Speakers for VX2022

Ben Stapleton is an LA native who brings a creative mind and consultative approach to a wide range of projects with a focus on building teams and designing programs to deliver impactful results. His current work is based on coordinating an ecosystem leveraging the built environment as the entry point and connective fabric to help create a more sustainable society for all as Executive Director for the U.S. Green Building Council - Los Angeles. 

He launched and then managed the La Kretz Innovation Campus in Downtown LA while leading operations, finance, and major program initiatives for the LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI). The Campus has become an epicenter for sustainability in the region and an iconic green building for the LADWP and the City of LA, featuring events with prominent thought leaders, while being home to a community of cutting-edge businesses and nonprofits. 

His other past work has included real estate advisory, energy efficiency consulting, facilities operations, site selection, and project management as well as business and strategy development for a wide range of companies and real estate investors. His talents and insight have proven invaluable in managing, negotiating, and executing on complex real estate projects while delivering technology startups and community programs that exceed expectations.

In 2008, he founded JLL's global Cleantech Practice Group, which focused on representing renewable energy and clean technology companies in addressing their real estate needs. This only fueled his passion to explore the nexus of energy and real estate, coming to the belief that increasing the efficiency of our buildings is one of the most powerful tools to create a truly sustainable society. 

He is a recipient of JLL's distinctive Da Vinci Award for Innovation and CoStar’s Power Broker designation in the Los Angeles market, and served as the Managing Director for the LA Better Buildings Challenge, launching the program in 2011 and growing participation to over 60M square feet of commercial buildings.

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.

Uduak-Joe Ntuk is the 17th California ​State Oil and Gas Supervisor, responsible for managing the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM). He was appointed by Governor Newsom in October 2019.​​​

Ntuk directs a statewide regulatory, technical, and field operations organization designed to emphasize the safe development of oil and natural gas, which includes: protecting public health and safety, environmental quality, and the reduction and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the development of hydrocarbon and geothermal resources in a manner that meets the energy needs of the state. He also serves as a Governor's representative to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and as a governing board member of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy. 

Prior to joining the State of California, the Supervisor served as the Director of Petroleum Administration for the City of Los Angeles. As Director, he provided technical advice to the Mayor, City Council, and various city departments on energy and environmental policy for the second largest city in America. He completed a citywide audit of oil and gas production, modernized pipeline franchise agreements, monitored compliance at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, converted former drilling sites into housing developments, and published a comprehensive public health report on urban oil & gas operations. Ntuk also represented the City of Los Angeles on the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Multiple Air Toxic Exposure Study (MATES V) Technical Advisory Group, AB 617 Community Air Monitoring Steering Committee and on the Baldwin Hills Community Standards District Advisory Panel for the Inglewood Oil Field. 

Before his work at the City of Los Angeles, Ntuk worked in both government and industry for more than a decade with the City of Long Beach and Chevron Corporation​. Ntuk is a former Green for All Fellow, Alliance for Climate Protection Ambassador, and Startingbloc Fellow for the Institute for Social Innovation at the London Business School. He also worked as an adjunct faculty member in the Chemical Engineering Department and as academic advisor at the California State University, Long Beach. 

Ntuk earned his Master of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering with an emphasis in Smart Oilfield Technologies from the University of Southern California, Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach, and Associate of Arts degree from Long Beach City College.

Commissioner Siva Gunda is serving his first term on the California Energy Commission.

Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Gunda in February 2021 to serve as the Energy Commission’s public member. Gunda was later appointed to Vice Chair in September 2021. He is the lead commissioner on energy assessments.

Gunda served as manager of the Demand Analysis Office and deputy director for the Energy Commission’s Energy Assessments Division. The division forecasts and assesses energy demands and supplies.

Before joining the Energy Commission, he served in a variety of capacities at the Energy Efficiency Institute at the University of California, Davis, including as the director of research, where he directed the institute’s operations and research portfolio.

He holds a master of science in mechanical and aeronautical engineering from Utah State University. Gunda is pursuing his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from UC Davis. He is a serious cricket fan and former captain of his college team. He lives with his family in Davis.

With over 32 years of public service experience in the management of water, environmental and infrastructure programs and initiatives, Adel is an award-winning transformational leader anchored in integration, innovation, and inclusion.  Adel is a registered civil engineer with the State of California and a national Board-Certified Environmental Engineer with specialty in water.  

Adel was appointed in June 2021 as the General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the nation’s largest drinking water provider.  Adel is responsible for leading Metropolitan’s daily and long-term operations and future planning, providing safe and reliable water for 19 million people in six Southern California counties spanning over 5,200-square-mile service area with an annual budget of $1.8 billion, 1,700 employees and 30 facilities.

Previously, Adel was appointed in 2018 by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti as the Executive Director and General Manager of the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA).  Adel was responsible for managing, maintaining, and upgrading the City’s Street network including streets, sidewalks, trees, and bikeways with focus on safety, mobility, and sustainability. 

Prior to that, Adel was the Assistant General Manager for the City’s Bureau of Sanitation for 10 years where he was responsible for the wastewater collection system management, storm water and watershed protection program, and facilities and integrated water planning.  Under his direction, the City prepared an award winning 2040 One Water LA Plan “One Water.”

Tyson Eckerle serves as the Deputy Director of Zero Emission Vehicle Market Development in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go Biz). In this role, he leads a team focused on scaling the zero emission vehicle market by organizing stakeholder efforts to remove market barriers, create opportunities, and streamline development. Prior to joining Go Biz, Tyson served as Executive Director of Energy Independence Now, a non-profit dedicated to action-oriented solutions to petroleum dependence and climate change.

Tyson holds a B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Davis and a Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Christine Harada is a climate and impact investing expert, and has over 20 years of success in leading government and professional services organizations. She was formerly President of i(x) investments, where she focused on climate-related investments.

Before returning to the private sector, Christine served as the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer for the Obama administration. Previously, she was also the Acting Chief of Staff and Chief Acquisitions Officer for the U.S. General Services  Administration.

Her earlier private sector experience includes over 10 years in management consulting with the  Boston Consulting Group and Booz Allen Hamilton; and building satellites while at Lockheed Martin.  Ms. Harada holds an MA, International Studies and an MBA, Finance, respectively, from the Lauder  Institute and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an MS  Aeronautics/Astronautics and a BS Aeronautics/Astronautics, respectively, from Stanford University  and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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.

Stephen Cheung is the Executive Vice President of LAEDC and the President of World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA).

Cheung leads investment attraction to the LA County region on behalf of both LAEDC and WTCLA, and facilitates successful location of new businesses, projects, and deals from both international and U.S. investors into the region.  He also supports international trade and international connections for organizations based in LA County.

Prior to his current role, Stephen Cheung was the Secretary General of International Trade and Foreign Affairs for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and was responsible for managing policies and programs related to the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, International Affairs and Global Trade. In this role, he was the lead organizer for Mayor Garcetti’s previous international trade missions to Mexico, China, Korea and Japan.  Furthermore, Cheung implemented the city’s strategic plan to make Los Angeles a global capital of clean technology by building the infrastructure to support research, development and manufacturing with key partners.

Concurrently, Cheung was the Director of International Trade for the Port of Los Angeles – the busiest container port in North America, and was responsible for developing programs to increase trade through the Port of Los Angeles, and facilitate goods movement through the Southern California region.

Cheung currently sits on the Board of Advisors of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and Sister Cities of Los Angeles, while also serving on LA Metro’s Sustainability Council and Biz-Fed’s International Trade Committee. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Regional Export Council and the Los Angeles Business Council.

Stephen was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Los Angeles where he received both his Bachelor of Arts in Psychobiology and Master of Arts in Social Welfare from UCLA. He is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

Heather Repenning is the Executive Officer for Sustainability Policy at LA Metro, setting policies to reduce climate emissions and improve sustainability outcomes from transportation programs in Los Angeles County. Heather also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District, which provides water for 26 member public agencies across Southern California.

Repenning previously held the role of Vice President of the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works where she oversaw Sanitation, Streets LA, Street Lighting, Engineering and Contract Administration. Heather graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College and has a Master’s Degree from the University of California, Irvine in Comparative Literature. 

Christopher Cannon is the director of environmental management for the Port of Los Angeles, a position he has held since October 2010. In 2015, he was named chief sustainability officer of the Port.

In this role, Cannon is responsible for balancing commerce and growth with ecological sustainability and social responsibility at the nation’s busiest container port. The Environmental Management Division provides full environmental services related to water, soils and sediments, air and biological resources, and is responsible for preparation of environmental impact assessments mandated by state and federal law; special studies involving dredging, noise abatement, water quality and air quality; site restoration, remediation and contamination characterizations; wildlife management; and establishment of policies regarding environmental quality issues.

Cannon first worked at the Port of Los Angeles as a consultant, starting in 2004, where he worked with the Port Environmental Management Division’s Air Quality and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) groups, supporting the development of key air projects such as the Clean Air Action Plan as well as the Harbor Department’s efforts to complete critical environmental impact reports for Port-related projects. In 2008, he helped to develop and served as the Project Manager of the Port’s highly successful Clean Truck Program.
Cannon has 21 years of experience in the environmental services industry, working on a range of projects while employed by ENVIRON International Corporation and TRC Environmental Solutions.

Cannon also spent two years as a legislative assistant for environmental policy on the Washington, D.C. staff of U.S. Representative Martin Sabo of Minnesota.

Cannon received a bachelor’s degree in Government from Dartmouth College and a law degree from University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

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.

Ms. Brown serves on the Board of Directors of Sustainable Development Acquisition Corp (SDAC), FivePoint Communities, Stifel Financial Corp, Bill Lane Center for the American West, the Annenberg Foundation, the Mayor’s Fund Los Angeles, the Advisory Board of the Stanford Center on Longevity, and The Trusteeship.

As Managing Director at Trifiletti Consulting, Karly is focused on utilizing her extensive experience in the public sector to support catalytic community development and infrastructure improvements that will benefit the region at-large.

Prior to joining Trifiletti Consulting, Karly served as the Caretaker for the 10th Council District of the City of Los Angeles and Chief of Staff to Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas. Prior to her service at the City of Los Angeles, Karly spent over 14 years working for the Second District of the County of Los Angeles overseeing transportation, land use, housing, community development and environmental issues.  

Karly holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles. She proudly served as a Coro Fellow in Los Angeles in 2005-2006. Karly also serves on the board of the MLK Health and Wellness Community Development Corporation. 

Angelina M. Galiteva is the Founder and Board Chair of Renewables 100 Policy Institute, an organization dedicated to accelerating global transition to 100% renewable energy for all sectors. Since 2011 Ms. Galiteva was appointed to the California Independent Systems Operator Board (CAISO), one of the largest transmission operators in the World. In March 2020 Ms. Galiteva was reappointed for another term and in October 2020 she became the first Female Chair of the CAISO Board of Governors. Under her leadership the CAISO has become a world leader in renewable energy integration and decarbonization. In addition, Angelina serves as Chairperson of the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) and is a Founding Board Member of the Global Clean Energy Desalination Alliance.

Ms. Galiteva is an expert in strategic issues related to renewable energy, new technology development and implementation, optimizing power system resiliency and efficiency, as well as overall sustainability and environmental policy programs for public and private entities. As such she is frequently sent as a US State Department representative expert on renewable energy and power grid resiliency and reliability issues. In addition, Ms. Galiteva is founder and principal of NEOptions, Inc., a renewable energy product and project development firm. Previously, Ms. Galiteva was the Executive Director of Strategic Planning for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), overseeing the utility's renewable energy program, she also worked at the New York Power Authority. Ms. Galiteva is an attorney with a JD Degree and Master’s LLM Degrees in International and Energy Law.

Angelina has overseen numerous utility scale renewable energy, bulk storage, combined heat and power project developments, including distributed generation and microgrid specific installations. Additionally, she has extensive experience in structuring electric vehicle infrastructure programs, accelerating the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies as well as securing the financing structures necessary to ensure project success both in the US and abroad.

Ms. Galiteva is a globally recognized expert in the area of designing regulatory structures and programs to support the development of carbon free technologies and the transition to a reliable, resilient carbon free future.

Terry Tamminen is Chief Executive Officer of AltaSea. From his youth in Australia to career experiences in Europe, Africa, China and across the United States, Terry has developed expertise in business, farming, education, non-profit, the environment, the arts, and government. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and later Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Policy Advisor to the Governor, where Terry was the architect of many groundbreaking sustainability policies, including California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, the Hydrogen Highway Network, and the Million Solar Roofs initiative. In 2010 Terry cofounded the R20 Regions of Climate Action, a new public-private partnership, bringing together sub national governments; businesses; financial markets; NGOs; and academia to implement measurable, large-scale, low-carbon and climate resilient economic development projects that can simultaneously solve the climate crisis and build a sustainable global economy. He also provides advice through 7th Generation Advisors to Pegasus Capital Advisors, the Green Climate Fund and numerous global businesses on sustainability and “green” investing, as well as assisting governments and philanthropists with climate solutions, including Fiji, India, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. An accomplished author, Terry’s books include “Cracking the Carbon Code: The Keys to Sustainable Profits in the New Economy” (Palgrave Macmillan). In 2011, Terry was one of six finalists for the Zayed Future Energy Prize and The Guardian ranked Terry No. 1 in its “Top 50 People Who Can Save the Planet.

Tom Soto is a long-time investor in the impact sector, and a pioneering voice in the diversity in fund management and technology movement. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Diverse Communities Impact Fund (DCIF). His leadership, voice and investments have stood at the dovetail of energy, Tech, cloud based and IoT efficiency programs in renewables, and to over many Fourth Industrial Revolution driven platforms where technology contributes to improving the human condition. All well challenging LP’s and tech platforms to embrace diversity and inclusion. This ranges from Fintech, to electric vehicle technology and policy, to political process and regulatory frameworks needed to promote the new economics driving the planet into a future of prosperity and abundance.

He is former Chairman and longtime boardmember of the New America Alliance, the national Latino business initiative seeking to increase access to capital for diverse fund managers and business leaders. Having sold his fund Craton Equity Partners to TCW in 2013, Tom became Managing Director of Alternatives at the $198b fund and was an Investment Committee Member of TCW/CratonAlternatives. Post transaction, Tom played a considerable role in TCW across all products, helping to lead in the development of new and innovative alternatives products. Tom is former member of the board of directors and current Sr. Advisor to Aspiration, the country’s fastest growing online bank and financial services platform. He is also Chair of the Advisory Board and a board member for Aura; the nation’s leading online micro finance lender based in Silicon Valley.

Tom has been a member of the board of companies such as Liquid Environmental Solutions, Propel Alternative Fuels, an advisor to other portfolio companies such as Revolution Foods and Kabbage.com. Tom has a full understanding and body of history of sourcing opportunities, performing full due diligence, modeling, building organizational performance and measurement capacity along with building boards of directors and leading portfolio companies toward successful exits. 

Tom lives in Los Angeles with his husband of fifteen years, their ten year old son and their fifteen year old mini schnauzer

Jules Radcliff is a business, government, and trial lawyer experienced in counseling directors, officers, and senior government officials, specialized in crafting solutions to complex business challenges, often where government plays a role in regulation, contracting, or enforcement. In addition to negotiating and documenting transactions common to most businesses, he has also conducted complex factual and financial forensic investigations and managed high-stakes, multi-jurisdiction litigation. As special counsel to boards of directors, he has assisted boards in properly discharging fiduciary duties both as to enterprise risks and as to corporate governance. Jules has extensive experience with the regulation of insurance and with all forms of insurance coverage, as well as with risk retention and risk purchasing groups, and served as national coordinating counsel for major D&O insurers coordinating and overseeing the response to, and management of, multiple waves of class action litigation aimed at savings & loan institutions, high-tech companies, and other targeted segments of the national business community. 

His clients have included well-known companies in national and international commerce, finance, insurance, technology, radio and television broadcast, entertainment, manufacturing, real estate, energy, and health care, as well as both domestic (U.S.) and foreign governments. Jules has represented numerous clients in matters before the U.S. Congress involving major, national investigations and related hearings, and he has successfully managed the passage of multiple, new laws through state legislatures, including the California legislature, as well as the amendment or adoption of new regulations in matters of importance to the business community. 

Mr. Radcliff has had a parallel career in government and politics. In government he has served in multiple roles and capacities, from Chief of Staff to appointed member of commissions overseeing municipal and state departments. He has overseen, developed, or managed multiple projects as well as high-profile and diverse public-private commissions and advisory boards, frequently consulting as Special Counsel to government agencies and officials in sensitive matters. In politics he has served as General Counsel, Manager, Chairman, or Co-Chairman of many local, state, and federal political campaigns across the U.S., including mayoral, gubernatorial, congressional, and presidential campaigns.

Internationally, Jules has served as Business Investment Advisor, Office of U.N. High Commissioner, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as Legal Advisor and Intermediary between U.S. Justice/State Departments and the national government of an Eastern European country. 

He is a graduate of UCLA Law School, and holds a Bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in Business Administration, with a minor in accounting, from California State University—Northridge.

Gideon Kracov is a lawyer in Los Angeles, where he represents clients in environmental and land use cases. His practice includes high-stakes litigation and complex regulatory matters. Mr. Kracov has worked for diverse business, labor and non-profit clients, and as a government lawyer. He served for more than fifteen years as General Counsel of the California Waste and Recycling Association, a trade organization including leading recycling and waste management companies. 

In 2001, Mr. Kracov was one of the "emerging leaders from the United States" selected for a German Marshall Fund Memorial Fellowship to foster transatlantic relationships among "those capable of affecting real and lasting change.”

Heather Rosenberg leads Arup’s Resilience Skills Network in the Americas. An ecologist by training, Heather brings 20 years of experience leading sustainability and resilience projects in the built environment. Her systemic approach integrates interdisciplinary teams to bring together technical expertise with stakeholder engagement and a commitment to social equity. Her current work focuses on decarbonization and energy transition through a resilience lens. She works extensively with local governments, utilities, community choice aggregators and non-profits to better understand the resilience of the energy system, how buildings can play a role in local and grid-level resilience, and how to leverage investments to support those most vulnerable to power outages.

She has worked closely with the affordable housing community to innovate policy and financial tools that can spur decarbonization projects without triggering displacement. Before joining Arup, Heather was the founder and president of her own successful resilience strategy consulting practice, Fifth Road. She created the Building Resilience Network, a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to help public, private, and non-profit organizations weave physical, social and economic resilience into core operations. She is a USGBC Ginsberg Fellow and has served on multiple boards and committees. Heather has formal training in facilitation and integrated design processes and extensive experience leading workshops, training sessions and charrettes to address complex challenges related to sustainability and resilience

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.

David Jacot, P.E., is the Director of Efficiency Solutions for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP). LADWP operates the largest public power portfolio of energy efficiency programs in the nation, comprised of a broad array of energy resource acquisition and market transformation programs serving LADWP’s customers and trade ally networks. 

In this role, David oversees all aspects of LADWP’s offerings and strategies designed to overcome market barriers to the comprehensive adoption of energy efficiency by LADWP’s customers, as well as the integration of energy efficiency with other distributed energy resources to facilitate LADWP’s transition to 100% renewables. David also oversees the integration of electric, gas, and water efficiency programs through a nation-leading joint program partnership with the natural gas utility serving Los Angeles, the Southern California Gas Company. Finally, David manages LADWP’s energy and water efficiency labs, hand-on demonstration facilities, and emerging technology assessment and commercialization efforts at the La Kretz Innovation Campus, home of the world-renowned Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator.

David has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from California State Polytechnic University - Pomona, as well as 20+ years of experience designing high performance building systems, modeling building energy usage, and managing cost-effective and investment-grade energy efficiency programs.

Hector De La Torre is the Executive Director of Gasol Foundation US, a national nonprofit dedicated to children’s health and wellness. He is also Chair of the board at LA Care, the largest public nonprofit health plan in the United States, and a trustee at his alma mater Occidental College in Los Angeles.

De La Torre served in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010, representing the largely Latino 50th District in Southeast Los Angeles County. He chaired the Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, the Rules Committee and helped create and chaired the Accountability and Administrative Review Committee during his tenure.

De La Torre was the Executive Director of the national non-profit Transamerica Center for Health Studies.

Prior to his service in the Assembly, he served as Mayor and as a member of the South Gate City Council, Judicial Administrator in the Los Angeles Superior Court, chief of staff to the Deputy Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, and a teacher at Edison Junior High in South Los Angeles.

De La Torre graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College and attended the Elliot School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. He lives in South Gate.

Jean-Francois Gauthier is a mechanical engineer and lifelong space geek with over 15 years of experience in the commercial space industry in various capacities at COM DEV before joining GHGSat, including design and test, project management and sales and marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Dalhousie University and an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He is also a graduate of the International Space University’s Summer Session Program (2006). He joined GHGSat shortly after the launch of the company’s first satellite in October 2016 to help commercialize the products and services from their breakthrough satellites around the world. After leading the Sales and Marketing team for the company, Jean-Francois now manages the delivery and growth of the satellite and aircraft measurement product lines. He also manages government relations and drives strategic initiatives for the company.

Steve Sullivan retired from Edison International (EIX) on October 1, 2013, after 35 years with the company. Edison is the parent company of Southern California Edison, a regulated electric utility.

As an executive of SCE, Mr. Sullivan led two of its largest organizations dedicated to serving government customers: first as Director of Local Public Affairs, and second as Director of Government & Institutions within the Customer Service organization.

After retiring from SCE, Mr. Sullivan has remained active in the utility space by providing consultative services to companies, and in some instances has taken a “hands-on” role with start-up companies, especially with those that provide cutting-edge technologies and/or play a role in shaping public policy issues affecting the electric industry in California. Some of his recent business ventures include:

Advanced Rail Energy Storage (2014 to 2019)

Sullivan served as COO of ARES, a firm pioneering the use of electric locomotive technology for large-scale energy storage. By providing a completely non-polluting and low-cost solution the need for grid scale storage and grid stability, ARES will allow America and the world to successfully and reliably integrate unprecedented amounts of clean energy. ARES anticipates bringing its first large-scale project (50 megawatts) on-line in 2020.

ICE ENERGY (2014 to 2017)

Sullivan served as an advisor to the Ice Energy Board. Ice Energy is the leading provider of smart grid-enabled, distributed energy storage to the utility industry. It delivers cost-effective solutions at grid-scale to reduce peak demand, improve energy system efficiency and reliability, and transform the way the utility system operates.

BUSINESS RADAR (2014 to 2015)

Sullivan served as a board member of iRestore, Business Radar. IRestore provides first responders (e.g. police and fire) with an intelligent mobile service that can instantly connect and communicate with local utilities – the iRestores product and protocols helps utility workers assess damage to the electric grid and respond more effectively to emergencies.  

EMPIRE WATER (2014 to 2018)

Sullivan, a former minority owner of Empire Water Corporation (EWC). EWC formed in 2008 to purchase assets of the West Riverside Canal Company (WRCC) and the 350” Mutual Water Company, located in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Both Companies were formed in 1888, and have operated more or less continuously since that time. EWC owns and manages the only private canal in the region, in addition to owning and/or controlling significant water resources. For over 100 years, the WRCC transported roughly 10,000 acre-feet/year of water from San Bernardino to Riverside County.

Terry cofounded In Charge Energy in 2019. It is the infrastructure leader in electrification of transportation fleets in the United States, and the preferred infrastructure partner of Ryder TruckRental, which serves over 65,000 customers in the U.S. Terry currently advises Macquarie Capital, a division of theAustralian multinational independent investment bank and financial services company that is the world's largest infrastructure asset manager, with $495 billion in assets under management. Previously, Terry led North American strategy for innogy e-MobilityUS, a division of the $40 billion per year German energy company.There, he participated in acquiring the leading U.S. electricvehicle fast charging hardware company and a customer-facing software application with over 700,000 regularusers. 

Previously, Terry led the Western region forEVgo, the nation’s largest public fast charging company for electricvehicles (EVs), taking that company from its first public fast charging installation in 2011 to more than 1,000 chargers nationwide and overseeing an investment program of over $140 million. He led partnerships with major automakers, energy companies and state governments, including a $122.5 million agreement with the California Public Utilities Commission. 

Earlier in his career,Terry founded four companies with Edison International in energy, security services, and electric vehicle charging and the first car rental company in the United States to offer only electric vehicles to the general public, serving fifteen airports in six states and more than 500,000 customers withover 850 cars.Terry also served as Executive Director of Environment Now foundation, a strategic, entrepreneurial, activist leader in California. The organization founded dozens of activist environmental organizations protecting air, land andwater quality in California and Mexico. In 2007, Terry cofounded Move LA and developed LA County’s Measure R, which over 67% of voters approved in 2008 and is contributing over $40 billion to transit investment countywide.

Terry currently serves as Mayor Pro Tempore for the City of Santa Monica and was first elected in November 2010. The city of 95,000 residents hasa daytime population of over 300,000, with 2,300 employees and a $700 million annual budget. Terry led a six-year process to update the City’s General Plan, which became the leading example ofenvironmental land use planning in the state, reducing projected per capita greenhouse gas emissions from land use by 31 percent in 25 years. He led the city’s policy to transition away from imported water, relying instead on sustainable, local water supply and the conversion of over 200 transit buses from natural gas to electric fuel. He has served in community leadership positions in California and Mexico; including Waterkeeper Alliance, Coro Southern California; The USC Center for Sustainable Cities, Environmental Entrepreneurs, Coalition for Clean Air, and the Metropolitan Water District. Terry has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and BA with honors from Stanford University.

The International Affairs and Trade unit within GO-Biz is the state’s primary point of contact for trade, foreign direct investment, and international affairs. The unit works to create jobs and increase revenues for California enterprises by implementing a comprehensive export and investment strategy in coordination with key regional partners.

Dean Wiberg is the VP of Strategy and Partnerships at Gemini Motor, Inc (https://geminimotor.com), which is focused on the development and implementation of an autonomous, Hydrogen fuel cell powered, large scale (class 8) highway transportation system.   

Dean spent nearly 25 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), an operating division of Caltech, developing technology and sponsored research. Prior to leaving JPL, Dean was the manager of the Commercial Technology Partnerships Office with responsibilities to develop and execute technology development opportunities at JPL with non-NASA, commercial sponsors. Before assuming this role, Dean was a project lead in JPL’s Microdevices laboratory for over 10 years, in which he was named in about 15 patents and new technology disclosures around the theme of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS). Before joining JPL, Dean held technical, management and business development positions at the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), IBM, Westinghouse, Northrop Grumman (TRW), Sarcos Research/University of Utah and was a co-founder of Vaporfab, a venture funded, high tech materials company.

Dean holds a BS in Chemistry, an MS in Chemical Engineering and an Executive MBA.

Jenna Hornstock joined SCAG in 2020 to lead special initiatives in housing and economic empowerment as well as the sustainable and resilient development departments.

Prior to joining SCAG, Jenna served as LA Metro’s Executive Officer for Transit Oriented Communities where she oversaw 15 active real estate development projects, station area urban design and first/last mile planning. Jenna also spent nearly 7 years at the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), most recently as Chief of Strategic Planning and Economic Development. 

Jenna holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley.

In her spare time, Jenna is a Planning Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles, and serves a Board member for the non-profit Community Health Councils and the ULI/LA Advisory Board.  She lives in Silverlake with her teenage son and her partner, and practices yoga and the Lindy Hop whenever possible.

Rossana D’Antonio serves as Deputy Director for Los Angeles County Public Works.  She provides executive leadership for the development of sustainable communities, resilient housing, private sector commercial marketplaces and jobs, and emergency management. 

With an annual budget of more than $2.7 billion and a workforce of 4,000 employees, Los Angeles County Public Works is the largest municipal public works agency in the United States, providing vital public infrastructure and civic services to more than 10 million people across a 4,000-square-mile service area.

A 30-year veteran of Public Works, Ms. D’Antonio has extensive background in many disciplines of engineering, management, operations, and business processes. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Fresno State University and a Master’s in Business Administration with emphasis in leadership and organizational development from Pepperdine University. She holds dual registrations in the State of California in Civil and Geotechnical Engineering. She is also credentialed as an Envision Sustainability Professional with the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. 

In 2020, Ms. D’Antonio was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the California Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. She is a Fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and served a three-year term as ASCE Governor for Region 9 (California). She is an active member of the Society of Women Engineers and the American Public Works Association (APWA).

V. John White has been a writer, commentator, advocate, and leader of the green energy movement in California for 35 years. He is executive director of CEERT, the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies in Sacramento, and principal of the environmental and energy lobbying practice, V. John White Associates, representing public interest environmental and local government organizations, and new energy technology companies.

White's career has been devoted to air quality improvement and clean energy development. As chief consultant to the California Assembly Subcommittee on Air Quality, he became the leading legislative expert on air quality technology and regulation, helping to draft the California Clean Air Act and subsequent clean air and energy statutes.

 In 1990 he co-founded CEERT, which has become the premier energy advocacy voice for key environmental public interest groups and clean energy technology companies.  He played a central role in the passage of the Pavley Clean Car bill, AB 32, and many of California’s renewable energy incentive and regulatory programs. 

He serves on a number of nonprofit boards and organizations.

John is a graduate of U.C. Riverside – Political Science

Mike Wallace is an internationally recognized expert with nearly 30 years of experience in sustainability, ESG reporting/compliance, and managing social and human capital. He currently serves as the SVP of Strategic Market Engagement at Persefoni, a carbon accounting technology company, where he oversees key partnerships to help with the integration and application of Persefoni’s climate accounting platform. Prior to joining Persefoni, Wallace was a partner at the global sustainability consultancy, ERM where he counseled clients on corporate responsibility and sustainability solutions and helped shape several strategic partnerships for ERM. In that role, Wallace also served as the Interim Executive Director for the Social & Human Capital Coalition, a multi-stakeholder project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). His work included overseeing the establishment of the overall governance structure, technical council and global network that drove the creation of the Social & Human Capital Protocol, which was officially launched at GreenBiz 2019 by the founders WBCSD, Nasdaq, and Microsoft. Prior to ERM, Wallace was a director for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), where he worked on foundational initiatives such as the International Integrated Reporting Council (IRRC), the European Commission proposal on corporate ESG reporting, and the UN Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative (SSEi) on ESG listing guidance.

John Shegerian – the serial entrepreneur responsible for co-founding Homeboy Industries, FinancialAid.com, Engage (www.letsengage.com) and many other impactful organizations -- currently serves as co-founder, Chairman and CEO of ERI, the largest cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction and electronic waste recycling company in the United States. 

Jonathan Weisgall is Vice President for Government Relations for Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. He joined CalEnergy (Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s predecessor company) in 1993 as Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs. Weisgall also serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies and vice chairman of the Geothermal Resources Council’s Policy Committee. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he has taught a seminar on energy issues since 1990 and recently received the Charles Fahy Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award as outstanding adjunct professor of the year. He has been named one of the top Washington, DC corporate lobbyists by The Hill since 2004. Weisgall graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia College and from Stanford Law School and has published articles in Legal Times, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy, and The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Dr. Nathan S. Lewis is the George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology.  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.

As Chief Sustainability Officer, Mick Dalrymple helps the University of Southern California reach its ambitious Assignment Earth sustainability goals. With 21 years of accomplishment in the sustainability field, he helped Arizona State University earn the #1 ranking in Sierra Magazine’s Coolest Schools list and carbon neutrality six years early. Dalrymple is also a produced feature film screenwriter and an author of more than fifty published green building and sustainability articles. He earned his Masters of International Management from Thunderbird, an MBA from ASU, and a Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Math, and International Relations from the University of Arizona.

Eric Guter became vice president, Hydrogen for Mobility Solutions in 2020. In this role, he has regional responsibility for the Company’s Hydrogen for Mobility business in the Americas and the global Hydrogen for Mobility activities and team, driving growth, profitability, and operational excellence.

Mr. Guter joined Air Products in 1995 in California and commissioned the Company’s Wilmington hydrogen facility, helping develop its regional franchise serving national and global refining partners. In 2004, Mr. Guter transitioned to the commercial business area, taking on roles of increasing responsibility, including accountability for the P&L, customer contracts and supply relationships in California. In 2015, he became general manager for the HyCO Western Region and transitioned to executive director – Americas Growth Platforms in 2019. Prior to joining Air Products, Mr. Guter served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Albuquerque nuclear submarine.

Mr. Guter holds a degree in Business Management and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Kate White, EcoDistrict AP, MPA, is Restorative Communities Leader in Arup’s San Francisco office, where she works with public and private sectors in delivering on ambitious mobility, climate and sustainable development goals. Arup is a global independent firm of engineers, planners, and technical specialists working across the built environment. Kate leads an Arup Americas cross-disciplinary team focused on reconnecting communities historically harmed by urban roadways. In Kate’s 25 years in the sustainable mobility and development fields, she has championed innovative public policy and programs. As a California Governor Jerry Brown appointee, Kate served as Deputy Secretary for Environmental Policy at the California State Transportation Agency, where she worked with state, regional, and local agencies to advance sustainable growth and climate policies.  Kate is a social entrepreneur, launching mission-driven initiatives, including serving as the first director of the ULI Bay Area chapter and founding San Francisco’s first car-sharing service. Kate received her BA in Politics from Oberlin, and her MA in Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

Dr. Joshua Schank is a Managing Principal at InfraStrategies, a transportation and financial advisory firm, where he leads a practice focused on innovation, strategic planning, and technology. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Institute for Transportation Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Prior to joining InfraStrategies and UCLA, Dr. Schank was the first-ever Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Dr. Schank joined Metro in 2015 to establish the agency’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation (OEI), which is responsible for fostering innovations that improve mobility, equity and environmental outcomes across LA County. Dr. Schank led an office that shapes Metro’s high-level strategic vision, serving as a liaison to the academic community, designing, piloting and implementing innovative programs and policies, and engaging entrepreneurs and businesses to develop public-private-partnerships. Dr. Schank helped create and lead numerous transformative Metro projects including the Vision 2028 Strategic Plan, Metro Micro, Mobility on Demand, Metro’s Traffic Reduction Study, Better Bus, two Pre-Development Agreements for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, a Public-Private-Partnership for the West Santa Ana Branch, and an aerial tram from Union Station to Dodger Stadium.

Dr. Schank previously served as President and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, a leading national transportation policy think-tank based in Washington, D.C. Prior to that he led the National Transportation Policy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center and has worked as a consultant for Parsons Brinkerhoff (now WSP) and ICF International. Dr. Schank served as Transportation Policy Advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) during the authorization of SAFETEA-LU and is the co-author of All Roads Lead to Congress: The $300 Billion Fight Over Highway Funding. Dr. Schank holds a Ph.D in Urban Planning from Columbia University, and a Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began his career working on behalf of the riders of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City and has never lost that spirit. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.

Ross Zelen is a Research Fellow in the Climate Program at CLEE. Ross’s research focuses on implementation of climate change policy, with a specific focus on solutions to reduce methane emissions. Ross has worked in California environmental policy and public interest for much of the past decade. Starting as an Executive Fellow at the California Air Resources Board, he worked on advancing air quality, clean energy, and sustainable transportation priorities. He also worked for the VerdeXchange Institute as Program Manager and served as Editor of The Planning Report. Ross received his J.D. from Loyola Law School, where he teamed up to win the 2019 California Lawyers Association Environmental Negotiations Competition and was a semifinalist in the 2020 National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. He has been admitted to the California bar.

Lorraine Paskett has more than 25 years of experience in the energy, water, and environmental sectors, with 15 years of focused experience in the energy sector. Ms. Paskett has served as a director for a California investor-owned utility, leading a team through the California energy crisis and sponsoring a suite of initiatives including energy market reform, climate change policy, renewable energy market development, and corporate tax reforms. Ms. Paskett later served as a senior executive for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, leading a comprehensive approach for sustainable utility practices. The focus of her service included revamping utility programs to support accelerated adoption of alternative vehicle fuel sources in Southern California, overseeing electric system transmission permitting, new wind and solar electric generation project permitting, and managing greenhouse gas emissions programs across the utility operations.

Currently, Ms. Paskett owns and manages Cambridge LCF Group. Cambridge LCF Group works with conventional and emerging energy companies, focusing on alternative energy, energy markets, climate change policies, and improving air quality in the Los Angeles and San Joaquin Valley basin.

Focused on the intersection of grid decarbonization, analytics, and economic development, I develop strategies and models for designing markets where societal benefits are accounted for alongside economic benefits, and where public funds are leveraged with private ones.

I use these strategies to facilitate sustainable infrastructure project deal flow by building stakeholder consensus, providing thought leadership, and influencing policy makers.

I passionately believe that projects that take advantage of these new market designs and deploy energy infrastructure projects will provide economic and environmental benefits to local communities around the world.

Shayne Petkiewicz has held the position of Business Development Manager in Anaegia Inc. since July 2020. Before working with Anaegia, Petkiewicz was the Sales and Marketing Advisor with PowerTech Water in 2019-2020. Prior to PowerTech Water, he was the Business Development Manager at Puraffinity in 2016-2019.

Before heading into the business and marketing side of development, he was a research assistant in Joint BioEnergy Institute in 2015, analytical chemist with Amyris Inc in 2014, research assistant in Berkeley Lab in 2013, and a laboratory technician with Sirona Fuels in 2011.  

Shayne Petkiewicz graduated from Imperial College London with a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in University of California, Berkeley beforehand. 

Alex Rafiee is the CEO and co-founder of Gemini Motor, an autonomous truck company based in Los Angeles, CA. He was previously an investment manager at Equinor Ventures active in early stage investments in energy, AI, and mobility startups for three years. In this role, Alex observed the emergence of intelligent mobility and clean energy as the de facto reality of the future of transportation and ceased the opportunity to be a part of this transition. Alex also served as a technologist at Equinor Technology for five years where he developed and commercialized several key technologies rooted in AI and energy. Alex holds M.Sc and Ph.D degrees in Petroleum Engineering from Texas Tech University.  

Douglas Carstens is managing partner of Chatten-Brown Carstens & Minteer LLP, a small, public interest lawfirm based in Hermosa Beach California and practicing throughout the state.  He is a graduate of Cornell University and UCLA Law School. Prior to attending law school, he served for five years as an officer in the Navy.  Doug has extensive experience in environmental, land use, municipal, and natural resource matters in administrative and court proceedings. Doug has also written articles and lectured on CEQA, water quality, public trust, and historic resources issues.

Nate Baguio has been working in the transportation industry for over 30 years. His career has taken him from behind the wheel of a school bus to launching the largest deployment of heavy-duty electric vehicles in North America.

Currently, he is working to electrify the transportation industry as Senior Vice President of Commercial Development for one of the nation’s leading EV manufacturers, The Lion Electric Co. Since joining Lion in 2018, he has helped position Lion as the leader in electric school bus deployments across North America. Baguio is leading the Commercial Development team in warming markets in target states across the United States, advocating stakeholders and policy makers to fund more money into the EV industry, and helping Lion attain more of the available funding for both Lion’s bus and truck lines. His work has contributed to Lion’s exponential growth in the market and position as a policy leader in the EV industry.

In 1990, he started in the student transportation industry managing operations for Ryder Student Transportation Services. In this position, he had overall responsibility for the startup and deployment of school bus operations across the State of California. His time in operations was highlighted by the management of over 330 employees and the management of over 300 school bus routes for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Baguio spent time working on various transit projects in Los Angeles County. He was part of the team that opened segment three of the Redline subway to 500,000 riders on opening weekend and worked to complete an $800-Million, 14-mile segment of light rail from Los Angeles to Pasadena (first segment of the Metro Gold Line). He was part of the team that designed and implemented a comprehensive safety project along the Metro Blue Line corridor in response to 16 fatalities in a single year. The first year of project implementation had an immediate impact with zero fatalities that year.

He returned to school transportation in 2005 as Senior Director of Business Development for First Student, Inc., the largest school bus operator in North America. In this role, he worked with school districts across the country to renew their contracted service or start new contracted school bus service. He led efforts that resulted in new contracted service across the U.S. and placed over 1,000 new school buses in service of various types and from most of the major OEMs for these new contracts. Nate Baguio Senior Vice President of Commercial Development.

Baguio is proud to not only provide a healthy breathing environment to students, drivers, technicians, and communities, but to also help educate the industry on the favorable economics of operating zero emission, electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles. He is determined to impact as many people across North America as possible to join in the fight for environmental justice and help create a cleaner, safer world.

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.

Ruben helps lead Better World Group’s clean transportation, climate and clean energy portfolio. His demonstrated commitment to a clean economy has yielded enduring relationships throughout California and across the country with a vast network of stakeholders from nonprofit, media, government, philanthropy, and the private sector. Ruben has led a multi-state campaign opposing the Trump administration’s rollback of clean car standards and he helped lead successful coalition efforts to have the California Air Resources Board adopt the first-in-the-world zero emission vehicle requirement for trucks. He has co-authored a report on electric vehicle incentives, leads the outreach for Southern California Clean Transportation Funding programs and manages the California Business Alliance for a Clean Economy – a statewide alliance of California’s leading business associations.

Jennifer Hernandez has practiced land use and environmental law for more than 30 years, and leads Holland & Knight's West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group. Ms. Hernandez divides her time between the firm's San Francisco and Los Angeles offices.

Ms. Hernandez is the only California lawyer ranked by her clients and peers in Chambers USA in the top tier of both land use/zoning and environmental lawyers. In addition, she was recognized as the top environmental litigator of the year in the San Francisco Bay Area by Best Lawyers, and received a California Lawyer of the Year award from the State Bar of California for her work on California's largest and most innovative land use and conservation agreement between her private landowner client and five major environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council. She also has received numerous civil rights awards for her work on overcoming environmentalist opposition to housing and other projects needed and supported by minority communities.

During his tenure as mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown named October 9, 2002, as "Jennifer Hernandez Day" in San Francisco in honor of her work as a "warrior on the Brownfields" to restore and redevelop former industrial lands. Ms. Hernandez is the longest-serving minority board member (23 years) of the California League of Conservation voters, was appointed by President Clinton to serve as a trustee for the Presidio National Park in San Francisco, and serves on the board of directors for California Forward and Sustainable Conservation.

Ms. Hernandez works for private sector, public agency and nonprofit clients on a broad range of projects in Bay Area, Southern California and Central Valley communities, including infill and master-planned mixed-use housing and commercial projects, university and research facilities, transportation and infrastructure projects, renewable and other energy projects, and local agency plan and ordinance updates. She has written three books, and more than 50 articles, on environmental and land use topics, and regularly teaches land use, environmental and climate law in lawand business schools, colleges and seminars. She also serves on the firm's Directors Committee and received the firm's highest honor – the Chesterfield Smith Award – for her community service.

Ms. Hernandez graduated with honors from Harvard University and Stanford Law School, and clerked for Region 20 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) before beginning her land use and environmental law career. Ms. Hernandez is the daughter and granddaughter of steelworkers and was raised in Pittsburg, California. She and her husband live in Berkeley and Los Angeles.

The International Affairs and Trade unit within GO-Biz is the state’s primary point of contact for trade, foreign direct investment, and international affairs. The unit works to create jobs and increase revenues for California enterprises by implementing a comprehensive export and investment strategy in coordination with key regional partners.

Jeff Mindlin serves as Chief Investment Officer at ASU Enterprise Partners. In this capacity, Jeff is responsible for managing the Arizona State University Foundation’s investment assets to maximize risk adjusted returns. This includes the long-term endowment, SRI, and short-term investment pools. Increasingly, he is relied on to implement a mission-aligned investment framework without sacrificing returns. He provides critical support of the Investment Committee and oversight of the Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) while also helping drive synergies within the other affiliates engaged in real estate and venture activities.

Jeff serves on the boards of the university’s education technology accelerator (ASU ScaleU) and angel investor network (InvestU). He acts as a trustee to the retirement plan and advises on the investment management of ASU’s operating funds. To support ASU’s emphasis on experiential learning and sustainability, Jeff helps with a student managed fund program where students are allocated endowment dollars to build a sustainable investment strategy. In addition, Jeff chairs the TIAA-Nuveen Investment Council and serves on the Intentional Endowment Network’s Executive and Steering Committees.

Jeff previously served as Tower Square Investment Management’s Executive Director and Co-Chief Investment Officer where he was responsible for the portfolio management team and its efforts, including portfolio selection, trading, proprietary money management and product development. He co-chaired the investment committee, which oversaw more than $5billion in client assets. He served as Chief Investment Officer at First Allied Asset Management. Prior to joining First Allied, Mr. Mindlin was the Director of Research and Co-Portfolio Manager of Greenbook Investment Management, Inc., where he was instrumental in the design of sophisticated, proprietary investment strategies. Before that, he worked as the Assistant Portfolio Manager and Senior Financial Engineer for Pinnacle Investment Advisors, LLC, which operated a hedge fund and a series of managed accounts for institutional and high-net-worth clients, and sub-advised a publicly traded mutual fund. Previously, Mr. Mindlin was the Manager of Financial Engineering at Camelback Research, leading the development of several successful institutional-grade quantitative products, including the popular MSN Money StockScouter system.

Mr. Mindlin earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation. He obtained bachelor’s degrees in economics and in finance from the College of Business Honor’s Program at Arizona State University, where he also received the prestigious Moeur Award.

Ryan E. Kelley was elected to represent District #4 (Brawley, Bombay Beach, Calipatria, Desert Shores, Niland, Salton City, Salton Sea Beach, Vista Del Mar, and Westmorland) in 2012. He is a lifelong and third generation resident of Imperial Valley. His civic commitment began as an Eagle Scout with Troop 22, Boy Scouts of America, and continued as Exalted Ruler of the Brawley Elk’s Lodge #1420. It was his desire to make a positive change that prompted him to become involved in local government; and today, he strives to make decisions that benefit our communities.

As an Imperial County and Brawley Firefighter, he fought fires across Imperial County. As a Paramedic, he treated and cared for patients from Bombay Beach to Salton City. As an Imperial Valley College Instructor, he taught fire science and emergency medical services to the next generation of firefighters and EMTs. As the Imperial County Emergency Medical Services Administrator, he developed and enhanced the Emergency Medical Services system and capabilities.

Beyond attending Brawley Union High School, Ryan holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Long Beach State University and an Associate’s of Science degree from Miramar College, as well as, a Paramedic Certificate from Imperial Valley College. Education and educational opportunities are important to Ryan, as he wants to build upon the options available to our youth.

Supervisor Ryan E. Kelley lives in Brawley with his wife Robyn, their daughter, Bridget and son, Conor.

In her role as Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development, Jessica Ku Kim provides strategic direction and leads LAEDC’s collaborative efforts with business, education, and the workforce ecosystem to support a growing, equitable, sustainable and resilient economy. Leveraging her expertise in convening and engaging businesses leaders to understand and meet their operations and labor needs, Jessica leads one of the most effective small business assistance programs in the nation that has attracted, retained or helped create more than 250,000 direct jobs for LA County residents in firms directly assisted by LAEDC. Aligned with her passion for and experience in providing direct community services for over 15 years, she also directs LAEDC’s Together for LA Small Business Program including an online information and referral resource and technical assistance team created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and dedicated to aggressively outreach to small businesses, nonprofits, and micro-enterprises and provide resources and assistance. Jessica also leads LAEDC’s strategic initiatives that includes industry cluster development in aerospace, advanced transportation, digital media and entertainment and bioscience. Lastly, Jessica oversees LAEDC’s workforce initiatives, including the Center for a Competitive Workforce partnership with our region’s 19 community colleges, to strengthen the alignment of LA County’s workforce and education ecosystem to meet our changing labor market demands and strengthen pathways for all communities into family-sustaining and in-demand careers. 

Jessica has intimate knowledge of programs funded on state and national levels including WIOA, California State Workforce Development Board, U.S. Department of Labor, and California Employment Training Panel. She has demonstrated success in developing, implementing, and managing workforce development programs for target populations including incumbent workers, new hires, disadvantaged youth, veterans, homeless, individuals with disabilities, and re-entry. In addition, she is experienced in developing innovative job training programs, pre-apprenticeships, and/or apprenticeships in partnership with businesses in the construction trades, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, utility and other in-demand industries.  

Jessica is a proud Angeleno and honored to be a Commissioner on the Los Angeles City Workforce Development Board and Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board. Prior to LAEDC, Jessica served as the Special Projects Manager at the South Bay Workforce Investment Board.  In this capacity, she provided sound, innovative and strategic leadership through program development and administration for one of the most innovative workforce development boards in the nation. Jessica has also served as the Director of Operations for ACCORD Community First that provided workforce development services across seven counties in Southern California where she led the Green Skills=Green Jobs initiative in partnership with the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO. She received her Master of Public Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills and her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of California, Irvine.

Cory has worked extensively on environmental and clean tech policy in multiple states, advising all levels of government and multiple industry associations on progressive climate, EV and EV charging policies, among others. Cory leads FLO’s west coast and national policy work to reduce barriers to and increase consumer confidence in EVs and charging station technology. Cory currently serves as a board member of the EV Charging Association.

Identifying industry interest in alternative fuel propulsion technologies for transit fleets, Naeem pioneered a Canadian advisory practice group which expanded globally to Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. He co-developed the Battery Optimization Lifecycle Tool, a one-of-a-kind tool that evaluates the triple-bottom-line impact of implementing battery electric buses (BEBs). Additionally, Naeem has been leading the expansion and implementation of BEBs in European, North and South American markets in which the tool now predicts over 30 models and 100 battery configurations. Naeem led the first-of-its-kind low emissions pilot of inter-city coaches using CNG. This two-month pilot across various northern Ontario inter-city routes enabled an agency to participate in exploring carbon reduction research.

Bryce leads our carbon market strategy. Bryce is a serial entrepreneur who has spent 20 years developing renewable energy carbon management programs. Bryce developed the cleanairpass, a voluntary carbon emissions offset program that was acquired by investors back in 2008. Most recently, Bryce was Director of Business Development for the performance optimization of existing buildings at one of Canada’s leading construction firms. Bryce is an invited member of the ISO Climate Finance Working Group (TC207/SC7/WG10) for the new Carbon Finance standard 14097.

Winnie Lee joined Arup’s Hong Kong office in 2012 and transferred to Arup’s Los Angeles office in 2021. Before joining Arup, she had over 10 years of civil engineering working experience in Washington DC, Virginia, Texas, and California for other consultants and a public agency. Winnie brings a diverse civil engineering background with global experience in managing multidisciplinary, mega-size projects. She has led diverse teams to successfully deliver various types of infrastructure, building, and aviation projects in for government, public agencies, and private entities. In her role at Arup, she has been engaging in a wide variety of infrastructure, buildings, and aviation projects in Hong Kong, Chongqing, Macau, Los Angles, and San Francisco. After managing one of the largest mega-size infrastructure projects and an iconic Peak Tram Upgrade Project in Hong Kong, Winnie has just finished an electric-bus charging facility at LAX and has been involving in Sewer Treatment Plant upgrade at SFO since she moved to California. In addition to her civil engineering background and multidisciplinary experience, Winnie is an advocate of smart cities, green infrastructure, sustainable and resilient design. Winnie is registered as Professional/Chartered Engineer in the US, UK, and Hong Kong. She is also an MBA, a member of the Association of Project Managers in the UK, and an Accredited NEC4: ECC Project Manager in Hong Kong.

Stefan defined the concept of Electric Road Systems (ERS), and it is no surprise that he is well rehearsed in the opportunities and challenges of commercializing ERS in Europe and the US. Stefan also holds expertise on business models, sustainable transition, policy, and systemic innovation and has previously worked as a Senior Researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.

Stefan holds an M.Sc in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Industrial Economics and Management, both from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. His doctoral thesis is one of the world’s first to research the topic of ERS and is titled “Preparing for takeoff – Analyzing the development of electric road system from a business model perspective”.

Eric Coene is the Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) group manager for SoCalGas. In this role, Eric is responsible for managing the portfolio and activities of the RD&D group within the Clean Energy Innovations organization of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas).

Previously, Eric was manager of commercial development for Sempra LNG where he was responsible for the successful execution of natural gas infrastructure needed to support the commercialization of Sempra’s ECA LNG project. Prior to that, Eric was the manager of power origination at Sempra US Gas and Power and has held several corporate finance roles of increasing responsibility within Sempra Energy.

Eric received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration-finance from San Diego State University.

Pat Dobson pent three years as a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech, where he was introduced into the world of experimental petrology. After a brief stint as a postdoc at UC Santa Barbara, he then moved to Unocal’s Hartley Research Center, where he ran the stable isotope laboratory. Pat then transferred to Unocal’s Geothermal Division, where he was involved in the exploration of geothermal systems in Indonesia, Central America, and South America.

Dobson joined the former Earth Sciences Division of LBNL in 2000, and has been involved in a variety of geologic and geochemical research projects. He led LBNL’s efforts in the study of the Peña Blanca uranium deposits, a natural analogue for flow and transport processes at Yucca Mountain. From 2007 to 2009, he served as a detailee for the Geosciences Research Program of DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Pat became the lead for LBNL’s Geothermal Systems Program in 2016.

Jawaad Malik is vice president of strategy and sustainability, and chief environmental officer for Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), a Sempra regulated California utility. Malik is responsible for the development of a comprehensive strategy and sustainability plan to position SoCalGas as a long-term leader enabling California’s clean energy future. The comprehensive strategy focuses on the vital role the gas grid provides to support California’s energy system objectives.

Previously, Malik was vice president of gas acquisition and vice president of accounting and finance for SoCalGas. Since joining SoCalGas in 2007, Malik has served in a number of increasingly responsible management positions, including director of financial and operations planning, financial planning manager and General Rate Case program manager. Prior to this, he held various finance and auditing related roles at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and the California Department of Insurance.

Malik holds a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from California State University, Los Angeles and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. He currently serves on the board of directors for LA’s BEST, a nationally recognized after school program serving more than 20,000 children in neighborhoods of Los Angeles.  Malik also sits on the Dean’s advisory council of Cal Poly Pomona’s college of business administration and the UC Davis Energy & Efficiency Institute board of advisors.

Miguel A. Santana has over 30 years of experience leading numerous fiscal, legislative, political, and community issues. He served as President and C.E.O. of Fairplex since 2016, a nonprofit community benefit regional organization based in Pomona, CA. Previously, Miguel was the City Administrative Officer for the City of Los Angeles, where he oversaw the City’s $9 billion budget and designed the City’s first comprehensive homeless strategy, resulting in a $1.2 billion voter-approved housing bond and a doubling of the City’s general fund investment on programs to end homelessness. Prior to joining the City, Miguel served as one of five Deputy Chief Executive Officers for Los Angeles County, overseeing all social service programs supporting children, families, veterans and persons experiencing homelessness.

Miguel was appointed President & C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation in 2021. He engages in numerous civic efforts to create a more equitable Southern California region, including serving as Chair of the Committee for Greater L.A. He also serves on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Whittier College Board of Trustees.

Miguel has a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Whittier College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.

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.

Sustainable infrastructure investor @ Generate Capital , investing (project finance, private equity, growth equity) to solve the climate crisis. Scaling climate tech and climate solutions in clean energy, electrification, electric vehicles (EV), mobility, fleet electrification, energy resilience, microgrids and smart cities.

I am an experienced investor across the capital stack (sr debt down to common equity) in clean energy and sustainability. This has taken the form of over $1B in deployed capital, and transactions that span sustainable infrastructure, development platforms and IPPS. 

Troy Collard is the General Manager of Sales with seven years of experience working with PACECO Corp., a Mitsui E&S Machinery subsidiary company, and has previously held sales and executive roles in other Mitsui E&S subsidiary companies in the US and Japan from 1998. PACECO Corp. is the founding company of the specialized ship-to-shore container crane that catapulted the container shipping industry; Mr. Collard oversees sales of container cranes in the Americas, concentrating on ship-to-shore (STS) Portainer cranes and rubber-tired-gantry (RTG) Transtainer cranes, and for several years has been working with customers in the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach to develop and introduce new model RTGs powered by smaller engines and eventually hydrogen fuel cells to meet the Ports goal of zero emissions by 2030.

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.

Gloria D. Gray is chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors, the first African-American to lead the board and only the second woman to do so in the district’s 90-year history. She is currently the secretary of the West Basin's Board of Directors, where she has served since 2006.

Gray began her career in water in 2006, when she was elected to the West Basin board. She was the first African-American woman elected to the board in its 65 years and served as board president in 2010.  She represents the Division II cities of Inglewood, South Ladera Heights, Lennox and the areas of Athens, Howard and Ross-Sexton.  In 2009, Gray was appointed to Metropolitan's Board of Directors to serve as one of two West Basin representatives. She was the first African-American woman to serve as vice chair of the Metropolitan board, was the first African-American woman to chair a board meeting in the agency's history and served on the Executive Committee, Organization, Personnel and Technology Committee, Bay-Delta Committee, and was Vice Chair of the Communication and Legislative Committee. In 2017, Gray was appointed chair of Water Planning and Stewardship Committee, making her the first African-American woman to chair this important committee which focuses on Metropolitan water projects and programs.

In March 2009, she was appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to serve on a water quality Community Task Force, which is part of the county's Clean Water, Clean Beaches Initiative to address pollution in our local waterways that include rivers, lakes, bays, beaches, and coastal waters. (Gray, an Inglewood resident, was elected to the Inglewood Unified School District Board of Education in 1995 and served as president for two terms.) In April 2010, Gray was appointed to the Delta Stewardship Council by former Assembly Speaker Karen Bass. She served through July 2014 and was the first African- American and African-American woman to serve on the council. In 2011, she met with stakeholders from up and down the state and suggested the Delta Council hold public forums to gain broader knowledge in order to develop a comprehensive Delta Plan. 

In May 2012, Gray was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as a member of the Oversight Commission for the dissolution of the City of Carson Redevelopment Agency. In 2013, she was recruited by the Obama administration to interview for a cabinet position in the Department of the Interior.

In 2014, the West Basin board appointed Gray as their representative to the Association of California Water Agencies, where she currently serves as Region 8 vice chair and as a member of the ACWA Joint Powers Insurance Authority. She was appointed to represent West Basin as a voting board member on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, where she was elected to serve on the Executive Committee and the commission's Authority. 

During her first term, Gray initiated West Basin's Local Business Enterprise Program and Local Banking Program, which allow local businesses to better compete for work and enhances the local community within West Basin's service area.

In recognition of her many years of community service, Gray received a proclamation from Metropolitan’s board for her service and outstanding leadership on the Delta Stewardship Council; she received the 2014 African Legacy Award as the first African-American woman to be elected to Metropolitan's board; received the Outstanding Community Honoree award from The A-Man, Inc. STEM International on June 7, 2013. In March 2013 she was inducted into the National Association of University Women's Hall of Fame for exceptional leadership; was honored in October 2012 by the Southern California Water Committee with the "Honorable Harriett Wieder" award for leadership in water; Friends of the Sisters at the Well for her leadership in civic and public engagement; and the Friends of Ballona Wetlands for her leadership on current and future water supply issues.

Underscoring her commitment mentoring the next generation of water leaders, Gray is a founding board member of the California African-American Water Education Foundation representing Metropolitan and is a strong supporter of its many education and training outreach activities, including the district's highly successful apprenticeship program.

In the past, she has received commendations from former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor Eric Garcetti and numerous elected officials. Gray is a union member of SEIU Local 721 for over 30 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Redlands, a health services management certificate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has a master’s degree in governance from Special District. She retired as a health care administrator from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

Erica currently serves as the director of the Office of the CEO.  Previously, Erica was the director of Resource and Environmental Planning and Strategy at Southern California Edison where she led SCE’s climate and electrification strategies, and integrated resource planning activities. Prior to SCE, Erica was Chief Economist of the American Petroleum Institute and Vice President of Research and Policy Analysis and Chief Economist at America’s Natural Gas Alliance. In these roles, Erica led all research and policy analysis activities while also actively engaging with utilities, regulators, legislators and other business-to-business stakeholders to aid in the understanding of the complex dynamics between energy markets, economy and public policy.  

Erica received her masters of science degree from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and her bachelors of Science and Engineering degree from Princeton University in Princeton, NJ. 

Barry Gluck is the Head of Business Development in North America for Triple Plus, where he is responsible for promoting the company’s brand and establishing partnerships.

Gluck and his family moved to Israel in June 2021 and then joined Triple Plus. Before his move, Gluck served as Senior Marketing Associate for Sysco Food Service, the largest food distribution company in the world. He earned many awards including the Chairman’s Club Award for being one of the top 1% performers. 

On a mission to save water, he is focused on exporting a unique Israeli High-Tech solution to solve current environmental issues such as water shortages, by providing solutions to detect and prevent water waste and leaks. Gluck believes that Triple Plus technology can save millions of gallons of water per year. As a hockey player, who had a chance to play on a line with Wayne Gretzky who said “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been” Gluck holds that success lies in anticipation. 

When Gluck is not in the Company office, he is in his home office working American hours, otherwise you can find him learning, running and skiing.

Mike Lombardo is the head of ESG strategy at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, where he is responsible for the firm’s overall ESG strategy and consideration of ESG issues in the investment process.

Lombardo brings over 15 years of ESG investing experience to Kayne Anderson. Prior to joining Kayne Anderson in 2018, Mike was a vice president of ESG Research at Calvert Research and Management, where he helped lead the ESG research team, developed best practices for integrating ESG into the investment process, and engaged dozens of portfolio companies on material ESG risks. Throughout his career, Lombardo has taught at George Washington University School of Business, where he developed a course on ESG investing. His previous experience also includes international development and policy work across multiple organizations domestically and internationally. Lombardo is currently a member of the advisory committee of ECPAT-USA and has served on a number of advisory committees of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment.

Lombardo earned a B.A. in Psychology from Boston College and an M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Tim DeMoss has served at the Port of Los Angeles for 15 years. Currently, DeMoss serves as the Environmental Affairs Officer. Previously, he held positions as Marine Environmental Supervisor, Clean Truck Program Manager, and Environmental Specialist III spanning from 2007 to 2019. 

He acquired his Civil Engineering degrees of Master of Environmental Science and Bachelor of Science in Loyola Marymount University. 

Mr. YANO is the General Manager of Energy Systems Div. in Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. He is engaged in the Smart Energy Systems Business, incl. Redox Flow Battery Systems. Prior to his current role, he was the R&D manager for Network Systems products, where he successfully led the launch of Connected-home Services for telecom carriers and Vehicle-to-Grid (VGI) systems for OEMs. He received the B.E. and M.E. degrees from Kyoto University and joined Sumitomo Electric in 1985.

Tim Dafeta is a registered civil engineer with the State of California.  Tim is currently the Plant Manager of the City of Los Angeles Hyperion Treatment Plant. Hyperion Treatment Plant is one of the largest plants in the world, with a 450 million gallon per day (MGD) average dry weather capacity and highly technical operations, including full secondary treatment with pure oxygen activated sludge, Class A anaerobic digestion, cryogenic oxygen generation, air emission controls and odor management facilities, biogas power generation, and a variety of offsite biosolids reuse alternatives. Approximately 35 MGD of secondary effluent is transported to a neighboring water district for further treatment and reuse by other local users.

Maria G. Meleandez joined LA Metro in 2014 and is committed to transforming the world through transportation infrastructure investment & innovation.  As the head of Talent Development for LA Metro, she leads a pioneering team, who is dedicated to advancing synergy within cross-functional business units to develop the next generation of workers within Transportation Infrastructure.  Maria is most passionate about impacting the emerging workforce by creating opportunities for improvement and professional growth.

She held other roles at Metro where she was instrumental in developing the agency’s employees through nationally recognized workforce development programs such as Metro’s Career Pathways Program, Leadership Academy and leads the SEED LA partnership for the agency. Her commitment to the cultivation of an inclusive learning environment — in which all employees have an opportunity for improvement and professional growth — has made an impact throughout all levels of the organization. 

Prior to joining Metro, Maria led large scale programs for various educational institutions with a focus on leadership development, employee engagement and inclusion. With more than 15 years of experience, Maria has excelled in numerous capacities within the education, healthcare and transportation infrastructure industries. She holds a master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management and is also a Licensed Registered Nurse.

Mike Lord is an Executive Engineer for Toyota Motor North America.  He started his career with Toyota over 35 years ago and is currently responsible for California regulation and policy related to zero emission vehicles (ZEV), greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria emissions reduction.   He works closely with product planning and engineering on developing Toyota’s technology roll-out strategy and acts as the interface with regulatory authorities on implementation, policy, infrastructure and incentive issues related to advanced powertrains, such as Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV).

Mr. Lord has a B.A. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania and studied Japanese language at Sophia University in Japan.

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.

Janet Clayton is senior strategist at VectisDC, a public relations and public affairs agency headquartered in El Segundo. She also was senior vice president of communications for Edison International/Southern California Edison. Previously she held key positions at the Los Angeles Times, including editor of the editorial pages.

Prior to joining Edison International, Clayton was president of ThinkCure, a community-based nonprofit that raises funds for cancer research and was the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Prior to ThinkCure, Clayton had a distinguished career at the Los Angeles Times as a key member of its leadership team. She represented the largest media organization in the West during live television presidential and gubernatorial debates and public affairs news programs. She held numerous positions, including editor of the editorial pages, where she determined the Times’ official opinions, and California section editor, where she managed the largest news staff at the Times. She also was a vice president of the Times Mirror Corporation, the original parent company of the Times. She started her career as a general assignment and politics reporter.

Clayton has received many accolades for excellence in her profession, including recognition as the editor of two Pulitzer Prize-winning series. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. She is a member of the boards of Town Hall, United Way Los Angeles and the Lincoln Club, a nonpartisan organization that honors the legacy of President Lincoln.

Council Member Alex Fisch was elected to the City Council in April 2018.  Alex previously served as the Chair of the City’s Committee on Homelessness, and he now sits on various Ad Hoc and standing Subcommittees of the City Council, including the Regional Oil Operations Subcommittee, Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee, and the Mobility, Traffic and Parking Subcommittee.  He represents the City on the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) as a Board Member. On December 17, 2020, the WSCCOG Board appointed Council Member Fisch to serve as the WSCCOG Representative to the Southern California Association of Governments, Regional Council District #41.

Alex is also an attorney for the California Department of Justice, in the Natural Resource Law Section of the Attorney General’s Office.  He was previously a shareholder at a Century City law firm and was a founding Director of the Institute for Field Research - an independent, nonprofit academic organization that delivers rigorous archaeology field schools to students around the world. 

Alex is a graduate of UC Berkeley and the UCLA School of Law.  His particular interests include making Culver City an even better place for families, ending neighborhood oil drilling, and increasing housing opportunities and transportation options so that Culver City can maintain its diversity, create safe streets for all, transition to environmental and fiscal sustainability, and demonstrate leadership in the fight to prevent climate breakdown.

Beginning his teens, Marqueece has been active in the community for more than twenty years. Currently he is Executive Director of the Community Coalition, a community-based organization in South Los Angeles. Marqueece is the organization’s second Executive Director, following it’s founder, current US Rep. Karen Bass.

The organization is best known for leading grassroots campaigns to close 200 liquor stores in South Los Angeles and to win College Prep courses for all LAUSD students. For 5 years, Marqueece directed Community Coalition's youth project, South Central Youth Empowered thru Action. During that time, Marqueece led a campaign to expose poor conditions at South LA schools. Members of South Central Youth Empowered thru Action were armed with disposable cameras to document the conditions at their schools, and trained to advocate for badly needed repairs at their campuses. Students won $153 million in repairs for their schools. Following up on his work to improve conditions at South LA High Schools. Marqueece and the Community Coalition spearheaded a movement to guarantee universal access to college prep courses at every high school in Los Angeles.

In addition to his work at the Community Coalition Marqueece has extensive experience in electoral politics, and is a key participant in the progressive movement in Los Angeles. During his time completing a Bachelor’s degree at Morehouse College, Marqueece cut his activist teeth on several important community issues including ending South African Apartheid, police brutality and youth and family services. Along with a host of Board and Committee posts, Marqueece boasts several community commendations, recognitions and awards including the coveted Do Something “BRICK” Award and Liberty Hill Foundation’s Upton Sinclair Award. Marqueece recently received a certificate in non profit management from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and is a currently an Aspen Institute Fellow for New Leaders.

Specialties: nonprofit management, public policy, community advocacy, grant writing, public speaking, electoral campaigns

Choshu Industry Co., LTD.                                                       July 2012-present

• President and Representative Director                 （January 2016- present）
• Senior managing Director                        （June 2014 - January 2016）
• President’s Office Manager                                  （January 2013 - June 2014）
• President’s Office                                     （July 2012 - January 2013）

Choshu Sake Brewery Co., LTD.                                               March 2018-present

• President and Representative Director                             （March 2018- present）

Daini Electric Power Co., LTD.                                     November 2019-present

• President and Representative Director                             （November 2019- present）

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry                                 April 1996- July 2012

• Responsible for intergovernmental negotiation, climate change policy/negotiation, industrial policy, economic analysis, trade policy/regulation, etc.

EDUCATION

• Graduated from School of International and Public Affairs, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York（May 2003）
• Master of Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, WASEDA UNIVERSITY, Tokyo（March 1996）
• Bachelor of Science and Engineering, WASEDA UNIVERSITY, Tokyo (March 1994)

INTERESTS & HOBBY

Reading, Jogging, Cycling, Hiking and Traveling

Dr. Yasuhiro Matsui, he received his doctorate in the urban engineering from The University of Tokyo (Engineering, 2007) and Japanese professional engineering license (Water Supply & Industrial Water Supply, 2004). He was involving in global water environment businesses (water supply, desalination, water reuse, and groundwater) for 20 years. He is a director of Japanese Desalination Association. He has been employed by Yokogawa since April 2019 in the Research & Development, Innovation Center of Market Division. He was Vice President of METAWATER USA, INC, in charge of R&D department for business development and International Business Division since 2014. While affiliated to METAWATER, engaged in desalination projects in the Middle East and The South Asia. Focused on ceramic membrane (Microfiltration) integrated in a pretreatment of reverse osmosis in the desalination process. Being in head of collaboration research works with Saline Water Conversion Corporation in the Kingdom of Saudi.

Claudia Gutierrez is currently serving as Senior Deputy for Legal Affairs with County-Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. Previously, Gutierrez served in the same position for former Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas in 2017-2020. 

Before working for the County of Los Angeles, she was a Senior Associate with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.

Rafael Villegas is a Civil Engineer with 20 years of experience in public infrastructure and water utilities. He is the Program Manager for the Operation NEXT Water Supply Program for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. This program, LADWP’s largest since construction of the original aqueduct, will recycled 100% of wastewater from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant and provide up to a third of the City’s water supply.

Mr. Villegas actively engages in water resource policy development, strategic planning, inter-agency coordination, water rights issues and program development relating to regional water storage.

His experience includes development of Operation NEXT; direct engagement in the Measure W Watershed Area Steering Committees, countywide Integrated Regional Water Management Program (IRWMP), Los Angeles River issues and development of the LA’s Stormwater Capture Master Plan.

Through his experience, Mr. Villegas has developed a strong background in project delivery that includes strategic planning, program management and most importantly, consensus building. He actively seeks and forges partnerships with outside entities with the shared goals of water conservation, local water supply development and sustainability.

With 20+ years as a LACDA team member, Carolina Romo is a seasoned professional with direct experience in community and affordable housing development.  She is currently the Assistant Director of Community Development at the LACDA. Carolina provides day-to-day management and operations expertise to the Community Development Division (CDD).  The CDD consists of four units with approximately 90 full-time staff members. Community Development Block Grant Planning & Administration, Construction Management, Collaborative of American Rescue Plan, Permanent Local Housing Allocation, and special projects and the Community Resource Center in South Whittier.  She also manages capital development projects from procurement through lease up.   Additionally, Carolina is the Administrator of the Los Angeles County Housing Development Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing developer.

Carolina is a graduate of California State University Los Angeles and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an option in Finance and a minor in Economics. She is also a graduate of USC’s Ross Minority Program in Real Estate.  She is a California licensed Real Estate Broker and has an NMLS endorsement. She also holds a number of certifications on affordable housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She is the Board Chair of Canopy Communities, a nonprofit affordable housing developer.

Mr. Saeki serves as the Executive Director of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Los Angeles and coordinates the collaborations between the U.S. and Japanese Industries in the area of innovation, entertainment and investment.

He extensively tries to contribute to solve the social, environmental and energy issues in California and the U.S. by forefront and user-oriented technology with Japanese industries. In this capacity, he is responsible for the overall strategy and execution on innovation policy and the industries collaboration especially in hydrogen energy, water, smart cities, vehicle, aerospace defense and health care.

Mr. Saeki also serves as a Special Advisor to Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and his task is to recommend the policy options as well as promote collaboration at the governmental level and directly coordinate Japanese governmental support to the specific project.

Mr. Saeki supported to establish Japan Hydrogen Forum (JH2F) in December, 2022 to support the US decarbonization efforts.  He reaches many leaders of hydrogen energy in California and other regions across the United States.

He joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan in 2001 and has been in charge of various high-tech areas, such as aerospace and defense, metals & materials, bio, health care and information technology.

He received his law bachelor’s degree from University of Tokyo in 2000 and served as a visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS in 2009-2010 and completed Management Acceleration Program in the Anderson School of Management, UCLA in 2022.

He lives and enjoys his life with his wife, daughter and son in Playa Vista, L.A.

Brian Prusnek has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry across both the private and public sectors. As a leader in the nation’s largest natural gas distribution company, Brian uses his rich energy policy expertise to advance the vision of SoCalGas to become the cleanest, safest and most innovative natural gas utility in the country. He is currently the Director of Customer Programs and Assistance for SoCalGas, a Sempra Energy utility. He is responsible for leading the development, administration and implementation of energy efficiency and low income assistance policy and programs for over 22 million consumers in Southern California.