EPIC Virtual Symposium

Gavin Newsom is the Governor of California, former Lieutenant Governor of California, and former Mayor of San Francisco. Governor Newsom’s top priorities for his administration are tackling our state’s affordability crisis, creating inclusive economic growth and opportunity for every child, and standing up for California values — from civil rights, to immigration, environmental protection, access to quality schools at all levels, and justice.

Vice Chair Janea A. Scott is serving in her second term on the California Energy Commission. She was appointed Vice Chair in 2019. Scott is one of five commissioners on the Energy Commission, which is the state's primary energy policy and planning agency. Scott is the lead commissioner for the Energy Commission’s research and development portfolio, which includes the Electric Program Investment Charge program, the Natural Gas Research Program, and the Food Production Investment Program. Vice Chair Scott is managing the CPUC’s rulemaking on microgrids and resiliency as it is directly related to the event.

Commissioner Andrew McAllister is serving his second term on the California Energy Commission. Commissioner McAllister has been working 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. Commissioner McAllister administered two of California’s signature renewable energy programs (California Solar Initiative and Self-Generation Incentive Program), developed and operated energy efficiency programs for utilities, and performed a broad range of policy-related research for California and the federal government. He is chair of the board of directors of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and serves on the board of the Alliance to Save Energy. Commissioner McAllister’s 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, Commissioner McAllister was managing director at the California Center for Sustainable Energy. He worked with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International, Ltd. in countries 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. Commissioner McAllister also served as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Commissioner Karen Douglas is serving her third term on the California Energy Commission. She served as chair from February 2009 to February 2011.

Commissioner Douglas also served as director of the California Climate Initiative at the Environmental Defense Fund.  Before going to the Environmental Defense Fund, Commissioner Douglas spent four years at the Planning and Conservation League. Commissioner Douglas graduated from Stanford Law School in 2001 and has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Noemí O. Gallardo joined the California Energy Commission (CEC) as the Public Advisor in September 2019. She oversees the Public Advisor’s Office, which advises the public and the CEC to ensure the full and effective participation by all interested groups and the public at large in the CEC’s planning, procedures, proceedings, business meetings, workshops, and other activities.

The CEC nominates the Public Advisor, whom the Governor appoints to a three-year term. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Gallardo to the position in August 2019.

Before joining the CEC, she was senior manager of public policy at Sunrun Inc. Her professional experiences include serving as a program fellow at the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, a consultant at Gallardo Law and Policy Consulting, an energy and telecommunications legal fellow at the Greenlining Institute, and a principal investigator at the Public Law Research Institute at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Gallardo is also a state-certified interpreter in Spanish who established and ran a translation and interpretation services business in her native Ventura County.

She is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and is a first-generation college graduate who earned a juris doctor degree from UC Hastings, a master of public policy degree from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor of arts degree from Pepperdine University.

Laurie ten Hope is deputy director for the California Energy Commission's Energy Research and Development Division. 

She leads the state's public interest research and development to stimulate clean energy technology development. The program invests $130 million annually and is a catalyst for innovation, propelling California to a renewable and efficient energy future. 

She served as an advisor for Energy Commissioners Jeffrey Byron and Jananne Sharpless, with policy focus on energy efficiency, distributed energy, public interest research and development, and transmission access for renewables. She managed the Energy Commission’s Energy Systems Research Office, directing research to expand the value of distributed resources, improve electricity infrastructure, develop clean transportation alternatives, and understand/mitigate environmental impacts. 

Genevieve Shiroma was appointed to the CPUC by Governor Newsom on Jan. 22, 2019. Prior to joining the CPUC, Commissioner Shiroma served as a member of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board since 1999, serving as chair since 2017 and from 2011 to 2014 and 1999 to 2006. Previously, she was Chief of the Air Quality Branch at the California Air Resources Board from 1990 to 1999 and as an air quality engineer from 1978 to 1990. From 1999 to 2018, Commissioner Shiroma was the elected director of Ward 4 of the Sacramento Utility Municipal District (SMUD). Commissioner Shiroma resides in Sacramento, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from University of California, Davis. She was born and raised as a farm worker's daughter in the Acampo-Lodi area of San Joaquin County.

Wade Crowfoot was appointed California Secretary for Natural Resources by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2019. As Secretary, Crowfoot oversees an agency of 19,000 employees charged with protecting and managing California’s diverse resources. This includes stewarding the state’s forests and natural lands, rivers and waterways, coast and ocean, fish and wildlife, and energy development. As a member of the Governor’s cabinet, he advises the Governor on natural resources and environmental issues. Crowfoot believes effective management of California’s resources allows communities and natural places to thrive and the economy to grow. This includes strengthening the connection between Californians and natural resources by expanding access to parks and natural places. Crowfoot is also prioritizing building California’s resilience to growing challenges from climate-driven threats, including drought, wildfire, flooding and sea-level rise. Crowfoot brings over two decades of public policy and environmental leadership to the office, with expertise in water, fisheries, climate and sustainability issues. He most recently served as chief executive officer of the Water Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropy that builds shared water solutions for communities, economy, and the environment across the American West. In that role, he developed innovative partnerships among a broad range of partners including agricultural leaders and environmental conservation groups. Prior to joining the foundation, Crowfoot served in Governor Jerry Brown’s Administration as deputy cabinet secretary and senior advisor to the Governor. In that role he led the administration’s drought response efforts and spearheaded several of the Governor’s priority initiatives to build California’s resilience to climate change. He previously served as West Coast regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund and a senior environmental advisor to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, where he helped to lead many of Mayor Newsom’s nationally-recognized environmental initiatives. Crowfoot received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996 and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the London School of Economics in 2004, where he graduated with honors. A native of Michigan, Crowfoot grew up spending his summers outdoors. Upon moving to California in the mid-1990s, he became an avid hiker and backpacker and marks his first hike in the redwoods as Big Basin State Park as one of his defining California moments. Now, he spends his down time camping and hiking with his wife, Lisa, and their young daughter.

Elected in November 2016, state Sen. Nancy Skinner represents California’s 9th Senate District, which includes the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, El Sobrante, Hercules, Kensington, Oakland, Piedmont, Pinole, Richmond, Rodeo, San Leandro, and San Pablo.

A social justice advocate, energy and climate change trailblazer, and accomplished legislator, Skinner completed three terms in the state Assembly. In the Assembly, she served as chair of three key committees: Budget, Rules, and Natural Resources. As Budget chair, she oversaw the largest funding boost to childcare and preschool in over a decade; an increase in state support for our CSU and UC systems; a reduction in the number of juveniles incarcerated in state facilities by half; and the creation of a new dedicated fund to reduce prison recidivism.

Skinner took on the Gun Lobby, successfully passing two groundbreaking gun violence prevention measures. To get corporations to pay their fair share, Skinner authored the bill that requires Amazon and other internet retailers to collect sales tax, which is now bringing in a $1 billion a year in new revenue to support vital services for California families. An environmental and climate protection champion, Skinner carried measures that doubled rooftop solar and renewable energy.

In the state Senate, Skinner serves on eight committees and is chair of the Public Safety Committee and the Public Safety Budget Committee. She has authored two landmark criminal justice reform laws, opening up police misconduct records for the first time in 40 years and overhauling California’s out-dated and unfair felony murder rule. She also has authored laws to address California’s housing crisis and protect the environment and cut greenhouse gas emissions. And in 2019, she authored the Fair Pay to Play Act, SB 206, which made California the first in the nation to allow college athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness.

A graduate of UC Berkeley with a BS and an MA, Skinner co-founded the labor union representing graduate student instructors and was a leader in the UC South Africa Divestment movement. Skinner began her public service in 1984 as the first and only student to be elected to the Berkeley City Council. On the council, Skinner introduced the nation’s first Styrofoam ban and co-founded an international association of cities, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, to address climate change. After her term on the council, Skinner served as executive director of ICLEI’s US office and international director of ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program, which engaged cities worldwide to take action to stop climate change.

Skinner is a past member of the East Bay Regional Park District board, a former small business owner, and an advocate to increase the number of women in elected office. She served on the Board of the East Bay Women’s Political Caucus and launched the statewide Women in Power Pac to support Democratic women. She is a 40-plus year resident of Berkeley.

Senator Bob Wieckowski was re-elected to a second term on Nov. 6, 2018 and represents the 10th Senate District in the California State Legislature. The district stretches from southern Alameda County into Santa Clara County and shares the member’s focus on job creation, clean technologies, protecting our environment and reducing unnecessary regulations.

Mr. Wieckowski chairs the Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation.  He is also a member of the Senate committees on Appropriation; Budget and Fiscal Review; Environmental Quality; Housing; Judiciary; and Transportation. He is the past chair of the Energy and Environment Committee of the Council of State Governments West and was the first Californian to chair the committee.

Senator Wieckowski’s district is home to some of the state's leading clean tech companies.  Whether it’s solar panels, electric vehicles or other breakthrough industries, the 10th Senate District is a major contributor to California’s clean economy.  The Senator is a state leader in advocating for climate adaptation programs and has participated on numerous regional, state and international panels focusing on climate change.

A strong voice in the Legislature for consumers and low-income earners, he received the “Champion of Justice” Award from the East Bay Community Law Center for fighting against abusive debt collectors and oppressive wage garnishments. Statewide organizations have selected him Legislator of the Year and the California Judges Association gave him its “Scales of Justice Award” for his steadfast support for increased court funding. Tech America also named him “Legislator of the Year.”

Senator Wieckowski works with state departments and local officials to improve services, increase funding and to provide new opportunities to meet local challenges.  He facilitated the sale of state surplus property to Santa Clara Unified School District to construct a new school campus and provide additional park space, held discussions with state officials to help open a new local library, and he passed legislation to modify the terms of another property sale to increase access to affordable housing.

As a passionate advocate for his community, he has served on numerous boards and commissions, and previously served as Vice Mayor of the City of Fremont.

Mr. Wieckowski is a bankruptcy attorney.  He has helped hundreds of families and seniors persevere through economic hardship, keep their homes and live with dignity.  He received his B.A. from the University of California and his J.D. from Santa Clara University Law School.

Senator Wieckowski lives in Fremont with his wife, Sue.

Assemblywoman Autumn R. Burke has made expanding health care access and economic opportunity to her constituents the centerpiece of her legislative career. During her first term in the Assembly, she became widely recognized as a champion for reproductive rights, environmental justice, and health care.  She authored bills establishing Transformative Climate Communities to help disadvantaged neighborhoods heavily impacted by pollution, expand access to quality maternal health care, and create greater accountability and transparency across all levels of government.  Her work in the Capitol goes beyond legislation; Assemblywoman Burke secured $900 million in funding for career technical education programs to help connect students to 21st Century careers, and advocated for new investments in affordable housing and transportation infrastructure. 

Assemblywoman Burke’s background as a businesswoman and her personal life as a working mother informs and influences many of the public policy positions and legislative initiatives she supports and advances. In 2017, Burke introduced a landmark bill to End Child Poverty in California. Her measure has sparked a statewide movement of support to provide a comprehensive framework for state programs and services to lift 1,000,000 California children out of poverty. 

In conjunction with her strong focus on children’s needs and health care access, Asm. Burke continues her leadership role on protection of our state’s environment while ensuring a just transition for affected workers and continued economic growth for California. She has authored AB 151 which would strengthen California’s ‘Cap and Trade’ program to continue reducing greenhouse gas emissions that significantly contribute to global warming and climate change. Furthermore, Asm. Burke has introduced legislation to significantly expand electric vehicle charging station network by supporting the installation of new car charging locations at public schools, state parks and beaches. 

Assemblywoman Burke is the chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Career Technical Education and Building a 21st Century Workforce, and a member of the Assembly Committees on Accountability and Administrative Review, Banking and Finance, Health, Revenue and Taxation, Utilities and Energy, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies. In addition,  Asm. Burke is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, Legislative Environmental Caucus, and the Legislative Women’s Caucus.  She represents the cities of Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, and Gardena, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Venice, Del Rey and Hyde Park, and the communities of Del Aire, West Athens, Lennox, Westmont, and Marina del Rey. 

Assemblymember Cristina Garcia has served in the state Assembly since being first elected in 2012, representing California's 58th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Bell Gardens, Cerritos, Commerce, Downey, Montebello, Pico Rivera and Norwalk. First as a dynamic community organizer and civic activist, and now as a new generation of leader in the California State Legislature, Cristina has often been referred to as a "Force of Nature.”

Assemblymember Garcia is on a mission to educate, empower and engage her constituents and her colleagues in the Legislature, particularly when it comes to her three legislative priorities:

The Assemblymember has also been a staunch proponent on environmental justice issues. She has been instrumental on creating a funding stream for the cleanup of man-made environmental disasters like Exide. She stands up for disadvantaged communities by demanding more resources and fighting for tougher air standards like those contained in AB 617.  She fought for the ability to stop emissions that pose imminent and substantial endangerment to public health with AB 1132. She has asked that small communities get their fair share by demanding more equitable distribution of investment for transportation and infrastructure so that cleaner running busses and electric vehicles can be found in South East Los Angeles.

A math teacher for thirteen years prior to joining the Assembly, Cristina taught statistics at the University of Southern California, mathematics at Los Angeles City Community College, and taught middle school and high school mathematics through the Jaime Escalante Program at East Los Angeles Community College and at Huntington Park High School.

As a teacher, Cristina understood the damage to students that bullying created, on both an emotional and physical level. This inspired her in 2012 to author AB 256, which was Cyber-Bulling legislation giving educators the authority to discipline students who engage in cyber bullying - harassment by electronic means – on, or away, from the school campus. AB 256 was signed into law by Governor Brown in 2013.

Cristina lives in the in the Southeast Los Angeles community of Bell Gardens, where she was raised and attended local public schools. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Pomona College, a master's degree and a secondary teaching credential from Claremont Graduate University, and is presently a doctoral candidate at USC.

Cristina has been recognized by California Forward with the distinguished California Forward Thinkers Award and previously earned the Distinguished Woman of the Year Award from the California State Assembly. In 2013, and again in 2017, the Latino Journal & CAFÉ de California, presented the Spirit of Latina Award to Assemblymember Garcia for her “exemplary work to strengthen California's Democracy and advance the representation of Latinas in Public Service.”

Eddie Ahn is the executive director of Brightline Defense, an environmental justice nonprofit based in San Francisco. In 2017, Eddie was appointed by Mayor Ed Lee to the SF Commission on the Environment, which sets policy for the SF Department of Environment and advises the City and County on environmental matters. In 2018, he was appointed by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to the SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), a state planning and regulatory agency with regional authority over the Bay Area. In June 2020, he was appointed to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which plans and finances transit in the nine Bay Area counties. He also serves on the boards of Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Mission Housing Development Corporation. 

 
Prior to being a nonprofit attorney, he was an AmeriCorps member, serving as an afterschool programmer in Oakland’s Chinatown. While working toward his law degree, he continued to teach art and public speaking workshops for youth and worked on civil justice and environmental issues for the Assembly Judiciary Committee in Sacramento. 

Eddie has received his J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law and his B.A. from Brown University. He is also a member of the California State Bar. 

Brian Adkins is the Environmental Director of the Bishop Paiute Tribe where he has worked over 20 years in the Tribe’s Environmental Office. In that position he oversees Air and Water Quality, Food Sovereignty, Natural Resource and Renewable Energy programs.   Prior to that his current position with the Tribe he has job experience was in applied geology with job experiences ranging from minerals exploration to environmental geology.  He has a MS in Environmental Systems – Geology and is a registered CA Geologist.

Astrid Atkinson is CEO and co-founder of Camus Energy, which provides software-based Grid Management as a Service, combining real-time situational awareness, device control, and markets and pricing to support the transition to a Distribution System Operator model. Prior to founding Camus, she was a Senior Director of Software Engineering at Google, where she was an early leader in distributed systems reliability. As lead for reliability engineering for Google.com, she led the development of Google’s global web serving platform, and as head of Frameworks Engineering, she led the transformation of all Google products to standardize on common, performant, scalable infrastructure for servers, microservices, mobile apps, and experimentation – to help all teams at Google operate reliably at global scale. She speaks globally as an expert on large scale distributed systems architecture, reliability engineering, and organizational leadership.

Nikky Avila is an Expert Innovation Engineer at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company where she works on microgrid technology innovation and leads the deployment of the first multi-customer renewable energy microgrid in California.  Nikky Avila has expertise in energy and climate policy in California, and in electricity access strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. She has a Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and draws from engineering and urban planning disciplines to envision how the renewable energy transition can lead to more equitable socio-technical systems. She has led strategic engagement and local capacity building with inter-ministerial stakeholders in Southeast Asia, advising on strategy and policy across the water-energy-food nexus.  

Miguel Sierra Aznar is CEO and co-founder of Noble Thermodynamics, a company spun from the University of California Berkeley with the purpose of radically and quickly reducing the world’s carbon emissions while accelerating the energy transition away from fossil fuels. Miguel is a proud Activate Fellow, a program enabling entrepreneurial scientists and engineers to transform their research into world-changing market solutions.

Prior to dedicating himself to the sole purpose of bringing the Argon Power Cycle into the market, Miguel led and completed several research projects on advanced combustion engine technologies spanning from automotive applications, to stationary power, all the way to post-combustion carbon capture strategies. Miguel holds Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, the Eindhoven University of Technology, and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, respectively.

Jim Becker joined the Richmond Community Foundation in 2005, becoming its President and CEO in 2014.  Mr. Becker served on the Berkeley Global Campus Community Working Group and currently co-chairs the Ensuring Opportunity Campaign to End Poverty in Contra Costa County.  He also serves on the Advisory Council for John F. Kennedy University’s Sanford Institute on Philanthropy.  He was recognized in 2013 as a Contra Costa County Man of Merit, and in 2015 received the United Way of the Bay Area’s Dream Award for his work to end poverty in the community.  In 2016, the Richmond Community Foundation received the Foundation of the Year award from the East Bay Leadership Council.

Prior to joining RCF, Mr. Becker served as the Executive Director of Housing California and Director of Development for Shelter, Inc.  He brought this experience to the foundation to create the housing renovation program financed by the regions first successful social impact bond.

Mr. Becker began his career working for the Minneapolis YMCA and has worked to strengthen families and build communities for more than 30 years.  He chaired the Contra Costa Tobacco Prevention Task Force that wrote the first county smoke free work place ordinance in the United States. He led the Family Preservation and Support Collaborative in North Richmond, which resulted in successful integration of county and nonprofit services. At the request of Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, he served on a children's services panel with First Lady Hilary Clinton, and also served on the State Advisory Board for Child Development and Home Instruction with California First Lady Sharon Davis.

Mr. Becker received his BA in Anthropology from Grinnell College, and his MA in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota.

Abhijeet is an entrepreneur, scientist and a teacher with background in chemical engineering. He has worked on development of technologies for production of fuels and chemicals for last 25 years. His experience ranges from fossil fuels to bioenergy to bioproducts derived from waste and biomass. He is the Co-Founder and President of Electro-Active Technologies and a Research Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. He holds a Joint Faculty position within the Energy Science and Engineering program at the Bredesen Center at the University. Previously, he worked as a Research Scientist at ORNL for 17 years. His research was focused on generating clean fuels via microbial electrolysis, fermentation, bioelectrochemical engineering, converting waste and low value resources into higher value products. His work has included topics such as biodesulfurization, biological mercury removal, anaerobic digestion, enzyme engineering and bioreactor development. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers, 5 patents and 8 books/chapters. He has received recognition for some of his work as follows:

1. Semi-Finalist for a Discovery Award for Technological Innovation in 2000  
    
2. Finalist for Biology Award in 2009    
    
3. Team Member, DOE E Star Award, Water Usage Intensity Reduction, 2012 
    
4. TechConnect Innovation Award, Electro-Active Technologies, 2019 

He is now working on realizing the potential of biology to solve one of the biggest problems we face, i.e., climate change, integrating electrocatalysis with biocatalysis and engineering to produce hydrogen from food waste.

He loves gardening, biking and meditating in his free time and his inspiration comes from interacting with nature, absorbing the beauty this planet holds.

A native of the Southwest, Dr. Bretschger grew up appreciating water issues. Her research and industry endeavors have resulted in a decentralized, energy-neutral, wastewater treatment technology for industrial applications and beyond. Aquacycl was founded in 2016 with a mission to provide cost-effective solutions for the world’s most challenging wastewater issues.   

Genaro Bugarin, Director of Energy Program Operations, The Energy Coalition 

Genaro oversees energy program operations for The Energy Coalition (TEC), working with underserved communities towards a low carbon and clean energy economy. He has a background in mechanical engineering and real estate and is a graduate of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and obtained an M.B.A. from USC’s Marshall School of Business. Genaro is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), LEED Accredited Professional (AP). Genaro currently leads TEC's Bassett-Avocado Advanced Energy Community (BAAEC) project.  

Jeff Byron, Member, Band of Angels 

Jeff Byron has 45 years of experience in emerging energy technologies, the electric power industry, and energy policy.  His recent focus has been on clean energy technology, community choice energy, and renewable generation integrated with energy storage.  He was a Fellow in the inaugural cohort at the Stanford Distinguish Career Institute in 2015.  He has also served on non-profit boards providing local services for the developmentally disabled and the world’s largest clean technology business accelerator.   

He currently serves on the research advisory board of a mid-level oil company evaluating new business opportunities in a low-carbon world and advises several startup companies developing unique generation and control technologies, energy management, and consumer-oriented smart grid devices.  He serves on the Community Advisory Council of Central Coast Community Energy and is a member of the Band of Angels; Silicon Valley's oldest seed funding organization.  He served for five years on the California Energy Commission presiding over numerous power plant siting cases, supervising public interest energy research, and guiding state energy policy. 

He received a BS and MS from Stanford 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.

Gia Chinchilla, Event Specialist & Program Associate,

Gia leverages her background in environmental policy, advocacy, and project management to both GNA’s Programs and Creative departments. In her split role, she supports the Programs team with preparing grant applications and coordinating funding opportunities to provide clients with comprehensive services that commit to reducing their carbon impact. As an event specialist, Gia supports logistics to ensure every component of an event is executed seamlessly.

• Areas of Expertise 
• Outreach and Organization 
• Environmental & Energy Policy 
• Market Research  
• Project Evaluation 
• Public Speaking 
• Social Media Marketing 
• Past Experience 
• Digital Content Assistant, UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge 

Gia’s primary role at the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge was to educate SLA-GC’s social media community about environmental research, policy, and threats in the Los Angeles region. Moreover, she led social media campaigns that highlighted students and faculty who impacted the campus. She also assisted in planning research symposiums with local stakeholders, politicians, and leaders in sustainability.

Gia conducted policy research and strategizing for the goals outlined in the L.A. Green New Deal. Following its release, she spearheaded a youth engagement campaign that included public speaking engagements and a social media campaign.

Clay began his career in the software industry with Teknekron Financial Systems, and was soon tapped by Telemecanique to work in Sophia Antipolis, France on Process Control Software (Grafcet). When he returned to the Bay Area, he joined Navteq, and led the team that developed the world’s first fully functional car navigation software. 
 
Clay was the Co-Founder and CEO of Akuacom, the inventor of the full suite of software and hardware that created the Automated Demand Response market and led to the OpenADR standard with the support of Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, and the California Energy Commission. Honeywell acquired Akuacom in 2010 and Clay spent three years in Business Development domestically and internationally.  

 Clay co-founded Kisensum, the software company that first deployed CA ISO market integrated V2G, working with Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. Kisensum deployed EV smart charging optimization for large fleets at Alameda County, Silicon Valley Transit, and key fast charging corridors in CA. Kisensum was acquired by Chargepoint in 2018. 
 
Clay received a B.A. in Physics from UC Berkeley, and has patented multiple technologies in the areas of geospatial and energy systems and software.  

Mark provides policy support and market development strategies for GNA clients transitioning to alternative fuels in on-road, off-road, and marine applications. He has worked on developing the policies that affect the natural gas transportation fuel market in order to open it up to investment and consumer participation. His projects have included market analysis for natural gas transportation fuels, assisting clients in writing low-emission vehicle grant applications, and analyzing policy development that create the basis for emission compliance strategies.

Before GNA Mark was Senior Research Analyst and primary resource for energy and environmental economics for the Milken Institute. He formerly worked as an environmental Risk Specialist and Underwriter for AIG Environmental, providing financial products and environmental risk management tools for developers and property transactions. He has worked as a Regulatory Analyst with the California Public Utilities Commission. His areas of expertise include environmental finance, product lifecycle analysis, renewable energy technologies, pollution risk liabilities, public utility rate structures and procedures, contamination mitigation strategies, and environmental policy analysis and application. In 2009, he received a master’s degree in public policy with dual emphases in international policy and environmental policy from the University of California, Los Angeles. As an undergraduate at the University of California Berkeley, he received his bachelor’s of science degree with a double major in environmental sciences and environmental economics.

Michele has 20 years of experience as a social entrepreneur, business executive, and strategist. She is Founder and CEO of Boundless Impact Investing, a market intelligence platform that provides high-quality, objective, and actionable research and tools to family offices and private investors interested in maximizing the social and environmental impact of their investments. From 2010-2013, she was Vice President at Foundation Source where she built a knowledge platform on best practices in philanthropy that was used by a network of 1200 family foundations. From 2007-2008, Michele was the Director of Communications for Humanity United, a humanitarian foundation created by Pam Omidyar and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. She has been involved in the successful development of more than two-dozen philanthropic and nonprofit start-ups, including her own, Tattersall Consulting, from 2002 to 2007. Michele is regularly called upon for her innovative thinking about the impact investing and social innovation, and she sits on several boards. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and has a Master’s in International Relations and Communications from Boston University.

Erik Desormeaux is a Professional Engineer in California with over 15 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry. Erik joined Porifera in 2014 to help bring Forward Osmosis technology to the commercial market. Prior to Porifera, he worked for CDM Smith as an expert on desalination and water reuse projects;  he later founded Consolidated Water's expansion into Asia including managing the permitting and construction of a seawater desalination drinking water plant in Indonesia.  

David Diaz serves as the Executive Director of Active San Gabriel Valley, director at alocal nonprofit organization, focusing on mobility, climate, and health and wellness inunderserved communities. He's a dedicated public servant and advocate with projectmanagement, coalition building experience who has successfully worked with youth,schools, businesses, nonprofit organizations and cities to advance sustainability,equity and public health. Over the course of the last few ​year​s​, he’s worked on thedevelopment of:

• Advanced Energy Community Plan; creating a net zero community inUnincorporated Los Angeles
• Healthy Home Study; indoor air quality study examining the relationshipbetween indoor air quality and gas use
• San Gabriel Valley Regional Bicycle Master Plan; 11 city specific ActiveTransportation plans
• Puente Hills Landfill Park Master Plan; creation of 142 new acres of park space
• Urban Greening Toolkit; building capacity for nontraditional nonprofit agencies
• 626 Golden Streets; Multijurisdictional open street events
• Los Angeles County Campaign Measures A (Parks), M (transportation, and W(Stormwater)

David is also a member of the El Monte Union High School District, Investing in PlaceBoard Member, member of the San Gabriel Valley Service Council, Chair of theMeasure A Oversight Committee, and Vice Chair of the Upper San Gabriel RiverWatershed Area Steering Committee. He holds a Masters of Public Health degree andlives in the City of El Monte.

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 at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  

Chequala joined San Diego Gas & Electric as an associate engineer in 2013 and has served in various engineering roles over the past 8 years. Chequala’ s roles have included a technical support team member within Electric Distribution Operations, a district engineer within Electric Region Operations, and a senior engineer within Distributed Energy Resources (DER) under the Electric Engineering organization. Currently, Chequala Fuller is the Team Lead of the Advanced Modeling and Hardware Testing group under the DER organization and supports the management of operations of all existing SDG&E commissioned energy storage and microgrid assets as well as the engineering, design and commissioning of new assets. 

Jana Ganion is the Sustainability and Government Affairs Director for the Blue Lake Rancheria. Jana has established the Tribe’s strategy for zero-carbon resilience. Her development experience includes low-carbon community-scale and facility-scale microgrids, electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, strategic planning in sustainability, climate action (mitigation and adaptation), emergency preparedness, and economic enterprise development.

Sarge Green is a water management specialist with the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT) and California Water Institute (CWI) at California State University, Fresno. CIT provides testing laboratories for water equipment, conducts water use research and training, and houses a water and energy business incubator.  CWI provides water issue facilitation and research on water quality and water policy issues. Sarge is also Associate Director of the Water Resources and Policy Initiatives program for the CSU Chancellor’s office.  

Celeste drives strategic communications projects for clients at the forefront advanced transportation, innovation, and clean tech. She develops creative strategies to build media coverage and promote industry-wide thought leadership by creating dynamic communication campaigns and messaging strategies for clients as well as for GNA’s executive team. Celeste leverages extensive experience in marketing, communications, and sustainability, having previously worked with clients across social and environmental issues to understand their audience, hone their message, and scale their reach. With a focus on sustainability, Celeste has created implementation and communication plans for businesses and organizations across sectors and industries globally. Celeste earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School. 

Arun is an entrepreneur with diverse expertise in product development, EV powertrain systems and large scale consumer electronics manufacturing. He has started multiple businesses and also been an early member at multiple disruptive startups. He has taken several automotive and consumer electronics products to mass market from a concept stage. His experience ranges from developing enterprise software, EV battery technology, energy storage solutions, setting up manufacturing lines overseas and import export companies. He has held leadership positions at startups and has created, fostered and grown multi-disciplinary engineering teams. His education background includes a bachelors in electrical and electronics engineering and a masters in computer engineering and several executive business courses to augment his knowledge base. Previous employers include Tesla Motors, Coin, Romeo Power Technology and Cognizant Technology solutions. 

Arun is an entrepreneur at heart, in addition to being a technologist he has created and run multiple business ventures. When he was 19 he successfully started Robonics Systems to create and sell robotics and embedded systems kits online in a burgeoning market in addition his company also developed vending machine control systems. After moving to the United States, he set up a successful import export company to sell LED smart lighting products to commercial buildings. After this he started a 3D printing company MultiDOF Systems to manufacture and sell 3D printers without much success. Following this he set up Ecare Health & Trade Pvt Ltd to export specialized end of life generic cancer drugs from India in partnership with pharmacies and doctors abroad which was successful. 

Experienced Senior Environmental Scientist with a demonstrated history of working in the environmental services industry. Skilled in agricultural greenhouse gas quantification; program development, implementation and evaluation; climate change policy implementation; scientific data analysis; soil science and molecular biology laboratory techniques and research. Ph.D. in Soils and Biogeochemistry with Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology from University of California, Davis. 

George has extensive experience building and driving key business initiatives and bringing innovative products to market. George earned a B.A. form Middlebury College and an M.B.A. from INSEAD. He is excited to bring SkyCool’s breakthrough technology to the global market. 

Tim Latimer is the Co-Founder of Fervo Energy. Fervo commercializes technology to develop, own and operate geothermal assets as the dispatchable foundation to a 100% clean energy future. Tim was previously a Drilling Engineer with BHP where he worked in the Permian and Eagle Ford basins. With a growing appreciation of the urgency of climate change, Tim left the petroleum industry 2015 to pursue an MBA/MS in Environment and Resources from Stanford University where he launched Fervo Energy. Tim is a Fellow at Cyclotron Road, the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Energy honoree. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tulsa and is a proud native of Texas.   

Marcus Lehmann, serves as the CEO of CalWave Power Technologies Inc. Marcus founded CalWave in 2014 and uses his experience in systems engineering, energy systems and entrepreneurship, to lead a diverse team of engineers, business development specialists, advisers, and industry partners to unlock the vast and steady carbon-free power from ocean waves. Prior to CalWave, Marcus held research positions at UC Berkeley, Mechanical Engineering, the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and was a project lead at the Cyclotron Road program. Marcus holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Technical University Hamburg, graduated from Technical University Munich with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and received an honors degree in technology management from the Center for Digital Technology and Management. 

Alex Luce is a Partner at Creative Ventures where he invests in entrepreneurs tackling the most pressing global macroeconomic trends, including demographic changes straining our healthcare system, secular labor shortages, and the effects of climate change. He has led investments in a number of deeptech categories including medical devices, semiconductors, robotics, synthetic biology, and clean energy. Previously, Alex led CalCharge, a public-private partnership focused on energy storage and manufacturing innovation. He also spent time with Prelude Ventures, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E), and a solar energy startup company. Alex holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from UC Berkeley. 

Amber Mahone is a partner at Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (E3), a leading energy economics consulting firm based in San Francisco, where she has worked for over a decade on clean energy transition strategies. Amber has led several studies of greenhouse gas reduction strategies in California, working with the California Energy Commission (CEC), the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and others. She and her team have recently supported the CEC on the Joint-Agency SB 100 report. Her team also released recent reports on Achieving Carbon Neutrality in California for the CARB, and the Challenge of Retail Gas in California’s Low Carbon Future for the CEC. Amber has worked on climate strategy projects for utilities and states across the country. Amber began her career working in development at the International Monetary Fund, which made her realize the extent to which the availability of energy resources, and citizens’ access to it, shape the course of a country’s economy. Today, she is excited to be part of the clean energy revolution, which is radically transforming the global energy economy. She holds an M.P.A. from Princeton University and a B.A. in International Relations from Wellesley College. 

Samantha comes to GNA’s Programs department with a background in public health and data analysis. She is a member of the Funding 360 team and is passionate about optimizing environmental sustainability, mitigating climate change and establishing economic equity through evidence-based best practices.

Dr. Alfredo Martinez-Morales is the Managing Director of the Southern California Research Initiative for Solar Energy (SC-RISE) and Research Professor at the Bourns College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT). Dr. Martinez-Morales received his Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. degrees in electrical engineering from UCR. His current research includes solar cells, alkali metal-ion batteries, highly integrated renewables, energy storage systems, and microgrids. Dr. Martinez-Morales is a principal investigator in the Sustainable Integrated Grid Initiative (SIGI) at UCR, and has contributed in the engineering, permitting, and deployment of the SIGI smartgrid testbed system and multiple microgrids throughout Southern California.

Quinn thrives in utilizing his skill-sets acquired from working in management consulting, mixed with his experiences in running large-scale operations, to develop and implement high performing operational models that create both organizational alignment AND day-to-day resonance in executing operational excellence and transformational improvements. 

Lulu Oliva, is a community organizer in Fresno County with the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Lulu focuses her work on empowering Spanish speaking migrant agricultural workers and immigrants of Latin America. As the first in her family to graduate from college and as an immigrant from Guatemala, she uses her voice and personal experiences to communicate a positive message to many immigrant families and their children who have shared similar struggles.  “Lulu,” as she is known by her radio audience, is passionate about advocating for women, single-parent families, and immigrants who are on their journey towards acculturation and success in the United States. Social Justice and Environmental Justice and equality are her most urgent issue of activism and the pursuit of making an impact on these topics.   

In addition to her organizing duties at DHF, she serves on the Low Income Oversight Board for the California Public Utilities Commission. She also has for nineteen years, been a volunteer radio content producer and DJ for National Latino Public Radio Network, Radio Bilingue. She currently Dj's on Air every 2nd Sunday of the month for a three-hour the national show, Carnaval.      

When not working, some of her favorite hobbies include poetry readings, live music concerts, dancing, and traveling to visit her father in Colombia South America, but most importantly, she enjoys creating content for her social media audiences. Lulu has a committed presence at almost all of Fresno’s cultural and social justice events and concerts.  Her contagious laughter can be heard from afar and she is never shy about being the first person to start the party by bringing out her dance moves. 

Therese Peffer, PhD, is a project manager and researcher at the California Institute for Energy and Environment. Therese manages and conducts research in smart building technologies, building-to-grid, demand response, and smart grid research projects with the objective of creating comfortable and energy efficient livable spaces. She serves as an Associate Director for the CITRIS Sustainable Infrastructures initiative and is the co-Chair of the annual Behavior Energy and Climate Change conference. She is currently managing CBE projects on low-cost ultrasonic anemometer development and integrating smart fans and thermostats. Previous research includes energy consumption displays, thermostats, consumer behavior, and user interface usability research. 

Therese completed a Ph.D. in Architecture with an emphasis on building science at UC Berkeley, with CBE’s Ed Arens as her advisor. As an architect, she worked in San Francisco and Pismo Beach. Therese earned a Master’s degree in Architecture at the University of Oregon and formerly lived on a solar- and wind-powered homestead in southern Oregon with Home Power magazine. She earned a B.A. in neurobiology and psychology from UC Berkeley. 

Eleni has a background in environmental health science, as well as professional experience with sustainability planning, policy development and stakeholder engagement. She supports the Programs team with project management, grant writing and compliance reporting to provide clients with comprehensive services that are transforming the alternative fuel vehicle industry.  

As a pioneer and leading player in impact investing, DBL has helped to reveal the power of venture capital to promote social change and environmental improvement. Nancy writes and speaks frequently on the field of impact investing. She sponsors or sits on the board of directors of several companies, including: Farmers Business Network, Andela, The Muse, Zola Electric, Bellwether Coffee, Spatial, and, prior to their public offerings, Tesla and Pandora. She also served on the board of SolarCity, on both the audit and compensation committees as well as the chair of the corporate governance committee, from 2008 through its IPO in 2012 and acquisition by Tesla in December 2016. Prior to founding DBL, Nancy was a Managing Director in Venture Capital at JPMorgan, having started her investment career at Hambrecht& Quist in 1984. Previously, Nancy worked at Intel Corporation, the State of California, Stanford University, and the Sierra Club.

In September 2020, Nancy was named to the FORBES 2020 Impact 50 List of the most notable impact investors. She was also a recipient of The Commonwealth Club 2018 Distinguished Citizen Award and the Earth Day Network 2018 Climate Visionary Award. She was featured #17 in the 2014 FORTUNE Inaugural World's Top 25 Eco-Innovators and appeared on Fast Company’s 2016 List of Most Creative People in Business.

Nancy serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Geographic Society, where she chairs the Compensation Committee and sits on the Finance, Investment and Governance Committees. She is a member and Chapter Chair of the Silicon Valley Women Corporate Directors Foundation. She is a member and former chair of the Advisory Council of the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University; an advisor to the UC Davis Center for Energy Efficiency; and co-chairs the Yale School of Management Program on Entrepreneurship. She also serves on the Investment Advisory Committee of Prime Coalition.

She has been a lecturer in management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Yale School of Management and is a C3E Ambassador to the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Program, led by the U.S. Department of Energy. From 2001-2019, she was also a founding officer and director of ABC2, a foundation aimed at accelerating a cure for brain cancer. She was also a founding member of the California Clean Energy Fund from 2005 to 2012. She was also an Advisory Board member of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Cyclotron Road, its Clean Energy Incubator from 2014 to 2019. Nancy received her BA and MA in anthropology from Stanford University, and her MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Jacqueline Piero is the Vice President of Policy for Nuvve Corp responsible for assessing the state of policy and regulatory landscape, market structures, and energy ecosystems to determine what business models and services are possible. She also determines what barriers need to be addressed before charting policy and an advocacy path for each new jurisdiction where Nuvve will operate. Jacqueline has a Masters in Policy from the University of Delaware. 

Eddie Price makes sure that communities of concern are involved, educated, and represented. Eddie was raised in the shadows of social change and community activism in the culturally diverse East Bay area of Northern California. He was blessed to live, and grow, in an environment of change that led him to always look for a “good fight” and to never be afraid to speak his mind after educating himself to the situation.

Eddie Price has been actively involved in San Diego community life since relocating his family and business to the area approximately 20 years ago. Currently, Eddie is President & CEO of the san Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition, serves as Committee Chair of San Diego Community Powers Community Advisory Committee, is on the Mayor of San Diego's Sustainable Energy Advisory Board and is a co-chair of the San Diego Chapter of CALSEIA in addition to his work at GRID Alternatives, which includes Collaborative Partnerships, Community Outreach, Trans Border Opportunities, EV Equity, and Multifamily Affordable Housing. 

Julia Pyper is the host and producer of Political Climate, a bipartisan podcast on energy and environmental issues in America and around the world, presented by the USC Schwarzenegger Institute. She is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a contributing editor at Greentech Media, where she covers the global clean energy transition. 

 
Previously, Julia covered climate policy for E&E News in Washington, DC, and has conducted several international reporting projects, including in Haiti, Germany, Israel, India and the Maldives. Her writing has also been published in HuffPost, GreenBiz, Our Daily Planet, Scientific American and The New York Times. 

Russell Ragsdale is Director of Asset and Engineering Strategy for Southern California Edison (SCE).  In his current role, he is responsible for developing asset strategies which includes decisions across the asset lifecycle, evolution of the maintenance and inspection process, and evaluation of new technologies.  

Russell has 17 years of experience at the electric utility in the areas of distribution system planning, grid modernization, strategic planning, and performance management.  In his prior role, he was responsible for business planning and performance which included developing and maintaining the company-wide business plan and establishing targets for key metrics and goals. 

Russell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and an Executive MBA from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.  He is also a registered professional engineer. 

Cyrus Rustomji is Co-Founder and CEO of South 8 Technologies, a San Diego company focused on the development of next generation lithium batteries and has acted as Principle Investigator on several federal and state grants and contracts. He obtained his Ph.D. from UC San Diego with a concentration in novel Liquefied Gas Electrolytes for energy storage systems. Prior to his PhD, Cyrus spent several years in the battery industry with Eaton and Z-Power developing electrodes and electrolyte formulations and lead technical efforts towards product pilot production. He has 5 patents granted, several more patents pending, and is published in numerous scientific journals.

Omid Sarvian is a Product Manager leading the implementation of PG&E’s Distributed Energy Resource Management System or DERMS. He has been at PG&E for seven years, starting with the Electric Generation Interconnection department working on the interconnection of large solar generators onto the transmission system. After that he worked on revamping PG&E’s process of engineering transmission poles and towers including integrating new modeling software into the process. He was then tapped to help investigate a few of the North Bay fires of 2017 and remained within the newly formed incident investigation group investigating CPUC reportable incidents becoming more familiar with the nuts and bolts of the electrical grid and electric operations. In 2020 he accepted his current role with the Grid Integration and Innovation team as the DERMS Product Manager. He studied chemistry at UC Davis and has a master’s in green technology engineering from USC. 

Thibaut is one of the founders of Fruition Sciences, a company specialized in vine health and viticulture consulting. Fruition works with wineries worldwide towards the renewal and transformation of vineyard operation decisions. The shift is based on the deep knowledge and understanding of plants needs considering the impact of local climate, terroir and varietals.  

Thibaut leads a team of passionate viticulturists. Their research has generated practical applications for Fruition’s clients : 

• Data based monitoring of vine’s functions and data driven decision making 

• The development of a method that achieves significant water savings in arid and irrigated wine regions (Australia, California, Israel, Chili, Portugal, France) 

• Solutions to improving production, sustainable viticulture, vineyard resistance to drought, patterns identification and vine performance prediction (yield and fruit composition). 

Recently, Thibaut and his team are focusing on the impact of global warming on vine development stages and fruit composition. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge with winegrowers, winemakers and viticulture & enology students. For that, he has created a conference series called Vintage Report. 

Rohit K. Shukla is the Chief Executive Officer at Larta, and an expert and leader in innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship across several industry sectors. He is the chief architect of Larta’s NIH CAP program. As such, he has designed and created much of the program content, the tracks, the deliverables and the monitoring of company performance. He has personally mentored over 20 CAP participants, and has worked with hundreds of startups and more established entrepreneurs in his 31 year career.

In addition to NIH’s CAP, he has also designed Larta’s offerings in similar programs for NSF, USDA, NIST and DARPA. Governments overseas have turned to him to design commercialization programs, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Romania, Serbia, Taiwan and the UAE. The impact of these programs has been acknowledged, including substantial increases in external financial support for publicly-funded innovations, acquisitions and new transactional relationships established between various players brought together in the programs. He has also designed innovative approaches to technology transfer that seek to “bundle” innovative research concepts Rohit in alignment with industry and sectorial developments. He has spoken at several NIH National SBIR conferences and several multi-agency national SBIR conferences. He has also keynoted and spoken at scores of events.

Executive specializing in applied R&D and consulting serving the energy and utilities sectors. Direct technical content, marketing, and business development for $30M RD&D portfolio of products and services for the electric power industry, focused on energy utilization. 
 
Industry expert in electric power sector, including utility business strategy and regulatory frameworks. Subject matter expert in energy efficiency, renewable energy, grid modernization, and customer energy strategies. Popular speaker at industry conferences in the areas of energy utilization, energy efficiency, demand response, smart grid, and clean tech. 
 
Accomplished leader and people manager, having led a $13M business unit of 40+ professionals for several years. 
 
Proficient in business development – consultative sales of strategy, operations, and R&D services to senior executives. Well versed in negotiations and financial transactions – investment banking and M&A experience. 

Josh Simmons, President and Founder of Prosper Sustainably, LLC is a California based energy, climate, and sustainability consultant that primarily works with Native American communities. Josh leads team in planning, securing funding, and implementing tribal clean energy projects throughout the State, including innovative solar + storage microgrids. In addition, he is the lead consultant in conducting the energy, climate, and resiliency focused California Tribal Gap Analysis. 

Prior to founding Prosper Sustainably in 2014, Josh was Environmental Director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, overseeing the Chumash Environmental Office for seven years. Josh is a licensed California Attorney and earned his J.D. at the University of San Diego. Josh also earned a Master’s of Environmental Science & Management from the UCSB Bren School. 

Jordan W. Smith is a Consulting Engineer for Grid Edge Innovation in SCE’s Grid Technology Innovation organization.  He has been evaluating advanced technology vehicles, energy storage, and charging infrastructure starting in 1996 in the founding and growth of SCE’s EV Technical Center.  In 2011, California adopted battery charger efficiency standards in its appliance code, based in part on prior work by Smith at SCE, work which later led to him to chair the SAE J2894 task force on EV charger power quality.  In 2013 he developed and executed the SCE test plan which enabled interconnection of the first vehicle to grid systems in the L.A. Air Force Base V2G pilot – the first V2G aggregation to engage in the California ISO ancillary services market.  

Mr. Smith represents SCE in U.S. DRIVE, Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability, Grid Integration Technical Team, the U.S. collaboration with the automobile industry, federal government, and electric utilities on vehicle-grid integration.  Mr. Smith received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and an M.S. degree in engineering management from California State Polytechnic University and is a licensed professional engineer in California. 

Dr. Daniel Sperling is Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy, and founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis (ITS-Davis). He holds the transportation seat on the California Air Resources Board and served as Chair of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies in 2015-16. 

Among his many prizes are the 2018 Roy W. Crum award from TRB, its highest research award; and the 2013 Blue Planet Prize from the Asahi Glass Foundation Prize for being “a pioneer in opening up new fields of study to create more efficient, low-carbon, and environmentally beneficial transportation systems.” He served twice as lead author for the IPCC (sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize), testified 8 times to the US Congress, and provided 20 keynote presentations in the past year.  He has authored or co-authored over 250 technical papers and 13 books, including Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared, and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future (Island Press, 2018), is a regular contributor to Forbes and Energy Expert contributor for Wall Street Journal, is widely cited in leading newspapers, been interviewed many times on NPR radio, including Science Friday, Talk of the Nation, Marketplace, and Fresh Air, and in 2009 was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 

Brian Steel is Director of the Cleantech to Market program at UC Berkeley to which he brings 30 years of business innovation and leadership experience. He is a repeat member of the Berkeley Haas “Club of 6” for teaching excellence. Brian was a founding member of the external advisory board of the Innovation Incubator (a Wells Fargo/NREL joint venture). He is also a member of the investment advisory board of the Commonwealth Energy Fund. 

In addition, Brian has served as an advisor to the Department of Energy, working on both renewable energy financing and solar initiatives. Previously, he was Senior Advisor to the Renewable Energy Trust and an advisor to the Berkeley Startup Cluster. Prior to joining the UC Berkeley faculty, Brian was Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Development for PG&E Corporation, where he led the energy industry’s first tax-equity solar project financing by an investor-owned utility, investing $400 million in nearly $1 billion of photovoltaic assets from 2010-2011. 

Brian’s prior roles include Chairman, International, Pandora Media – the world’s leading Internet radio company; President, International, Overture Services – building a billion-dollar division of Yahoo! with operations in 20 countries; President and CEO, Idealab Silicon Valley and Managing Director of Idealab; and President and COO, On Command. Previously, Brian was Senior Vice President and co-head of the Real Estate Merchant Banking Group at Shearson Lehman Brothers. He has served on the boards of more than 20 early-stage technology companies, several of which went public, and many of which had successful acquisition exits. His separate private investments include Back to the Roots (Berkeley Haas-founded startup), Bay Area Panera restaurants, Birdies, LiveOps, and Powerset (sold to Microsoft). Brian holds a BA magna cum laude in Economics from Duke University, where he was an Angier B. Duke Scholar. 

Kerri Timmer is Vice President of Climate & Energy for Sierra Business Council (SBC).  Kerri manages SBC’s climate and energy program, including Sierra Nevada Energy Watch, a PG&E-sponsored local government partnership program that works with municipalities, schools, and special districts across 14 counties to identify and advance climate action and energy efficiency activities.  She also coordinates SBC’s advocacy work on climate, energy, housing, transportation, land conservation and other regional priorities in the State Capitol. 

Prior to SBC Kerri spent six years as Regional Policy and Program Director with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a state agency under the Natural Resources Agency, and operated her own consulting practice for 10 years working directly with community-based non-profits on strategic planning and project implementation.  She holds a B.A. in English Literature from San Francisco State University and a certificate in Land Use and Natural Resources planning from UC Davis Extension and has authored a number of reports documenting natural resource conditions in the Sierra Nevada.   

Marc Trahand is Executive Vice President of Marketing for Nuvve and oversees all aspects of marketing, branding, and external communications for the company. Marc is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur, previously serving in executive roles at companies including luxury smartphone company Savelli Geneve and Topyko Mobility SAS. 

Tishmall Turner is serving her first term on the Rincon Tribal Council, as Vice Chairwoman. She has served the Rincon Band in many capacities, which include combining the modern world of education and service beyond the reservation with her passion for her culture and identity as a tribal woman. As an ambassador working to bring recognition and respect for the tribes within the non-Indian community, she has developed important relationships in the North County’s educational, medical and social services communities that serve the interests of the Rincon Band.  One example is serving on the Palomar Hospital Foundation Board, where she is able to relate to medical staff on behalf of tribal members.  

Nneka Uzoh is Director of Energy Innovation at Elemental Excelerator. She leads Elemental’s energy vertical and supports their energy portfolio companies on their path to scale, leveraging her experience incorporating innovation and new technology into PG&E and NextEra Energy Resources. She has a unique skill set in connecting disparate data sets to tell a story and creating inventive solutions to address the underlying issues. In her roles, she has successfully ushered billion-dollar deals and projects related to mergers and acquisitions, capital investments, energy and sustainability, customer strategy and experience, innovation, and organizational design. Nneka is passionate about the arts and sits on the board of a theatre company in San Francisco and paints for fun. 

Since 2005, Chris has led communications, outreach and marketing for Frontier Energy’s transportation projects. She and her team have created some of the most-used outreach materials about zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure, including an award-winning social media campaigns, a software system for hydrogen stations, and a comedic series on the website FunnyorDie.com. She’s well versed in addressing regulatory, social, and economic issues around new technologies and changes in behavior. 

For most of her career, she created communications strategies for new technology products and was a spokesperson for IBM. Chris is an active volunteer in West Sacramento and Yolo County, and has a passion for advancing women in leadership, particularly in energy, transportation, and the environment.

Alexis provides strategic communications support for GNA’s events and marketing department. She leads media relations efforts for GNA corporate initiatives and for a series of leading alternative transportation conferences. Alexis also works closely with GNA’s vice president of communications and marketing to develop and manage an array of GNA marketing campaigns. 

Holly brings five years of experience in public and government affairs, community and stakeholder outreach, coalition building, and policy and regulatory analysis for both small nonprofits and globally recognized organizations. With a background in energy and environmental policy, Holly has worked with state and federal legislatures and agencies to further the discussion and focus of the clean energy policy in the United States. Holly’s responsibilities include agenda and speaker development for the program management, project management, and business development.