Renovate, Retrofit, Reduce

Wendell Brase

Associate Chancellor for Sustainability, University of California, Irvine

Wendell Brase is the University of California, Irvine’s first Associate Chancellor for Sustainability. In this role, he leads efforts by UC Irvine and assists other campuses throughout the UC system to implement UC’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative. Mr. Brase co-chairs the University of California’s Global Climate Leadership Council.

For 25 years, Mr. Brase provided leadership for an award-winning sustainability program in his role as Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Business Services. UC Irvine received California’s highest environmental award, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, in 2008 and again in 2013; has earned numerous accolades for sustainability, including a 2009 Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Leadership Achievement Award and their 2014 Climate Leadership Award; has been on Sierra magazine’s Top 10 list of greenest campuses for the past nine years, coming in at No. 1 in 2014, 2015 and again in 2018; and in 2018, UCI was recognized by the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education with a STARS Platinum rating for its sustainability operations, academics, and research. The campus currently has 18 LEED Platinum and 10 LEED Gold buildings, among the most of any campus in the U.S.

Dennis Clough

Project Director, Sustainable Infrastructure, Energy Systems Group

Dennis Clough is a project director with ESG, leading their efforts to provide turn-key design and construction solutions for municipal utilities that address aging infrastructure, consent order compliance, and improve operations efficiency.  Specializing in alternative project delivery methods, such as energy performance contracting, Mr. Clough has delivered over $200 million in project solutions for clients over the past 15 years.  Mr. Clough began his professional career as a Program Manager in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Lily Donge

Principal, Rocky Mountain Institute

Lily Donge is a Principal with RMI’s electricity practice, where she leads the Business Renewables Center. Lily focuses on accelerating the market for corporate renewable energy. She is exploring new markets for the rapid uptake of renewable energy and developing tools and products for corporate leaders to purchase renewable energy. Ms. Donge joined RMI in December 2014.

Ms. Donge comes to RMI with over 17 years’ experience in sustainability and cleantech investment. Before coming to RMI, Ms. Donge led Ernst & Young’s Cleantech knowledge management, where she developed thought leadership and strategy. She previously worked at Calvert Investments, where she managed the environment and climate change team. She has helped launch and manage Calvert’s Sustainability Index, Global Alternative Energy Fund, the Global Water Fund, and the first green bond fund strategy. Ms. Donge has covered utilities, alternative energy, and water sectors. She has also worked at the World Resources Institute and in investment services at Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette.

Ms. Donge holds a Master’s in Public and Private Management from the Yale School of Management and a Master’s in Development Economics from Yale Graduate School. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College.

Benjamin Finkelor

Executive Director, University of California, Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute

Benjamin Finkelor is Executive Director of the University of California, Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute. Prior to joining the EEI, he served in a variety of roles within the clean technology sector, including director of business development for a local clean-energy start-up company, interim executive director for CleanStart (a Sacramento-based business incubator supporting local clean energy technology ventures and entrepreneurs), and as a cleantech analyst for the private equity arm of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS).

Mr. Finkelor holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management. He also earned an emphasis in corporate environmental management through the Bren School at University of California, Santa Barbara. His undergraduate degree is from University of California, San Diego.

Alex Fitzsimmons

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, U.S. Department ogf Energy

Alex Fitzsimmons is Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Chief of Staff for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. In his current role, Mr. Fitzsimmons leads strategic planning, policy, and communications, supporting the Assistant Secretary in advancing the mission of the office. 

Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Mr. Fitzsimmons worked on energy policy for a variety of D.C.-based organizations, including the Institute for Energy Research, where he served as the Policy Director managing energy and environmental issues at the state and federal level.

Mr. Fitzsimmons is a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Ryan Freed

Manager of Operations, City Energy Project, Institute for Market Transformation

Ryan Freed is the Director, Public Sector at the Institute for Market Transformation. In this role he also serves as Director of the City Energy Project, a joint initiative of IMT and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Prior to joining IMT, Mr. Freed served as the Director of the Kansas Corporation Commission’s Energy Division, where he led the development of approximately $50 million worth of American Reinvestment and Recovery Act projects. This work included the development of the Efficiency Kansas energy efficiency loan program, creating local-level stakeholder groups for banks, schools, energy auditors, and contractors, creation of detailed financial and program controls to ensure compliance and streamlined operations. Under his directorship, Kansas was named as one of the five most-improved states in the ACEEE State Scorecard.

Mr. Freed also has served as a regional board member for NASEO and held several appointed leadership positions. He has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas and is a certified energy manager.

Lindsey Hawes

Municipal Energy Program Manager, Sustainability Department, City of San Diego

J. Andrew McAllister

Commissioner, California Energy Commission

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 1990’s. 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 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.

Charles McGinnis

Vice President Sales-North America Performance Infrastructure and Energy Solutions, Johnson Controls Inc.

Charles McGinnis is Vice President, Performance Infrastructure and Solutions Sales, North America for Johnson Controls Building Technology and Solutions.

Mr. McGinnis’ responsibilities are to advance and execute a growth strategy to achieve short- and long-term plan commitments to profitably grow the Performance Infrastructure-Energy Solutions business for Johnson Controls-North America. Key initiatives are to reinforce existing practices and establish new standards for strategic projects, sales management practices, recruiting/hiring, forecasting, sales training, marketing, and innovation. He manages the Vertical Market Teams, Proposal Development Team, Solutions Program/Product Managers and Government Facing Business Consultants
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Joining Johnson Controls in 2000, Mr. McGinnis has held positions of increasing responsibility in branch management, regional management, and national director roles, most recently serving as Director of Higher Education and State Government Markets for the Energy Solutions business. He has been a two-time Masters Award winner and Chairman’s Team Award recipient for Global Growth.

Prior to Johnson Controls, Mr. McGinnis worked for Honeywell Inc., Erie Controls, North American Mechanical Inc. and Siemens Building Technologies in sales management, product management, operations, and general management roles. He previously taught courses in Automatic Controls at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Engineering and Professional Development.

Roland Risser

Board Member, Energy Trust of Oregon

Roland Risser provides technical consulting services to a wide range of government and non-government organizations in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable power, grid modernization, and demand management. He currently serves on the Energy Trust of Oregon board, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping utility customers benefit from saving energy and generating renewable power.
Roland Risser started his career in energy efficiency, renewable power, and demand management at Pacific Gas and Electric Company where he was responsible for developing and implementing energy efficiency research projects, and leading the company’s energy efficiency programs, including development of strategies that support delivery of energy savings, new construction approaches to Zero Net Energy, and achievement of greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Mr. Risser joined the U.S. Department of Energy in 2010 as Director of the Building Technologies Office, where he was responsible for U.S. appliance and equipment minimum energy efficiency standards, building-related technology research and development, and residential and commercial "technology to market" programs that increase the speed and scale of market adoption of new energy saving opportunities. He was subsequently the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Power, responsible for the four DOE offices developing and advancing geothermal, solar, wind and water renewable power technologies, as well as co-leading DOE’s Grid Modernization Initiative. He retired from DOE in 2017.

Mr. Risser was elected to chair the ISO Technical Committee on Energy Management (ISO 50001), a position he holds today, and he has been on the board of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and was chairman of the board of the Consortium of Energy Efficiency.

Jigar Shah

President and Co-Founder, Generate Capital

Jigar Shah is the President and Co-Founder of Generate Capital. Jigar was the founder and CEO of SunEdison (NASDAQ: SUNE), where he pioneered “no money down solar” and unlocked a multi-billion-dollar solar market, creating the largest solar services company worldwide. He is the author of Creating Climate Wealth: Unlocking the Impact Economy. After SunEdison, Mr. Shah served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change.

Generate Capital, the Carbon War Room, and SunEdison all follow from Mr. Shah’s vision that business model innovation will have an outsized impact on bringing about the next productivity revolution: resource efficiency. Mr. Shah is committed to helping entrepreneurs and large companies alike implement resource efficiency solutions using “no money down” project finance models.

Mr. Shah holds an MBA from The University of Maryland and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He sits on the boards of sPower and the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Susan Stratton

Executive Director, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Susan Stratton is the Executive Director of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) whose purpose is to accelerate energy efficiency in the Northwest working in collaboration with 140 utilities.

Ms. Stratton has 40 years of experience advancing energy efficiency, leading both non-profit and government organizations. She joined NEEA in 2012 and has led the organization through two five-year planning cycles to define long-term strategies and goals for the region’s market transformation work. As a member of the EPRI Public Advisory Committee on Energy Efficiency and Smart Grid, Ms. Stratton advises EPRI research teams on energy efficiency and smart grid issues. Ms. Stratton also serves on the boards of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Most recently, as Executive Director of the Energy Center of Wisconsin, she led energy efficiency and renewable energy research, demonstration, program design, and education initiatives in the Midwest. As a key participant and influencer in Midwest energy policy, she supported Wisconsin as a leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources over many years and assisted with the development of the statewide efficiency program in Indiana. Ms. Stratton has also served as a utility regulator in Wisconsin and Virginia and led the Public Utility Institute at the University of Wisconsin. She also served in an energy research role at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Stratton holds a Master of Science in Economics with a focus in Industrial Organization from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, a Master of Arts in Economics from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. In her spare time, you’ll find Ms. Stratton on a hike or on the tennis court.

Elizabeth Stuart

Program Manager, Electricity Markets and Policy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Elizabeth Stuart is a Program Manager in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She conducts research and provides technical assistance on a range of demand-side management program and policy issues. Ms. Stuart has been lead or co-author on over 20 LBNL reports and policy briefs on topics that include ESCO industry and market trends, ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs and policies, EM&V of energy efficiency programs, building energy benchmarking and labeling policies, and the energy efficiency workforce. Ms. Stuart also manages development and stakeholder engagement for eProject Builder, the national web-based ESPC database that enables ESCOs and their customers to track, report, and benchmark their ESPC project data.

Prior to joining LBNL in 2009, Ms. Stuart garnered over 13 years’ experience as a project manager in the entertainment software industry. She also worked on the City of Berkeley’s FIRST solar financing program--the progenitor of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing and consulted for Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Corps energy efficiency program.

Ms. Stuart holds an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco.

William Tokash

Senior Research Analyst, Navigant Research

William Tokash is a senior research analyst in Navigant Research’s DER Solutions service, where he leads Utility Customer Solutions research coverage.

Mr. Tokash brings broad-based, leading-edge expertise in the areas of energy as a service, solar PV, energy storage, vehicle electrification, technology assessment, business development, investment analysis, and project finance. He holds a B.S. in Medical Technology from Indiana University.

Byron Washom

Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives, University of California, San Diego

Mr. Byron Washom has served as Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives at the University of California, San Diego since 2008. Previously he served as the CEO of a technical due diligence firm in CleanTech while concurrently serving as Senior International Advisor to The World bank and being a four-time Rockefeller Foundation Grantee in renewable energy development. In 1984, Mr. Washom received an R&D100 for one of the 100 most outstanding innovations in the world based upon his entrepreneurial leadership that set eight technical world records for the conversion efficiency of sunlight-to-grid connection that remained unsurpassed for 24 years. Fast Company magazine named him to their June 2010 cover story “100 Most Innovative Persons in Business”.  In 2013, he was retained to help design the microgrid for the Hawaiian Island of Lana`i which is 98% owned by Larry Ellison.

Mr. Washom’s responsibilities at UCSD are to bring quantum innovations in zero and low carbon technologies to its 52 MW microgrid that self-generates 80% of its annual electrical load.  UCSD has deployed 3 MW of PV, 2.5 MW/5 MWH of energy storage, 27 MW of CHP gas turbines, 2.8 MW of a directed biogas fuel cell with the world’s first fuel cell-absorption chiller, 9 million gallons of thermal energy storage, and 245 Level II and 5 DC Fast EV charging stations. UCSD’s microgrid is the world’s largest, most diversified portfolio of distributed energy resources.

Greg Wikler

Executive Director, California Efficiency & Demand Managment Council

Greg Wikler is the Executive Director for the California Efficiency + Demand Management Council (www.cedmc.org). Mr. Wikler is responsible for running this nonprofit organization comprised of more than 70 member companies that implement, evaluate, and manage clean energy programs in California. The Council is California's leading and respected voice for efficiency and demand management service providers.  The Council plays a critical role in helping to shape future policies and practices around climate change, improved efficiency, and economic vitality for the state.

In his over 30 years of experience in the energy industry, Mr. Wikler has addressed a variety of issues related to demand-side resources including energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, energy storage, and grid modernization programs for the electric and gas industries. Over this time, he has directed numerous national, regional, and utility-specific market potential and load forecasting studies, technology assessments, integrated demand-side resource program designs, eco

nomic assessments, evaluation studies, and extensive stakeholder collaboration and resolution.
Mr. Wikler is involved in various clean energy and decarbonization policy initiatives in California, providing leadership and insights on legislation, market design improvements, cost-effectiveness approaches, and identification of new markets. He received his Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and his Master’s degrees from the University of Oregon.