropolitan College of New York and Key to the City of Columbia, S.C. Furthermore, he is listed in Who's Who in the World (22nd, 23rd, and 24th editions). Dr. Douglass is a member of Omega Psi Phi, Sigma Pi Phi, Prince Hall Freemasonry (33 degree).

Michael Maten

Director, Electric Vehicle Policy and Regulatory Affairs, General Motors

A veteran of the automotive industry, Michael is the Director, EV Policy and Regulatory Affairs for General Motors.  He has worked in the Electric Propulsion space for over 10 years as part of GM’s Product Planning and Strategy group.  He led the advanced planning effort for GM’s next generation of battery electric vehicles, debuting in the form of the Cadillac Lyriq and Hummer EV. 

Michael has worked all over the globe for GM on electrification and strategy projects.  He leads GM Policy work on EV and battery supply chain topics.

He is a member of the Massachusetts Zero Emission Vehicle Commission, the Indiana EV Commission, and also sits on the advisory panel for Drive Change, Drive Electric, a public/private partnership between automakers and Northeast states to promote electric vehicles.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Alex Schroeder

Chief Technology Officer, Joint Office of Energy and Transportation

Alex leads the newly formed Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to align resources and expertise across the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Energy (DOE). The Joint Office seeks to accelerate an electrified transportation system that is affordable, convenient, equitable, reliable, and safe. Initial work by the Joint Office is geared towards providing technical and analytical assistance to states on EV charging plans and will quickly expand to support additional transportation electrification opportunities.

Alex is serving in the interim role on assignment from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where he leads a research group that focuses on vehicle charging, electric grid integration, and the decarbonization of commercial vehicles. Alex has served in a variety of leadership roles at NREL ranging from transportation technology deployment to institutional planning and strategy. In that time, he helped to conceptualize the Energy Efficiency Mobility Systems program at U.S. DOE and aligned efforts between DOE and DOT to accelerate transportation systems research. Alex also served as a senior advisor on innovation to DOT and was part of the team that supported the initial designation of alternative fuel corridors.

Prior to NREL, Alex spent the better part of a decade in state government in the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office and Western Governors’ Association where he led programs related to transportation fuels and clean energy working with a variety of private and public sector stakeholders. An engineer and pilot by training, Alex has spent his career supporting research, policies, and programs that push past traditional boundaries in pursuit of outcomes that transcend organizations and magnify benefits. Outside of the office, Alex is a proud father, avid traveler, and consummate tinkerer.

Michael Tubman

Director of Federal Affairs, Lucid Motors

Michael Tubman is the director of federal affairs for Lucid Motors, overseeing the company’s relationships with Congress and Federal government agencies, as well as engaging with the national policy community to advance transportation electrification.

His prior roles include as the manager of state government affairs and public policy at Electrify America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, and director of outreach at leading climate policy think tank, C2ES. Mr. Tubman‘s government experience includes service at the US Consulate – Shanghai and in the administrations of three Alaska Governors.

Mr. Tubman holds a master of arts in international policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.

Dr. Judsen Bruzgul

Senior Director, Climate Resilience and Climate Center Senior Fellow, ICF

At ICF, Judsen leads a portfolio of work assessing risks and building resilience to extreme weather and climate change for energy utilities, infrastructure owners, and state agencies across the country. His expertise includes conducting risk assessments for assets and operations, analyzing costs and benefits of resilience investments, translating climate science into practical information for decision-making, and supporting long-term planning for climate adaptation and resilience. He has provided expertise and project leadership for clients including Con Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, Duke, and other major utilities across North America, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Defense, New York City, and the California Energy Commission. Before joining ICF, he worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality developing and implementing resilience policy recommendations. Judsen has been advising on and researching the strategy, investment, and policy challenges of building resilience in a changing climate since 2000.

Dr. J. Chris Ford

Mission-to-Market Manager, Applied Research Center, Florida International University

Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Dr. J. Chris Ford is an experienced researcher and expert in building inclusive innovation ecosystems and programs for technology transfer and commercialization for universities, Federal agencies, corporations, and investors. From 2012-2017, Dr. Ford was an expert consultant and contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with special emphasis on inclusion, technology transfer, and economic development. In this role, Dr. Ford served as a change agent to catalyze the DOE technology commercialization ecosystem while assisting minority and small businesses, impacting underserved communities, and including minority serving institutions. At DOE, Dr. Ford developed a novel Lab-embedded accelerator programs, a four-point inclusive innovation ecosystem development plan, and strategies for intellectual property monetization. Prior to his role at DOE, Dr. Ford was a researcher and entrepreneur in the technical consulting and healthcare sectors. Dr. Ford has more than ten years of alternative energy research experience specializing in battery and fuel cell technologies, and thermodynamic optimization algorithms for energy systems at Georgia Tech, DOE, and the Department of Defense. Dr. Ford received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and a B.S. in mathematics and dual degree engineering from Morehouse College. While at Georgia Tech, Dr. Ford completed a special two year technology commercialization and entrepreneurship training program called the TI:GER (Technological Innovation Generating Economic Results).

Dr. Sumesh Arora

Diversity and Workforce Strategies Program Manager, Entergy Corporation

Dr. Sumesh Arora serves as a Diversity and Workforce Strategies Program Manager at Entergy Corporation where is responsible for developing the next generation talent in the utility industry. The goal is to inform, prepare and attract a diverse pool of candidates who will support Entergy on its path to becoming a premier utility.

Dr. Arora has over 32 years’ experience in the energy sector and the chemical process industry. He has formerly served as the director of Mississippi’s state energy office and vice president of the non-profit Innovate Mississippi. Over the years, Sumesh has worked on renewable energy technology and business development, innovation and entrepreneurship, energy education and workforce development, energy efficiency, electric vehicle strategy, and energy security.

Dr. Arora has previously testified before the United States Senate in support of advanced biofuels and was appointed to the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Advisory Board by the former US Energy Secretary. He has over 120 publications and presentations including three book chapters and two patents.

Sumesh has a Ph.D. in International Development from the University of Southern Mississippi and a masters and bachelor’s in engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Michelle Butler

Engagement Manager, Colorado Energy Office

Michelle Butler is the Engagement Manager for the Weatherization Assistance Program in the Colorado Energy Office and is a collaborator in Colorado’s efforts to grow the clean and efficient energy workforce. Michelle also implements the Weatherization Assistance Program’s community and stakeholder engagement plans with the aim of ensuring that community input is integrated into strategic planning processes.

Prior to joining the Colorado Energy Office, Michelle was a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla in Cholula, Mexico. Her engagement with students and the community centered on how cultural identities inform our decisions and practices in reference to sustainable development and conservation. Michelle received a doctorate from the University of California, Riverside, and her master’s and bachelor’s from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

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.

Katelyn Walker Mooney

Director, Good Jobs Initiative, U.S. Department of Labor

Katelyn Walker Mooney is the Director of the Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Initiative and serves as an Advisor to Secretary Walsh. In this role she coordinates work done since the beginning of this administration—and often for decades before—under one umbrella to provide critical information to workers, employers, and government agencies as they work to improve job quality. She recently served as the Associate General Counsel for the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of Representatives. There, she managed the legislative process; counseled Representatives and staff on labor policy, legislation, and law; and conducted oversight investigations. Before that, she clerked for the Honorable Melanie M. Shaw Geter in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the Honorable Tiffany H. Anderson in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. As a law student, she worked for Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, the AFL-CIO, and the SEIU. Katelyn is an alumna of the George Washington University Law School and Dartmouth College.

Ari Gerstman

Associate Director, Policy and Compliance Division, District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment

Ari Gerstman is the Associate Director for Policy and Compliance in the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment’s Energy Administration.  Gerstman manages DC’s Special Purpose Revenue Fund dedicated to renewable energy and generated through our Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard.  In addition, Gerstman oversees DC’s Low- and Moderate-Income solar energy assistance program (Solar for All), DC’s comprehensive energy plan (Clean Energy DC), DC’s Energy Assurance Plan, and DC government’s positions and formal input into utility regulation proceedings before the Public Service Commission.  Previously, Gerstman was the Director for Washington Operations for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, where he worked with partners across the private, public, and academic sectors in the international, national, and local community, to encourage and facilitate the use of climate science in decision making.  Gerstman holds a MBA in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he was a Palmer Scholar, and a BA in Classics from Brown University.

Issamar Pichardo

Environmental Justice Specialist, Colorado Energy Office

Issamar Pichardo is the Environmental Justice Specialist at the Colorado Energy Office. She works to ensure environmental justice and equity are incorporated into the office daily work. Issamar also supports outreach and engagement encouraging best practices with disproportionately impacted communities.

For over 15 years, Issamar has been an advocate for social justice. Issamar has a Bachelors in Geography from the University of Colorado Denver. As an undergrad she discovered her passion for natural disasters research and the recovery process within the Latino community. With her Geographic information systems certificate she incorporated maps into her environmental justice work to share complex data into comprehensive visuals and connect data to communities live experiences through storytelling.

Issamar’s commitment to underrepresented communities and protecting air quality drives from her time at Conservation Colorado, Protegete where she helped organize the Latino communities to share their testimonies on the impacts of environmental injustices. Her goal is to make sure all people are represented as we transition into a future powered by clean energy.

Carrie Hearne

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

Carrie Hearne serves as Associate Director at Virginia Department of Energy. In addition to overseeing much of the renewable energy division’s operations, this new role includes advancing equity and access within Virginia’s energy system and providing technical assistance to local governments throughout the Commonwealth. Projects include setting up a new Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) Solar Fund; ensuring broad access to shared solar programs; assessing impacts on the energy transition within economically disadvantaged communities; and working to implement key state and federal programs.

Originally from rural West Virginia, Carrie moved to Virginia in 2019 after working for over a decade on climate policy and sustainable business operations in Portland, Oregon. Carrie holds an MBA in sustainable systems from Presidio Graduate School and a Bachelor’s degree from Earlham College. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Renewable Energy Alliance and lives in a solar-powered home in Richmond, Virginia, with her two dogs Timber and Odie.

Maria Tome

Managing Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hawaii State Energy Office

Maria is the Managing Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) for the Hawai‘i State Energy Office and manages HESO’s programs to help the state envision, measure, and achieve its targets for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and deep decarbonization (to be carbon negative by 2045). This requires that HSEO staff, working groups, consultants, researchers, project developers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, decision-makers and the public have access to energy information, training, analysis, and understanding appropriate to the island, demographic, project, or technologies being considered at the time. EERE seeks to develop events, documents, information, training, and on-line tools essential to the appropriate siting, evaluation, development, and deployment of energy conservation, efficiency, renewable energy, and carbon reduction projects and programs in and for Hawai‘i.

Stephanie Weisenbach

Program Manager, Energy Team, Iowa Economic Development Authority

Stephanie Weisenbach is a Program Manager at the Iowa Energy Office within the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and has been with the agency since 2008. Stephanie has managed revolving loan programs for projects including renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, battery storage and utility energy infrastructure. She has coordinated planning and financial assistance for alternative fuels in Iowa and has been tasked with managing federal funding for a variety of state-specific energy needs. Her experience includes previous participation on a city-appointed board tasked with reviewing plans for local economic development projects, including integration of environmentally sustainable practices.

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).  OEP promotes the efficient, effective use of energy to enhance the environmental and economic health of the state.  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, and energy in transportation

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 various TVA information exchanges and working groups.  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 serves as the Director of Operations for the Bureau of Environment, including emergency response efforts.  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.

Katie Dykes

Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Katie Scharf Dykes is the Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP).  She was nominated by Governor Ned Lamont to serve as the Commissioner of DEEP, and was confirmed on February 20, 2019.  Katie previously served as Chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) from 2015-2018, and as Deputy Commissioner for Energy at Connecticut DEEP from 2012-2015. Katie also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. (RGGI) from 2014 to 2017.  RGGI is a multi-state effort focused on reducing carbon emissions from electric generating facilities.  Katie joined CT DEEP in March 2012 after prior service as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as a Legal Advisor to the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy.  She is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School.

Dylan Klomhaus

Program Engineer, Building Innovation and Energy Finance, Colorado Energy Office

Dylan Klomhaus is an energy engineer at the Colorado Energy Office. He provides engineering support and project coaching to EPC Program participants, delivering on the Colorado Energy Office's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumer energy costs by advancing clean energy, energy efficiency and zero emission vehicles to benefit all Coloradans. Dylan enjoys assisting K-12, local governments, state agencies and institutes of higher education across all corners of the state on their energy and GHG reduction goals. Born and raised in Colorado, he received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from CU Boulder and is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado.

Steve Dunn

Technology Manager, Building Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Steve Dunn is a technology manager in the Residential Buildings Integration (RBI) program of EERE's Building Technologies Office, where he leads the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program, a voluntary partnership with energy-efficiency programs and home performance contractors that delivers affordable energy-efficiency improvements to U.S. households.

Steve is experienced in state and local energy-efficiency program design and implementation, residential retrofit technologies and market strategies, and energy-efficiency financing and incentive mechanisms. At DOE, he was the lead project officer responsible for a $500 million portfolio of 40 award recipients under the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program.

Prior to DOE, he worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, where he led national efforts to advance state clean energy and climate change policies and initiatives. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a master's in environmental management from the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University.

Erin Kempster

Decarbonization Strategy Fellow, Energy Solutions

Ms. Kempster is a Decarbonization Strategy Fellow at Energy Solutions overseeing the growth of the decarbonization practice within the Business Strategy Department and working across teams in market development, market transformation, and the strategy to guide Energy Solutions to achieve large scale environmental impacts.  Based in the Northeast, she coordinates across departments to surface new research, policy, and program models with GHG reduction benefits. Prior to joining Energy Solutions, Erin was an economist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and contributed analysis on dockets including approaches to grid modernization, performance-based ratemaking, and electric vehicle infrastructure. Erin received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where she focused on International Environment and Resource Policy and Development Economics.

Lynn Retz

Director, Energy Office, Kansas Corporation Commission

Lynn Retz joined the Kansas Corporation Commission’s Energy Division in December 2016. She was named Energy Director in May 2017. Prior to that, she worked in Legislative Post Audit for more than
eight years. Lynn worked as an attorney in private practice for several years and also worked for the
Kansas Performance Review Board.

Dr. Andrew McAllister

Commissioner, California Energy Commission (virtual)

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.

Vicki Hackett

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

Vicki Hackett is the Bureau Chief and Acting Deputy Commissioner of Energy at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).  Before accepting the Bureau Chief position in January, 2022 she was appointed the Deputy Commissioner position in August, 2019.

Vicki is leading DEEP's Energy Branch as Connecticut transitions to a zero carbon electric grid. Her responsibilities include developing Connecticut's Integrated Resources Plan and Comprehensive Energy Strategy, overseeing procurements of clean energy resources, and developing policies and programs in the areas of energy affordability, energy efficiency, and strategic electrification of the transportation and housing sectors to help Connecticut achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Vicki has developed broad ranging experience in energy and environmental policy and utility regulation in the state of Connecticut since 2006.  She previously served as Chief of Staff, Operations, and Performance at DEEP, where she worked on issues involving energy, environmental quality and environmental conservation.

As the Director of Adjudications at the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Vicki oversaw the legal work of the agency and acted as general counsel to the Commissioners on matters including utility rate cases, mergers and acquisitions, regional and federal matters, and grid modernization.

As an attorney at the CT Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), Vicki gained significant experience in utility finance and rate design, integrated resources planning, energy efficiency policy and program review, utility infrastructure planning, and consumer issues related to retail electric supply.  Vicki was a litigation attorney in private practice for four years prior to joining the OCC.

Vicki earned her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Western Connecticut State University.

Lloyd Kass

Vice President of Market Development and Regulatory Strategy, Franklin Energy

Lloyd serves as Franklin Energy’s Vice President for Strategy & Market Development, steering company engagement with government, utilities, and a range of stakeholders to increase Franklin Energy’s impact through the acceleration of a climate-forward clean energy policy. Lloyd Kass has developed and implemented clean energy and building efficiency programs for utilities and government for 25 years.  Lloyd previously led strategy, business development, and program operations for Lime Energy. He also spearheaded an initiative at the New York Power Authority which was successful in reducing energy waste in state government buildings and operations. For more than a decade, Lloyd served at the New York City Housing Authority, leading infrastructure planning, finance, and energy management for a vast affordability multifamily property portfolio. Lloyd is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University, where he instructs graduate students in public administration and environmental policy. Mr. Kass is active with several energy policy nonprofits and serves as Board President of the Energy Efficiency Alliance, which advances clean energy policy in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Britta Gross

Director of Transportation, Electric Power Research Institute

Britta Gross leads the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) transportation program and is responsible for defining the market strategies needed to accelerate the electrification of the transportation system, with an urgent focus on identifying the critical gaps that need to be addressed to achieve 2030 climate-aligned goals.

Britta was formerly the Director of Advanced Vehicle Commercialization at General Motors, responsible for the energy and infrastructure strategies required to enable the commercialization of battery and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Britta is also currently the President of the Orlando Utilities Commission, Orlando’s electric and water utility.

She has an Electrical Engineering degree from LSU and studied language arts at the University of Wurzburg in Germany.  She has held numerous board seats, including the Alliance for Transportation Electrification, NACFE, MobilityData, Plug in America, the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), Rhombus, and served as a Governor appointee on both the Massachusetts and Maryland EV Commissions. Ms. Gross has received numerous industry awards including the Forth Roadmap Career Achievement Award, Automotive News’ “Electrifying 100”, the GreenBiz “Verge 25” award, and has testified at the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on transportation electrification.

Matt Anderson

Deputy Director, Utah Office of Energy Development

Dr. Willie Todd, Jr.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Denmark Technical College

Dr. Willie L. Todd, Jr. is the 9th President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Denmark Technical College, a two-year Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located in Denmark, South Carolina.

Dr. Todd has intentionally spent his entire professional career at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  As a product of an HBCU, he understands the vital role that institutions like Denmark Technical College play in the overall success of our students, our community, our Nation, and our world.

Dr. Todd holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in English from Georgia State University; a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Higher Education Administration (Student Affairs’ Concentration) from Regent University; a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in English Education and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English, both from Albany State University.  Dr. Todd is a member of 100 Black Men of America and both a Province and National Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. where he serves as the Province (regional) director for membership intake.

He is a native of Decatur, GA, and has two daughters: Tatia and Jessica and still lives by three quotes he listed in his high school yearbook: “The intention is not to see through one another, but to see one another through,” “Always hope for the best, yet prepare for the worst,” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Dr. A. Clifton Myles

Executive Vice President, Denmark Technical College

A. Clifton Myles, Ph.D., is the Executive Vice President for Administration and Innovation in the President’s Office at Demark Technical College (DTC), Denmark, South Carolina. A. Clifton has worked at Colleges and Universities in Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, and now South Carolina.  Dr. Myles has worked in education for over twenty-nine years and has been an administrator for most of that time.  In his role at DTC, his direct reports are Academic Affairs, Grants and Contracts, Institutional Advancement and Effectiveness, Information Technology, Student Services, Workforce Development and Continuing education, and several special projects for the College.  Last year, he was a fellow for the White House Initiative HBCU Contracting Competitiveness Academy Pilot Program.  Dr. Myles has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Master of Education degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech).

Harry Bergmann

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

Harry Bergmann is a technology manager within the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (BTO) where he manages the agency’s work on building performance standards (BPS) and leads the Building Energy Data subprogram. Harry’s work supports BTO’s effort to improve the efficiency of and decarbonize existing buildings through data-driven policies and programs to rapidly deploy new technologies. Prior to joining DOE, Harry was with The Energy Coalition, supporting local government agencies with turnkey services for energy-efficiency improvements. Harry has a master’s in environmental science and management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and bachelor's degrees in geography and philosophy from the George Washington University.

Kendra Kostek

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

Andrew Wills

Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Andrew Wills is Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) at the U.S. Department of Energy. As a principal member of the CESER senior leadership team, he supports the Director of CESER in overseeing office-wide strategic planning, programmatic initiatives, communications, budget, and administrative efforts.

Prior to joining the Department, Wills was head of Federal Affairs for Invenergy, where he was Invenergy’s principal liaison to all federal partners to advance Invenergy’s sustainable energy mission. He also served as Director of Federal Affairs and Counsel at the American Public Power Association; Associate Attorney for standards development and corporate law for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation; Summer Associate for Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer, and Pembroke; and Law Clerk for the Georgia Transmission Corporation. Wills is 2011 magna cum laude graduate of the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, and a 2014 cum laude graduate of the UGA School of Law.

Megan Levy

State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Project Manager, Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy

Prior to joining The US Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) State, Local, Tribal, Territorial team in September of 2022, Megan spent two decades in energy efficiency, security, and resilience both with the low-income weatherization program and with the Wisconsin State Energy Office as Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinator and Resilience Strategist. From 2017 through 2022, Megan served as the Co-Chair of the NASEO Energy Security Committee. Formerly a member of the Board of Directors, Megan Energy serves on the Midwest Renewable Association Advisory Board (www.midwestrenew.org).  Megan is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Karen Lasure

Energy Development Specialist, Office of Energy, West Virginia Department of Economic Development

Karen Lasure is an energy development specialist with the West Virginia State Energy Office, housed within the recently formed WV Department of Economic Development. Karen directly manages 85% of West Virginia's State Energy Program activities. The office's largest SEP-supported program provides comprehensive statewide energy efficiency and workforce education. Most recently, Karen provided technical assistance and guidance to the West Virginia Legislature that led to the passage of HB 2667 (Energy Savings in Public Buildings). This bill sets the state’s first energy reduction goal of 25% by 2030, as well as establishes the first benchmarking and disclosure policy. Karen has over 20 years' experience in program administration and grants management, extensive experience in pre- and post- awards management, as well as university research compliance. Karen has worked directly in the energy sector since 2015. She received a bachelor’s in science from West Virginia State University and a master’s in organizational management from Emmanuel College in Boston, MA.

Dr. Asa Hopkins

Vice President, Synapse Energy Economics, Inc.

Asa Hopkins, PhD, is an expert in the development and analysis of public policy and regulation regarding energy and greenhouse gas emissions, including cost-benefit analysis, stakeholder engagement, state energy strategy and planning, and utility planning. He has provided analysis and testimony supporting decision-makers in both legislative and regulatory contexts, including state utility regulation and state and federal rulemaking.

Since arriving at Synapse in 2017, Dr. Hopkins has focused on utility and demand-side issues, including demand response in Quebec, rate design in Massachusetts, and utility performance metrics in Puerto Rico, as well as multi-state analysis of strategic end-use electrification across the Northeast region.

As the Director of Energy Policy and Planning at the Vermont Department of Public Service from 2011-2016, Dr. Hopkins was responsible for development and analysis of state policy regarding renewable energy, ratepayer-funded energy efficiency, energy-related economic development, and innovative utility rates and programs. He was responsible for developing the state’s Comprehensive Energy Plan and for review of utility integrated resource plans. Dr. Hopkins also directed the actions of the Planning and Energy Resources Division, including the evaluation of utility energy efficiency programs, evaluation of utility power supply contracts and costs, economic analysis of proposed energy infrastructure projects, advancement of clean energy finance tools, funding to foster key energy industries, development of standards for the energy portions of regional and town plans, analysis and tracking of state energy data, and programs advancing the strategic electrification of transportation and heating. He also served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Energy Officials. During his tenure, Vermont rose in the rankings on national clean energy state scorecards: ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard from 5th to 3rd and U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index from 10th to 3rd.

Prior to 2011, Dr. Hopkins was an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, he was the Assistant Project Director for the DOE’s first Quadrennial Technology Review, responsible for ensuring that the stakeholder engagement and report-drafting processes were completed successfully. He was also the primary author of the QTR’s section on building and industrial energy efficiency. Dr. Hopkins came to DOE from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he worked on economic and market analysis of appliance energy efficiency standards and led LBNL’s support for the first rulemaking on small electric motors.

Dr. Hopkins holds a B.S. in Physics from Haverford College and a Masters and PhD in Physics from California Institute of Technology.