August 20th and 21st 2024
Chief Sustainability Officer of the City of Atlanta, CEO of ReSolve Consulting & Founder of the Good Energy Project
Chandra Farley is an activist at heart and credits her parents with instilling a sense of duty always to do what she can to advance justice and fairness. With a passion for elevating the connection between environmental justice, strong communities, and our daily lives, Chandra continues to build upon a career foundation in the design and construction industry. Currently, Chandra serves as the CEO of ReSolve, an energy justice consulting practice with a mission to increase the impact of energy and utility initiatives by centering equity. Chandra also founded the “Good Energy Project” with a vision to connect the transformational power of Black Women to the movement for equitable clean energy. Chandra also recently completed a historic run for the Georgia Public Service Commission.
Deputy Director of Building Standards at the California Energy Commission
Has worked collaboratively with nationally recognized design firms, builders, developers, utilities and research entities to bring to life verified zero emission buildings. Currently leads an all-star team at the California Energy Commission who are responsible for maintaining and updating California’s Energy Code, its companion energy compliance software, and outreach & education programs. Accepted invitations to speak on topics in building science at a spectrum of events including Greenbuild, the White House and many universities. In 2019, received the Net Zero Trailblazer award for his leadership in decarbonizing our environment.
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General Manager of Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District
Linnea Jackson is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California. For over 4 years, she has served as General Manager for the Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District (HVPUD). HVPUD’s mission is to provide utility services that advance tribal strategies to grow economic development, build a strong foundation of utility infrastructure, and ensure a framework for quality growth and expansion on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation and aboriginal territory. HVPUD manages the Tribe’s domestic and irrigation water systems, solid waste management, utility construction services, broadband and energy initiatives. Linnea’s goal is to help the tribe meet its resiliency goals, help strengthen tribal energy sovereignty and help our region meet climate adaptation goals and to help protect our environment and cultural resources for generations to come.
Executive Director at the Mid-Hudson Energy Transition
Jasmine Graham (she/they) is a passionate advocate for a healthy, sustainable, and just world. She is currently the Executive Director at Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, where she is advancing an equitable, local renewable energy transition in the Hudson Valley of New York. Prior to that, she served as the Senior Equity and Affordability Advisor at the Building Decarbonization Coalition, the Energy Justice Policy Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and the Program Manager for New York’s first and largest Community Choice Aggregation at Sustainable Westchester. Jasmine was also appointed to New York City's Climate Mobilization Advisory Board and Sustainability Advisory Board, where she provided recommendations to the City on their building decarbonization laws and climate plans.
Managing Principal at Redwood Energy
Sean Armstrong is the Managing Principal of Redwood Energy and has worked for 28 years in building electrification, designed the retrofit and new construction of more than 25,000 all-electric residences for disadvantaged populations, co-authored 7 "pocket guides" to building electrification, provided legal and technical support to building gas bans nationwide, and has received Grand Prize awards from the United Nations and the California Building Industry Association. Sean was inducted into California's Clean Energy Hall of Fame in 2022, and in 2023-2024 is working with other nations on their Net Zero goals on behalf of the U.S. State Department.
Orange County Policy Director with Climate Action Campaign
Ayn Craciun is the Orange County Policy Director with Climate Action Campaign, a nonprofit climate policy watchdog working to end the climate crisis through equitable, effective policy action. Ayn helped build a coalition of support to create the Irvine-led Orange County Power Authority, OC’s first Community Choice Energy program. She also led a successful campaign to stop a dangerous methane gas/hydrogen blending project at UC Irvine and a campaign to win adoption of a gas-free buildings ordinance for the city of Irvine. She also helped win a Clean TECH California grant to cultivate understanding of utility allowances as an obstacle to decarbonization of subsidized housing in SoCalGas territory. In 2023, Ayn co-authored the first Climate Action Plan report card for Orange County cities, and was named one of the most influential people in Orange County by the Orange County Register.Ayn is currently a candidate for Irvine City Council, district 4. She chairs the City of Irvine Sustainability Commission and has a long track record of working toward changes that protect communities, including the 2016 adoption of Irvine’s historic non-toxic landscaping policy, a pilot school bus program for the City of Irvine and Irvine Unified School District and more.
Principal Consultant at Artemisia Energy
Greg's career began at Redwood Energy in 2013, studying real-world performance in state-of-the-art all-electric multifamily buildings in California. He has continued to work with Redwood as a partner in various other endeavors while at Build It Green, Franklin Energy, and now as principal at Artemisia Energy which provides research services, data analysis, modeling, and general consulting services for the energy industry. Greg lives in Reno, NV with his partner and two dogs.
Founder of The Vessel Project of Louisiana
Roishetta Sibley Ozane is the founder of The Vessel Project of Louisiana, a small mutual aid and environmental justice organization. She is the Gulf Fossil Finance Coordinator with the Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund. Roishetta is an award winning, internationally known environmental justice advocate and has spoken on stages Nationally and abroad including in Egypt, Canada, and Malaysia championing for Black, indigenous, people of color communities and their right for clean air, clean water and sustainable communities that aren’t overburdened by fossil fuel buildout. Roishetta is a member of several organizations including National Association of University Women, McNeese State University Black Alumni, and a She Leads Fellow Alum for the Power Coalition of Equity and Justice. Additionally Roishetta is a single mom of 6 and her children are who she’s trying to make the world a better place for. Roishetta truly believes that no one is good until we are all good and she proves that daily through her giving heart and philanthropy.
Managing Principal at Point Energy Solutions
Alyse is a Managing Principal & Co-Owner at Point Energy Innovations, an MEP consulting firm with an innovative approach to affordable decarbonization within buildings, which accelerates the adoption of resilient and zero carbon strategies in the industry. Alyse’s leadership at Point Energy Innovation is the perfect balance of robust engineering skills working in tandem with a laser sharp focus on market analytics, business development and client cultivation. She prides herself on building long term relationships with architects, developers, universities as well as private institutions, to ensure the projects and designs she puts forth are seen through the entire duration of a design and construction project. Alyse's dedication to the industry has been widely recognized by multiple outlets. Most recently, she has been awarded the CSE's 40 Under 40, as well as a past recipient of the ASHRAE New Faces in Engineering Award in 2017, which recognizes the outstanding talents, skills, and abilities of engineering leaders ages 30 or younger. She was the 2020-2021 Golden Gate ASHRAE Chapter President, and has also volunteered at the Regional and Society level committees. A regular and frequent presenter at industry conferences, she has spoken at GreenBuild & ASHRAE several times. She's incredibly passionate about training the next generation of design professionals and guest lectures at UC Berkeley, CalPoly San Luis Obispo and ULI MasterClasses.
Senior Energy Project Manager at EcoWorks Detroit
Amber holds 2 degrees from the University of Michigan, with an engineering undergraduate background and master's degree specializing in Sustainable Systems and Environmental Justice. Her academic journey was enriched by practical experience, including collaboration with EcoWorks to create a roadmap for resiliency hubs in Detroit. Recently, she has applied her knowledge in sustainability project management within the dairy industry, aligning environmental goals with corporate strategy.
Executive Director of 350 Bay Area and 350 Bay Area Action
Laura is the Executive Director of 350 Bay Area and 350 Bay Area Action. After a long career providing strategy and marketing consulting to large corporations and startups, Laura left the corporate world to pursue her passion: addressing injustice. Because the changing climate amplifies injustice everywhere, it was a natural fit to work with the 350 Bay Area family to work on getting real climate solutions passed. Laura has long volunteered with community organizations, and in her spare time, she spends time outdoors, frequently with her adult daughter.
Executive Director of Solar Rights Alliance
Dave Rosenfeld is the Executive Director for Solar Rights Alliance, a nonprofit association of California solar users where they believe in the right to make energy from the sun without unreasonable interference from utilities. He has over two decades of experience in organizing, campaigning, policy making, fundraising and management experience aimed at empowering people to better determine the direction of their lives and of our country.
Research Director at the Building Electrification Institute
Dr. Bobuchi Ken-Opurum is a people-centered researcher at the nexus of climate and energy, focusing on energy equity, climate resilience, adaptation, and indoor and urban health to drive systemic and sustainable change. She is the Research Director at the Building Electrification Institute (BEI) and leads impactful research projects that inform and help cities and stakeholders prioritize the needs of marginalized communities in developing climate and building decarbonization solutions. She created the Re-HOUSED Multi-criteria Decision Support toolkit that helps self-builders in the tropical Global South in implementing viable and feasible flooding and heat stress resilience design solutions in housing. Dr. Ken-Opurum earned her Ph.D. in Architecture-Engineering-Construction Management from Carnegie Mellon University, an MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, and a BS in Construction Engineering Management Technology from Purdue University. She has published numerous papers on energy equity, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, and resilience. She is on the 2023 Forbes 30 under 30 list and is named one of Grist Magazine’s “50 climate leaders driving fresh solutions to our planets biggest problems.”
Principal of Nicholson Energy Consulting
Kathy Nicholson is an energy engineering professional with over thirty years of experience helping home and business owners produce and use clean energy efficiently and cost effectively. As Principal of Nicholson Energy Consulting LLC, she specializes in solar microgrid design and electrification for residential and small commercial applications. Kathy has worked to free people from fossil fuels her entire adult life. As a consulting engineer and project manager, she has facilitated over five hundred solar energy, energy efficiency, and electrification projects in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. As a program manager at a major electric utility, she led projects with budgets up to $500K to demonstrate emerging, efficient, electric technologies as alternatives to fossil fuel technologies. She is a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional® and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Energy Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Executive Chef at Creative Dining Services
My name is Rosialee Cunningham and I am an Executive Chef for Creative Dining Services at the Ent Federal Credit Union Corporate office. My culinary journey started at the Broadmoor Hotel where I completed a three year apprenticeship course to become a Certified Culinarian. During my culinary journey I found a passion for creating a healthier, safer kitchen through induction cooking. In addition to becoming a chef, I also received my associate degree in Allied Health and Science from South University. Through my love of food I hope to become a bridge in this world to help normalize induction cooking to reduce greenhouse gasses through education, passion and love.
Mechanical Engineer, Author of Watt Diet
Tom Kabat is a mechanical engineer with more than 40 years’ experience in hands-on building science, utility program design, implementation, and utility resource planning. Tom partners with others in electrification design projects for dozens of homes, co-authoring guides to electrification, developing a Power Efficient Design practice aka “Watt Diet” technique for making electrification of buildings easier without upsizing the electric panel. He does contractor training in power efficient design for TECH Clean CA program events and for Electrify My Home TECH contractor cohort trainings. He co-developed a popular PG&E online video class on electrifying without upsizing the electric panel. He co-authored SB 68 legislation to have the CEC develop a site and content on power efficient design. He serves on the board of SunWork.org where he helps install heat pump water heaters and solar PV while training volunteers.
Co-Founder of Carbon Zero Buildings
Andy is Co-Founder and Principal at Carbon Zero Buildings, a general contractor focused on multifamily electrification retrofits. Andy or teams he has led have successfully executed over 40,000 units and $40 million in multifamily energy retrofit construction projects in California over the past 7 years. Over 2,000 units were multifamily electrification retrofits.
Co-founder of the EV Charging for All coalition
Vanessa co-founded the EV Charging for All coalition, where she convenes the national EV Codes Working Group and advocates for equitable EV readiness in building energy codes. She is a climate solutions advocate with previous roles in leadership, campaigns and organizing at Plug In America, Atmos Financial, Fossil Free California, 350.org, The Bioneers, and The League of Conservation Voters. As a documentary filmmaker, she produced “The Insular Empire", a PBS feature documentary about America’s colonial territories, and the award-winning kids video “Worse Than Poop” - which may still be the only funny film about EVs and the climate crisis.
Professor at Harvey Mudd College
Dre Helmns is an assistant professor at Harvey Mudd College and visiting faculty at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who works at the intersection of energy science and technology. Their research group at Harvey Mudd College is working to develop decarbonized space conditioning and water heating systems that incorporate heat pumps, thermal energy storage, evaporative cooling and waste heat recovery components. The group uses physics-based modeling of thermal equipment, validated by laboratory experiments and field demonstrations,to enable innovative design and optimal operation of integrated energy systems for buildings and districts.
Research Engineer at Ecotope
Evan Green is a Research Engineer highly experienced in applying Commercial Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) to Domestic Hot Water Systems in Multifamily and Commercial buildings. As a member of Ecotope’s Technology Transformation Team, he works closely with HPWH manufacturers to optimize the design of new products; with utilities to test the efficiency and reliability of various plumbing configurations, and performs post-installation monitoring, analysis, and troubleshooting of HPWH systems. He is a subject matter expert in Ecotope’s education and training program for developers, installers, and utilities. Prior to joining Ecotope, Evan was an Applications Engineer for Colmac WaterHeat. In this role, he coordinated plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and controls installation, performed startup and equipment troubleshooting, and educated design firms new to HPWH technology.
Director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition
Panama Bartholomy is the Director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a highly effective team of 70 staff working with industry, elected officials and regulators to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment. Previously Panama worked as the Advisor on Energy and Natural Resources to California Assembly Speaker John A. Perez, served as Deputy Director of the California Energy Commission’s Efficiency and Renewables Division, and then as an Advisor for Chairwomen Douglas and Pfannenstiel. Panama has worked for the California Conservation Corps on vocational environmental education, ran the Sustainable Schools program for the Division of the State Architect, served on the City of Sacramento Planning Commission and the County of Sacramento Environmental Commission, and is a former board member on the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and past president of the Northern California Chapter of the USGBC.
