Full Agenda

David Terry

Executive Director, National Association of State Energy Officials

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

Kelley Smith Burk

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

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

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

Patricia Hoffman

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

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

Ms. Hoffman was named Assistant Secretary for OE from June 2010 to January 2017, after serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary since November 2007. The focus of her responsibility was to provide leadership on a national level to modernize the electric grid, enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply both domestically and internationally.

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

James Campbell

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

David Nemtzow

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

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

Dr. Sumesh Arora

Director, Energy and Natural Resources Division, Mississippi Development Authority

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

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

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

Jetta Wong

President, JLW Advising

Jetta Wong is President of JLW Advising and Senior Fellow in the Clean Energy Innovation Program at ITIF. In her consulting practice, she advises clients on how to bring new clean energy technologies to the market. Previously, she worked at the Department of Energy, joining in July of 2012. Before joining the Department of Energy Jetta worked for the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. She worked on a wide range of energy and environment policy issues related to civilian research, development and demonstration programs at the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Before working for Congress, Jetta worked for the Clean Energy Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) where she brought stakeholders together from southern states in support of clean energy policy. Prior to her work at UCS she served as the Senior Policy Associate on Sustainable Biomass for the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). There she testified twice for Congress on bioenergy and worked with congressional staffers and stakeholders to develop policies that promote cutting edge sustainable renewable energy technologies. Jetta's career in energy started in Uzbekistan where she was a natural resources consultant on an anaerobic digestion development project.

Jetta holds a MPS in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University and B.S. in Natural Resources and the Environment from the University of Michigan.

Robin Yochum

Energy Program Manager, Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy

As an Energy Program Manager, Ms. Yochum works on advancing energy efficiency policies for the state of Nevada with the Governor’s Office of Energy (GOE). Ms. Yochum joined the GOE team in 2016 and her responsibilities include participating in the development and implementation of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) on a three-year cycle, the development and adoption of appliance standards including the most recent adoption of minimum efficiency standards for general service lamps, administration of a green building tax abatement program, and providing no cost energy efficient improvements for low income seniors. Ms. Yochum serves on the International Code Councils (ICC) Building Membership Council, Raise the Profile Subcommittee and Community Building Best Practices & Innovation Subcommittee. Ms. Yochum also serves on the ICCs Sustainability Membership Councils Zero Carbon Subcommittee as the Chair of the Implementation and Workforce development task group and represents Nevada on the US Climate Alliance Building and Appliance working groups. Ms. Yochum is a Nevada Certified Contracts Manager as well as LEED Green Associate and GPRO Certified for green building and sustainable practices. Ms. Yochum has over 20 years of experience in residential and commercial construction.

Ben Bolton

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

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

Megan Levy

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

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

Chris Yunker

Managing Director, Resiliency, Clean Transportation, and Analytics, Hawaii State Energy Office

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

Amy Royden-Bloom

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

Amy Royden-Bloom is the manager of the State Energy Program in the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office, which is housed in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy (DOE).  The State Energy Program (SEP) provides funding and technical assistance to states, territories, and the District of Columbia to enhance energy security, advance state-led energy initiatives, and maximize the benefits of increasing energy affordability.
Prior to joining DOE in 2013, Amy was a Senior Staff Associate for 12 years at the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), where she led the association’s efforts on global warming, enforcement, agricultural air pollution and training.  She previously worked as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and, before that, as a lawyer at DOE.

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

Heather Goggin

Planning and Economic Development Specialist, Energy Division, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs

Jenah Zweig

Supervisor of Partnerships and Technical Assistance, Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Curt Rich

President and Chief Executive Officer, North American Insulation Manufacturers Association

As President and CEO of the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), which represents the $8 billion U.S. fiber glass and mineral wool insulation industry, Curt oversees all activities relating to the promotion of fiber glass and mineral wool insulation to all key stakeholders including policymakers, code officials, building industry professionals and consumers. In addition, he champions policies and legislation that encourage the use of insulation to increase energy efficiency and sustainability.

Prior to joining NAIMA in July 2014, Curt was Vice President of Energy and Environmental Policy for United Technologies Corporation (UTC), responsible for directing government affairs objectives for UTC’s building and industrial systems businesses, which included Carrier and Otis Elevator.

Curt is a former partner at the Washington, D.C. based law and policy firm of Van Ness Feldman where he represented companies, trade associations and local governments on issues related to tax policy, energy, the environment and natural resources. He also previously served as legislative counsel to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and as legislative counsel to U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), where he advised the senator on a wide range of policy issues.

Curt holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Whitman College and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Montana.

Dr. Asa Hopkins

Vice President, Synapse Energy Economics

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.

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 with an emphasis in natural resources and public lands policy from Boise State University.

David Bobzien was appointed to the At-Large Council Member position in 2014 by the Reno City Council, to serve the remainder of Mayor Hillary Schieve’s vacated term. He was elected to a four-year term in 2016.

As a result of his leadership on the City Council, Reno was the first city in Nevada to join the C40 Compact of Mayors, convened the city’s Climate Action Initiative Group to build climate change resiliency and reduce the city’s carbon emissions, and launched “ReEnergize Reno,” an ambitious program to improve building efficiency 20% by 2025. As part of the program, Reno became the first city in Nevada to adopt an energy benchmarking ordinance, promoting transparency in building energy use to increase efficiency.

Prior to his service on the Reno City Council, Mr. Bobzien served four terms as an Assemblyman representing District 24 in the Nevada Legislature. During his legislative career, he worked on a wide variety of issues, most notably on conservation and clean energy policy including net metering, renewable incentives programs, energy efficiency, and the renewable portfolio standard. During the 2013 session, Mr. Bobzien chaired the Assembly Commerce and Labor committee and shepherded landmark legislation retiring Nevada-serving coal-fired power plants.

Al Christopher

Director, Energy Division, Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy

Billy Gridley

Director, Investor Network, Ceres

Billy supports the Ceres Investor Network whose members are global asset owners and managers committed to addressing sustainability issues in their investment practices, corporate engagements and policy advocacy. He collaborates with other Ceres teams to identify sustainable investing opportunities and risks in both public and private capital markets. He works to develop real-world portfolio strategies and policy solutions in the quest to improve capital market systems.

Prior to joining Ceres, he founded investment arbitrage groups at Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, and CSFB in New York and London. He was also the co-founder of two start-up clean energy companies: Brightbox, which addressed redundant consumer e-waste via a shared-economy solution for smartphone battery-charging; and Kilimanjaro Energy, which addressed carbon pollution with direct air capture technologies to enable carbon capture and use. He advised family office clients and perpetual nonprofits on portfolio management, with a focus on governance, the proper exercise of fiduciary duty and pursuit of intergenerational value.

He holds a Masters of Public Administration in Environmental Science & Policy from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Studies from Yale University. He is a CFA charter holder. He is passionate about the prospects for dimensional and effective sustainable investing, rapid global energy system transition, and widening opportunities for social justice and global change. He is a student of people, markets, economic systems, and world history.

Mike Peterson

Deputy Commissioner on Climate and Sustainability, California Department of Insurance

Michelle Edkins

Managing Director, Investment Stewardship Team, Blackrock

Diane Turchetta

Transportation Specialist, Sustainable Transportation and Resilience, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

Diane Turchetta is a Transportation Specialist in FHWA’s Office of Natural Environment (HEPN), and primarily works on transportation and sustainability issues.  Diane has been with FHWA for 20 years in various positions working on a variety of transportation-related air quality matters including energy use, alternative fuels and freight emissions.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the Pennsylvania State University and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  Before joining the U.S. DOT, Diane worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on fuel-related issues.

Michael Berube

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

Michael Berube is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In this role, he oversees EERE’s Sustainable Transportation sector, which includes the Vehicle, Fuel Cell, and Bioenergy Technologies offices. This portfolio focuses on research and development to increase access to domestic, clean transportation fuels and improve the energy efficiency, convenience, and affordability of transporting people and goods to support U.S. energy security, economic productivity and competitiveness.

Previously, he led the Vehicle Technologies Office. In this post, he led an array of activities that help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and secure a clean energy future. The Vehicle Technologies Office supports about $300 million in annual research funding for hybrid drivetrains, advanced batteries, lightweight materials, advanced combustion and fuels, vehicle systems integration, and Clean Cities deployment activities.

He brings more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry to his new EERE post, specifically in the areas of environmental compliance, energy and safety policy, product development and marketing. He has worked on a broad range of electric vehicle, connected car and advanced powertrain initiatives. Michael also led multiple environmental and energy initiatives within the Chrysler Corporation.

Michael has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from MIT. He later returned to MIT as both a graduate student and researcher where he received a master's degree in the Technology and Policy Program and a master's degree from the Sloan School of Management. He was recognized for his early work on corporate sustainability and led research for the MIT International Motor Vehicle Program.

Janine Benner

Director, Oregon Department of Energy

Robin Millican

Director, Advocacy and Government Relations, Gates Ventures

Robin Millican is Director of Advocacy and Government Relations at Gates Ventures, the private office of Bill Gates. Ms. Millican leads the organization’s initiatives in clean energy innovation policy. Prior to joining Gates Ventures in 2017, Ms. Millican was a senior public sector consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, working in the commerce and defense energy sectors. Ms. Millican has also held positions as the Director of Federal Affairs at the Institute for Energy Research, and as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator John Cornyn. She has a B.A. in International Studies from Southern Methodist University, and a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University.

Jenny Heeter

Senior Energy Analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Jenny Heeter is a senior energy analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado.  She has spent more than 10 years at NREL researching state and local renewable energy policies, corporate purchases of renewable energy, and community solar deployment and cost. She has 5 years of experience managing solar technical assistance programs for local governments, higher education institutions, and community solar stakeholders. Before coming to NREL she was an analyst with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Council focusing on energy efficiency and green power programs. She holds an M.P.A. in environmental policy from Indiana University-Bloomington’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a B.A. in environmental studies and political science from Macalester College.

Lenwood Coleman

Chief Program Officer, Groundswell

Lenwood Coleman,Chief Program Officer, contributes his skills in business management and development to the Groundswell operational activities. Bringing more than twenty years’ experience in project delivery, capital budgeting, quality control, and community outreach, Lenwood oversees several programs and initiatives reaching a national audience.  Before joining Groundswell, Lenwood worked in Federal Government services generating and implementing grants and contracts. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years, specializing in finance, audiovisual, information management, and safety.

Strongly committed to building wealth and hope through education, training, jobs, and entrepreneurship opportunities, Lenwood has dedicated more than fifteen years to community service in faith-based organizations within the D.C. area.  Providing opportunities for individuals in deprived communities throughout the country, he supports programs geared toward advocacy, personal and workforce development, housing and community outreach.                                                                                                   

Lenwood holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Wayland Baptist University, and a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University.

Jacob Peterson

Manager of State Engagement, National Propane Gas Association

Jacob Peterson serves as the Manager of State Engagement at the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), where he is a propane industry advocate on key state-level legislative and regulatory issues. Mr. Peterson spent more than six years on Capitol Hill working for Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. As the Senior Legislative Assistant in the office, he oversaw the Congressman’s energy, environment, science, business and financial services portfolios.

Jon Huber

President, National Oilheat Research Alliance

John Huber is the President of the National Oilheat Research Alliance. From this position, John is actively involved in many key aspects of the industry including the development of new technology, ensuring new fuels will work safely and efficiently in our equipment, educating the men and women of the industry who help oilheat consumers, and communicating the benefits of oilheat to consumers.

Dr. Laura Nelson

Executive Director, Green Hydrogen Initiative

Dr. Nelson, an economist, has led a distinguished career in the energy industry and is a long-standing hydrogen champion. Under her leadership, Utah founded the first-of-its-kind Annual Utah Governor’s Energy Office Hydrogen Symposium. Prior to joining GHC, Dr. Nelson served as Energy Policy Adviser to the Governor Herbert of Utah, and from 2014-2020 was Executive Director of the Utah Office of Energy Development. As a leader in the energy community, Dr. Nelson has extensive board and committee experience including serving as the Chair of the Utah Energy Infrastructure board and Chair to the Western Interstate Energy Board. Dr. Nelson holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Utah.

Dr. Carolyn Snyder

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

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

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

Kate Marks

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

Kate Marks oversees CESER’s efforts to secure critical energy infrastructure against manmade or physical hazards, reduce the impact of disruptive events, and respond to and facilitate recovery from energy disruptions. Marks began her federal service in 2014 as part of the DOE’s Energy Policy and Systems Analysis office, analyzing state and local government energy policy and managing stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining DOE, Marks served as Managing Director at the National Association of State Energy Officials in Arlington, Virginia, and as Director of the Energy Program at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver.

Marks holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University and a Master of Resource Law Studies in Energy Law and Policy from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. She has authored numerous publications and testified before state legislatures on energy and climate policy issues.

Janette Sandberg

Senior Protection Engineer, Portland General Electric

Janette Sandberg received her BS in Electrical Engineering from Boston University, her MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech and her MBA from Simmons College.  She is a licensed professional engineer in the states of North Carolina and Oregon and is currently a protection operations and planning engineer at Portland General Electric (PGE) in Oregon.  Prior to joining PGE, Janette worked at NSTAR Electric (now part of Eversource) and Duke Energy (Charlotte, North Carolina) in the areas of system protection and distribution engineering.  She is a senior IEEE member and currently the co-chair of IEEE 1547.3 Guide for Cybersecurity of Distributed Energy Resources Interconnected with Electric Power Systems.

Tony Markel

Senior Engineer, Energy Systems Cyber-Physical Security Research Group, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Tony Markel is a Senior Engineer in the Energy Systems Cyber-Physical Security Research Group at NREL supporting DOE’s research initiatives. He has over 20 years of research experience in vehicle technologies resulting in numerous publications.

He has been able to develop interconnections between buildings, electric vehicle, and renewables R&D efforts. Tony had the opportunity to share his grid modernization insights with Senate staff during a recent fellowship in Washington, D.C.

His current focus is on creating energy infrastructure solutions that enhance system security and resilience. Tony holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering.

Dr. Guohui Yuan

Program Manager, Systems Integration Program, Solar Energy Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Guohui Yuan is with the Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) under Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office (EERE). Since 2016 he has been the program manager for the Systems Integration (SI) program, leading a team of technology managers and support staff to manage federal investments in research, development, and demonstration of technologies and solutions that enable the widespread deployment of solar energy on the nation's electricity grid.

Dr. Yuan joined SETO as a technical advisor in 2011 during the launch of the SunShot Initiative. Prior to DOE, he held key positions in industry-leading clean tech startup companies, including CURRENT Group, GridPoint, and WaveCrest Labs. Early in his career, he worked at COMSAT Labs as a systems scientist in satellite communications. He is a well-recognized domain expert, innovator, and thought leader. He has published dozens of journal and conference papers, and is a frequent speaker at industry meetings. He holds nine patents on electric vehicle propulsion systems.

Dr. Yuan holds a B.S. degree from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, both in physics. He has taken leadership trainings at MIT Sloan and at Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.

Lise Trudeau

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

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

Max Joel

NY-Sun Team Lead, New York State Energy Research Development Authority

Max Joel works to make solar power more accessible and affordable through Community Solar NY and Affordable Solar for All, two components of the NY-Sun Initiative focused on community-driven projects. The NY-Sun Initiative aims to increase the number of solar electric systems across New York State by stimulating the marketplace, so that costs associated with installing solar electric systems for residents and businesses are reduced. Previously, Max was the Director of Community Solar Initiatives at Solar One, a nonprofit organization in New York City, and the Capital Projects Coordinator at the Queens Botanical Garden.

Carolyn Elam

Energy Program Strategy Manger, City of Boulder, Colorado

Joe Britton

Executive Director, Zero Emission Transportation Association

Joe has spent the past fifteen years working in the U.S. Senate, most recently serving as Chief of
Staff for U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Prior to that he spent five years as Deputy Chief
of Staff and Legislative Director for Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) and six years with Senator Ben
Nelson (D-NE) serving as a Legislative Assistant. He also served as a Senior Advisor to USDA
Secretary Tom Vilsack, helping to oversee the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm
Service Agency, and the Forest Service. He helped launch the Zero Emission Transportation
Association alongside 35 member companies in November 2020.

He holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and American Government from the University
of Virginia, and a Master of Arts in Government and a Master of Business Administration from
Johns Hopkins University.

Joan Glickman

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

Kimberly Llewellyn

Performance Construction Technical Lead, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US, LLC

Representative

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Eric Hsieh

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

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

Jennifer DeCesaro

Director for Recovery and Resilience, Office of Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy

Jennifer DeCesaro serves as the Director for Recovery and Resilience in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity where she leads the Department's long-term energy sector recovery efforts in the U.S. including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, she oversees the Energy Transitions Initiative which is focused on advancing self-reliant island and remote communities through resilient energy systems. Previously, she served as a Senior Programme Officer in the International Renewable Energy Agency's (IRENA) Country Support and Partnerships Division. In this role, she worked with countries to support their transition to a sustainable energy future. With a strong focus on developing countries, Jennifer coordinated across a wide variety of stakeholders to implement IRENA's technical assistance and advisory support activities under country specific and regional projects and programmes for governments, regional energy organizations, among others to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies.

Prior to joining IRENA, Jennifer served as the Director of the Technology-to-Market Program in the DOE's EERE. In this capacity, she worked across EERE to identify and address challenges of commercializing and deploying energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Before taking on that role, Jennifer served as a Special Advisor for Renewable Energy and Transmission in the Secretary of Energy's office and worked as the Market Transformation lead for the DOE's SunShot Initiative. In this capacity, she directed a broad portfolio of activities at the local, state and utility levels to reduce PV system costs and eliminate barriers to solar market development.

Before joining DOE, Jennifer was a senior analyst at Exeter Associates, where she worked on renewable energy grid integration issues and transmission policy. She also has worked as a Project Director for the Clean Energy Group, as a renewable energy and climate policy specialist for the National Conference of State Legislatures, and as an environmental consultant in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Colorado College and a Master's Degree in Environmental Law from the Vermont Law School.

Representative

ICF International

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.

Heather Zichal

Chief Executive Officer, American Clean Power Association

The Honorable Richard Glick

Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

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

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

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

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

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

Nicholas Ucci

Commissioner, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources

Nicholas S. Ucci was nominated by Governor Gina M. Raimondo in January 2020 to serve as Commissioner of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER), the state’s lead agency on energy policy and programs. OER works closely with private and public stakeholders to foster clean, affordable, and reliable energy solutions for all consumers, while spurring economic and job growth opportunities across Rhode Island’s burgeoning clean energy economy. 

During his time at OER, Commissioner Ucci has helped expand the state’s clean energy portfolio nearly ten-fold, while supporting Rhode Island’s standing as a national leader in energy efficiency innovation. He has played a significant role in major renewable energy procurements, including selection of the 400 MW Revolution Wind (offshore) project, and is now leading efforts to ensure that 100% of the state’s electricity demand is met with renewables by 2030 – a nation-leading effort. Nick has also been instrumental in guiding the state’s Heating Sector Transformation (HST) initiative and doubling EV charging infrastructure across Rhode Island roadways.

Nick serves on the Board of Managers for the New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE); as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Energy Efficiency & Resource Management Council (EERMC) and Distributed Generation (DG) Board; and is Vice Chairman of the state’s Executive Climate Change Council (EC4). He is also a recipient of the Environmental Merit Award (Government) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A lifelong resident of the Ocean State, Nick is a proud graduate of the University of Rhode Island (URI), where he earned a Master of Arts degree in Political Science, with a concentration in Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Labor Relations.  He also holds Bachelor of Arts degrees, with Highest Distinction, in Political Science and Economics from URI.

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.

Brandi Martin

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

Brandi Martin is a new addition to the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) team, bringing experience working with State Energy Offices and a cybersecurity background. Within CESER, Brandi focuses on energy security planning and emergency preparedness with state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments. Brandi joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in 2016 as a Project Officer. In this role, she worked with State Energy Offices on innovative projects to achieve their energy goals. She also serves as the co-Director for a DOE Employee Resource Group, fostering connections for women at DOE and supporting professional growth opportunities for women in the workforce.

Prior to DOE, Brandi served as the Partner Engagement Director at the Smart Cities Council, where she managed industry-leading energy and technology partners, and engaged city government leaders. She also has 7 years of experience at Cisco Systems in engineering, sales and business development roles. Brandi received her B.S. in Information Systems Management from the University of California Santa Cruz and her M.S. in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University.

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.

The Honorable Andy Levin

Member, U.S. House of Representatives (MI-09)

A union organizer, human rights activist, workforce policy expert and green energy entrepreneur, Congressman Andy Levin has spent his career fighting for an equitable and inclusive future for all people. He’s bringing that fight to Congress as the proud representative for Michigan’s 9th District.

Andy has been advocating for working families since the 1980s, when he organized hundreds of health care workers for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). After working with Haitian immigrant workers, Andy co-founded an organization to assist immigrants with challenges posed by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Continuing his work to strengthen organized labor, Andy worked in Washington, D.C. as a staff attorney to the presidential Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations and also in the secretary’s office of the U.S. Department of Labor. Andy worked with unions and employers on legislation critical for workers’ rights including the National Labor Relations Act, the proposed TEAM Act, the Federal Transit’s Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

From 1995-2006, Andy served as Assistant Director of Organizing at the national AFL-CIO, where he created and ran Union Summer, helped many unions with collaborative organizing campaigns around the country, and created and led the Voice@Work Campaign, which organized the national movement to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

Andy took his advocacy work to the Michigan state government, where he created and ran the state’s No Work Left Behind initiative that helped more than 160,000 unemployed and underemployed Michiganders go back to school during the Great Recession. On a mission to unite sustainability and workforce development, Andy also helped create Michigan’s Green Jobs Initiative in 2008 and the Green Jobs Report in 2009. Andy went on to create the Michigan Academy for Green Mobility Alliance (MAGMA), which trained hundreds of unemployed and incumbent engineers to electrify cars.

In 2011, Andy founded Levin Energy Partners LLC as an entrepreneurial force to help shape Michigan’s and America’s energy future. Andy created and ran a statewide market to finance clean energy building improvements called Lean & Green Michigan, which has become one of the most innovative Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs in the US.  In 2018, Andy’s program helped a wide variety of building owners initiate $17,900,000 in clean energy projects.

Andy has worked on human rights for decades, including doing legal work for asylum seekers in the US and investigating and reporting on human rights abuses in Haiti, China and Tibet.

Born in Detroit and raised in Berkley, MI, Andy is an honors graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School and holds a Masters Degree from the University of Michigan in Asian Languages and Cultures, where he was a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities.

Andy has long been active in the spiritual and social justice life of the Jewish community.  Until his election to Congress, he served as president of a Reconstructionist Jewish synagogue, Congregation T’chiyah, and  as chair of the steering committee of Detroit Jews for Justice, an organization he helped create to fight for racial and economic justice in Detroit.

Andy married his high school sweetheart Mary Freeman in 1991.  They have four children — Koby, Saul, Ben, and Molly — and live in Bloomfield Township.

Andy learned and worked in Haitian Creole and Tibetan and also studied French, Sanskrit, and Hindi. He remains an avid ice hockey player and enjoys yoga, mountain biking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and other wilderness adventures.

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.

Joe Pater

Director, Office of Energy Innovation, Wisconsin Public Service Commission

Dr. Andrew McAllister

Commissioner, California Energy Commission

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

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

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

Paula Glover

President, Alliance to Save Energy

Paula R. Glover started as President of the Alliance to Save Energy in January 2021. A dynamic leader with more than 25 years of experience in the energy industry, Ms. Glover is the seventh president in the Alliance’s 43-year history.

Ms. Glover previously served as President and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, a non-profit professional association whose focus is to ensure that African Americans and other minorities have input into the discussions and development of energy policy, regulations, and environmental issues. In this role, she was responsible for managing the national office, and providing strategic direction and leadership for the organization. Prior to this role, Ms. Glover served as AABE’s Vice President of Operations and as the organization’s Director of Communications.

Ms. Glover’s other experiences include 15 years in the energy industry for both electric and natural gas distribution companies. During that time, she built a stellar reputation working with state legislators and regulators in her roles as Manager of Government and Regulatory Affairs. Ms. Glover commands a clear understanding of the consumer and community sides of the business as well having held industry positions in Community Outreach and Economic Development.

Ms. Glover is a seasoned non-Profit professional. Prior to her time at AABE, Ms. Glover was the Community Awareness Director for the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut where she was responsible for the organizations’ marketing, communications, community and government relations and public relations functions.

In March 2014 Ms. Glover was appointed to the National Petroleum Council by U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dr. Ernest Moniz.

Ms. Glover received her B.S. in Marketing Management from the University of Delaware. She is the recipient of the Bring It Home to Hartford Award; the Clarke Watson Chairman’s Cup; the Award of Distinction by the Videographer Awards and the Platinum Achievement Award from the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program at Fort Valley State University. She is a 2003 graduate of Leadership New Haven and has contributed to an article on work life balance in Take Pride magazine.

Stephen Cowell

President, E4TheFuture

Dedicated to achieving a strong and prosperous U.S. clean energy economy, Steve Cowell is a rare entrepreneur whose service ethic is woven into a core focus on the public good.

He founded and has directed numerous energy efficiency and renewable energy organizations, including Conservation Services Group (CSG) in 1984. He was the organization’s chairman and CEO until the 2015 sale of its assets. Under Cowell’s leadership, CSG designed and implemented conservation and renewable energy programs for utilities, state agencies, and other entities nationwide ultimately providing services to more than 3.2 million businesses and households. Cowell successfully advocated for energy efficiency as a least-cost power supply option. He helped to create and build the residential energy efficiency industry through sound public policy, legislation, and establishment of trade ally networks as well as delivery of cost-effective programs. Cowell is a graduate of Brown University and has been honored with major industry awards.

Marcela Escobari

Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Center for Sustainable Development, Brookings Institution

Marcela Escobari is a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development, housed in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings, where she is leading the Workforce of the Future initiative. She was assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean in President Obama’s administration. Escobari was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and led the bureau and its initiatives on poverty, inequality, citizen security, and governance. Throughout the region, USAID has 13 bilateral missions, three regional missions, and U.S.-based programs focusing on democracy, humanitarian assistance, and the environment. The bureau manages an annual budget of approximately $1 billion.

Since 2007, Escobari served as executive director at the Center for International Development at Harvard University, a research center working to generate breakthrough ideas that bring stable, shared, and sustainable prosperity to developing countries. During her tenure, the Center achieved tremendous impact, tripling in size with projects in 17 countries across five continents.

She has also worked as head of the Americas region at the OTF Group (a spin-off of Monitor Group), where she advised governments on how to increase export competitiveness and harness the private sector to eradicate poverty. She began her career as a Mergers & Acquisitions banker at JP Morgan in New York. The World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader in 2013. She co-authored the book “In the River They Swim: Essays from around the World on Enterprise Solutions to Poverty,” holds a B.A. in economics from Swarthmore College and an M.A. in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Representative

American Gas Association

AnnaMaria Garcia

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

AnnaMaria Garcia is the Director of Department of Energy’s Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office. She provides leadership to maximize the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy through technology deployment, accessing new partnerships and resources, and communications and outreach activities.

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

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

Dr. Venkat Srinivasan

Director, Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science

Dr. Venkat Srinivasan is the director of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS) and deputy director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Innovation Hubs. He is a former staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab whose research interest is in developing next-generation batteries for use in vehicle and grid applications, among other things. Srinivasan and his research group develop continuum-based models for battery materials and combine them with experimental characterization to help design new materials, electrodes, and devices.

In addition to his research, Srinivasan is interested in moving technologies to market and has been exploring ways to develop an ecosystem, focused on batteries, to accelerate technology commercialization. In this role, he conceived the idea of CalCharge, a one-of-a-kind public-private partnership in energy storage.

Srinivasan has previously served as the technical manager of the Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT) Program, as the acting director of the BATT program, as department head of the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources (ESDR) department at LBNL, and the interim director of the ESDR Division at LBNL. Srinivasan joined the scientific staff at LBNL in 2003 after postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 2000.

Molly Cripps

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

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

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

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

Jason Lanclos

Director, Technology Assessment Division, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

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

Alexa Voytek

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

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

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.