Speakers

Mark Nechodom joined WSPA in August 2020, and serves as Senior Director for Science & Technology.  In this role, Mark helps to integrate advocacy and regulatory response on production issues for the organization. His duties also include staff lead on research, scientific studies, and tracking emerging energy technologies as the industry transitions to a lower-carbon future. As a former regulator of the oil and gas industry, Mark served as the Director of the California Department of Conservation under Governor Jerry Brown, and oversaw the activities of the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, now named the California Geologic Energy Management division (CalGEM). His familiarity with oil and gas operations, as well as his experiences as a senior official in both state and federal government, bring a practical and policy-rich perspective to the energy industry.

Prior to joining WSPA, Mark was the Deputy Director of Montana’s state Department of Agriculture, overseeing four bureaus and laboratories, and more than two dozen regulatory and science programs. His previous experience working for the US Department of Agriculture in the Bush and Obama administrations gave him opportunities to work across the globe on cutting-edge issues in energy, climate and environmental markets, such as cap-and-trade and other market solutions to environmental challenges.

Mark holds a doctorate degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has an amateur’s passion for geology and earth sciences, and is an avid skier, kayak racer, backpacker, and motorcycle traveler.

Winifred J. Yancy, P.E, M.B.A, a licensed electrical engineer in the State of California and native of New Orleans, Louisiana, obtained an Electrical Engineering degree from California State University Northridge in 1990 and a Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University in 2006. Her career in the utility industry began as an Electrical Engineering Assistant at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP); the largest municipal utility in the nation, where she spent a number of years in the Power, Design and Construction Division. She has more than thirty years of service with LADWP.

Winifred currently serves as the Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the LADWP. In this position, she oversees the legislative and intergovernmental liaison activities of LADWP, serving as the point of contact for elected officials and their staff serving the City of Los Angeles. Winifred proactively analyzes and communicates the Department’s position on water and power issues, advocating in various forums including meetings with elected official’s representatives at local, State and Federal levels. This relatively new endeavor, has allowed her to bring much energy, ideas, and oversight to LADWP’s engineers and analyst.

Henry Hilken is the Director of Planning and Research at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.  The Air District is responsible for assuring clean air in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.  Mr. Hilken oversees preparation of regional air quality plans, transportation and land use programs, climate protection activities, amendments to Air District regulations, air quality modeling analyses, preparation of emission inventories, and the Community Air Risk Evaluation program.  Mr. Hilken has a Masters of City Planning from UC Berkeley and has worked at the Air District since 1988.

Thomas D. Brisbin has served as Chief Executive Officer of Willdan Group, Inc., since April 2007 and was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors in November 2016. He was appointed President and CEO of Willdan in April 2007.

Previously, Dr. Brisbin was vice president of and consultant for AECOM Technology Corporation, a company focused on infrastructure, environment and facilities engineering contracts, where he was responsible for developing the company's environmental business for three years. Previously, Dr. Brisbin was chief operating officer and executive vice president of Tetra Tech, Inc., a leading provider of consulting, engineering and technical services, for five years. Prior to that, he was employed by Planning Research Corporation, or PRC, a systems analysis and management consulting company and wholly-owned subsidiary of The Black & Decker Corporation, from 1978 to 1995 and was co-founder and President of PRC Environmental Management, Inc. During his tenure at PRC, he was involved in all aspects of operations, marketing and finance. Before joining PRC, he was a research associate at Argonne National Laboratory. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Dr. Brisbin holds a B.S. degree from Northern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. He also completed Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program in 1988.

Mickey Kantor concentrates his practice on corporate and financial international transactions. He has extensive experience in market access issues, as well as the expansion of client activities in foreign markets through trade, direct investment, joint ventures, and strategic business alliances.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Mickey was the United States Secretary of Commerce (1996-1997) and the United States Trade Representative (1993-1996). He has been called “arguably the finest trade negotiator in the world” (Chambers Global 2006) and is said to be “blessed with fantastic political insights and connections” (Chambers USA2007).

He was recognized in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers-Trade & Customs 2009. Among them any awards and honors he has received are the following: the Order of the Southern Cross Award by The Government of Brazil, 2001, the William O. Douglas Award by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, the Thomas Jefferson Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Center for the Study of the Presidency, the Albert Schweitzer Leadership Award from the Hugh O'Brien Youth Foundation, and Elihu Root Distinguished Lecturer, Council on Foreign Relations.

Louis Ting is the Director of Power System Planning Development & Engineering for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  In his 26^th year at LADWP, currently he is responsible for the transition to a clean energy future and the overall regulatory, resource, grid, and strategic planning for the LA’s Power System.  Previously, he led teams in completing major renewable, transmission, reliability, and compliance projects for the largest municipal utility in the County.  Prior to electric utility experience, he managed water system infrastructure replacement and redevelopment programs for the City of Los Angeles, and engineered fleet replacement programs for LADWP.

Gary B. Bardini was appointed Deputy Director for Integrated Water Management on August 1, 2011. His primary responsibilities include implementing Integrated Regional Water Management, coordinating DWR's efforts related to climate change, updating and implementing the California Water Plan, promoting and facilitating the efficient use of water, overseeing DWR's flood management and dam safety programs, and implementing the FloodSAFE California initiative.

Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Bardini served as Chief of DWR's Division of Flood Management from 2009 to 2011. As Division Chief, he led two key DWR initiatives: FloodSAFE California and the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. Prior to becoming Division Chief, Mr. Bardini served as Chief of the Hydrology and Flood Operations Office. He was responsible for the Hydrology Branch, Flood Operations Branch, and Flood Project Integrity and Inspection Branch. He also guided special projects for the Department such as the Feasibility Study for the Restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley including water and power replacement. Prior to this time, Mr. Bardini was Chief of the Hydrology Branch for five years and was responsible for the State's flood and water supply forecasting programs and flood management control systems for the Joint Operations Center.

Before Mr. Bardini joined Flood Management, he was with the CALFED Bay-Delta Program (CALFED) for three and one-half years. While with CALFED, he managed the Storage and Conveyance Facilities Unit and was responsible for water resource modeling activities. Mr. Bardini also served as Chief of the Water Management Branch and managed the planning activities associated with the water supply reliability element of the CALFED Program.

In 1996, Mr. Bardini joined Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to provide water resource modeling support to State Water Project and Central Valley Project operations and was involved with Bay-Delta issues and Central Valley water rights negotiations. From 1989 through 1996, Mr. Bardini worked on a variety of design and construction projects for the California Department of Boating and Waterways and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Mr. Bardini in 1987 began his career with DWR in the South Central Regional Office where he conducted water resource modeling studies and planned several water supply development projects. He holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo with an emphasis in water resources and structures.

Garrett supports the development of sustainable, context-specific real estate and economic development strategies.

Garrett brings an understanding of urban planning, sustainable economic development, and land value capture. Prior to joining HR&A, Garrett worked for the City of West Hollywood where he focused on enhancing the public realm. At the city he researched, designed, and administered the city’s first parklet program and collaborated with Gehl for a study on public space and public life at the Sunset Strip. Previously at Strategic Development Solutions, Garrett supported applications for New Market Tax Credits, with awards totaling $270M for economic development projects in distressed communities.

Garrett received a Master of Planning degree from the University of Southern California with a concentration on economic development. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from the University of Connecticut.

Richard Harasick is the Senior Assistant General Manager of the Water System for the City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP). The LADWP is the largest municipal utility in the United States. Mr. Harasick has over 30 years of experience in water resources development, utility planning, design, construction, project and program management, and operations. As the head of the Los Angeles Water System, he manages a $1.5 billion annual budget and leads 2,200 employees to provide its customers with reliable, high quality and competitively priced water services in a safe and publically and environmentally responsible manner.

Barbara Romero is Executive Director of LA City Sanitation & Environment having served as Deputy Mayor of City Services in the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti since March 2015 after serving as a Board of Public Works Commissioner. 

Romero spent a decade working for the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, where she was Chief of Urban Projects and the Watershed Planning Division. As the liaison to local, state, and federal legislators on park planning issues, Romero handled legislative policies and project funding strategies, and managed millions of dollars for urban park projects. She also focused on identifying, developing and implementing multiple park development, restoration, and acquisition projects primarily in urban areas along the Upper Los Angeles River and tributaries.

She currently serves as a Board Member for the Valley Presbyterian Hospital and has previously served on the boards of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy the L.A. River Revitalization Corporation. In addition, she was a member of the Los Angeles Planning Commission and previously worked for the L.A. Conservation Corps and Building Up Los Angeles, where she led an AmeriCorps program to develop school and community gardens and mural projects with high school and college students in East L.A.

Romero grew up in the East L.A. community of Boyle Heights. She holds a B.A. from UCLA.

Amy Ryan is currently a Senior Engineer in the Fuel Cell Development Department of Toyota Motor North America Research and Development, specializing in high-pressure hydrogen storage systems. Amy has held several roles in Toyota North America – from strategic planning on the business side to component testing and standards development in the R&D unit. Prior to joining Toyota, Amy was a senior consultant at KPMG LLP and an aerospace engineer at Northrop Grumman Space Technologies. Amy received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA and an MBA in Marketing Strategy from the University of Southern California.

Christian Gräff is District Council of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, a district of Berlin in charge of  Economic development and city planning. Christian has been a member of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) since 1995. From 2002-2009, he was a member of the CDU’s City Board. In 2008, Christian found Cleantech Business Park (CBP), a 220-acre area to be tailored to the needs of companies from the Clean Technologies sector expected to be finished in 2014. In 2006, he was elected District Council, a position he has held since. Prior to his political career, he was the CEO of a medium-sized retail business. 

Carol Zabin (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley) directs the Labor Center’s Green Economy Program and the new High Road Training Partnership Institute. She is a labor economist whose research has addressed low-wage labor markets, labor standards, workforce development, and other economic development and labor issues in the United States and Mexico. Zabin has consulted with numerous unions and non-profits on strategies and policies to improve jobs in human services and the green economy. Her current research focuses on the impact of climate and clean energy policy on California's economy, workers, and labor unions. Recent publications include “Diversity in California’s Clean Energy Workforce,” “Advancing Equity in California Climate Policy,” and “Workforce Issues and Energy Efficiency Programs.” Appointed by Governor Brown, Zabin sits on the executive council of the California Workforce Development Board and chairs the board’s Green Collar Jobs Council. Before joining the Labor Center, Zabin was on the faculty at Tulane University and UCLA.

Caroline Choi is senior vice president of Regulatory Affairs for Southern California Edison (SCE).  In this role, she is responsible for the Company’s regulatory strategy and policy at the national and state levels, including regulatory affairs, regulatory operations and environmental affairs.

Choi previously served as vice president of Energy and Environmental Policy. Prior to joining SCE in 2012, Choi was executive director of Environmental Services & Strategy at Progress Energy; she served the company in various roles, including director, Energy Policy & Strategy, and manager, Federal Public Affairs.

Choi is active in national policy and community engagement, where she serves as Chairman of the Board of the Smart Electric Power Alliance, a nationwide organization that supports utilities in the implementation and deployment of clean energy and distributed resources. She also serves as a board member of the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund and the National Forest Foundation. Choi holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College.

Originally appointed to the California Energy Commission in February 2008 and in December 2012, filling the Attorney position on the five-member Commission. Served as Chair from February 2009 to February 201. Lead Commissioner on power plant siting, compliance and enforcement and the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan.

Brandon Hurlbut is a co-founder of Boundary Stone Partners where he advises clean energy and mobility companies.  He previously served as Chief of Staff to Secretary Steven Chu at the U.S. DOE, where he managed the Department's principal initiatives and oversaw day-to-day operations of a federal agency with a $29 billion budget and a 115,000 person workforce.  Brandon provided leadership and counsel to the White House and Cabinet Secretaries during high profile challenges including the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, the Gulf oil spill, and Hurricane Sandy. He served on the board of directors for DOE's $38 billion investment fund in clean energy, which is the largest of its kind in the world.
 
He began working in the Obama Administration by serving in the White House as the President's liaison to the energy and environment cabinet agencies. He previously served in senior positions on Barack Obama's first presidential campaign and practiced law at Baker & Daniels after obtaining a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.
 
Brandon currently serves as a member of the board of directors to Sparkfund and The Solutions Project.  He is a co-host of “Political Climate,” a Greentech Media podcast about energy and environment issues.  Previously, he served on the advisory board of GE Current and as a senior fellow at Center for American Progress.

Joe is Chair of the South Bay Clean Power initiative where he works full time to bring Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) to the 20 cities of the South Bay and West Side Los Angeles County and other eligible cities in L.A. County. Joe worked with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution to explore CCA options and to fund a feasibility study. Joe is working to launch California’s largest Community Choice Power program by partnering South Bay Clean Power with areas like Long Beach and L.A. County.

Joe is the Organizer of the South Bay Los Angeles 350 Climate Action Group.  Joe was the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs for EcoMedia.  Additionally, Joe has served on a number of environmental non-profits in the South Bay.

Tim O’Connor is a Senior Director and Senior Attorney in Environmental Defense Fund’s Energy Program in California.  Since joining EDF in 2007, he has been involved at state regulatory agencies and the legislature on climate and clean energy initiatives, with particular focus on oil and gas production and delivery, clean energy, cap-and-trade, transportation fuels and clean vehicles. During this time, Mr. O’Connor has also managed EDF’s participation in both state and federal courts in California on issues related to climate change, fuels and energy. Prior to joining EDF, Tim was a senior governmental compliance inspector at heavy industrial facilities, including petroleum refineries and power plants, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Takahiro Obase joined JGC Corporation in 2007 and has spent most of his tenure with the company as a process engineer, primarily for gasification and related industrial processes.

As the Climate Action Reserve’s Vice President of Business Development, Joel Levin is responsible for strategic development of the Reserve and has overseen its development from inception to its current status as the recognized environmental standard for carbon offset projects in the United States. He is the Reserve’s primary liaison to the business community and is a frequent and popular speaker on the Reserve’s programs and other climate change topics.

Joel has served as staff to the California Market Advisory Committee and the California Climate Action Team. Prior to working at the Reserve, Joel worked at Feeva Wireless in Berkeley and APX in Santa Clara. He has also served on the Capitol Hill staff of Senator Timothy E. Wirth (D-Colorado).

Joel holds an M.B.A. from U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University.

Rorie Skei has been involved in Southern California open space preservation and parkland issues for over 40 years.

As Chief Deputy Director for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Ms. Skei oversees acquisition, park development, and watershed planning staff; partnerships with local, state, and federal governments; and resource protection of the 75,000 acres of parkland that have been preserved for the public to date.   She also serves ex officio as the Chief Deputy Executive Officer of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), a joint powers agency; and is Deputy Executive Officer for seven other joint powers authorities in which the Conservancy is a member.  She is a sworn park ranger with MRCA.   Since 1981, she has been the appointed public member and is the current chairperson of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, a joint powers agency between the City of Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

Ms. Skei has long been a California native plant enthusiast and has maintained her home native garden in Thousand Oaks for many years.

Michael Cano serves as the Deputy Executive Officer for Goods Movement Planning and State Policy and Programming for Los Angeles County Metro’s Countywide Planning Department.  In this capacity he leads Metro’s development of the Los Angeles County Goods Movement Strategic Plan, multimodal corridor planning, grant applications for state and freight-related programs, project development and multimodal integration, and local-state-federal policy analysis for all things goods movement-related at Metro.  Michael created and leads Metro’s Regional Clean Truck Initiative, which seeks to expedite the deployment of cleaner truck technology into Los Angeles County, and Metro’s Freight Working Group, which brings together key stakeholders from state, local, and private entities directly involved with goods movement in Los Angeles County.  He also serves as Metro’s representative on the California Freight Advisory Committee. 

Over 20 years of public and private sector executive level experience; Unique, accomplished track record in public and private sectors ranging from Executive Municipal Management to Regional Operations Vice-President for NASDAQ firm; Visionary and innovative professional with versatile skills, education, and experience; Nationally recognized leader in high-tech industries, renewable energy, and sustainable development; ICMA Credentialed Manager

Mr. Polechronis is a transportation industry executive and project manager with extensive transit project management experience, including development, design, and construction of light rail, heavy rail subway, and commuter rail projects. His project management experience includes complex multi disciplinary assignments at all stages of project development from concept to commissioning.   

Concurrent with his project work, Mr. Polechronis has held a number of executive positions with AECOM Transportation including his current assignment as AECOM’s Transportation Regional Business Line Leader in Greater Southern California and Nevada.  Previously, Mr. Polechronis had responsibility for the development of AECOM’s Latin American transportation initiative, business development in AECOM’s Western Region, was Director of West Program Management, West Coast Unit Manager, Western United States Transit Director, and West Coast Regional Manager of Business Development. He has held positions with both P&L and business development responsibility. 

Michael is the Director of the LARiverWorks team in Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of City Services. LARiverWorks leads project coordination, policy development, and engagement for the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan and LA River-related efforts. Michael has played a significant role in the development and adoption of the federal Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Recommended Plan, the purchase and ongoing development of the Taylor Yard G2 parcel, and ongoing development of the LARiverWay access and greenway network. Michael began his career with the City of Los Angeles in 2005 and holds a Civil and Environmental Engineering degree from the University of Michigan.

Michael Woo is Dean of the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona, one of the leading producers of architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and graphic designers working in Southern California.  He was the first trained urban planner and the first Asian American elected to the Los Angeles City Council.   As the Councilman representing the Hollywood area for eight years, Woo spearheaded the Hollywood Redevelopment Plan and played a key role choosing the route and station locations of the Metro Red Line subway.  He also served as a member of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission for six years.  Twenty-five years ago, Woo helped to start the Hollywood Farmers Market, now the largest certified farmers market in the City of Los Angeles.  He is now on the committee overseeing a predevelopment analysis of the 308-acre former Lanterman State Hospital property in Pomona, recently transferred from state control to the Cal Poly Pomona campus, one of the largest contiguous parcels of land available for potential development in Los Angeles County.

Sam Polk is the founder and Executive Director of Groceryships, a Los Angeles non-profit working at the intersection of poverty and obesity, and co-founder of Harvest, a for-profit social enterprise that sells fresh, healthy ready-to-eat meals affordable for all ($3.50 in low-income areas, $7 in higher income areas). Prior to becoming a social entrepreneur, Sam was a hedge fund trader on Wall Street. Sam’s memoir, For The Love of Money, will be published in July 2016 by Scribner. His writing has been published in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNBC.com, and The Huffington Post. Sam has been featured on The Today Show, Morning Joe, CNN, Tavis Smiley, NPR, and more. He is a graduate of Columbia University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. 

Adam Minter is a columnist at Bloomberg Opinion where he writes about China, technology, and the environment. He is the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade, a critically-acclaimed bestselling insider’s account of the hidden world of globalized recycling, and Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale.

Adam has covered the global recycling industry for almost two decades. In 2002, he began a series of groundbreaking investigative pieces on China’s emerging recycling industries for Scrap and Recycling International. Since then, he has been cited, quoted, and interviewed on recycling and waste by a range of international media, most recently The New York Times, Vice, NPR, BBC, The Huffington Post, and CBC. He regularly speaks to groups about the global waste and recycling trade including colleges, universities, trade groups, TEDx, and an invited lecture to the Royal Geographic Society in London.

Gary Farha is Founder, President and CEO and leads CFR’s business strategy, customer relationships, and operations. Previously, Gary was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he served energy and industrial clients over a 19-year career and co-led its global innovation practice. He was also Vice President of Growth and Innovation at Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 150 diversified technology company, and worked in multiple financial roles at Kansas Gas and Electric Company. He is a chartered financial analyst (CFA). Gary has led CFR since its inception in 2010.

CustomerFirst Renewables (CFR) is a trusted energy advisor that helps clients develop actionable energy strategies, implement tailored solutions, and optimize performance over time. We support our corporate, institutional and government clients by engaging stakeholders and competitively sourcing and implementing optimized solutions. As a fully independent advisor, we provide objective analysis and guidance. Our team offers end-to-end expertise in all dimensions of the energy value chain, from technical, financial and risk analysis, to management consulting and procurement know-how.

Since its inception in 2010, CFR has been a mission-driven organization focused on doubling renewable electricity use in the U.S. by 2025 by helping clients secure cost-effective solutions. 

As a fully independent advisor, CFR works solely on behalf of corporate, institutional and government clients, and provides unbiased and transparent analysis and guidance. We offer support that is not financially beholden to any project, product, developer or utility. This allows us to provide optimized advice and fully leverage competitive forces to our client’s benefit.

CFR team’s experience spans nearly 3 GW of new renewable energy projects for over 40 large institutions, businesses, and government agencies. Over the past eight years, CFR has advised clients in various industries and locations coast-to-coast on renewable energy opportunities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and other countries, and enabled a variety of projects across multiple geographies in the U.S. The size of client projects has ranged from <1 MW to 240 MW.

Jason is the Manager of Substation Engineering and Electrification at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP).  LADWP supports the growth in adoption of electric vehicles and aims for 10,000 public, workplace, and fleet charging stations in Los Angeles by 2022 and 25,000 by 2025. In this role, Jason oversees the implementation of various electric transportation programs that include the installation of charging stations at LADWP properties and the development of customer-facing EV incentive programs. Jason also manages various substation programs aimed at supporting the reliability and growth of LADWP’s Power System.

Howard Chang is currently a Senior Manager and the Segment Leader for Channel Partner Operations at SunEdison. In this role he oversees the construction of C&I projects acquired from third party channels across the United States. Joining SunEdison in 2012, Howard is the first graduate of SunEdison’s Solar Leadership Program, in which he completed three rotations across Utility - Project Finance, Distributed Generation - Commercial Management, and served as the Chief of Staff to the President of SunEdison’s North America business unit.

Howard graduated from Yale University in 2012 with an MBA from the School of Management and a Master of Environmental Management from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has a background in finance and energy, having worked at J.P.Morgan, GE Energy Financial Services, and EnerNoc.  He received his BA in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and is originally from the Philadelphia area. He currently resides in San Francisco and tries to take advantage of all that the bay area has to offer, including hiking, biking, and wine tasting. 

In November 2008 Mr. Wijsman was transferred from ARCADIS' Dutch operating company to the United States to expand the company's water resources opertations in California. Based in San Francisco, he has a special focus in business development on water resources management for San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. After having enjoyed education in both the Netherlands and the US Mr. Wijsman is a perfect fit to form a knowledge bridge on water management between the two countries.  In addtion to his focus in California he is involved in US nation wide strategic growth initiatives in climate change adaptation, intelligent flood protection systems and sustainable urban development.

Mr. Romo is currently responsible for all business development for JFE Engineering America including diverse technologies such as waste to energy, produced water treatment, waste heat generation, electric vehicle chargers and steel bridge construction. With a strong background in international business Mr. Romo has created sales and market strategies for each of JFE’s target markets.

Mr. Romo has helped create various startup companies in the green tech industry serving as business development lead.  He was involved in the creation of Calnetix, a Southern California engineering company focusing on high tech clean energy technologies, and VYCON an energy storage flywheel technology company.  With expertise in the design of magnetic power systems Mr. Romo has also served as Vice President of Engineering and Director of Business Development for Integrated Magnetics a leading Southern California manufacturing group.  As an Electrical Engineer designing high speed motor and generator systems for Allied Signal Aerospace (now Honeywell), he was the Program Manager responsible for the electrical power systems group.

Erin is a skilled tinkerer and systems thinker, leveraging nearly twenty years of professional experience to build organizational capacity and civic engagement through policy and programmatic structures that address environmental challenges across all sectors.

As San Francisco International Airport's Sustainability Director, Erin is responsible for partnering with the Airport community to co-design, manage, and administer sustainability policies, projects and programs that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, maximize net positive outcomes, and magnify the SFO's environmental leadership. To that end, Erin oversees sustainability investments in capital improvement projects; cultivates the Airport's Sustainability and Environmental Management Plans and Climate Action Plan and aligned annual reporting; and performs forecasting and sustainability return on investment analyses to help Airport stakeholders make informed decisions that optimize social, environmental, and resilience outcomes, while balancing the Airport's strategic initiatives and ensuring its continued economic vitality.

In her former role, serving as the City of Cupertino’s Sustainability Manager, Erin worked inside the City Manager’s Office to bring environmental awareness across departments and engage staff, students, residents and businesses in developing collective approaches to traditionally costly renewable and alternative energy, transportation, waste management, and long-term planning projects that pool demand, concentrate labor, save taxpayer dollars, and facilitate economic development opportunities.

Erin earned a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University and has supported the diverse sustainability-focused initiatives through her employment with the Conservation Law Foundation, Goddard Institute of Space Studies, National Park Service, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the Nature Conservancy, and the Canyon’s Ski Resort.

Stephanie has worked for the City of Los Angeles for more than 22 years, working in various city departments including the CAO's Office and the Department of General Services, and has served as the Assistant Director of StreetsLA since 2017. She has extensive experience in all aspects of city administration and currently manages StreetsLA financial and administrative programs, including contracting, human resources, and risk management. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Economics and Political Science from UC Santa Barbara and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from USC. Stephanie is proud of her Los Angeles roots and is committed to making StreetsLA the best run department in the city!

As VP of Products and Programs for Tesla Energy at Tesla Motors, Mateo Jaramillo is responsible for market development, and product definition and development for the company's grid connected energy storage products. Mateo started the stationary storage effort at Tesla in 2009 and in the meantime was additionally the commercial lead on powertrain development and supply programs with Daimler and Toyota, and also started and led through the supercharger program through the first year of deployment. 

Prior to Tesla, Mateo was Chief Operating Officer and part of the founding team at Gaia Power Technologies, a pioneering distributed energy storage firm. Mateo began his career in the software industry as a product manager with Predictive Networks, an interactive TV software provider. He has an AB in Economics from Harvard and a Masters in Theology from Yale.

Matthew Langer is Chief Operating Officer for Clean Power Alliance, California’s new, locally-operated, electricity provider serving 32 communities and approximately one million customers across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.  As Chief Operating Officer, Matthew’s responsibilities include power supply, regulatory affairs, customer programs, strategic accounts, non-energy contracting and rates.  He has broad renewable energy and utility experience, including deep expertise in renewable energy project development, contracting, and operations. His experience includes nine years at Southern California Edison where he held roles in energy procurement, corporate strategy, transmission and distribution, and customer service.  Matthew earned an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and bachelor of science in management from Tulane University.

Having more than 15 years of policy experience, Jessica has worked with business, engineering, regulatory, and legal teams to advise on a wide range of issues across the country. In December of 2018, Jessica joined Sunrun as Director of Public Policy where she manages teams in regulatory and legislative efforts to advance the deployment of residential solar, energy storage, and grid services in California, the Southwest, and New York. This includes the development, coordination, and implementation of lobbying strategies, grassroots campaigns, media campaigns, and legal interventions. In this capacity she serves on several industry association boards including the Colorado Solar & Storage Association, the Arizona Solar & Storage Association and the NY Solar Energy Industry Association. 

A native New Yorker, Jessica grew up on Long Island in one of the country’s most prolific solar markets. She received her bachelors in political science from the University at Albany where she began working in the policy sector. After earning her law degree, she served as Energy Counsel in the New York Assembly advising legislators on issues across all sectors of the energy industry. During this time, she also earned an LLM in Energy and Natural Resources Law. She graduated from the program Summa Cum Laude and was published several times on solar-related topics such as amending local codes to accommodate rooftop solar.  

She then spent several years as government relations manager for the Consolidated Edison Company of New York (ConEd), providing her with another unique perspective on energy policy. During her tenure at ConEd, Superstorm Sandy devastated New York forcing policymakers to reexamine the way electricity is generated and delivered. New York’s well-known REV initiative followed with a new focus on the need for a cleaner, distributed grid. Witnessing the effects of Superstorm Sandy affirmed her passion for clean energy and led to her work as a solar advocate beginning in 2016 at SolarCity. 

As Deputy Director of Policy & Electricity Markets for SolarCity, she worked closely on issues such as permitting, interconnection, rate design, consumer protection, economic development and more in the Northeast residential and commercial sectors. She was instrumental in the bi-partisan and unanimous enactment of New York’s energy storage target, among the strongest in country, paving the way for a robust energy storage market.  

Vice President – Energy Storage business development, Assistant General Manager, Toshiba International Corporation, T&D Division, New York office, (2014 April - Present)

From 2012 to 2014:

Senior Manager, International Total Solution Sales Dept, Transmission & Distribution Systems Div., Social Infrastructure Systems Company, Toshiba Corporation

Senior Manager, Battery System Engineering Group, Power Grid Automation & Smart Grid Solutions Engineering Dept., Transmission & Distribution Systems Div.(Concurrently)
Senior Manager, Strategic Business Planning of Lithium Ion Battery (SCiB), in charge of partnering and M&A, Automotive Systems Div.(Concurrently)

Summary

More than 3 years being in charge of market development of Energy Storage Solutions Business in global market, acting as Sales Engineer of Toshiba rechargeable battery (SCiB).

More than 6 years experience of Strategic business planning and business development of Toshiba rechargeable battery (SCiB) in global market at Toshiba.

More than 25 years experience in overseas market including 8 years stays in foreign countries - 3 years in Belgium and 5 years in Russia.

Main tasks - been working as a Global Sales and Marketing. Also acted as sales-engineer for some product categories.

Worked for SONY Corporation from 1998 2007

Worked for NGK Insulators from 1984 to 1998

Education

Waseda University

Bachelor of Arts, Russian literature, 1979 - 1984

William (Bill) Zobel serves as Executive Director of the California Hydrogen Business Council (CHBC), a non-profit trade association advancing the commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cells in California. 

As Executive Director, Bill is responsible for all aspects of CHBC operations, staff and resources and serves as the organization’s chief advocate.  He works closely with the membership, the CHBC Policy Director and supporting staff to identify areas where CHBC’s engagement in the legislative and regulatory process will increase awareness and support the development of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. 

Bill has over 30 years of experience in the energy sector covering a wide range of issues and responsibilities.  Prior to joining the CHBC, Bill was Vice President of Business Development & Marketing for Trillium which designs, builds, owns and operates alternative refueling stations across the US serving the CNG/RNG, Electric and Hydrogen transportation markets. Bill also managed Market Development and Strategy for Trillium as an affiliate of the Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC) and Integrys.  During this period the company realized considerable growth, becoming one of the largest providers of CNG in the US.  

Prior to joining Trillium, Bill managed the SempramUtilities Natural Gas and Electric Vehicle Clean Transportation programs.  Recognized as the premier utility Clean Transportation program in the US, the Sempra team executed an alternative fuels strategy which focused on customer education & outreach, sound alternative transportation fuel policy, and the demonstration/commercialization of promising natural gas and electric vehicle technologies.        

Before entering the alternative fuels market, Bill served as the Director of Environmental and Climate Change Policy for Sempra Energy, and as Director of Strategy and Business Analysis for BP North America where he helped develop BP’s US brand and domestic policy following the acquisitions of Amoco and ARCO.  In his 15 years with ARCO, Bill was instrumental in the development and execution of the nation’s first regional smog trading program, RECLAIM, and worked on the development of nation’s first reformulated gasoline, EC-1.             

Bill has previously served as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for CalStart, and served on the Board of Directors for the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), the California Electric Transportation Coalition (CalETC), the California Manufacturers and Technology Association (CMTA), NGV America, the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition (CNGVC), California Natural Gas Vehicle Partnership the Conservation Corps of Long Beach, and the Moonlight Cultural Foundation.  Bill was honored to serve as part of a select group under US Energy Secretary Stephen Chu to develop the National Petroleum Councils “Future Transportation Fuels Study”, published in 2012 under the Obama administration. 

Bill is a graduate of Columbia University’s executive business program and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from California State University Long Beach.   

Architect, Brazilian.

Visiting Research Fellow, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India, 1977-78.

Municipal Secretary for Environment, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 90-92.

 President of The Minas Gerais State Foundation for the Environment, 1995-1998. Councilor at the National Council for the Environment, Brasilia.

Diretor of the National Council for the Environment, Ministry of Environment, Brasilia, 2001.

Adviser at the National Water Agency, Brasilia, 2002-2014.

Author of many articles and books on environment. www.ecologizar.com.br

Mr. Marks is the President and has headed up his family real estate and asset management company for the past 30 years, which is focused on fee owned commercial and retail properties all located in the greater Los Angeles area.  Most of the assets are among the highly developed areas of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Culver City, and notably the Helms Bakery campus. 

As a fifth generation Californian, Wally has deep community roots and pursues engagement with various civic and philanthropic endeavors. 

Graduate of UC Berkeley with a BS in Engineering.

Mr. Naimon is the founder of Light Green Advisors (LGA), a sustainable asset management company, which manages climate change funds for institutional investors including one of California’s public employee pension funds.  LGA has advised a series of environmental funds and trusts for investors in Europe and the US that utilize the firm’s “best-in-class” model for resource efficiency and sustainability.  In 2011, the Chinese government adopted the emissions rates metrics pioneered by LGA in the late 1990s to gauge its climate efficiency progress.

Mr. Naimon has particular expertise in solar finance, having advised Sun Edison on the development of its third party tax equity finance model. Sun Edison, now part of MEMC, is among the top owner & operators of solar projects in the US and worldwide.   Prior to founding LGA, Mr. Naimon held both management and technical positions at a think tank (IRRC) acquired by MSCI, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), ICF International, and the Energy & Commerce Committee of the US House of Representatives.  Mr. Naimon has served as a visiting professor on sustainable finance at the Norwegian School of Management in Norway and taught cost benefit analysis at Carnegie Mellon University Heinz School. He has a MS in Environmental Management from the University of North Carolina and a BS in Biology and Cognitive Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Experienced Product Development Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the oil & energy industry. A highly organized and hard-working individual that enjoys challenging projects where he can utilize his skills and educational background to bring significant growth and value to organizations.

Daisuke Yanagisawa has been working with Mitsui & Co. since 2009; first as the Manager of Renewable Energy Projects, and currently as the Director of Alternative Fuel and Clean Mobility. Since 2019, he has served as the CFO at Mitsui’s subsidiaries, and in 2020, he became a Board Member of FIRSTELEMENT Fuel Inc. Yanagisawa holds three degrees from the University of Southern California, a BS in Aerospace Engineering, MS in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA in Venture Investment and Technology Commercialization.

Michael Woo is Dean of the College of Environmental Design at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.  The College is one of the few university programs in the U.S. linking the allied disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban and regional planning, and also includes a large art department and the interdisciplinary sustainability programs at the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies.

Since the 1980s, Dean Woo has been one of the leading figures in Southern California planning and other efforts to shape the urban environment.   He was the first trained urban planner elected to the Los Angeles City Council (1985 – 1993) and has served as a member of the L.A. City Planning Commission for the pat six years.  During his two terms as the Councilman representing the Hollywood area, Woo initiated the Hollywood Redevelopment Plan which set forth the 30-year legal and financial framework underlying Hollywood’s current revitalization.  He also played a key role planning the route and station locations of the Metro Red Line subway connecting downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood.  Woo chairs the national board of directors of Smart Growth America and also chairs the nonprofit organization which runs the Hollywood Farmers Market, the largest certified farmers market in the City of Los Angeles.  He earned a B.A. in Politics and Urban Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and received his Master of City Planning degree from UC Berkeley.

Dr. Ren Orans founded E3 in 1989. An economist and engineer, he has focused throughout his career on the most pressing challenges facing the electricity industry. Most recently his major focus has been on advising California’s regulators and stakeholders on the most effective ways to implement the state’s clean energy and greenhouse gas mitigation policies.

Ren began his career by demonstrating the potential of deploying distributed energy resources to defer infrastructure investments, saving costs and enabling the integration of renewables into the grid. During the restructuring era of the 1990s, he devised a rate-making mechanism that enabled Texas utilities to recover stranded costs while giving retail customers access to wholesale market prices. He also supported the opening of transmission markets by developing FERC-compliant tariffs for Canadian utilities and assisting the California ISO in developing tariffs and evaluation processes for transmission projects.

Ren is a longtime advisor to policy makers and executives in every corner of the electricity arena: government agencies, utilities, system operators, regulators, independent power producers, energy technology companies, public interest organizations, and investors. He has also published his work widely in top scholarly journals and served as an expert witness on numerous occasions.

Even after 25-plus years of analyzing the industry, Ren still finds the electricity sector fascinating. He’s particularly excited by the accelerating pace of change, which technological innovation and public policy are driving. He enjoys applying E3’s deep analytic models and years of experience to new challenges and new markets.

Samantha Bricker was named the Chief Sustainability and Revenue Management Officer for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) in September 2020. She is responsible for overseeing Commercial Development, Mobility Strategy, Sustainability and Environmental Programs, as well as a new Procurement Center of Excellence. Commercial Development will consolidate and manage all key revenue-generating activities, including real estate, concessions and Non-Exclusive License Agreements, or NELAs, as well as all parking and ground transportation. Mobility Strategy will include the Rideshare group and will focus on developing and directing the implementation of new initiatives and policies designed to improve airport access for employees and passengers. The Procurement Center of Excellence Team will develop and implement a consolidated and consistent procurement process for the entire organization. Ms. Bricker will continue to oversee Environmental Sustainability and Compliance Programs, including all noise initiatives.

Ms. Bricker was named Chief Environmental and Sustainability Officer in August 2019 with responsibility for overseeing environmental and sustainability programs for LAWA including air quality and conservation initiatives, noise programs, environmental planning, regulatory compliance as well as transportation and mobility strategy. Ms. Bricker also oversaw the third party coordination with external agencies and stakeholders in support of LAWA’s Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) and Capital Improvement Program. Ms. Bricker joined LAWA in July 2016 as Deputy Executive Director for Project Management and Coordination and in November 2016 was named Deputy Executive Director for the Environmental Programs Group.

Prior to joining LAWA, she was the Chief Operating Officer of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority. In that role, she coordinated the design and construction of Metro’s Expo rail line, where she managed a budget of $2.5 billion and directed the Authority’s environmental planning, third party and external agency coordination, procurement, contract compliance, real estate program, as well as community and government relations.

Before her position with the Expo Construction Authority, Bricker served as a senior legislative deputy to former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky from 1994 to 2006. In this role, she developed policy and worked on environmental and transportation projects including the Orange Line busway in the San Fernando Valley and the Red Line subway to Hollywood and North Hollywood.

Bricker earned a Master of Arts in Political Science from UCLA and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Northwestern University.

Mark Stanley is the Executive Officer of the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency, enacted by State Legislature in 1999.

Mark’s focus is on achieving the goals of the RMC’s mission “to preserve open space and habitat in order to provide for low-impact recreation and recreational uses, wildlife habitat restoration and protection, watershed improvements within its jurisdiction.”  In addition to serving as Executive Officer of the RMC, he is the Executive Officer of four joint powers authorities including the Watershed Conservation Authority, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority and the Azusa-RMC JPA.

Mark serves as Executive Officer of these organizations which has resulted in a variety of implementation efforts related to parks and open space. For example, in the last two years over 500 new acre have been added to the public domain and the RMC received over $80 million dollars to grant to communities.

Debra C. Man is the assistant general manager and chief operating officer for Metropolitan. She is responsible for managing the operational business functions of the district, which include system operations, engineering, planning and resources management. In this position, one of her primary duties is to implement the Chief Executive Officer's Business Plan and initiatives, as well as, to oversee the application and operational practice of the Board's policies and directives.

She brings to her position 20 years of experience at Metropolitan in various aspects of business and water management. During this tenure, she was responsible for securing water supplies through agreements and partnerships with other water and agricultural interests in San Joaquin Valley and Southern California and demonstrated Metropolitan's water supply reliability in compliance with current laws. She was also responsible for major initiatives adopted by Metropolitan's board, such as the Integrated Resources Plan, new rate structure, and facility plans and environmental review for the district's major expansion of its distribution system and water filtration plants.

Man began her career at Metropolitan in 1986 as an engineer in the district's resources division, developing groundwater storage programs. She advanced to become a principal engineer in the planning division in January 1990 with the responsibility of overseeing facility plans for the district's capital improvement program. She progressed to assistant director of planning in September of 1990, director of planning in November 1992, and chief of planning and resources in July 1994. She became Vice President for Water Transfers and Exchanges in July 1999. She was named the Chief Operating Officer in December 2003.

A native of Honolulu, Man earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Hawaii and a master's degree in civil/environmental engineering from Stanford University.

Prior to joining Metropolitan, she was a project engineer for a private engineering firm in Southern California for four years, planning and designing water and wastewater treatment and distribution facilities.

A registered professional civil engineer in California and Hawaii, Man is a member of the American Water Works Association and the Association of California Water Agencies.

City Policy and Governments Affairs Manager at Waymo - the autonomous driving technology company - overseeing the Los Angeles market.

Previously served as Vice President of Government Affairs at the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC), where I lead the organization's legislative and policy strategy for housing, homelessness, transportation, economic development, sustainability, and clean energy. I have a Master's Degree in Public Policy from USC and a BA in Political Science from CSUN, where I received the highest academic honors of the department.

I have successfully overseen and contributed to multiple advocacy and research initiatives that have influenced local, state, and federal policies and programs, and have developed strong relationships with member companies, key decision-makers, and diverse stakeholders. Some of my key accomplishments include securing a $1.25M annual investment from the City of LA to grow contract opportunities for small and diverse businesses, expanding the nation's largest municipal solar rooftop program at LADWP, project-managing research on equity-centered clean transportation, and leading a team application for a $500K grant to increase environmental and economic sustainability in the Northeast San Fernando Valley.

I am a resourceful, insightful, and self-directed leader, with excellent communication skills, team leadership and collaboration, and a strong work ethic. I am forward-thinking, solutions-focused, results-driven, and I am passionate about resolving issues, influencing decisions, driving change, and navigating policy to achieve exceptional outcomes. I have extensive background and core competencies in government relations, public policy, advocacy, strategic planning, coalition building, research, project management, legislative affairs, nonprofits, community outreach, public relations, program development and evaluation, grants, operations, staff management, and environmental and economic sustainability.

Bill is an Executive Vice President and the Global Sports Leader at AECOM, the global design, infrastructure and construction services firm. Trained as an architect, Bill’s work focuses on large scale regeneration projects, major sports events planning, and sports venue design.  He works closely with politicians, civic leaders and key stakeholders to leverage the capital investment required to host a major sports event to both help regenerate areas of cities that are socio-economically challenged as well as delivering catalysts for future development.

He currently leads the AECOM team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and served as the Director of Venues and Infrastructure during the candidate city bid phase.  Previously, he led the AECOM team that delivered the London 2012 Games and Legacy masterplan as well as the Rio 2016 Games and Legacy masterplan. He also served as an advisor to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Tokyo 2020. 

Other recent projects include the Golden 1 arena for the Sacramento Kings – the first LEED Platinum sports facility in the world.

He has a Masters of Architecture degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

 Peter Gross, leads the Mission Critical Systems group at Bloom Energy, the leading manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells.  Peter is recognized as a thought leader in the mission-critical information and infrastructure design realm, has published numerous technical papers in the field, and is a frequent speaker at international events. His focus centers on mission-critical facilities, high-reliability design, energy and sustainability.  Peter has more than 25 years’ experience in the engineering and design of power systems as applied to data centers, trading floors, command and control centers, and telecommunication and broadcasting facilities.

Peter has been at the forefront of many innovative concepts that have contributed to the data center industry evolution, such as the HP modular, pre-fabricated FlexDC product and he was co-awarded a patent for Direct Current power distribution topology. He is presently focused on transforming the data center architecture through the use of fuel cells.

Magid has over 16 years of management experience in organizations focusing on national and international transportation and construction industry issues with a special focus on Road Asset Management and Public Private Partnerships. He has a strong background in transportation policy analysis, stakeholder engagement and international relations. He is a Certified Public Private Partnership Professional (CP3P) and has given numerous lectures and webinars around the world on the benefits of well-planned Public-Private. He is a graduate of the George Mason University School of Management and holds an MBA from Ohio University.

David W. Orr is the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics and Special Assistant to the President of Oberlin College and Executive Director of the Oberlin Project.

In 1996 he organized the effort to design the first substantially green building on a U.S. college campus. The Lewis Center purifies all of its waste water and is the first college building in the U.S. powered entirely by sunlight. His recent projects include a two year $1.2 million collaborative project to define a 100 days climate action plan for the Obama administration where the actions of the present generation might deprive posterity. He is presently the Executive Director of the Oberlin Project which is focused on making the City of Oberlin a model of full-spectrum sustainability and replicating that effort through a National Sustainable Communities Coalition. 

Benoit Charette has been the Member of the National Assembly for the Deux-Montagnes riding since 2008. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history with a concentration in political science from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a degree in public administration from the École nationale d’administration publique.

He began his career at the Ministère des Relations internationales in the Québec Government Office in Mexico City. He then worked at the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie in Moncton. Mr. Charette was appointed Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change in January 2019 and subsequently Minister Responsible for the Laval Region in August 2020 and Minister Responsible for the Fight against Racism in February 2021.

In October 2022, he was appointed Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and Minister Responsible for the Laurentides Region in addition to being given increased responsibilities regarding the energy transition.

A socially involved citizen, Mr. Charette was a volunteer in Haiti in 1995. He also held the position of director general of the Forum jeunesse des Laurentides from 2003 to 2005. He then served as local programs manager at the Léger Foundation until 2008. Over the years, he has been a member of several boards of directors of community organizations.

Mr. Charette has held numerous positions at the National Assembly of Québec, including executive director of the cabinets of the Whip and of the Second Opposition Group Leader from 2012 to 2014. Prior to his appointment to the Council of Ministers, he chaired the Committee on Institutions and was also a member of the Committee on the National Assembly and the Committee on Culture and Education.

Mr. Charette is the father of three children.

Lauren is a 18+ year veteran in the climate and clean energy community. She has a proven track record of delivering multi-disciplinary strategies and solutions on climate initiatives for the public, private, and non-profit sectors at every scale of government.

As the sustainability & climate chief for the second largest city in America, Lauren developed a city-wide and beyond integrated approach to climate action grounded in equity, science-based ambition, clear and measurable metrics, and roles, accountability, and opportunity for leadership for every player on the team (e.g. 35 city departments, in-house issue experts, civil society partners). Her portfolio linked together wide ranging issues in clean energy, clean transportation, clean water, healthy food, urban ecosystems, resilience, built environment, and green economy.

Lauren is a trusted and respected partner to local and national business, philanthropic, and community-based organizations, as well as to a wide network of counterparts in cities globally. She has built national networks such as Climate Mayors and an international platform at C40. She also brings an important blend of DC experience, understanding, and connections, with deep and successful on-the-ground experience in both coalition building, advocacy and strategy, as well as policy development and implementation at the state, local, and international levels.

Lauren has been recognized as 40 under 40 Public Utilities Fortnightly 2021, 2019 LA Power Woman by Bisnow, and 2018 Climate Leader to Watch by E&E News. Her work to spearhead the unprecedented LA100 study of a 100% renewable energy grid between the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been awarded for Municipal Innovation by the US Green Buildings Council of Los Angeles, Renewable Energy Leader by the Los Angeles Business Council, and Clean Power Champion by the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies. LA's Green New Deal, of which she is the chief architect, has been awarded the UN Future Policy Award and the United States Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Award.

Dr. Mazmanian was the founding Director of the Bedrosian Center on Governance, from 2005-2012. He is a professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Academic Director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. He served as the school’s Ione L. Piper Dean and Professor from 2000-2005. Before coming to USC, he served as dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation since 1994.

Dr. Mazmanian is a widely published scholar in the field of policy implementation and environmental policy. His current research focuses on the transition to sustainable communities. He is recipient of the Aaron Wildavsky Enduring Contribution Award from the American Political Science Association and the Thomas R. Dye Service Award from the Policy Studies Organization. Dr. Mazmanian served as executive director of the “Report of the California Adaptation Advisory Panel to the State of California,” in 2009-2010, and a member of the “Task Force on Environmental Governance of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development,” in 2005-2006. He is past president of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.

He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Washington University and both his M.A. and B.A. in Political Science from San Francisco State University.

Denise Braun is a LEED and WELL accredited professional, as well as a Fitwel Ambassador, an Envision Sustainability Professional, and a TRUE Advisor. She has over fifteen years of experience in the sustainability field, starting in Brazil and then moving to the United States. She has worked in various capacities on over 127 LEED certified projects, many of which have achieved the highest level of certification with no clarifications. Denise is currently working on several WELL projects. She recently worked on the first TRUE-certified zero waste high-rise commercial building in the world!

Denise is proficient at implementing strategies for construction documentation, sustainable purchasing, and best management practices involving tenant guidelines and building management tools and plans. Her dedication to corporate social responsibility, solid waste management solutions (including waste audits, zero waste solutions, awareness programs and technologies) and smart design, combined with her outgoing personality, result in effective collaboration, effective and creative solutions.

Denise and been responsible for her waste audits for over 5 million square feet of facilities, and has developed and analyzed technical waste management solutions for a large variety of building types. 

Denise has presented at numerous lectures, workshops and conferences, including the annual Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo, Net Zero Conference, the Living Building Collaborative Zero Waste Forum. She is currently studying Recycling and Solid Waste Management at UCLA Extension.

Alex N. Beavers, Jr., Ph.D.Alex Beavers is a 40-year veteran high-technology executive,entrepreneur, and author.He currently is the Chief Innovation Officer of Mote Marine Laboratory and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ringling College of Artand Design. His professional background includes being the Executive Directorin charge of clean tech commercializationat SRI International (Stanford Research Institute), founder and CEO of Averatek Corp., founding CEO of Artificial Muscle, Inc., CEO of Thomson Industries, CEO of ITP Systems , CEO of Applicon, Inc., CEO of Schlumberger Automation Systems Asia, GM of the General Electric Robotics and Vision Systems Business, Managing Partner of the PwC High Tech Practice, and Principal in charge of high technology consulting practice at Booz, Allen & Hamilton. His academic background includes a BSEE (Vanderbilt University), an MSEE and a PhDEE (University of Houston), and an MBA (Boston University). He has one patent issued and three pending. He has also authored over 25 papers in technical journals and trade magazines,has authored two books (Roadmap to the e-Factory and The Digital Horizon: Hopeful or Hopeless), and was the editor of a third book (Life Wins!)

Jerilyn López Mendoza is an environmental affairs program manager for So Cal Gas, coordinating California Air Resources Board policy for the utility.  In positions prior to this, she served as a commissioner of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, and vice president of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners.  Ms. Mendoza’s tenure as Harbor Commissioner at the Port of Los Angeles, from 2005 to 2010, coincided with the development and implementation of the first-ever in the world port-related “Clean Air Action Plan,” as well as the Clean Truck Program.  She is currently a President Obama appointee to the Joint Public Advisory Committee to the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, which advises the federal EPA on environmental issues affecting the continent of North America.  Ms. Mendoza also worked as a policy director and staff attorney at the Environmental Justice Project Office of Environmental Defense Fund in Los Angeles from 2000 to 2009, after earning her law degree at the UCLA School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.  

Andrew Jory is the Minister-Counsellor (Trade) at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC. Prior to this position he was the Assistant Secretary, Goods and Market Access Branch, Office of Trade Negotiations in Canberra. In this role  Mr Jory was Australia’s Deputy Chief Negotiator in the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement and ran the goods agenda. Mr Jory was Australia’s Chief Negotiator in the Peru-Australia Free Trade Agreement and Pacific Alliance Free Trade Agreement. Prior to this Mr Jory ran Australia’s goods team in Australia’s Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva, Switzerland, where he played a key role in the WTO Decision which eliminated export subsidies in agriculture. Mr Jory was also Australia’s lead goods market access negotiator in the TPP and closed market access deals with the US, Mexico and Canada.  

Jonathan has served as Chief Deputy Director at the State Water Board since 2007, where he oversees Water Quality, Financial Assistance, Monitoring and Assessment, and Data Management, amongst other responsibilities. Jonathan worked for the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board for 23 years before being named as Executive Director of the regional board in 2004. Jonathan received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Engineering with an emphasis in water quality from Humboldt State University.

Dr. Gil Crozes, Ph. D. has been involved in water treatment for 30 years, leading various planning, water resources, applied research, and engineering projects. He is a senior vice president with Carollo and is serving clients in the greater Los Angeles. His background includes extensive water and wastewater treatment process work, pilot- and demonstration-scale testing, as well as full-scale facilities planning and design. His areas of focus include groundwater treatment, surface water treatment, wastewater treatment, and solids and biogas utilization, as well as reuse of wastewater for irrigation, groundwater recharge, and various industrial applications such as power plant cooling water and boilers. His experience includes projects in more than 12 states.

Marie-Hélène Labrie is Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Communications.  She joined Enerkem in May 2008.  Prior to that, she worked in communications, business strategy, and market analysis as Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning at CAE, and as a consultant for numerous organizations, such as Oliver Wyman Delta Organization & Leadership and Desjardins Financial Security. 

She is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Écotech Québec, a cleantech cluster, and she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, the Conseil des entreprises en technologies environnementales du Québec, and the Mississippi Biomass and Renewable Energy Council. She represents the company at the Advanced Ethanol Council in Washington and the Canadian Cleantech Coalition in Ottawa. 

Ms. Labrie began her career at the Government of Canada, in the Department of National Defense, and pursued it at Industry Canada and the Privy Council Office.

Marie-Hélène Labrie holds a Masters in International Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Université Laval in Québec.

Cindy is a lifelong Angeleno raised in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. She is currently CEO of TreePeople, an LA-based environmental organization that has engaged more than 3 million people in making Los Angeles more climate-resilient and water-secure. TreePeople's environmental education programs impact more than a quarter million students per year.

Her love for the environment began with her family. Her parents ignited a passion for the environment when they pointed out environmental injustices in their neighborhood.

At the age of 25, Cindy was elected as the youngest mayor and councilmember of her hometown of San Fernando. At 28 years old, she made history by becoming the youngest woman elected to the California State Legislature, where she became a champion for the environment, sustainable urban planning and social justice.

Cindy then moved on to serve as Assistant General Manager at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where she was a core part of the team transitioning the nation's largest publicly-owned utility to cleaner energy and a more sustainable local water supply.

Cindy is currently a Board Member for the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

Some of Cindy’s favorite things to do are to hike our local mountains, explore California and give back to Los Angeles. 

Governor Jerry Brown appointed Ellen Greenberg as the California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) Deputy Director for Sustainability, a position the Caltrans Director created to lead the department's efforts in developing and implementing initiatives to align with California's goals on sustainability. Greenberg has over 30 years’ experience working with cities, transportation agencies and non-governmental organizations to guide development, conservation and transportation decisions. She comes to Caltrans from Arup, an independent design, planning and engineering firm, where she’s worked since 2010. Greenberg served in the leadership of Arup’s planning and infrastructure groups in San Francisco. During her time at Arup, she worked with transportation agencies including LA Metro, the Maricopa County (Arizona) Association of Governments, Translink (Vancouver Region) and the SF Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Ellen was lead author of Caltrans’ Smart Mobility Framework, which was initiated with support from the U.S. EPA Office of Sustainable Communities. Other areas of work with the EPA office have included urban eco-districts, reuse of obsolete shopping malls and sustainable street design. She also was appointed as the first visiting practitioner at the University of California, Davis National Center for Sustainable Transportation.

Stan Tomsic is Executive Director of PortTechLA , a business commercialization and incubation center for Port related technologies in environment, energy, security/safety and transportation/logistics.  As a serial entrepreneur, Stan's experience in the technology and green/clean tech industries spans over 25 years. He was founder and co-founder of several companies where he held management, executive and CEO positions. Stan was the administrator of the Business Technology Center of Los Angeles County, an accelerator incubator for high technology entrepreneurial companies. He is a partner of ACODA Technology & Investments, LLC, a firm specializing in strategic assistance, business consulting, investments and mergers and acquisitions for technology and services companies. Stan is also a Pasadena Angel, serves as a member of the board of directors and advisors for several technology companies, and is a member of numerous professional organizations. He is chairman emeritus of the Executive Committee of the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum, co-founder and chairman of the Business Incubation Network of Southern California (BINS) and LA Metro Director for Cleantech Open. Stan frequently presents and speaks on entrepreneurship, incubation and high tech start-ups.

Rita joined the County of Los Angeles’s Chief Sustainability Office in June 2017 as a Sustainability Program Director for the office. She supports development and implementation of the County’s first sustainability plan, in addition to providing policy support for other County sustainability-related initiatives. In May 2022, she was appointed Acting Chief Sustainability Officer.  Prior to joining the County, Rita was the Science and Policy Director of the non-profit Heal the Bay where she oversaw advocacy and research projects related to water quality and water resources, and guided the development of Heal the Bay’s positions on a wide range of policy issues. Before joining Heal the Bay, Rita worked for Geosyntec Consultants on a range of water quality projects, primarily focusing on stormwater. Rita received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Columbia University, and an M.S. in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in civil/environmental engineering from UCLA. 
 
 

David is a proven senior executive with experience as COO, CEO and Director on several corporate Boards. As Executive Director of The Climate Registry, David is responsible for providing strategic direction; liaising with state and provincial Board members; and overseeing The Registry’s program, services and staff. He also serves as co-director of the Northern California chapter of Environmental Entrepreneurs. In his previous position, David oversaw U.S. business development for a leading carbon management organization, and prior to that was an entrepreneur in the high tech sector, founding and/or leading innovative internet start-ups. David has an MBA from Oxford University and is based in San Francisco.

Garrett Sprague is Manager of Business Development at CustomerFirst Renewables. Prior to joining CFR, Garrett designed and spearheaded the first convener-led renewable energy aggregation effort in the U.S. while working for Boston-based nonprofit A Better City. He has over 7 years of experience in renewable energy encompassing a variety of sales and business development capacities across applications, project scales and technologies. Garrett has also worked with large institutions to establish, implement, monitor, and report greenhouse gas emissions and associated reduction initiatives. He received a Master’s of Liberal Arts in Sustainability and Environmental Management from the Harvard University in 2016.

Steve is a senior executive with over 20 years in developing business opportunities with emergent technologies. He currently is working with Zonoff, the dominant smart home platform provider and the engine behind Staples Inc. “StaplesConnect” smart home ecosystem. He also is associated with Microsoft Ventures Accelerator program as a mentor. Previously with Cisco, Steve developed their consumer DIY smart home market entry strategy for energy, security, entertainment and health care applications.

Michael H. Kelly currently serves as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy & Jobs, a non-profit organization comprised of leaders in the business, labor, academia and non-profit sectors dedicated to ensuring a path for economic growth and the creation and retention of quality jobs in the greater Los Angeles region.

Prior to working with the Los Angeles Coalition, Mr. Kelly has worked in a number of high-level positions, both in the private sector and with California State government. He recently served as the Manager of California Government Relations for the Boeing Company, a multi-billion dollar publicly traded company in charge of managing Federal, State and Local government relations and political activities throughout California. Additionally he helped coordinate government relations support at each of the company’s site operations.

In the public sector Mr. Kelly had the distinction of being appointed by both Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Film Commission, where he served as Deputy Director, successfully spearheading both Governors’ policies and initiatives to retain and attract motion picture production to California.

Prior to his appointment to the Film Commission, Mr. Kelly served in a variety of capacities for Governor Davis, first as an aide to then Lt. Governor Davis, a Special Assistant for Internal and External Affairs throughout the 1997-1998 gubernatorial campaign, transition to office, and first year and a half of the new administration. Mr. Kelly was a trusted advisor to the Governor and the primary contact for the Governor and his staff, elected officials and business leaders on numerous administration and political issues.

In 1999, Mr. Kelly was appointed Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Cabinet Affairs to work as a liaison between the Governor’s Office and the assigned Governmental Agencies and Departments, responsible for the Department of Industrial Relations; Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency; Department of Food and Agriculture; Environmental Protection Agency; Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; Resources Agency, and the Secretary of State and Consumer Services Agency.

He currently serves on the board of directors of the Center for Sustainable Energy, chair of the FUSE Corps L.A. Advisory Committee, the chair of the Philanthropic Foundation for California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a member of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator’s Diversity in Entrepreneurship Committee, the Pacific Council on International Relations, a partner at Saving The West, advisory board member for WorkingNation, as well as an adviser to Transmosis. He was also the recipient of the EnCorps Teachers Program 2010 “Torchbearer of the Year” Award.

Michael received an Economics Degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He was a Dean’s Merit Scholar at USC.

Mr. Whitton obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in 1991.  He began his career pursuing mandates in applied research, process engineering, and production management with ICI Explosives, Noranda, and Recyclex.  In 2001, Mr. Whitton joined PyroGenesis, where he occupied several roles in production, contract management and business development, principally with the company’s Advanced Materials division.  With the sale of this division in 2004, Mr. Whitton was transferred to Raymor Industries, becoming Director of Business Development, with responsibilities for growing the company’s powders and nanotechnology businesses along with presenting the company to the investment community in Canada and the US.  After a year-long stint as the powders division’s Director of Operations,  Mr. Whitton returned to PyroGenesis in 2009 to his current role.  At PyroGenesis, with his background and experience in engineering, operations, technology and business development, Mr. Whitton helps lead the company’s efforts in growing their plasma-based waste-to-energy and metallurgical technology businesses.  Mr. Whitton was an original elected board member of Ecotech Québec, the province’s new clean technology cluster, and continues to participate in the organization’s Regulatory and Fiscal Framework study group.  Mr. Whitton is also currently a sitting City Councillor for Deux-Montagnes, a suburb of Montreal, having been elected in 2009.

As president and CEO, and a member of ESA’s board of directors, Leslie works in tandem with internal and external leadership to allocate resources, monitor company performance, and oversee contract compliance while charting the future. Guiding the firm’s strategic direction, she’s committed to using our core values as the touchstone for business decisions, and working daily to achieve our vision as a leading employee-owned, solutions-oriented environmental science and planning firm.

In her 35 years with ESA, she has managed dozens of complex environmental impact documents, including those for the California Department of Water Resources, Orange County Sanitation District, Orange County Water District, City of Stockton, Contra Costa Water District, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Recognized as one of the Most Influential Women in Business in 2019 by the San Francisco Business Times, Leslie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology with an emphasis in Environmental Planning and Marine/Estuarine Science from Stanford University. She is a board member for the Water Education Foundation and is also a member of the Association of California Water Agencies, Association of Environmental Professionals, Water Environment Federation, California Water Environment Association, California Association of Sanitation Agencies, CalDesal, and the WateReuse Association.

Larry Kopald spent over twenty years at some of the world's leading advertising agencies overseeing advertising for companies ranging from American Express and McDonalds to Honda and Pepsi. He was also instrumental in launching, the multi-billion dollar brands such as Acura, Oracle, and Chicken McNuggets, among others.

In 2010 Larry made the shift to using his experience to create positive social change, and co-founded Kopald/Stranger, a change agency committed to growing businesses while simultaneously creating positive change in the world. Clients and partners ranged from Nike and Patagonia to Walmart, the United Nations and the US Department of Energy.

Lasering in on environmental solutions, in 2014 Larry co-founded The Carbon Underground, which is focused on helping nature draw carbon back down from the atmosphere and returning it to the soil to mitigate climate change, and in 2021 co-Founded SIF, a technology and data company working in climate and ag tech. 

Larry is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Carbon & Technology Committee, is a Senior Fellow at USC’s Marshall School of Business, and spent eight years on the White House Panel on Innovation under President Obama. 
 

Robert Greene is a Los Angeles Times editorial writer covering California and Los Angeles government, politics, policy and law.

Greene previously was a staff writer for the L.A. Weekly and a reporter and associate editor for the Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Prior to becoming a journalist, he was an attorney in Los Angeles. He is a resident of Highland Park and a graduate of USC and Georgetown University Law School.

Jason Caudle has been with the City of Lancaster since 2008, and was appointed City Manager in December 2018. Having served as the City’s Deputy City Manager for more than ten years, Mr. Caudle has championed many key initiatives, most notably the City’s groundbreaking alternative energy efforts, playing an integral role in the creation of Lancaster Choice Energy, the Lancaster Power Authority, and the California Choice Energy Authority.

As City Manager, Mr. Caudle has set his sights on leading City staff to implement a number of innovative projects, from Smart City initiatives to public improvements. He aims to strategically incorporate new technology and innovation throughout the City’s foundation to keep Lancaster on the cutting edge, continuing its legacy as a “City of firsts.”

Mr. Caudle’s successes have been predicated on his wealth of knowledge forged by previous roles, including being the Vice President of Public Finance for an investment banking firm and serving as the City Manager of the City of Tehachapi for nearly a decade. The latter merited him as one of the youngest city managers in the State of California.

Mr. Caudle holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration, both from California State University Bakersfield.

A family man, Mr. Caudle values spending time with his wife Leslie and their two children, Jackson and Kennedy. He also enjoys fishing, skiing, golf, and anything outdoors.

Hilary Norton is the Chairwoman Emeritus of the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and Executive Director of FASTLinkDTLA, the Transportation Management Organization for Downtown Los Angeles. 

Hilary was appointed to the CTC by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2019, and elected Chair of the CTC in August 2020.  Hilary concluded her second term as Chair on February 28^th, 2022.  She brings over 30 years of experience in transportation and community development to her Commission role.  Ms. Norton’s primary goals as CTC Chair include investing over $5 billion in annual SB1 gas tax and other funds into California’s transportation infrastructure system in order to improve outcomes in equity, mobility across numerous modes, safety, environment/climate change resilience, and economic growth.

As the Executive Director of FASTLinkDTLA – a new Transportation Management Organization (TMO) for Downtown LA (DTLA)– with a goal of reducing single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips in DTLA by 75% by 2030.  To achieve this goal, FASTLinkDTLA TMO connects employers and residents to transit, micro-transit and on-demand shuttles, AVP parking, walking and biking options and advocates for new mobility options to be funded to travel to and within DTLA.  Through FASTLinkDTLA, Ms. Norton launched one of the first ever in LA County micro-transit systems, connecting travelers through the flexLA multi-mobility app, and connecting new on-demand wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV), transit, vanpools, carpools, scooters, bike share, biking and walking.  FASTLinkDTLA enthusiastically supports the proposed LA Streetcar for DTLA, as well as new Metro rail and bus service planned for DTLA such as the Regional Connector, West Santa Ana Branch and Sixth Street/Arts District Station on the Metro Red/Purple Line.

As Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic (FAST)’s founding Executive Director since 2008, Ms. Norton mobilized a diverse coalition of business, labor, civic groups, educational institutions and transit organizations to support policy and infrastructure improvements to LA’s mobility, livability and economic prosperity.  FAST’s primary focuses: 1) Mobility Hubs – carshare, bikeshare, bike parking, EV charging and traveler services at transit stations, job and education centers; 2) comprehensive arterial improvements to improve travel time, encourage mode shift, and promote safety and transit connectivity; 3) Metro ExpressLanes expansion throughout LA County, creating the Metro ExpressLanes Business Roundtable to support the I-110/I-10 pilot corridors;  4) Expanding LA County’s bus rapid transit (BRT) network, especially in her neighborhood of Eagle Rock; and 5) Revitalizing the Arts District in DTLA with new mobility options: the Sixth Street/ Arts District Metro Station, and Sixth Street Viaduct / Sixth Street Park -- the largest bridge reconstruction project in LA’s history, adding bicycle and pedestrian lanes, and connections to the LA River and the Metro Red/Purple Line.

Ms. Norton is President and Managing Partner of Effect Strategies, a full-service strategic communications firm, with clients ranging from biotech/life sciences to innovations in service delivery, clean buildings, and mobility.

Ms. Norton served as 2018 Chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed), and is on the Board of Directors of the Central City Association. She co-chairs the Transportation Committees for BizFed, the LA Chamber of Commerce, and the LA Business Council (LABC). 

Ms. Norton is a member of the UCLA Institute for Transportation Studies (ITS) Advisory Board and a member of SCAG’s GLUE Council and its TDM Working Group.

Ms. Norton holds a BA from Wellesley College and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  She is the mother of two adults, Xavier and Eva Orozco.

Dr. Sean Chigusa is a President and Chief Executive Officer at TATSUNO North America, INC., which is the US subsidiary of TATSUNO Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) and supervises all aspects of the hydrogen infrastructure equipment  business, operations, and activities in North America. He has more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry include Fuel Cell Technology for FCV. Prior to joining TATSUNO, Sean served for four years as Senior Manager of the Kobelco Compressors America, where he provided leadership for the business development for hydrogen station equipment in North America.  Sean works with ISO/TC 197 (hydrogen technology) working groups as U.S. delegation, SAE Fuel Cell Interface Task Force and CSA/HGV as committee member for build code and standard of hydrogen station related technology. He also works with HySUT (The Association of Hydrogen Supply and Utilization Technology - Tokyo, Japan) as technical program adviser. He makes a significant contribution to build a great relation in hydrogen technology between United States and Japan. Sean has more than over 25 years of automotive advanced technology research in research experience in Toyota Motor Corporation (United States and Japan) such as the intelligent diagnostic system for Li-ion battery life prediction, Fuel Cell System diagnostic system using artificial intelligence technique.

David Stickler directs distributed generation strategy at NRG Energy, Inc. a Fortune 300 company that is at the forefront of changing how people think about and use energy. In addition to 47,000 megawatts of generation capacity, NRG’s retail electricity providers serve more than two million customers. David has over 30 years of experience in the power industry that started in US Navy in nuclear power plant operations. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.

Mr. Jonathan Leung is the Assistant Director of the Water Quality Division at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Jonathan has nearly 30 years of experience at the LADWP in a variety of roles for the Water System, Power System, and General Manager’s Office. Currently, Jonathan oversees the broad activities of the Water Quality operations staff. Jonathan is a champion of numerous innovation and customer service initiatives at LADWP, and has participated in several international collaborations to develop innovative technology. Jonathan has a B.S. Civil Engineering from Stanford University (’91) and an M.B.A from the University of Southern California (‘00).

Justin Ward joined Toyota in 2001 as the automaker opened its fuel cell development center in California. He moved into the position of advanced powertrain program manager-advanced technology vehicles in 2008. Ward’s team of engineers was involved with cold-weather testing for the auto maker’s latest-generation fuel-cell vehicle, the FCHV-adv. Ward acknowledged the need for adaptation as vehicle-manufacturers in the US, as opposed to Toyota’s team in Japan, especially when considering the vast environmental differences and traffic patterns. Justin Ward has also served as Chairman of the California Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP).

As deputy executive director at the Port of Los Angeles, Michael R. Christensen, P.E., is the second in command at the nation’s number one container port and head of the Port’s Development Bureau.

Christensen oversees the Engineering, Environmental, Goods Movement, and Construction divisions, which employ approximately 200 professional, technical, and clerical staff plus hundreds of consultant and contractor personnel in support of the permitting, design, construction, maintenance, and environmental management of the infrastructure and development projects at the 7500-acre complex. He also oversees the Board of Harbor Commissioners’ office and is liaison with outside transportation agencies on goods movement projects related to the Port. 

Christensen has more than 35 years of engineering and management experience related to maritime, rail, and general transportation projects. Prior to joining the port in October 2006, Christensen served as vice president at Parsons Transportation Group where he was responsible for a broad range of local, regional, and national goods movement, port, and rail projects.

His career-to-date also includes holding senior management positions at several other transportation consulting firms plus 16 years of service to the Southern Pacific Railroad, where he held various posts including assistant chief engineer for design and construction and chief environmental affairs officer. He has held key leadership positions on a number of major projects that include the Alameda Corridor rail expressway serving the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, the Port of Los Angeles’ Transportation Master Plan, the Port of Oakland’s Maritime Development Alternative Study, and Reno’s ReTRAC grade separation project.

Christensen earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Arizona State University and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association. A third-generation civil engineer, Christensen is a registered professional engineer in California and nine other states. He currently resides with his wife and four children in Redondo Beach, Calif., where he volunteers on a school board committee, as a youth soccer league referee, and as a local Boy Scout leader.

Bob started his career at ABB in 1999, and assumed the role of Director of EVI North America in 2017.    In this role Bob is the local product group manager for EV Charging Infrastructure, which includes responsibly for manufacturing of EV Charging equipment in North America as well as Sales and Marketing of EV Chargers in the USA. 

Prior to the EV Charging role, from 2015 to 2017 Bob was responsible for Microgrids in North America for ABB.  This role was part of ABB’s Corporate Business Development efforts across all ABB divisions and business units. 

Responsibilities included: business development, strategy and analysis of local markets, development of new solutions including strategic relationships with customers, developers, and other key technology providers.  Broad collaboration is a key emphasis during the early stages of microgrid market development in North America.

Some other notable positions at ABB in the recent past Bob: Director of the vertical solar power initiative within ABB North America, and various sales management roles within ABB on the West Coast and Southern California, primarily surrounding ABB’s portfolio of industrial automation and power products and systems. 

Bachelor of Engineering: Western University, London Ontario Canada

MBA: Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles California.

Martin Adams is the General Manager and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest publicly-owned utility.  He took over the leadership role in July 2019 after three years as the agency’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the City’s water and power systems.     

He leads an organization of more than 10,000 employees delivering water and power to the 4 million residents of Los Angeles.  Mr. Adams has more than 35 years of experience with at LADWP, where he started in 1984 as an entry level engineer in the Water System, eventually leading that organization as the Senior Assistant General Manager of Water.  During the course of his career, Mr. Adams worked throughout the Water System and was directly involved with the planning and implementation of major changes to water storage, conveyance, and treatment facilities to meet new water quality regulations.  He has spent almost half of his career in system operations, including ten years as the Director of Water Operations in charge of the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the Los Angeles water delivery system, including the Los Angeles Aqueduct and other supply sources, pump stations, reservoirs, water treatment, and management of Water System properties. 

Mr. Adams is a native of the greater Los Angeles area and lives with his family in Burbank, where he served for nine years on that city’s Water and Power board.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Sylvain Castonguay is a mechanical engineer with both bachelor and master’s degree from University of Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada. He has been involved in hybrid and electric vehicles since 2001.  He started his first company in 2002 before accepting a position as technical director at the Center for Electric Vehicle Experimentation in 2004 where he led several technical projects, from adoption of Segways to hybrid urban buses.   At the Center he was responsible for assembling a talented technical team responsible for building electric vehicle prototypes for NovaBus, Lion Buses, LTS Marine, and Nordco as well as working for customers such as Renault, Via Motors, Cities of Montreal, Laval, Quebec City and more.  In 2014, he received the Medal of the National assembly of Quebec for his work on electrification of transportation.

In 2015, he founded Nordresa and now leads a team of passionate people developing, manufacturing and commercializing electric powertrains for commercial trucks. Thanks to a state of the art automotive grade battery, Nordresa is capable of offering the best electric alternative for vehicles based on two of the most popular chassis: the Ford E-450 and the Isuzu N Series.  Nordresa’s technology has been implemented by a major Canadian parcel delivery company and is now commercially available both in Canada and the USA. With existing incentives, this technology can be implemented with a rapid return on investment from 2 to 4 years and with an immediate 85% reduction in maintenance cost. The company uses automotive proven components, direct drive power trains and offers the best value for the commercial truck market.

Brown has nearly 40 years experience in project development, project finance, and the planning and management of public utilities and environmental facilities. From 1975 to 2013, he held various positions at CDM Smith, most recently as Executive Vice President and 12-year member of the firm’s Board of Directors. In addition, he was the Founding Technical Director of CDM Smith’s Neysadurai Centre for Integrated Urban Solutions in Singapore. Brown is co-author (with Vladimir Novotny and Jack Ahern) of the book Water Centric Sustainable Communities, published by John Wiley & Sons.

A member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), he chairs the International Water Association (IWA) Cities of the Future program steering committee. Brown is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of South Florida (USF) Patel College of Global Sustainability, where he also serves as Director of Applied Research.

Jake Levine serves as Chief Climate Officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, where he leads the agency's climate team, and is responsible for setting the vision for and implementing DFC's climate finance agenda. He also serves on DFC's Risk Committee, and works closely with DFC's Public Board agencies—the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, and the U.S. Agency for International Development—to coordinate administration policy in climate finance.

Mr. Levine is an attorney by training, and has represented clients in various climate, clean energy, and clean air matters. Mr. Levine previously served in government in the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change, where he developed innovative energy policies, including the most stringent fuel economy standards ever set and the first-ever greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks, and later as Senior Counsel to California State Senator Fran Pavley, where he led the successful campaigns to draft, design, and enact SB 32 (Pavley) and AB 197 (Garcia)—landmark California climate and environmental justice legislation.

Mr. Levine also served as Chief of Staff to the President of Opower, a software firm (now Oracle Utilities) that uses big data and behavioral science technology to help consumers save energy.

Mr. Levine sits on the Board of Grid Alternatives of Los Angeles, a non-profit focused on creating jobs in the clean energy transition, and is an advisor to the California Climate Action Corps, a statewide service corps focused on climate resilience in underserved communities, which he helped to design and launch as a consultant to Governor Newsom. Mr. Levine holds a B.A. from Harvard College and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Elise Zoli is a partner in the energy and climate solutions practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she focuses on advancing strategic alliances in the clean energy, water, agriculture, and de-carbonized sectors.

Elise has worked extensively on a variety of groundbreaking technologies, transactions, and projects, including with nuclear, solar, wind, fuel cell (PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) and SOF/EC (solid oxide fuel cells)), storage, micro- and smart-grid, CCUS, de-salination, and water technologies, as well as the associated securitization and markets for carbon, fuels, land, and ecological attributes. In conjunction with her transactional work, which focuses on strategic alliances, Elise has pioneered the use of novel P3 (public-private partnership) instruments, including U.S. Department of Energy grants, loan guarantees, and incentives.

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Elise was a partner and the global head of the Future of Energy, Renewables+ and Sustainability initiative at Jones Day. Previously, she led the energy practice and was a partner at Goodwin Procter.

Elise is a co-founder of the Alliance for a Climate Resilient Earth and serves on the board of directors of the Stimson Center, a leading, nonpartisan global think tank. She is currently obtaining her global M.B.A. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Practicing at the intersection of imagination and urban settings, Moshik is an architect whose innovative designs strive to bring a community together.  In his 27 year career, he has lead the vision for award winning projects that enhance the design experience in the public domain to improve the quality of life for the people whom his designs serve.  Design that is representative of the desires and needs of a diverse community must be inviting to all, offer a delightful setting, and promote active participation.  Landmark projects as Link Union Station, Kansas City Street Car and the Portland Aerial Tram are emblematic of the positive influence design has to express culture to reinforce and bind a community.  Moshik has extended these principles across an array of civic and transportation projects including stations, transit orient development, trams, streetcars, campus master plans, bridge design, civic buildings, street design and multimodal hubs.  The architecture embraces and communicates the common values of a place to cultivate a vibrant public life that enjoys an enduring social and economic prosperity. 

Fred Johring is President of the Harbor Trucking Association, an industry group that provides trucking to/from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The Harbor Trucking Association is the leading advocacy group and advocates to keep Ports competitive and world leaders in promoting clean air and job growth.

Fred is also the President of Golden State Express, Inc. (GSE) and GSL Transportation Services, Inc. (GSL), a midsized trucking and warehousing group based in Rancho Dominguez, CA. Mr. Johring has extensive experience at Union Pacific Railroad in the international and intermodal arena, before he founded his current companies in 1996. He is a commissioner on the board of the Workforce investment Board in Long Beach. He is active with the American Trucking Association, the CTA, and the Harbor Transportation Club.

Ricardo Lara is California’s 8th Insurance Commissioner since voters created the elected position in 1988. Raised in East Los Angeles by immigrant parents, Commissioner Ricardo Lara made history in 2018 by becoming the first openly gay person elected to statewide office in California’s history. Commissioner Lara previously served in the California Legislature, representing Assembly District 50 from 2010 to 2012 and Senate District 33 from 2012 to 2018. Commissioner Lara earned a BA in Journalism and Spanish with a minor in Chicano Studies from San Diego State University.

Ms Huang Wenhang, Director of International Cooperation Division of Climate Change Department in the NDRC.

Prior to joining in the NDRC, she has worked in the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for 19 years on various posts. During her services in the MOF, she was sent to work in Foreign Investment Advisory Service of the International Finance Cooperation of the World Bank in Washington between 2001 and 2005. After she came back in China, she was appointed as an acting head of International Financial Organization Division of International Department of the MOF, where she participated in various activities associated with climate change and environment, including drafting CDM regulation, establishing CDM fund, drafting Management Method for GEF Grant, supervising the operation of GEF grant in China and participating in a number of UNFCCC negotiations.    

Architect Brenda A. Levin, FAIA, has touched the historic and cultural spirit and complexity of Los Angeles, significantly shaping the city we know.  For over 20 years her architecture and urban planning firm, Levin & Associates Architects, has pioneered, in collaboration with innovative developers, the process of preserving and re-defining the riches of the city.  The success of this effort helped to catalyze the preservation movement in Los Angeles.  Among the landmarks she has helped to preserve and revitalize are Grand Central and Chapman markets; the Oviatt, Fine Arts and Bradbury buildings; the Wiltern Theater, and City Hall.   In process are Griffith Observatory, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings at Barnsdall Art Park, and the Japanese American National Museum’s National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, among others.

In addition to her work in preservation, some of her most significant projects have been the adaptive re-use and design of new buildings on school campuses and in the cultural and social realms.  Ms. Levin believes that her work is obligated to both inform—and be informed—by the context—and by the audience.  On the campus, Levin has created Johnson Student Center and Samuelson Pavilion at Occidental College; Malott Commons at Scripps College;  St. James’ Elementary School; and, a campus master plan, the Math-Science, and the Music, Dance and Athletic Center buildings at Oakwood School, a private secondary school.

In the spring 2000, the Boone Gallery designed by Levin opened at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino and an art museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Levin’s housing projects include the nationally-recognized Downtown Women’s Center for mentally-ill, homeless women in downtown Los Angeles, and the Adams Congress affordable apartments in the city’s South-Central neighborhood.

Born in the New York metropolitan area, Levin studied design and painting at Carnegie-Mellon University, and graduated with a degree in graphic design from New York University in 1968.  She earned a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 1976.  Moving to Los Angeles in 1976, she first worked with the legendary architect John Lautner. 

Brenda Levin was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1997.  She and the firm have been honored by a number of organizations, including the Urban Land Institute, American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Conservancy, City of Los Angeles, State of California, the National Association of Women Business Owners, and NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund.  A 256-page monograph presenting Ms Levin’s ideas and work and entitled Brenda Levin, Levin & Associates Architects: Los Angeles was published in the spring, 2001.

Matthew is the Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University. He teaches courses in Econometrics and Environmental Economics in the Masters of Quantitative Economics program.

His specialties are applied econometric analysis, the economics of land use, and environmental markets. Matthew's research examines the unintended consequences of environmental policies. He is also the Chair of the Fox Canyon Water Market Group and was recently chosen by Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency to serve as exchange administrator for an innovative, first of its kind water market pilot program.

Matthew returned to school to pursue his PhD after running a small business in Ventura County for more than a decade. His other specialties include California Natural History, technical rock climbing and photography. Matthew graduated summa cum laude from the Brooks Institute of Photography and has spent more than 15 years working as a professional climbing guide.

Matthew completed his doctorate in environmental economics at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara.

John Laird has served as Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency since 2011. A long-time resident of Santa Cruz, Secretary Laird has spent nearly 40 years in public service at the state and local level, including 23 years as an elected official. While serving the maximum three terms in the Assembly, Laird authored 82 bills that were signed into law. These bills established the landmark Sierra Nevada Conservancy, restored community college health services, expanded and clarified state civil rights protections, reformed the state mandates system, and significantly expanded water conservation.

As California’s Secretary of Natural Resources, Laird has prioritized climate change adaptation, water conservation and supply reliability, enhanced relationships with tribal governments, State Parks access, farmland conservation, and oceans sustainability. He provides administrative oversight to thirty departments, commissions, councils, museum, boards and conservancies – and is a sitting member of sixteen conservancies, councils, boards and commissions within the purview of the Agency.

David Buczkowski is Senior Director of Major Projects for Southern California Gas Company. Buczkowski joined Southern California Gas in 2011 following a successful 10-year career with Fluor, a multinational engineering and construction firm where he directed project teams for large and complex energy infrastructure projects.

Prior to his time at Fluor, Buczkowski held the role of project manager for Parsons, an engineering, construction, technical, and management services firm, and worked for five years as a project and startup engineer for Shell Oil Company.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Emily Cloke is British Consul General in Los Angeles. She is the senior representative of the UK government in Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii. In this role, she promotes trade and investment, scientific cooperation, tackling climate change, creative and media collaborations and educational partnerships between the UK and the southwestern United States. She also oversees delivery of essential consular services to a 600,000-strong British resident community and British visitors.

Emily has a range of policy, commercial and international experience working for the British Government. Her recent roles include as Deputy CEO for the UK-Africa Investment Summit hosted by the Prime Minister in 2020, and as a senior leader in the Department for International Trade’s Sectors Group, overseeing export and investment promotion for industry sectors including aerospace, advanced manufacturing and education. She has worked overseas as Trade Director for the British Embassy Tehran, setting up and leading the UK’s trade section and strategy following the re-opening of the British Embassy in 2015, and as Head of Trade at the British Embassy Sweden. Her wider experience includes advising on the creation of the world’s first Green Investment Bank, and leading the Ministerial private office for the Minister of Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs/Minister for Women & Equalities. Emily started her career as a lawyer in the City of London and studied law at Cambridge University.

Mr. Youssef is the Technology Development Manager for the Southern California Gas Company.  Mr. Youssef has 35 years of experience in the energy industry with past responsibilities in Marketing, Human Resources, Operations and Engineering.  He is responsible for managing a $10 million per year R&D program. This program is focused on developing and demonstrating new products and technologies to help customers use energy more efficiently, meet their environmental regulations, use renewable energy and use alternative fuel vehicles.

Mr. Youssef has a Bachelor and Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Mark Pruner serves as the chair to the Delta Protection Advisory Committee (DPAC), the statutory advisory body to the Delta Protection Commission (DPC).  The DPAC is composed of 15 members representing diverse interests within the Delta, including agriculture, flood control, water resources, habitat and conservation, recreation, residents, water exports, state and federal agencies, and the public.  Many of the policies, projects and ideas across the spectrum of interests affecting the Delta come before the DPAC for input and recommendation to the DPC for possible action. 

Pruner also serves as the chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Clarksburg Fire Protection District, is a founder of North Delta C.A.R.E.S., a volunteer Delta advocacy organization, and serves in various other community leadership roles in the Delta, where he and his family have lived for over 20 years.  Pruner is a fifth generation Californian, from a farming family background, is a Judge pro tem with the Sacramento Superior Court, and is an attorney in private practice emphasizing real property and business matters. 

Jason Rondou is the Director of LADWP’s Clean Grid LA Strategy Division, where he oversees LADWP’s Strategic Long-Term Resource Plan, utility-scale renewable and energy storage procurement, as well as the Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Planning, Development and Program groups. Additionally, he oversees LADWP’s LA100 Study, which aims to identify the major investments required to reliably and cost-effectively transition LADWP to 100% renewable energy. Jason formerly was responsible for LADWP’s Strategic Development & Programs section, responsible for LADWP’s entry into the California Independent System Operator’s Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) as well as its demand response, local solar development, and community solar programs. Jason previously worked at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation on light rail development and bus rapid transit. Jason graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Electrical Engineering and has a Master of Public Administration from USC and an MBA from UCLA. Jason is a licensed Electrical and Transportation Engineer in the state of California and is the former Chair of the Los Angeles IEEE Power & Energy Society.

Dr. Nathan S. Lewis is the George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology and Principal Investigator in the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, the DOE’s Energy Innovation Hub in Fuels from Sunlight.

Professor Lewis is Principal Investigator of the Beckman Institute Molecular Materials Resource Center.  His research interests include artificial photosynthesis and electronic noses. Nate continues to study ways to harness sunlight and generate chemical fuel by splitting water to generate hydrogen. He is developing the electronic nose, which consists of chemically sensitive conducting polymer film capable of detecting and quantifying a broad variety of analytes. Technical details focus on light-induced electron transfer reactions, both at surfaces and in transition metal complexes, surface chemistry and photochemistry of semiconductor/liquid interfaces, novel uses of conducting organic polymers and polymer/conductor composites, and development of sensor arrays that use pattern recognition algorithms to identify odorants, mimicking the mammalian olfaction process.

Carl has over 40 years of utility industry experience managing energy for California’s sixth largest utility, the Imperial Irrigation District, as the Energy Manager and the Portfolio Management Officer. During his tenure at the utility, Carl initiated strategic project management, implemented processes that saved hundreds of millions in costs, and oversaw the implementation of battery storage projects. As a member of the Geothermal Energy Association board, Carl helped initiate the use of renewable energy as a catalyst for addressing the Salton Sea environmental issues.

Carl is the Vice President of Imperial Valley Development and Storage Integration for 8minutenergy. He oversees the development of renewable projects in Imperial Valley and works with 8minutenergy’s storage team to bring energy storage projects to fruition.

Carl has over 40 years of utility industry experience managing energy for California’s sixth largest utility, the Imperial Irrigation District, as the Energy Manager and the Portfolio Management Officer. During his tenure at the utility, Carl initiated strategic project management, implemented processes that saved hundreds of millions in costs, and oversaw the implementation of battery storage projects. As a member of the Geothermal Energy Association board, Carl helped initiate the use of renewable energy as a catalyst for addressing the Salton Sea environmental issues.

Carl is the Vice President of Imperial Valley Development and Storage Integration for 8minutenergy. He oversees the development of renewable projects in Imperial Valley and works with 8minutenergy’s storage team to bring energy storage projects to fruition.

Osha R. Meserve is a shareholder in the firm of Soluri Meserve.  A graduate of Hastings College of the Law, Osha has been practicing land use, water and environmental law since 1999.  Prior to joining Soluri Meserve, Osha was an attorney with the Sacramento office of Adams, Broadwell, Joseph & Cardozo.  She began her career at Remy Moose and Manley, also in Sacramento.  Osha has represented Delta communities, reclamation and water districts since 2008 regarding the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and related Delta planning efforts.  She also represents the Friends of Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, which would also be impacted by the Delta Tunnels.

Jeff Berk is a Senior Vice President with AECOM where he serves as a Regional Water Business Leader in California.  He has been a consulting engineer for over 28 years where he has held both national and regional leadership positions.  In addition to the CASA Board, Jeff currently sits on the Deans Advisory Board for both the University of California Los Angeles and California Polytechnic State University in Pomona.

Jeff holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University in Pomona and a Master’s of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.  He is a registered civil engineer in California.

Clark is an internationally recognized and respected expert, author, lecturer, public speaker and consultant on global and local solutions to climate change. His core advocacy is in the economics for smart green communities. During the 1990s he was Manager of Strategic Planning for Technology Transfer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) with the University of California and the U.S. Department of Energy. While at LLNL he served as one of the contributing scientists and experts for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He chaired the first Research Team for the UN FCCC.

His current work generates responses to climate change from governments and businesses, using public policy, science and technology, and their economics and finance methods. In 2004 he founded, and now manages, Clark Strategic Partners (CSP), a global environmental and renewable energy consulting firm using his political-economic expertise to guide, advise and implement public and private projects advancing sustainable, smart communities as well as colleges and universities, shopping malls, office buildings and film studios. In 2014, building on his mass media background (1980s), he founded Clark Mass Media Company (CM²C), which specializes in documentary, education and dramatic social issues.

Clark earned three masters degrees from different universities in Illinois and his Ph.D. at University of California, Berkeley. He has published eleven books and over 70 peer-reviewed articles, which reflect his concern for global sustainable communities. Recent authored and edited books are The Next Economics (Springer, 2012) and Global Sustainable Communities Handbook (Elsevier, 2014). And his latest coauthored books, with Grant Cooke, are The Green Industrial Revolution (Elsevier, 2014), China’s Green Industrial Revolution (in Mandarin, 2015) and Smart Green Cities (Gower, February 2016). Other books are Island Nations (Elsevier Press) with updates to Agile Energy Systems (Elsevier) and Qualitative Economics (Elsevier).

Clark also served in academic, nonprofit organizations and government and taught graduate courses in the USA and China. From 2012-2014, he was an Academic Specialist in Cross-Disciplinary Studies at UCLA and other UC Campuses including Davis and Riverside. From 1999-2000 he was a Visiting Professor of Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship at Aalborg University, Denmark, where he was also a Fulbright Fellow in 1994. Then from 2000 – 2003, he was California Governor Gray Davis’ Renewable Energy, Emerging Technologies and Finance. For 6 out of 8 years, he was Chair of the Citizens Oversight Committee (COC) for school bond funds ($334 million) in Beverly Hills, CA where he lives now with his wife, Andrea and their 8 year old son, Paxton. Clark writes regularly for the Huffington Post at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/woodrow-clark/

In his role as Executive Director of CTLA and LACI, Fred combines experience as an entrepreneur with his passion for clean technology.  Prior to joining this new public/private partnership, Fred worked as a technology entrepreneur and an advisor on the City’s cleantech business strategy.

As Executive Director, Fred lead’s the strategic, policy, industry partner and outreach efforts of CLTA and LACI.

Fred brings sixteen years of entrepreneurship to this effort, having co-founded The Propellant Group, a management consulting group, Full Moon Interactive (FMI), an Internet architect, and LAI, Inc., a consulting company focusing on leveraging technology in traditional businesses.  Fred built FMI from startup to $25 million in annual sales with 14 consecutive quarters of profitability.  Fred also started one of the first interactive divisions of a global advertising agency in 1995.  Prior to his experience in “new media,” Fred spent 15 years with global communications companies in various executive capacities.   Fred ran the Apple computer account on a worldwide basis for BBDO and was GM of their San Francisco office, doubling the billings of the office and returning it to profitability in 18 months.

Fred has been involved -- either as a consultant, principal, employee or investor -- in the startup of several-dozen technology companies.  He served as COO of Snap.com, a next-generation venture-backed search engine.  Previously, Fred was a Strategic Advisor at Idealab in which he led the efforts to develop operating plans for a number of their portfolio companies.  Fred served as the Interim CEO for Geocities, helping to author its first business plan, gain its first round of venture backing, and crystallizing its advertising-driven business model.  Geocities went public and was later sold to Yahoo in 1999.

Starting in 2008, Fred began advising the Mayor’s Office, CTLA, the CRA/LA, LAEDC, and UCLA on various early efforts to develop a clean technology commercialization ecosystem.

Fred speaks often to groups on creating cleantech innovation ecosystems, harnessing the region’s strengths to build a large green economy, entrepreneurship, the role of economic development in creating jobs, and public/private partnerships.

Fred received his BA from New York University.

John Withers was appointed to the IRWD Board of Directors in 1989 to fill a board vacancy and has been elected to subsequent terms, including 2020 when he was elected to represent Division 1 under a new division-based election process.  He served as board president in 2004 and vice president in 2012 and 2021. He serves on the Water Resources Policy & Communications, and Engineering & Operations committees, as well as various ad hoc representations and assignments.

Withers is a partner with California Strategies, LLC, in Irvine, a statewide, strategic government-relations firm. In past positions, Withers has served as vice president of community development for Lewis Operating Corp. and as director of water resources for Psomas & Associates, a civil engineering and planning firm. He was also the director of governmental affairs for the Building Industry Association Orange County Chapter, and a legislative advocate for Crocker Bank and a major trade association in Sacramento.

Withers is chairman of the Orange County Sanitation District Board of Directors, where he has served since 2009. He is chairman and board member of the National Water Research Institute, a former chair and commissioner of the Local Agency Formation Commission, and former chair and member of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. 

A native Southern Californian, Withers earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from UCLA with a specialization in urban studies. He was then selected as a CORO Foundation Fellow and earned a master’s degree in urban studies from Occidental College.

Community activities include membership in the UCLA Alumni Association, youth sports and Mariners Church.

A resident of Irvine since 1984, Withers lives in Northwood with his wife, Katie. They have three grown children, Carolyn, Gordon, and Peter.

Ohad Zeira is the Director of Global Product Management for Belkin International.  He oversees the development, ongoing direction and overall growth for Belkin’s connected home solutions

Ohad uses customer research and product usage data to find the best opportunities with the company’s’ hardware and software roadmaps in the Internet of Things space. He launched Belkin’s first WeMo Home control solutions, Belkin’s most ambitious development program combining solutions with the cloud and mobile apps. WeMo combines hardware, mobile apps and cloud intelligence that allow consumers to control their home from anywhere at any time. Another area of on-going innovation that Ohad leads is the work Belkin is doing with water and power energy use through the Belkin Echo Power and Echo Water solutions.  These solutions are analyzing energy and water usage to help homeowners and building managers understand waste and part replacements and even sense security issues.

A six year Belkin veteran, Ohad Zeira has held numerous positions in fast growing marketing segments including energy management, mobility and home automation as well as corporate development.  Before joining Belkin International, Ohad held positions at Bose Corporation and Ernst & Young Consulting.

Ohad holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and has a Master’s of Science in Operations Research from Cornell University. 

Mr. Lacroix holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from ÉTS university and has a long track record of data analysis and vehicle optimisation, both in testing environments and on the field. Since the inception of Effenco, Mr. Lacroix focused on working directly with end users to improve the performances and driving experience of the technology. Mr. Lacroix is currently in charge of the sales orientation and marketing strategy at Effenco. 

Chair Robert Weisenmiller was appointed as member and Chair to the California Energy Commission in January 2011 by Governor Jerry Brown and re-appointed in January 2015. He fills the Engineer/Scientist position on the five-member Commission. Commissioner Weisenmiller brings more than 30 years energy experience to the Commission including expertise in electricity and gas markets and California regulatory policies. Chair Weisenmiller has served as an expert witness in more than 100 state and federal regulatory commission proceedings and has authored numerous publications on electricity and natural gas markets.

Before his appointment, Chair Weisenmiller, a co-founder of MRW & Associates, used his expertise to assist businesses, financial institution, regulatory commissions, and public agencies in strategic planning, policy development, analyzing energy markets and regulations, rate design and implications of utility mergers.

Chair Weisenmiller's career also included a previous period of public service with the Energy Commission as Advisor to Commissioner, Manager of the Special Projects Office, and Director of the Office of Policy and Program Evaluation in the period between 1977 and 1982. Chair Weisenmiller holds a Doctorate in Chemistry and a Masters in Energy and Resources from University of California Berkeley and received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Providence College.

Ms. Pham holds a degree in mechanical engineering and has 13 years of experience in the oil & gas and alternative fuels industry. She has successfully managed 30+ alternative energy projects through all phases, from contract execution to commissioning, most notably for hydrogen fueling projects for Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) and the electrolysis production and fueling facility for Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (CUMTD).  At Mote see manages commercial negotiations, community outreach activities, communications and their grant/DOE LPO applications.

Patrick currently serves as Director of Rolling Stock Business Development for Alstom Americas, focusing on the commuter/intercity segment and emerging green technologies and has established his role as a true team player with his peers and work associates.

Over his career dedicated to the mobility industry, Patrick has held several key positions in Alstom/Bombardier Transportation’s commercial team. His in-depth knowledge of the rail landscape in the US and Canada is combined with a strong commercial and strategic outlook. His industry experience includes time as a consultant, private enterprise, and policy shaping. Prior to his time with Alstom/Bombardier, he also spent time the Bluesky Strategy group in Canada, supporting their communications and public affairs efforts and also has worked with the Senate of Canada.

Patrick holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Ottawa and is based in Montreal, Canada.

Jon Healey is Deputy Editorial Page Editor at the Los Angeles Times, which means he is one of a nameless, faceless group writing screeds that, technically speaking, reflect the views of the publisher (whoever that happens to be at the time). In addition to editing, his main contributions to the editorial page are pieces about the economy, technology, intellectual property, regulation, and general business issues. He also writes for two of The Times’ blogs, Tech Now (infequently) and Opinion L.A. (less infrequently). Prior to his joining the editorial board, Healey covered technology news for The Times, the San Jose Mercury News and various other publications.

Lesley Poole serves as the chief executive officer for The SEED Foundation. She is responsible for the overall health and vitality of SEED’s network of three public, college-preparatory boarding schools and SEED’s mission-critical college success programming.

Lesley was one of the founding faculty at The SEED School of Washington, D.C., and held a number of positions during her tenure. At The SEED Foundation, Lesley’s expertise in government relations and philanthropy was instrumental in securing the public-private partnerships necessary in Annapolis, MD, and Tallahassee, FL, to make The SEED School of Maryland and The SEED School of Miami possible.

Lesley began her career in education as a mathematics instructor and later served as the service area director for the school division of San Francisco Educational Services (SFED), where she oversaw five programs for children with special needs. She holds two bachelor’s degrees – one from San Francisco State University in chemistry and one from Patten College in organizational management.

Lesley is a member of the spring 2017 cohort of Pahara-Aspen Fellows, which seeks to strengthen and sustain diverse, high-potential leaders who are reimagining public education. She is also a fellow with Seeding Disruption, a fellowship that brings together a diverse group of Washington, D.C.’s,  senior leaders to generate, seed, and catalyze disruptive practices for the purpose of dismantling systems of racial inequity. Lesley serves on the board of Educare, an early childhood education school and community center in Washington, D.C.’s, Ward 7, as well as Excellence Christian School, located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Dr. Anat Zeelim-Hovav is a Professor Emeritus in Management Information Systems at Korea University, a visiting scholar at Claremont Graduate University, and Chief Privacy officer at Vitrum, Inc. Her areas of expertise include cyber risk, organizational information security strategy, international aspects of cybersecurity management, and Futures research. Dr. Zeelim-Hovav has published over 80 refereed articles in renewed journals such as Information Systems Research (ISR), IEEE, Communications of the ACM, Journal of Business Ethics, Research Policy, Risk Management and Insurance Review, and Journal of Intellectual Capital. Dr. Zeelim-Hovav is also the winner of the 2013 Citation of Excellence Award. Dr. Zeelim-Hovav has engaged in a number of international cybersecurity management and risk workshops, panels and keynote addresses. Her global cybersecurity experience spans eight countries over three continents. 

Nick Haschka is a Director of Strategy at NRG Energy, Inc's Station A Group. Station A is NRG's internal innovation and business disruption group focused on developing new distributed generation and smart microgrid lines of business through a combination of advanced R&D, strategic planning, and first-of-kind project execution. Nick joined NRG Energy in July 2013 from McKinsey & Company, where he was a member of its Global Energy & Materials management consulting practice. He has served utility and industrial clients across multiple business functions including strategy, finance, sales & marketing, and operations. Prior to McKinsey, Nick co-founded, grew, and sold a solar PV power plant development firm to a fast-growing solar technology manufacturer, where he subsequently managed power plant development efforts and supported its CEO in raising $100M in growth capital. He also advised Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber’s energy policy committee on boosting private sector investment into commercial building energy efficiency.  Nick holds an MBA in strategy and social enterprise from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Management Science and Operations Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In his spare time, Nick is active in the MIT alumni association, formerly serving as President of the MIT Club of Chicago, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting MIT initiatives through alumni connectivity, professional development, and local engagement in key issues surrounding K12 STEM education, social entrepreneurship, and technology. 

Gaurav is an Associate Professor and a Henry Samueli Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Sant’s research interests include interfacial solid-liquid, solid-vapor, and solid-liquid-vapor reactions including dissolution, precipitation, and electrochemical corrosion with applications to (i) cement, concrete, porous media, (ii) hard biological tissues, (iii) metals and alloys, (iv) natural and synthetic minerals, and (v) glasses. In his research, special focus is placed on understanding the origin of formation, degradation and aging dynamics of such materials in aqueous environments of relevance to engineered, biological and geological systems. Dr. Sant received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 2009. Gaurav is also the CEO of CO₂Concrete LLC, an early-stage company that is developed a transformative mineralization technology to convert flue gas borne CO₂ into concrete products. CO2Concrete is a Finalist in the Carbon XPRIZE competition and was recognized as a Global Top10 Innovation at the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum in Tokyo in 2018.

Dr. Gene Seroka is the Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest container port in North America. He was nominated by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on May 27, 2014, and confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council on June 11, 2014.

As Executive Director, Seroka is responsible for managing a more than $1 billion budget, advancing major capital projects, growing trade volumes and promoting innovative, sustainable practices that strengthen the region's economy. His duties involve interacting with a wide range of stakeholders, including Port customers around the globe, industry partners, elected and appointed officials at all levels, harbor area residents and business leaders. He has been appointed to the following national committees at the federal level to enhance the speed and efficiency of cargo movement and supply chain optimization: U.S. Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness; U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Port Performance Freight Statistics Working Group; U.S. Maritime Administration Marine Transportation System National Advisory Committee; and Federal Maritime Commission Supply Chain Innovation Team.

Seroka brings more than 28 years of experience in shipping, global logistics and executive management. After several key overseas positions for American President Lines (APL) Limited, he returned to the U.S. in 2010 to become President - Americas for the shipping line in Phoenix where he managed APL's Liner Shipping business, including 1,000 employees, and was responsible for all commercial, port terminal, intermodal, land transportation and labor activities throughout the region.

Seroka joined APL in 1988 as a sales support representative in the company's Cincinnati office after earning an MBA and Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of New Orleans. Over the years, he has held various positions in sales and management with increasing responsibility and high-level assignments all over the world. Throughout his career, he played a key role in global marketing and corporate strategies for APL.

Seroka's first overseas posting was in Shanghai where he served as Director of Sales and Marketing for North and Central China from 1999 to 2003. He then moved to Jakarta where he was President Director of PT APL and APL Logistics in Indonesia for two years before relocating to Singapore in 2005 to become Vice President of APL Logistics' business units in 26 countries in the company's Asia/Middle East and South Asia regions. From 2008 to 2010, he served as Vice President for APL and APL Logistics Emirates LLC in Dubai where he managed APL's business in the Middle East and East Africa Region.

Rusty Hicks is a proven leader with a track record of delivering real results for real people. 
 
In 2021, Rusty was reelected as Chair of the California Democratic Party - the Nation's largest State Party comprised of more than 10 million California Democrats. Since first elected in 2019, Rusty has led and delivered on the biggest issues confronting our Party, our State, and our Nation. During his tenure, he has built and directed strategic grassroots organizing campaigns to engage Red, Blue, and Purple parts of California. Rusty has uplifted and empowered new voices in the Party that reflect our State’s great diversity and invested in the Party’s communications, fundraising, and operational infrastructure to ensure that Democrats are best positioned to win in every corner of California. 

Prior to his election as Chair, Rusty served as both President and Political Director of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor - one of the Nation’s most vibrant Labor Movements representing 300 local unions and 800,000 hardworking women and men.

As a labor leader and political organizer for more than a decade, Rusty helped lead a successful campaign to raise the wages of nearly 1 million working Angelenos to $15 an hour and passed a progressive ballot measure to build more affordable housing and create good union jobs. A believer in the power of a second chance, Rusty built a program to help formerly incarcerated workers rejoin the workforce and secure a good union job.

In addition to his organizing work to empower working people through political action, Rusty has played a leading role in a number of important political and policy efforts. In 2008, Rusty served as the California Political Director for Obama for America. Early in his career, he served as the State Assembly District Director for now-Congressmember Ted Lieu, and as a Legislative Aide to the late-Assemblymember Mike Gordon. 

Rusty is a Veteran of the United States Navy and deployed to Afghanistan in 2012-2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Rusty is a graduate of Loyola Law School and a poor excuse for a piano player. Rusty lives in amongst the Redwoods on California's North Coast with his beautiful wife, Sandra Sanchez, and their constant sidekick, a chocolate lab, Charlie. 

Cynthia McClain-Hill is an active attorney. She was elected President of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners on July 28, 2020 after serving as Board Vice President since September 5, 2018. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Ms. McClain-Hill to a four-year term on the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. On August 15, 2018, her appointment was confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council. Ms. McClain-Hill’s term expires on June 30, 2022.

In her work as a highly regarded and widely respected attorney, Ms. McClain-Hill oversees and manages complex legal and public policy issues for clients as managing director of Strategic Counsel PLC. She is lauded as an astute and skillful public policy strategist with an outstanding record of service and accomplishment on a significant array of public-sector and non-profit boards and commissions.

Ms. McClain-Hill previously served for two years as a mayoral appointee on the City of Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners beginning in August 2016. Over the past three decades, she was appointed to serve on the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), California Coastal Commission, California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), CalEPA Environmental Justice Advisory Working Group, and Los Angeles City Small and Local Business Advisory Commission.

From 2008-2009, she served as president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She was past president of NAWBO’s Los Angeles Chapter. Ms. McClain-Hill served as Vice Chair of the Luskin UCLA School of Public Affairs Advisory Board. She served as a member of the founding board preceding the Luskin School’s establishment.

Ms. McClain-Hill has been consistently named one of Southern California’s “Super Lawyers” based on surveys of 65,000 Los Angeles area attorneys. She ranks among the top five percent of California’s practicing attorneys. As an opinion leader, her analysis on public affairs issues has been featured regularly in a wide range of print and online publications. She has made numerous TV and radio appearances to discuss public policy, law and politics.

She has also been honored repeatedly by business and civic organizations for her leadership. She received the "Women in Business Advocate Award" from the U.S. Small Business Administration, “2005 Chapter Public Policy Advocate of the Year Award" from NAWBO, the inaugural "Ruth Standish Baldwin Award" from the Greater Sacramento Urban League, and the "Thurgood Marshall Award" from Minorities in Business Magazine. In September 2007, she was featured in ESSENCE. Ms. McClain-Hill has long been a trusted senior advisor to California’s powerful political figures and leading policy makers. Former California Governor Gray Davis appointed her to serve as one of his Gubernatorial Transition Team’s co-chairs. She served as a transition team member for Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas as he prepared to assume office in 2008. She counts being among the five speakers at his history-making inaugural as among the most cherished events of her professional life.

Ms. McClain-Hill earned her Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law in 1981. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCLA in 1978. She is the proud product of California’s public-school system. She is married and the mother of two adults.

Penfield Tate III is the Chief Environmental Justice Officer for Project Canary, overseeing environmental justice issues for low-income utility customers. Penfield is focused on refining Project Canary’s commitment to the triple-bottom line and how ESG data can be used to drive equity for those who have been disproportionately affected by the actions of others driving climate change.

Before joining Project Canary, Penfield founded his law firm Tate Law. He has over 30 years of experience serving governments in public finance and municipal law and helping people in corporate and business matters and with estate planning.

He previously served as an aide to Denver Mayor Federico Peña and served in the cabinet of former Colorado Governor Roy Romer as Executive Director for the Department of Administration. He has over six years of service in the Colorado General Assembly, four years in the House as the State Representative for District 8, and over two years in the Senate as the State Senator for District 33.

Penfield takes pride in giving back to the community by serving on boards and volunteering. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in Sociology and a J.D. from Antioch School of Law. In his spare time, he can be found with his wife and daughter and enjoys watching sporting events, fly fishing, and scuba diving.

Imran Noorani is a clean technology and energy executive, with more than 15 years of experience navigating heavily regulated industries, growing organizations from start-up phases to IPO and numerous acquisitions. He is currently the VP of Strategy & Corporate Development at Peak.  

Prior to joining Peak, Imran was a Divisional President in the Ozz Group of Companies, where he led the amalgamation and restructuring of energy companies. In addition to his private sector experience, Imran has also held positions in the utility and public sectors of energy.

As a volunteer, Imran has held various Board positions at a local environmental charity, the Toronto Green Community (2008-2016). Imran has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business (2010), and a LLM in Energy & Infrastructure from Osgoode Hall Law School (2018). Imran is an avid scuba diver, a passionate home cook, and enjoys portaging through Canada in the summers.

Jim Stewart is a consult in renewable energy project development, whose clients include West Coast Waste, which is joint venturing with Enerkem to develop in Madera County, California what will be North America’s largest cellulosic ethanol biorefinery, producing 45 million gallons of transportation fuel from 330,000 tons of agricultural waste per year. He is now completing his fourteenth year as Chairman of the Board of California’s BioEnergy Producers Association (www.bioenergyproducers.org), whose mission is to promote the development of a responsible statutory and regulatory environment for waste-to-bioenergy production in California and in federal policy.

Mr. Stewart has four times been recognized as one of the “Top 100 People in the BioEconomy” worldwide in an annual poll of the more than one million readers of Biofuels Digest Magazine.  He serves as a columnist for the magazine and has also written major articles for such publications as MSW Management and Renewable Energy World.

In 2003, Stewart left a distinguished career in the entertainment industry to devote himself to renewable energy project development. This included 13 years with Walt Disney Productions, where served as Vice President-Corporate Relations and Assistant to the President.