Speakers for VX Green Hydrogen Forum

Mike Levin
Congressman, California's 49th District
US House of Representatives
Biography

Mike Levin

Congressman, California's 49th District
US House of Representatives

Congressman Mike Levin is proud to represent California's 49th Congressional District, which includes North County San Diego and South Orange County.

Currently serving his third term in the House of Representatives, Levin sits on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where he serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.

Levin was raised in South Orange County and attended local elementary and junior high schools. He spent his high school years at Loyola High in Los Angeles, and went on to study at Stanford University, where he served as the student body president. Upon graduation from Stanford, Levin served as a Coro Fellow and then attended Duke University School of Law.

Prior to being elected to Congress in 2018, Levin fought for climate action while working as an environmental attorney. He also served on the board of the Center for Sustainable Energy, and co-founded Sustain OC, helping accelerate the transition toward more sustainable power generation and transportation alternatives.

As a member of Congress, some of Levin's top priorities are combating climate change, protecting our natural resources, and capitalizing on the economic benefits of a sustainable energy future. He has led legislation to transition America to zero emission vehicles, ban new offshore drilling leases along the coast of Southern California, responsibly develop renewable energy on public lands, and much more.

Another priority for Rep. Levin is increasing oversight and accountability at the decommissioning San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), and moving the spent nuclear fuel out of the region as quickly and safely as possible. Levin stood up a local task force upon arriving to Congress to formulate policy recommendations to address the hazardous waste. He is the founder and Co-Chair of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan group to drive progress on the safe storage, transportation, and disposal of nuclear fuel across the country. He has also led legislation to prioritize the removal of spent nuclear fuel from environmentally sensitive sites like San Onofre, mandate resident inspectors at decommissioning nuclear power plants during sensitive activities, and fund a research and development program at the Department of Energy to find innovative solutions to spent nuclear fuel management.

Rep. Levin is also a leader on legislation to support veterans. As the grandson of a World War II veteran and the representative of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Levin is an advocate for the servicemembers and veterans who have sacrificed for our freedom. He has spoken out about the importance of protecting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from privatization efforts, improving veterans’ health care and services, and expanding job opportunities for those who have served.

Levin is proud to lead the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Since he became Chair, his subcommittee has become one of the most productive in Congress, with more than 50 bills to serve veterans passing into law. Levin sponsored one of the most consequential pieces of legislation signed into law for veterans in recent years, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, which strengthened and expanded a wide range of veterans’ benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. 

Levin has also championed efforts to expand access to affordable health care, lower the cost of higher education, preserve Social Security and Medicare, prevent gun violence, enact comprehensive immigration reform, and protect a woman's right to choose. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and, as the grandson of immigrants from Mexico, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Levin holds town halls regularly to keep his constituents informed and answer their questions, and he has also made those town halls available as part of his podcast, Listening with Levin.

Levin lives in San Juan Capistrano with his wife, Chrissy, and their two children.
 

Andy Marsh
President & CEO
Plug Power
Biography

Andy Marsh

President & CEO
Plug Power

Andy Marsh joined Plug Power as President and CEO in April 2008. Under his leadership, Plug Power has been a leading innovator in the alternative energy field, helping create an entirely new hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) market in the material handling space as the world moves towards electrification in mobility applications. This new market has proven to be one of the first successful endeavors to commercialize HFC technology, and today, the firm’s fuel cell solutions, including its GenKey suite and ProGen engine line, are leveraged by global marketplace leaders such as Amazon, Walmart, and Carrefour to power industrial electric vehicles.

As President and CEO, Marsh plans and directs all aspects of the organization’s goals and objectives, and is focused on building a company that leverages Plug Power’s combination of technological expertise, talented people and focus on sales growth to continue the company’s leadership stance in the future alternative energy economy. Under his leadership, Plug Power continues to spearhead hydrogen fuel cell innovations in both mobility and stationary applications, and his ability to generate revenue growth of more than 296 percent since 2012 has landed Plug Power on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500TM list in both 2015 and 2016.

Previously, Mr. Marsh was a co-founder of Valere Power, where he served as CEO and Board Member from the Company’s inception in 2001, through its sale to Eltek ASA in 2007. Under his leadership, Valere grew into a profitable global operation with over 200 employees and $90 million in revenue derived from the sale of DC power products to the telecommunications sector. During Mr. Marsh’s tenure, Valere Power received many awards such as the Tech Titan award as the fastest growing technology company in the Dallas Fort Worth area and the Red Herring Top 100 Innovator Award. Prior to founding Valere, he spent almost 18 years with Lucent Bell Laboratories in a variety of sales and technical management positions.

Mr. Marsh is a member of the Board of Directors for the California Hydrogen Business Council, a non-profit group comprised of organizations and individuals involved in the business of hydrogen. He holds an MSEE from Duke University and an MBA from SMU. In August/September 2017, Mr. Marsh was invited to join the Global Hydrogen Council as well, an international council of major auto manufacturers which is focused on the proliferation of hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

Tim Sasseen
Market Development Manager
Ballard Power Systems
Biography

Tim Sasseen

Market Development Manager
Ballard Power Systems

An electrical engineer at heart, Tim Sasseen has been deploying fuel cell electric buses since 2000, when he lead the engine control development team for the deployment the largest public fuel cell bus deployment to date. Tim followed these buses to Europe in 2003 to coordinate the operation and service of this fleet across 7 countries from the Daimler factory in Germany. Upon the successful completion of this monumental program, Tim lead the Ballard engineering team to create the HD6, one of the highest mileage heavy duty fuel cell modules in the industry. Since that time Tim has earned his MBA at UCSD, and has lead start-up developments in microgrids, wind power and stationary energy storage here in California. Tim is now responsible for business development for all of California for Ballard Power System’s medium and heavy duty fuel cell products.

Maryam Brown
President
SoCal Gas
Biography

Maryam Brown

President
SoCal Gas

Maryam Brown is president of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), the nation’s largest gas distribution utility. SoCalGas’ 8,000 employees serve 22 million consumers in 500 communities from California’s Central Valley in the north to the San Diego County line in the south.

As president, Brown develops and executes SoCalGas’ strategic vision with a focus on SoCalGas’ aspiration to achieve carbon neutral operations and delivery of energy by 2045.

Brown started her career as an engineer in the petroleum refining sector and has 25 years of experience in the energy industry across engineering, legal, policy, and regulatory roles. She joined SoCalGas in 2019 from SoCalGas’ corporate parent Sempra, a diversified energy services company based in San Diego, where she was vice president, federal government affairs.

Prior to joining Sempra, Brown amassed a decade of legislative and policy expertise working on Capitol Hill, serving in senior staff roles in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. During this period, she served as chief energy counsel to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and subsequently as senior energy and environment counsel for two speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Prior to this, she was a corporate securities associate attorney in the San Francisco office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

Brown is chair of the American Gas Association Foundation, serves on the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Petroleum Council, and is on the Board and Executive Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and her law degree (Order of the Coif) from Louisiana State University.

At SoCalGas Brown is guiding the company through the domestic clean energy transition and helping California reach its climate goals while delivering energy that is reliable and affordable.

 

Akira Muto
Former Consul General
Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles
Biography

Akira Muto

Former Consul General
Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles

Akira Muto was appointed Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles in August 2019.

With over 25 years of experience in the Foreign Ministry of Japan with background in Russia and policy planning, Muto has served as director of the Russian division, deputy director general (Ambassador) in charge of former Soviet Union states, as well as director of policy coordination division.  Additionally, Muto served as director of free trade agreement and economic partnership division and the director of the fourth division of Intelligence Service. As a diplomat, his previous assignments included Washington D.C., Moscow and Boston (Consul General).  In recent years, he served as Cabinet Councillor at National Security Secretariat and was engaged in various international security affairs.  His research interest covers strategic relations among US-Japan Alliance, Russia and China in the Asia-Pacific region.
 
Andrew McAllister
Commissioner
California Energy Commission
Biography

Andrew McAllister

Commissioner
California Energy Commission

Commissioner Andrew McAllister is serving his third term on the California Energy Commission.

At the Energy Commission, he leads the policy area of energy efficiency, including the Building Energy Efficiency Standards, appliance efficiency, and load management and flexibility. More broadly, he is focused on enabling modern, data-rich analytical tools to support strong clean energy policy development and program implementation.

Commissioner McAllister has worked on energy deployment and policy since the early 1990s. He has worked across the world to deploy clean, cost-effective energy solutions with counterparts ranging from tiny remote communities to the largest of utilities. He administered two of California’s signature renewable energy programs, developed and operated energy efficiency programs for utilities, and conducted a broad range of policy-related research for California and the federal government.

He is a board member and immediate past board chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials, and a board member of the Alliance to Save Energy. His deep grounding in technology, policy, and the marketplace provides him with uncommon insight on the accelerating changes taking place in California’s energy sector.

Before joining the Energy Commission, he was managing director at the California Center for Sustainable Energy. He worked with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International, Ltd. in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa on renewable generation, load management, utility planning, and remote power projects. He was a project manager at an energy-consulting firm and an energy efficiency analyst at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Commissioner McAllister holds a master of science and a Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley and a bachelor of arts from Dartmouth College. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Kohei Masaki
Hydrogen Strategy Consultant - Business Development
Toyota Motor North America
Biography

Kohei Masaki

Hydrogen Strategy Consultant - Business Development
Toyota Motor North America

Kohei Masaki is a Hydrogen Strategy Consultant in Business Development group in Toyota Motor North America (TMNA).

After 10-year experience for business consulting at Deloitte, Mr. Masaki started to work for Toyota to support hydrogen ecosystem development and Fuel Cell business development/expansion in the North America.

Currently his responsibility in Toyota is business planning and new business development of Fuel Cell Electric Heavy-duty Truck and other broader applications such as Bus, Cargo Handling Equipment, Stationary, etc., including communication/negotiation with external parties.

When he was Deloitte, he provided business consulting service mostly in automotive industry and has expertise in Strategy & Operation area such as new business entering strategy, business structure change strategy, mid-term plan development. Also, he had several projects relates to Fuel cell and Hydrogen industry in both US and Japan.

Peter J. Sawicki
Regional Director, Sales and Marketing
Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.
Biography

Peter J. Sawicki

Regional Director, Sales and Marketing
Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.

Peter Sawicki is the Regional Director for Sales and Marketing – Pacific West at Mitsubishi Power Americas, a major equipment supplier and energy solutions provider for the power industry. Peter is based in San Diego, CA and is responsible for Mitsubishi Power’s sales and marketing activities on the West Coast. Peter has over 25 years of experience in the power industry with roles in design engineering, project management, project development and sales. Peter earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Manhattan College and his MBA Finance from Fordham University.

Yuri Freedman
Senior Director, Business Development
Southern California Gas Company
Biography

Yuri Freedman

Senior Director, Business Development
Southern California Gas Company

Yuri has broad experience in development and acquisition of energy infrastructure assets. In his current role of Senior Director of Business Development, he manages the portfolio of low carbon growth projects and R&D activities of Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), the largest North American gas utility. Prior to his current role he held the position of Director of Commercial Development for Sempra LNG, and previously held the positions of Director of Infrastructure Investments at Sempra Renewables and Director of Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions at Sempra Energy.

Prior to joining Sempra Energy, Yuri held the positions of Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group and Vice President at GE Energy Financial Services.

Yuri serves on the board of CALSTART. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a PhD in Environmental Science and Energy Research from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

Dennis McGinn
Admiral (ret) & Fmr. U.S. Assistant Secretary/Boardmember
US Navy/EPRI
Biography

Dennis McGinn

Admiral (ret) & Fmr. U.S. Assistant Secretary/Boardmember
US Navy/EPRI

Admiral Dennis McGinn served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment from September 2013 until January 2017.  In this role, he led the transformation of naval installations toward greater mission resiliency though energy efficiency, renewable energy, microgrids, and other technologies.  

Previously, Admiral McGinn served on active duty in the United States Navy for 35 years attaining the rank of Vice Admiral.  He served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs, overseeing the development of future Navy capabilities, and previously commanded the United States Third Fleet.  While in the Navy, he served as a naval aviator, test pilot, aircraft carrier commanding officer, and national security strategist.  

Admiral McGinn is a former President of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) where he led efforts to communicate the economic, security and environmental benefits of renewable energy.  Admiral McGinn is also a past member of the Steering Committee of the Energy Future Coalition, the United States Energy Security Council, the Bipartisan Center Energy Board, the past Co-Chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board, and has been an International Senior Fellow at the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Admiral McGinn holds a BS in Naval Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and was a Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Fellow at the U.S. Naval War College. He also participated in the National Security Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Christine Harada
Executive Director
Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
Biography

Christine Harada

Executive Director
Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council

Biden-Harris Administration Presidential appointee Christine Harada serves as the Executive Director of the Permitting Council. As Executive Director, Harada assists Permitting Council member agencies in managing a portfolio of nearly $100 billion in large-scale infrastructure projects—most of which are renewable energy, coastal restoration, and electricity transmission projects. She assists Federal agencies in developing and implementing comprehensive, project-specific timetables for all required infrastructure permitting reviews and authorizations for FAST-41 covered infrastructure projects, advancing the administration's infrastructure agenda to rebuild the economy.

Harada brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in the public and private sectors to the Permitting Council. Harada was most recently the Vice President for Government Affairs at Heliogen, a California-based renewable energy technology company. Previously, she served as the President of i(x) investments, a company focused on impact-driven investments in critical areas such as renewable energy, green real estate development, and accessible smart and sustainable housing. She was a Partner with Ridge-Lane Limited Partners, an advisory firm of experts in private sector innovation, investment capital, and government policy that works with companies pursuing social and environmental impact, along with financial performance.
 
As the former Federal Chief Sustainability Officer under President Barack Obama, Harada oversaw all federal sustainability-related initiatives in energy, vehicle fleets, and acquisitions. She also served as the Acting Chief of Staff, the Associate Administrator of Government-wide Policy, and Chief Acquisition Officer at the U.S. General Services Administration.
 
Harada has worked as a Senior Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin and as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and Booz Allen Hamilton. She holds a master's degree in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at Penn. Additionally, she has a master's degree from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in aeronautics and astronautics.   

Karen Douglas
Commissioner
California Energy Commission
Biography

Karen Douglas

Commissioner
California Energy Commission

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

Zaib Shaikh
Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles
Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles
Biography

Zaib Shaikh

Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles
Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles

Zaib Shaikh began his mandate as Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles in December 2018. He is the Government of Canada’s senior representative in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.

He comes to the posting after an extensive career in the media and entertainment industries, having worked as an actor and producer in theatre, film and television. His work includes acting roles in Deepa Mehta’s film Midnight’s Children, as well as starring in the CBC comedy series Little Mosque on the Prairie, which has been seen in more than 80 countries. Mr. Shaikh co‐produced the special Long Story Short: CBC Turns 75 and co‐wrote, directed and co‐produced the film Othello: The Tragedy of the Moor. He also co-founded and served as an artistic producer of the Whistler Theatre Project in British Columbia.

From 2014 until his appointment in 2018, Mr. Shaikh was the Film Commissioner and Director of Entertainment Industries for the City of Toronto. In that role, he oversaw and grew the city’s screen, music, live festival, sporting event and tourism sectors, helping to double the value of film production in Canada’s largest city, which surpassed $2 billion in 2016.

Mr. Shaikh has served as a board member for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and, most recently on the board of AFC (formerly the Actors Fund of Canada). He has served on juries and committees for the Gemini Awards, ACTRA Awards, Ontario Arts Council, and Theatre Ontario Youth Program as well as an ambassador for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and for Amnesty International Canada.

Mr. Shaikh is married to Ms. Kirstine Stewart. They have two children.

Lorraine Paskett
Executive Director, Advanced Clean Hydrogen
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
Biography

Lorraine Paskett

Executive Director, Advanced Clean Hydrogen
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

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 serves as Executive Director, Advanced Clean Hydrogen, for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Mark Kirby
President & CEO
Canada Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association
Biography

Mark Kirby

President & CEO
Canada Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association

Mark Kirby, President and CEO, is a seasoned chemicals and clean technology executive with a decade of experience in the hydrogen and fuel cell sector. Mr. Kirby has held leadership positions at Ballard Power Systems, where he managed the $100 million divesture of the company’s automotive fuel cell business to Daimler and Ford, as well as Questair Technologies.

Formerly President and CEO of Fortress Advanced Bioproducts, the biotechnology division of Fortress Global Enterprises, Mr. Kirby laid the groundwork for a Canadian biorefinery demonstration project with over $30 million of government support. He also co-founded S2G Biochemicals where he was responsible for raising millions in government and private funding support while developing strategic partnerships to position the company’s technology for commercialization. In addition, Mr. Kirby was responsible for integrating acquisitions and growing new global business for a $100 million division of Praxair.

Mr. Kirby currently serves as a member of the board of directors at HTEC. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia.

Paul Schultz
Director, Power External Energy Resources
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Biography

Paul Schultz

Director, Power External Energy Resources
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Colin Armstrong
President & CEO
HTEC
Biography

Colin Armstrong

President & CEO
HTEC
Colin is a professional mechanical engineer with more than 30 years’ experience in the hydrogen sector. He is a founder of HTEC and has lead the company since 2012. Colin is the driving force behind the development of British Columbia’s hydrogen station network, opening Canada’s first retail hydrogen fueling station in 2018. The first six stations – in Greater Vancouver and Victoria – will be in operation in 2020 and will enable the deployment of the first 1,000 zero-emission fuel cell electric vehicles in the province.  Prior to HTEC, Colin led hydrogen initiatives at Sacré-Davey Engineering, including an integrated waste hydrogen utilization project and the fueling project for a fleet of fuel cell buses operating in Whistler. Colin was also an investor and the lead engineer at Dynetek Industries (high-pressure carbon fiber gas storage cylinders) and worked at Ballard Power Systems to develop fuel cell manufacturing systems. Colin has been on the Board of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association since 2011.

 

Roger Mortimer
Director of Corporate Strategy
Hydrogen Optimized
Biography

Roger Mortimer

Director of Corporate Strategy
Hydrogen Optimized
Roger Mortimer is the Director of Corporate Strategy for Hydrogen Optimized. In this capacity he is engaged with customer discovery and strategic dialogue for large-scale electrolytic hydrogen systems.

 

 

Gia Brazil Vacin
Assistant Deputy Director, ZEVs
GO-Biz
Biography

Gia Brazil Vacin

Assistant Deputy Director, ZEVs
GO-Biz

Gia Vacin serves as the Assistant Deputy Director, Zero-emission Vehicle (ZEV) Market Development at the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). She focuses on accelerating the ZEV market in pursuit of California’s goal of 100% ZEVs by 2035 for light-duty and 2045 for heavy-duty vehicles by aligning state efforts, collaborating with public and private partners, tracking and expediting ZEV infrastructure in California, and identifying opportunities for additional business engagement and growth. In collaboration with numerous stakeholders, her team is also leading the state’s coordination efforts to win a federally supported renewable clean hydrogen hub, and more broadly, to advance and accelerate the hydrogen market within California and beyond. Prior to her role at GO-Biz, Gia was an environmental management and strategy consultant for more than 15 years and worked with clients across sectors to help mission-driven organizations expand their impact. Gia holds a Master of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Jeff Simmons
Senior Vice President & General Manager
Toshiba America Energy Systems Corporation (TAES)
Biography

Jeff Simmons

Senior Vice President & General Manager
Toshiba America Energy Systems Corporation (TAES)

eff Simmons brings more than 25 years of industry experience to Toshiba’s North American energy team. Simmons’ current responsibilities include executive oversight of Toshiba's heavy ion cancer therapy system marketing and sales, Toshiba's CO2 and steam turbine system business development, maintenance and project management at nuclear power facilities, expansion of Toshiba's nuclear technology, and board oversight of TAES's TurbinePROs subsidiary.

A leader in the energy industry, Simmons has originated, directed and managed dozens of capital-intensive transactions. These include over $12 billion in origination, trading and corporate/project development transactions, and more than $5 billion of acquisition and divestiture transactions.

Simmons joined Toshiba in March 2014 and reports to the president and chief executive officer of Toshiba America Energy Systems Corporation. He has also held roles of VP and General Manager of Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp., VP of Nuclear Business Development at TANE, and CFO of Nuclear Innovation North America LLC, a TANE partnership with NRG Energy.

Prior to joining Toshiba, Simmons held various corporate development and project development roles at TXU and its successor Energy Future Holdings Corp., including VP of Corporate Development. Before TXU, Simmons held project engineering, trading and development positions at Chicago-based Exelon Corp. and the Bethesda, Maryland-based PG&E National Energy Group.

Simmons holds a BS in civil engineering from Southern Illinois University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University. He also completed the executive leadership program at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Simmons is active in various philanthropic organizations including Boy Scouts, the SIU and SMU alumni associations, and is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary Society, the American Nuclear Society, and the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group. 

Eric Guter
Vice President, Hydrogen for Mobility Solutions
Air Products
Biography

Eric Guter

Vice President, Hydrogen for Mobility Solutions
Air Products

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.

Jack Brouwer
Director, National Fuel Cell Research Center
UC Irvine
Biography

Jack Brouwer

Director, National Fuel Cell Research Center
UC Irvine

Jack Brouwer is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Associate Director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC) and Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

Science and engineering of energy conversion with coupled mass, energy and momentum conservation, chemical and electrochemical reaction and heat transfer; steady-state and dynamic modeling of fundamental processes that govern energy conversion devices such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and gas turbine engines; solid-state ionics and electrochemistry; fuel processing; synthesis and experimental investigation of novel fuel cell materials sets; analyses of integrated energy systems comprising fuel cells, photovoltaics, fuel processing, gas turbines, and wind turbines; experimental analyses and model validation; renewable energy; life cycle analyses of energy conversion technologies.

Through Dr. Brouwer’s leadership, NFCRC and APEP are focusing research, education, beta testing, and outreach on high-efficiency, environmentally preferred energy conversion and power generation technology advancement with fuel cell and gas turbine systems as the principal targets.  Current research projects address ultra-high efficiency and ultra-low emissions high-temperature fuel cell systems, integrated hybrid fuel cell gas turbine systems, renewable power intermittency and integration, battery electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle evaluation and infrastructure development, advanced fuel cell and gas turbine dynamic operations, hydrogen and electricity infrastructure development, and power electronics and energy conversion devices for the smart grid.  Before joining UCI, Dr. Brouwer was on the faculty at the University of Utah, a senior engineer at Reaction Engineering International, and a staff scientist at Sandia National Laboratories.

Jack Brouwer obtained his M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCI and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Post-Doc in Chemical Engineering at MIT.

Mary Nichols
Co-Chair
Commission on the Future of Mobility
Biography

Mary Nichols

Co-Chair
Commission on the Future of Mobility

Mary Nichols is the former Chair of The California Air Resources Board, where she occupies the attorney seat. She served on the Board under Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. (1975-82 and 2010-18), Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2007-2010) and Governor Gavin Newsom (2019—2021.)  She also served as California’s Secretary for Natural Resources (1999-2003), appointed by Gov. Gray Davis.

When not working for the State of California, Mary was a senior staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council; Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Regulation, in the administration of President William Jefferson Clinton; and headed the Institute of Environment and Sustainability at UCLA.

Over a career as an environmental lawyer spanning over 45 years, Mary Nichols has played a key role in California and the nation’s progress toward healthy air. She has also led the Board in crafting California’s internationally recognized climate action plan.       

Kevin Peng
IPP Renewal Project Generation Project Manager
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Biography

Kevin Peng

IPP Renewal Project Generation Project Manager
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Mr. Kevin Peng was appointed as the Generation Project Manager in August 2018, and had supported the IPP Renewal Project through conceptual scoping, financing, and stakeholder approval phases as the Engineering Supervisor for LADWP's Operating Agent Group from 2016. He joined LADWP’s Major Projects group in 2009 as a Project Engineer for the Haynes and Scattergood Repowering Projects, two of LADWP's largest in-basin generation projects in the last decade.
 
Christopher Cannon
Director of Environmental Management
Port of Los Angeles
Biography

Christopher Cannon

Director of Environmental Management
Port of Los Angeles

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.

William A. Zobel
Executive Director
California Hydrogen Business Council
Biography

William A. Zobel

Executive Director
California Hydrogen Business Council

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 
Bob Foster
Board Member
EPCOR Utilities
Biography

Bob Foster

Board Member
EPCOR Utilities

Bob Foster has spent more than 40 years in the energy policy arena in California.  He began his career working on energy efficiency for the State Senate and then led the energy efficiency program for the California Energy Commission.  He then joined Southern California Edison working his way up in the company, eventually serving as its President from 2002 to 2006.  After retiring from SCE, he ran for and was elected Mayor of Long Beach, Ca., serving for 8 years from 2006 to 2014.  He also served as Chair of California’s Independent System Operator (CAISO) from 2011 to 2014.  He now operates Prometheus Advisors, providing consulting on energy, water, entitlements, and public policy issues. He serves on the boards of EPCOR in Edmonton Canada, the American Transmission Company in Milwaukee, and Port Solutions in Los Angeles.  Bob is an ardent baseball fan and in 1983 coached a team from Sacramento to the Little League World Series in Williamsport Pa.

Jane Duke
Ambassador & Consul General
Consul General of Australia in Los Angeles
Biography

Jane Duke

Ambassador & Consul General
Consul General of Australia in Los Angeles

Ms Duke was appointed Australian Consul-General Los Angeles in August 2020. Ms Duke is an experienced senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). She was most recently Australia’s Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, and has served overseas as Deputy High Commissioner, Malaysia, and as Counsellor (Immigration) at Australia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

In Canberra, Ms Duke has served as Assistant Secretary, South East Asia Regional Branch, Canada and Latin America Branch, and Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe Branch. Ms Duke has also held senior positions in the immigration portfolio.

Ms Duke holds a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) degree and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Technology Sydney.