Director, Mitigation Division
Acting Director, Communication and Engagement Division
United Nations Climate Change Secretariat
Bonn, Germany

Phone +49 228 815 1413
[email protected]
www.unfccc.int

Career history
Mr. Grabert has worked for the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) for more than 20 years. He heads the Mitigation Division of the UNFCCC, leading the work on market-based approaches to climate change mitigation. In addition, he also currently leads the secretariat’s Communication and Engagement Division.
Prior to 2006 he served as a greenhouse gas emissions specialist and worked in numerous expert groups of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Before joining the United Nations, he was an industry and regional analyst for the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland.

Education
Mr. Grabert holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Wheaton College, Masters of International Economics from the Institut de Hautes Études Internationales in Geneva, and has undertaken post-graduate studies in Management at Stanford University, University of Navarra (IESE) and London Business School, and in Development at Harvard University.

Director, Western Region, Climate & Clean Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council

Peter Miller is a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) with over 25 years experience in energy and climate policy. His work is focused on California energy policy, AB32 implementation, GHG emissions accounting and offsets. He is currently a boardmember of the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) and has served on the California Board for Energy Efficiency and on both Independent Review Panels evaluating the Public Interest Energy Research program at the California Energy Commission. Mr. Miller has degrees from Dartmouth College and Reed College. He is married to Anne Schonfield, has two children, and lives in Berkeley.

A biologist by training and renowned science communicator, Jean Lemire has conducted work on climate change and biodiversity that has led to major scientific missions.

In 2001, he converted a large oceanographic schooner into a scientific research platform and production studio that took him across the world’s oceans to raise awareness about key environmental issues. In 2012, following missions to the Arctic (2002) and Antarctica (2005-2006), he and his crew, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, began the 1000 Days for the Planet series, involving a three-year world expedition to examine the state of the planet’s biodiversity.

In association with the Sedna Foundation, he has also designed many instructional programs that have become references over the years in the field of education.

Jean Lemire was appointed Envoy for Climate change, Northern and Arctic Affairs by the Government of Québec in September 2017, thus becoming the first envoy in the history of Québec diplomacy.

Lisa DeMarco is a Senior Partner and CEO at Resilient LLP, she is recognized as a Canadian and international expert in climate and energy law. She has over 25 years of experience in law, regulation, policy, and advocacy relating to all aspects of climate change and clean energy.

Lisa also assists leading financial and energy companies and Indigenous business organizations on domestic and overseas renewable power project development, energy storage projects, sustainable and climate finance transactions, carbon capture and storage, climate-related financial disclosure, corporate climate risk, environmental and social governance (ESG), green bonds, and sustainable business strategy. Lisa plays an active role for Fortune 500 companies in corporate ESG, climate change, and transition strategy, target setting and compliance. Lisa also represents several governments and leading energy companies in a wide variety of natural gas, power, pipeline and energy storage matters before the Ontario Energy Board and the National Energy Boards. She regularly attends and advises on related United Nations negotiations.

Lisa is a director of the boards of the Advanced Energy Centre at MarRS, Radicle Inc., the consultation group of The Carney Task Force on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets, and is the vice chair of the International Emissions Trading Association.

Ms. DeMarco is ranked by Chambers Global as one of the world’s leading climate change lawyers. She is also ranked and repeatedly recommended by Legal Lexpert Directory, International Who’s Who, and Chambers Canada as a leading energy (oil, gas and electricity) and environment lawyer.

She has been an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, is a guest lecturer at a number of law schools, and presents regularly.
She is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario (BSc Hon. – 1990), the University of Toronto (MSc. – 1992), Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (LLB – 1995) and the Vermont Law School (MSEL, summa cum laude – 1995) and is called to the bar in England and Ontario.

Dirk Forrister is President and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). Previously, he was Managing Director at Natsource LLC, the manager of one of the world’s largest carbon funds. Earlier in his career, Mr. Forrister served as Chairman of the White House Climate Change Task Force in the Clinton Administration. Prior to that, he was Assistant U.S. Secretary of Energy for Congressional, Public and Intergovernmental Affairs; and legislative counsel to Congressman Jim Cooper. He was also Energy Program Manager at Environmental Defense Fund. Forrister now serves on the Board of Directors of the Verified Carbon Standard and as a member of the Advisory Boards of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the American Carbon Registry.

Eduardo has more than 15 years of experience in carbon markets at an international level, including the development of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects. He has worked on climate change projects across Latin America, Asia and Africa in the following sectors: forestry, renewable energy, energy efficiency, oil and gas, aluminium, mining, landfills, agriculture, refrigerants, fertilizers, cement and construction.

He is currently the CEO of MÉXICO2, a Mexican Stock Exchange company where he oversees the development of environmental markets: carbon, clean energy certificates and green bonds markets.

Eduardo led the incorporation of the CCFV (Consejo Consultivo de Finanzas Verdes, or Green Finance Advisory Board), a financial focused NGO to green the Mexican financial system with more than 350 participating entities he is a member of the Working Group on Green Finance of the United Nations Initiative for Sustainable Stock Exchanges.

Katie serves as Managing Director of IETA, the global multi-sector business voice for the intersection of markets and climate change. On behalf of IETA’s 150+ corporate members, Katie leads efforts to inform market solutions to address environmental challenges across the Americas and globally. Katie sits on the Global Steering Committee for the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC), Boards of the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) and the International Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) Knowledge Centre, and numerous Advisory Panels including for Canada’s Institute for Clean Growth & Climate Change and the Ivey Foundation. In 2019, Katie was recognized as a Clean16 and Clean50 award recipient for contributing to Clean Capitalism Leadership in Canada.

Katelyn Roedner Sutter leads Environmental Defense Fund’s climate work in California, as well as regulatory and legislative initiatives on climate across the Western United States. Katelyn’s focus is on advancing policies that establish and implement long-term greenhouse gas emission reductions and improve local air quality. Katelyn also contributes to EDF’s work on international carbon markets. Prior to joining EDF, Katelyn worked in the San Joaquin Valley with environmental justice and faith communities on local climate, air quality, and land use issues.

Michael has over 15 years of experience in Carbon Markets, in particular with carbon pricing strategy, offset development and trading. Previous to ClearBlue, Michael worked at EcoSecurities, Barclays Capital, Vattenfall Energy Trading and ICL Ltd. Michael has executed thousands of carbon product deals, structuring transactions for offsets, allowances, and allowance related products in the primary and secondary carbon markets in over fifty countries. Working with the rest of the ClearBlue team, he has developed the carbon pricing strategies for numerous large and small emitters and is also involved in the active management of their compliance positions, including both the sale and purchase of compliance instruments. Michael assists entities in advocating for benchmarks, allowance allocation and presenting unique facility and production cases to regulating officials that allows industry to make effective investments to reduce emissions. He further provides his expertise on Canadian carbon pricing programs and requirements for regulated emitters by facilitating workshops on market and regulatory updates.

Senior Associate, E3G

Alden Meyer is a strategic advisor on domestic and international climate policy and politics; he currently serves as a senior associate with E3G – Third Generation Environmentalism, an international policy advisor to the Blue-Green Alliance, and a Principal at Performance Partners, which provides a range of consulting services to clients in government, business, and the non-profit sector.

Alden has more than four decades of experience on environmental and energy issues, most recently as director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists and co-director of its Washington, DC, office. He is an expert on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, and other aspects of international climate policy. He has attended the climate negotiations since they first started in 1991 and has served as an informal adviser to numerous UNFCCC Conference of the Parties presidencies; his analysis and advocacy have helped shape both U.S. and UN policies.

Alden also has extensive experience on energy and environmental policy at the state and national levels. He has testified before Congress on global warming and energy issues, has served on several federal advisory panels, including the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s advisory board, and has provided leadership on climate and energy issues in several national coalitions, including the Blue-Green Alliance, the Green Group, and the U.S. Climate Action Network.

Before coming to UCS in 1989 to start up its work on climate, energy, and transportation issues, Alden served as executive director of four national organizations: the League of Conservation Voters, Americans for the Environment, Environmental Action, and the Environmental Action Foundation. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1975, concentrating in political science and economics, and received a master’s degree in human resource and organization development from American University in 1990.

Mr. Juan Pedro Searle is a Chilean professional with a scientific background on biochemistry. He has nearly 20 years of experience on climate change related matters, most of them dedicated to multilateral negotiations under the UNFCCC. As landmarks of this process, he has participated in the design of the Kyoto Protocol, the Marrakech Accords (in particular with regards to the CDM) and in the debate that culminated in subsequent landmarks under the UNFCCC such as the Paris Agreement.

He now works in the Ministry of the Energy as Head of Climate Change. In this role, he has continued to follow-up climate change negotiations concentrating efforts on market mechanisms, including Article 6 of the Paris Agreement; in the domestic context, he has been involved in carbon pricing design and implementation in Chile, mainly through the Partnership for Market Readiness Initiative (PMR) with the World Bank, for which he is the National Focal Point. He is also part of the COP Presidency Team.

Kate Robinson heads the Energy and Environment Team at the British Embassy in Washington. She oversees the UK’s engagement in the US on energy and climate issues, both at a federal and subnational level. She is supported in this by a team spread across DC, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, and by a broader network of UK Consulates in the US. Kate came to DC from Whitehall where she worked in a number of roles including managing a wide range of climate finance funds including multi-billion pound donor funds to specialist technical assistance and green finance funds. In that role she specialized in the use of innovative climate finance funds to increase private investment in low carbon technologies for developing markets. Prior to coming to government, she worked as an environmental consultant at an energy resources and environmental firm in London. She earned her MSc in Climate Change from the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia and her BSc from University College London.

Jim Clark is President of North Coast Resource Management (NCRM, Inc.). Jim has been practicing forestry since 1992 and has been working on the development of both voluntary and compliance carbon offset projects on the North Coast of California since 2008. North Coast Resource Management has developed carbon projects across approximately one hundred and fifty thousand acres and brought over eleven million carbon offsets to market. In addition to carbon project development, NCRM provides traditional land management, environmental consulting, and land conservation planning services. Jim received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of California Berkeley and has been a California Registered Professional Forester since 1995.

Lauren Cooper leads the Forest Carbon and Climate Program for the Forestry Department and has experience in forest carbon project development and wood utilization linkages to sustainability. She has projects looking at socio-ecological carbon cycling, conservation incentives, and carbon storage in wood utilization. She has international experience in Peru, Mexico, and Ecuador, and previously worked in Washington, D.C. at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). Her expertise is in policy implementation, impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, knowledge transfer, and sustainable land management.

Education

• Ph.D. Forestry, Human Dimensions of Forestry, Michigan State University (2017 – current)
• M.S. Environmental Policy & Planning, University of Michigan, 2012
• M.U.P. (Masters of Urban Planning), Land Use & Environmental Planning, University of Michigan, 2012
• B.A. Arts, History, Colonial Society, Landscape Change & Vulnerable Populations, Wayne State University, 2007

Daniel L. Sanchez is an engineer and energy systems analyst studying the commercialization and deployment of energy technologies that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Sanchez’s work and engagement spans the academic, nongovernmental, and governmental sectors. As an Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist, he runs the Carbon Removal Lab, which aims to commercialize sustainable negative emissions technologies, and supports outreach to policymakers and technologists in California and across the United States. Prior to joining the faculty of UC Berkeley, Daniel was a AAAS Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow serving in the Office of Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO). He has previously held positions with the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Green for All, and the California Public Utilities Commission. He holds a PhD and MS from UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, and a BSE in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Education
Ph.D., Energy and Resources, University of California-Berkeley, 2015
M.S., Energy and Resources, University of California-Berkeley, 2013
B.S.E., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 2010

Research Interests / Specializations:
carbon dioxide removal, energy systems modeling, bioenergy, climate policy

Josh Bledsoe is counsel in the Environment, Land & Resources Department. His practice focuses on complex infrastructure and development projects, particularly those utilizing renewable or low-carbon technologies. He has broad experience in the permitting, entitlement, environmental review, and financing of cleantech projects; and also handles related administrative and judicial challenges.

Mr. Bledsoe has deep experience with climate change law, including California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (commonly known as “AB 32”) and associated Air Resources Board regulations such as the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the Cap-and-Trade Program. He guides clients to monetize the low-carbon attributes of their products or services under various carbon pricing and regulatory regimes. He also possesses in-depth knowledge of the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act (and its state and local counterparts throughout California), the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act and the Warren-Alquist Act (including the siting procedures of the California Energy Commission).

Mr. Bledsoe also has experience in the permitting and development of energy projects, both fossil fuel fired and renewable. He has obtained federal, state, and local approvals for such projects, crafting innovative solutions to environmental and resource problems. He also possesses extensive transactional experience, having represented buyers, sellers, and lenders in matters involving environmental liabilities related to real estate and business transactions, complicated mergers and acquisitions, and access to capital markets.

Mr. Bledsoe currently serves both on Latham’s Sustainability Steering Committee and the Advisory Council for Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy.

Paola Mellow is the Executive Director of the Clean Fuels Standards team at Environment and Climate Change Canada, where she is responsible for developing and implementing the Clean Fuel Standard regulations, a key part of the Government of Canada’s Pan Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

Prior to taking over responsibility for the development of the Clean Fuel Standard regulations, Paola has been responsible for developing number of other key climate change policies as Director of the Electricity and Combustion Division, including greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations that will accelerate the phase-out coal-fired electricity in Canada by 2030, regulations for natural gas-fired electricity, and output-based standards for electricity under the federal carbon pricing system.

Paola graduated from the University of Victoria with a Masters degree in Economics, and combines a strong analytical background with people management excellence to advance Environment and Climate Change Canada’s reputation as a world class regulator.

Brad Neff began his professional career in Washington, D.C. preparing expert witness reports for energy-related proceedings at the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), International Trade Commission (ITC), and various other federal and state commissions and courts. Brad went on to advise California-based executives at PG&E and Chevron on carbon pricing strategies, cap and trade implementation, global voluntary carbon credit markets and low-carbon fuel regulations. Brad currently heads up the low-carbon fuel strategy and business development for Radicle, a leading Climate Change solutions company.

Brad holds a masters’ degrees in business from HEC Paris and undergraduate degrees in economics and finance from the University of Utah.

Benoit Charette was born in Saint-Jérôme on July 19, 1976. He has been the MNA for Deux-Montagnes, in the Laurentides, since December 8, 2008, and has been the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change since January 8, 2019. He has also been the Minister Responsible for the Laval Region since August 29, 2020 and the Minister Responsible for the Fight against Racism since February 24, 2021.

Mr. Charette is a graduate of the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) and the Université du Québec à Montréal. He quickly became involved in the international scene. After serving as a volunteer cooperant in Haiti in 1995, he worked at the Québec Government Office in Mexico City and the Ministère des Relations internationales du Québec. He subsequently became programs manager at the Intergovernmental Agency of La Francophonie (AIF).

A socially involved citizen, he was director general of the Forum jeunesse des Laurentides from 2003 to 2005. He then served as local programs manager at the Léger Foundation until 2008. Over the years, he has been a member of the boards of directors of several community organizations.

Mr. Charette has held numerous positions at the National Assembly of Québec, including executive director of the cabinets of the Whip and of the Second Opposition Group Leader from 2012 to 2014. Prior to his appointment to the Council of Ministers, he chaired the Committee on Institutions and was also a member of the Committee on the National Assembly and the Committee on Culture and Education.
Mr. Charette is the father of three children.

Nathaniel Keohane is an economist, advocate, and expert on climate, environment, and energy issues in the United States and globally. Dr. Keohane is Senior Vice President for Climate at Environmental Defense Fund, a leading nonprofit advocacy organization based in New York. In 2011-2012, he served in the Obama Administration as Special Assistant to the President for Energy and Environment in the National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council, where he helped to develop and coordinate administration policy on a wide range of energy and environmental issues. Prior to joining the Administration, Dr. Keohane was Director of Economic Policy and Analysis and then Chief Economist at EDF, playing a lead role in efforts to enact comprehensive cap-and-trade legislation in Congress. Dr. Keohane is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University, and a past Senior Fellow and Lecturer in Global Affairs at Yale University’s Jackson Institute. Before joining EDF in 2007, Dr. Keohane was an Associate Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management. His research in environmental economics has been published in prominent academic journals, and he is the co-author of Markets and the Environment (2nd ed., Island Press, 2015), and co-editor of Economics of Environmental Law (Edward Elgar, 2009). He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2001, and his B.A. from Yale College in 1993. He lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters.

Shelby has worked on climate at the California Air Resources Board for over a decade and a half with a focus on natural and working lands policy and ecosystem carbon quantification. During her time at the Agency, she has served as Chief of the Climate Investments Branch responsible for the development, implementation, and coordination of the California Climate Investments Program, Chief of the Program Operations Section implementing the Cap-and-Trade auctions, and Manager overseeing development of compliance offset protocols and Cap-and-Trade regulatory provisions. Currently Shelby is the Manager of the Cap-and-Trade Offset Program and the natural and working lands coordinator for the Agency, working with multiple State agencies to assess technical and policy approaches for integrating lands into the State’s climate policy including carbon neutrality.

Robert Parkhurst has more than 25 years of experience designing and implementing environmental markets. His work on offset markets started more than 15 years when he was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to serve on the Board of Directors of the California Climate Action Registry. In that capacity, he approved the first version of the Forest Project Protocol. Since then, Mr. Parkhurst has been involved in the development of more than 10 offset protocols from refrigerant destruction to landfill gas destruction to more than seven different agriculture focused protocols.

In 2019, Mr. Parkhurst founded Sierra View Solutions to help companies design and implement environmental, sustainability and circular economy programs. His primary focus is working at the interface of agriculture, policy, and environmental markets where he helps create new revenue streams for food companies, farmers, ranchers and forest owners. Mr. Parkhurst’s team rapidly researches and analyzes the critical needs of organizations, identifies new business opportunities, develops concrete programs and implementation plans, and identifies partners, stakeholders and thought leaders to help organizations become the industry sustainability leaders. His clients include government agencies, nonprofits, and private companies.

Prior to founding Sierra View Solutions, Mr. Parkhurst spent six years at the Environmental Defense Fund where he implemented data and metrics programs that encouraged farmers and ranchers to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their operations. The GHG reductions were provided or sold to companies to meet their voluntary or regulatory emission targets, including Walmart, Campbell’s, Microsoft, and Smithfield. Mr. Parkhurst’s approach and analyses have been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, including Climate Policy and Rangeland Ecology & Management.

Mr. Parkhurst worked at Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) where he led the company’s ClimateSmart™ program, a first-of-its-kind voluntary program that allowed PG&E customers to balance out the GHG emissions from their home or company. This included the purchase of more than two million tons of carbon offsets on behalf of PG&E’s customers and promotion of the program externally with business, environmental, and community leaders.

Mr. Parkhurst has been widely recognized for his environmental expertise. He received a Climate Protection Award from the U.S. EPA for his leadership on climate change. In 2013 and 2016, he received “CARROT” awards from the Climate Action Reserve for his work developing credible, accurate, and consistent GHG reporting standards. The American Carbon Registry awarded him with their Innovation award in 2015.

Mr. Parkhurst has served on multiple boards identifying and implementing climate change solutions. He co-chaired a California Air Resources Board (CARB) to co-chair a committee to develop a long-term research plan to identify the science to reduce emissions from dairy manure and enteric fermentation (cow burps). He was appointed to the CARB’s Compliance Offset Protocol Task Force representing the agricultural community. The Task Force identified and recommended new Compliance Offset Protocols for use in California’s Cap-and-Trade Program between 2021 and 2030. Mr. Parkhurst currently serves on the Board of the Clean Power Alliance which purchases electricity for approximately three million customers across 32 communities throughout Southern California. He is also on the City Council for the City of Sierra Madre.

Nancy Sutley is LADWP’s Senior Assistant General Manager of External and Regulatory Affairs, and the Chief Sustainability Officer. In thisese roles, Ms. Sutley oversees the Department’s customer service operations, energy efficiency and water conservation programs, environmental regulation, public affairs and legislative teams. Over the course of her tenure with the Department, Ms. Sutley has initiated LADWP’s corporate sustainability programs, spearheaded LADWP’s La Kretz Innovation Campus, promoted the electrification of the transportation network and coordinated the Clean Grid LA plan.

Prior to joining LADWP in 2014, Ms. Sutley served as Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Under her leadership, the Council played a central role in shepherding the Obama Administration’s signature environmental projects and was one of the chief architects of President Obama’s 2013 Climate Action Plan.
Ms. Sutley has an extensive background in public service that includes posts as Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment for the City of Los Angeles, Board Member of the Metropolitan Water District, Member of the California State Water Resources Control Board, Energy Advisor for California Governor Gray Davis, Deputy Secretary for Policy and Intergovernmental Relations at the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Senior Policy Advisor for the US EPA during the Clinton Administration.

Ms. Sutley holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University.

Jon Costantino is the founder and Principal of his own regulatory consultancy and advocacy firm—Tradesman Advisors, Inc. He has 27 years of regulatory experience both within Government and in the private sector. He was the original Climate Change Planning Manager for the California Air Resources Board and oversaw the first publication of the State’s economy-wide climate policy document—the AB 32 Scoping Plan.

Prior to founding his own firm, Jon built and managed a climate change regulatory practice for a diverse portfolio of clients at a national law firm. He also was the lead legislative analyst at CARB, where he focused on energy and transportation fuels, after a decade working as an Air Quality Engineer at one of California’s local air quality management districts.

He was also appointed to two terms by Governor Brown as a Board Member on the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. The appointment allowed him to work closely with agricultural and domestic water users, and industries discharging waste, to protect and ensure water quality, within California’s Central Valley region.

During his career, Jon has gained in-depth insights about the complexities of California’s diverse set of industries, including: agriculture, construction, energy production and distribution, transportation and goods movement, consumer products and transportation fuels.

With an insider’s perspective, and decades of practical experience, he has become a sought-after source of information and opinion by both mainstream and industry-specific media as a recognized authority on climate change regulation and policy. His approach to solving problems includes working with agencies to craft solution-oriented policy and regulatory positions, and conveying them to industry through clear communications.

Joseph S. Shapiro is Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in Agricultural & Resource Economics and the Department of Economics. He also serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Political Economy, Co-Editor of the Journal of Public Economics, Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and Research Associate at the Energy Institute at Haas. His research agenda focuses on three general questions: (1) How do international trade policy and environmental policy interact? (2) What are the costs, benefits, and incidence of water pollution and other environmental policy? (3) How important are the investments that people make to protect themselves against air pollution and climate change? Shapiro has received an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and Marshall Scholarship, and funding from the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. He was previously Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Yale. Shapiro holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT, Masters degrees from Oxford and LSE, and a BA from Stanford.

Ed is one of the leaders of Indigo’s carbon initiative, which is focused on advancing agriculture to address climate change. Indigo Carbon, one of the company’s core businesses, supports farmers in adopting beneficial growing practices that reduce farming emissions, restore soil health, and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and connects them with companies seeking to offset their carbon footprint through the purchase of high quality, rigorously verified carbon credits. As VP of Indigo Carbon, Ed is responsible for helping leading brands diversify their environmental and social good strategies by investing in agriculture as a climate solution through Indigo Carbon.

Prior to Indigo, Ed worked at Wayfair, where he was the General Manager for Wayfair’s Canadian business. Previous to his time at Wayfair, Ed was a Principal with the Boston Consulting Group.

Karen has over 25 years of experience in agricultural greenhouse gas measurement, modeling, and climate change/environmental policy development – spanning her tenure at the provincial Department of Agriculture in Alberta, then at the not-for-profit Climate Change Central, and now in the private sector. During her tenure with the province, Karen was part of the cross-governmental team that developed Alberta’s Bioenergy Policy Framework, which was approved by cabinet in 2008. This framework set the stage for Alberta’s Bioenergy Program administered by the Department of Energy. Karen also led ecosystem goods and service policy and program development, in concert with other federal, provincial, and territorial governments under Canada’s Agriculture Policy Frameworks. In her earlier years with the provincial department of agriculture, she conducted research and studies of environmental mitigation opportunities for agriculture in air, water, soil and biodiversity

Her most significant contribution while she worked in the public and not-for-profit sectors was her work at a national level, with federal-provincial and territorial governments on the Canadian National Offset Quantification Team (NOQT). Karen, through her capacity on the Team, designed the protocol development process, represented the agricultural sector in Canada, and coordinated the development of several agricultural quantification protocols. In 2007, Karen was seconded to Climate Change Central, a not-for-profit established by the Government of Alberta. There, Karen led the implementation of the necessary market processes, infrastructure, and tools needed to get the Alberta Carbon Offset Market off the ground. In that role, Karen and her Team leveraged the previous NOQT work to help build sound rules, platforms, science-based quantification protocols, tools, and infrastructure (e.g. registry) needed to facilitate the development of a Carbon Offset Market in Alberta.

Currently, Karen is President of Viresco Solutions Inc. – a network of leading advisors making sustainability real for public and private clients in the agriculture, energy, and food sectors across North America and globally. Our team of experts enables our clients to meet their environmental, social, and economic sustainability objectives by leveraging our knowledge and experience in environmental policy, markets, and economics. Viresco Solutions provides clients from across North America with support from strategy and policy development through to project implementation and Measuring, Reporting, and Verification platforms.

Karen obtained a Biological Sciences Diploma from NAIT, BSc in Plant Sciences, and MSc in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University of Alberta. Karen is also a registered Professional Agrologist with the Alberta Institute of Agrology. Karen can be reached at [email protected]

Tauni Berger is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Xpansiv market CBL, the leading spot exchange for ESG commodities. She leads strategy and business development for the transportation sector, focusing on aviation, road freight, and maritime. Tauni is passionate about helping businesses deliver on their net-zero commitments using proven offsets and differentiated fuels.

Nancy N. Young is the Vice President of Environmental Affairs at Airlines for America® (A4A). An environmental attorney, Ms. Young directs A4A’s environmental sustainability programs. She serves on the steering group and as sustainability co-lead of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative® (CAAFI), which is working to hasten the deployment of commercially viable, environmentally preferred alternative jet fuels, and the Advisory Committee of the Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment (also known as the “Aviation Sustainability Center” or “ASCENT”). In addition, she participates in the working groups under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection and serves on the Board of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).

From 2015 through 2016, Ms. Young served on the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group for Sustainable Transport. Prior to her current engagement with A4A, Young was a principal/partner at the law firm of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., where she was co-chair of the firm’s climate change and waste management and recycling practices. Ms. Young holds a BA from The College of William & Mary and a JD cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Kristin is based in Trinidad and Tobago and supports the work of our Climate Diplomacy Team with Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Prior to joining Climate Analytics, Kristin worked with Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, D.C. on carbon markets. She closely followed the Article 6 negotiations under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement and also served as an expert in the development of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Prior to that, Kristin worked with the Global Island Partnership and UNDP Barbados & the OECS on climate change and sustainable development in SIDS.

Kristin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from St. John’s University and a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies where she focused on international climate policy.

Wade Crowfoot was appointed California’s Natural Resources Secretary by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2019.

Secretary Crowfoot oversees an agency of 19,000 employees who protect and manage California’s natural resources. This includes 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.

Secretary Crowfoot believes good natural resources management helps natural places thrive and allows communities and our economy to prosper. His key priorities include:
• Building California’s resilience to climate change-driven threats, including wildfire, drought, flooding and sea-level rise.
• Expanding access to parks, natural places and outdoor recreation for all Californians.
• Preserving California’s world-renowned biodiversity of plants and animals.

Prior to leading the Natural Resources Agency, Crowfoot served as chief executive officer of the Water Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropy that builds shared water solutions across the American West. Before that Crowfoot served in Governor Jerry Brown’s Administration as deputy cabinet secretary and senior advisor to the Governor. He also previously served as West Coast regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund and a senior environmental advisor to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Secretary 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, graduating with honors.

A native of Michigan, Crowfoot grew up spending his summers outdoors at a YMCA camp and at his family’s remote cabin in Northern Ontario. Upon moving to California in the mid-1990s, he became an avid hiker and backpacker and marks his first time in the redwoods at Big Basin State Park as one of his defining California moments. Now he spends his time outside of work hiking and camping with his wife, Lisa, and their young daughter.

Appointed December 2020 by Governor Gavin Newsom

Liane Randolph has been appointed Chair of the California Air Resources Board. Randolph has been a Commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2015. She was Deputy Secretary and General Counsel at the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011 to 2014 and an Attorney at Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman from 2007 to 2011. She served as Chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission from 2003 to 2007, where she also served as a Staff Attorney from 1996 to 1997. Randolph served as San Leandro City Attorney and was a Principal at Meyers Nave from 2000 to 2003, where she was an Associate from 1997 to 2000. She was an Attorney at Remcho, Johansen and Purcell from 1994 to 1996 and an Associate at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips from 1993 to 1994. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Lambert Schneider is Research Coordinator for International Climate Policy at Öko-Institut. Since 2001, he is actively involved in international climate negoti-ations including as Party delegate, co-facilitator, observer and UNFCCC staff. His research focus is GHG accounting and carbon markets. He is also member of the Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and served as Chair and Vice-Chair. Previously, he was associate at Stockholm Environment Institute and led a team at the UNFCCC secretariat which sup-ported the international climate negotiations and methodological work related to the CDM.

Executive Director, Commodity Origination, Standard Chartered
 
Chris joined Standard Chartered in 2011 and provides commodity risk management services to the Bank’s clients across EMEA. He is currently a member of the operating team for the Taskforce for Scaling the Voluntary Carbon Markets, chaired by SCB’s CEO, Bill Winters as well as the CLPC’s Net Zero Taskforce and the SMI’s Financial Services Taskforce. Chris’s experience in the commodity industry spans over 25 years in sales and trading. At Standard Chartered, he built up the Bank’s energy risk management platform, providing services for state-owned and merchant refiners, oil producers, airlines, utilities and shipping companies.
 
Previously Chris was with Barclays where he was Global Head of Environmental Markets Sales and before that at Merrill Lynch where he traded power, gas and set up their carbon emissions trading desk. He was a founder member of the Carbon Markets and Investors Association (CMIA) and was the Chairman of Power Trading Forum a division of the Futures and Options Association (FOA). He also worked as a base metals trader for a number of years before moving to energy. Chris has a strong understanding of commodity trade flows, managing price risk and working with clients across commodities

Craig Ebert serves as the President of the Climate Action Reserve where he is responsible for ensuring that the organization’s activities meet the highest standards for quality, transparency and environmental integrity. He oversees the organization’s continued leadership and commitment to ensuring offsets are a trusted and powerful economic tool for reducing emissions. In his role, he also leads the organization in identifying and entering into other opportunities that build upon the its knowledge and expertise and further its work under its mission and vision.

During his career, he has helped create the foundations for international, national and state policies to address climate change. He supported U.S. negotiations on international climate change agreements, including negotiations leading up to the creation and signing of the Kyoto Protocol, and helped develop the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) provisions under the protocol. Craig’s work also involved pioneering efforts on carbon accounting principles and methodologies. He served as the technical director of Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, which was adopted by the IPCC as its GHG Inventory Programme, and was a key architect behind the development of the official U.S. national GHG inventory to meet commitments under the UNFCCC.

Prior to joining the Reserve, Craig advised the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) and served at ICF for nearly 34 years.

Randall N. Lack, Founder & Co-President, Element Markets

Randy Lack has been a successful entrepreneur within the environmental commodity and alternative energy industries for over two decades. In 2005, he founded Element Markets, the leading developer and supplier of environmental commodities in North America, and currently serves as Co-President. Upon founding the company, Mr. Lack served as the Managing Director over the Environmental Commodity division, which is the largest in North America. Under his leadership, Element Markets has been the most decorated firm in the space, including being recognized as “Emissions House of the Year” by Energy Risk an unprecedented four times (2010, 2014, 2018, 2020), in addition to being the inaugural “Environmental Products House of the Year” in 2019. Randy has also guided Element Markets in building the largest independent portfolio of renewable natural gas, including landfill gas, wastewater treatment, and anaerobic digestion sources. His extensive experience in structuring environmental commodity transactions including biogas, emissions, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas credits has eclipsed $3 billion in total transactions completed, which has led him to be recognized as one of the top executives in the environmental commodity marketplace.

Mr. Lack is an acclaimed speaker and media resource in the areas of biogas, renewable energy, greenhouse gas, and emission trading markets. He serves on several boards including Rice University’s Professional Science Master’s Program and was a founding Board Member for the Renewable Natural Gas Coalition. Randy has been recognized with the “40 Under 40” award by Houston Business Journal for his work and leadership in the community. Mr. Lack received his BBA in Business, magna cum laude, from the University of Houston.

Chief Business Officer, Board Member, ClimeCo

Derek joined ClimeCo in 2015 after serving as CEO of Environmental Credit Corp. He has been working in environmental markets since 2006. He leads ClimeCo’s ODS Destruction program and has completed more than 30 ODS Destruction projects. Derek is also the Managing Director of the ClimeCo Environmental Fund I, L.P., an environmental private equity fund managed by ClimeCo. Derek has been deeply involved in Cap and Trade policy and Offset policy, including co-founding the Carbon Offset Provider’s Coalition (COPC) and participating in the Compliance Offset Developer’s Association (CODA), the Verified Emission Reduction Association (VERA), the Climate Action Reserve ODS workgroup, and many other policy and trade associations. He has produced several research studies, articles, and blogs involving climate change policy, cap-and-trade design, and the roles of voluntary and compliance offsets, and authors ClimeCo’s Monthly Market update. Derek has in the Pennsylvania State University’s Energy and Sustainability Policy degree program and continues to guest-lecture and participate in programs at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.

Chelsea serves as Managing Director of Global Markets and Strategy at Radicle, possessing over 10 years of experience in commodity markets, investments, and trading. Chelsea’s areas of focus include carbon market design, environmental commodity generation, transaction structures, and hedging strategy.

Prior to joining Radicle, she led a team focused on environmental commodity advisory services and managed the environmental commodity portfolio for a large regulated entity with operations throughout North America. When she’s not expounding on carbon markets for Radicle’s roster of clients, Chelsea loves being surrounded by nature on the acreage where she abides.

B.S. Business and Environmental Studies, University of Southern California

Sean manages Finite’s portfolio and OTC transactions in addition to overseeing Finite’s overall operations. He was a broker at CantorCO2e where he worked with clients to facilitate structured carbon offset transactions from forestry, livestock management, landfill gas, and renewable energy projects. Prior to CantorCO2e, Sean was one of the first employees of Carbonfund.org, where he worked with Dell, Volkswagen, and Orbitz to develop and manage their carbon neutral programs. Sean is one of the offset industry’s most seasoned transaction specialists.

Craig Ebert serves as the President of the Climate Action Reserve where he is responsible for ensuring that the organization’s activities meet the highest standards for quality, transparency and environmental integrity. He oversees the organization’s continued leadership and commitment to ensuring offsets are a trusted and powerful economic tool for reducing emissions. In his role, he also leads the organization in identifying and entering into other opportunities that build upon the its knowledge and expertise and further its work under its mission and vision.

During his career, he has helped create the foundations for international, national and state policies to address climate change. He supported U.S. negotiations on international climate change agreements, including negotiations leading up to the creation and signing of the Kyoto Protocol, and helped develop the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) provisions under the protocol. Craig’s work also involved pioneering efforts on carbon accounting principles and methodologies. He served as the technical director of Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, which was adopted by the IPCC as its GHG Inventory Programme, and was a key architect behind the development of the official U.S. national GHG inventory to meet commitments under the UNFCCC.

Prior to joining the Reserve, Craig advised the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) and served at ICF for nearly 34 years.

As Chief Program Officer, Naomi oversees Verra’s portfolio of standards, leading implementation and evolution of Verra programs, including those related to REDD+ and AFOLU, and provides strategic input to organizational opportunities and challenges.

Naomi also supervises the ongoing development of standards frameworks including LandScale, a new initiative which provides outcome-based metrics for assessing sustainable production at the landscape scale. In addition, she works to establish and oversee key partnerships for existing and new frameworks, including with donors, host countries and business and NGO partners.

Naomi has been with Verra since 2009 and previously served as Chief Market Development Officer and Director for Land-based Frameworks, among other roles. She oversaw the development of the Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) framework, and managed the evolution of the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) Requirements, which is now the preeminent global carbon accounting standard for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) projects. Naomi led the expansion of the AFOLU standard to include peatlands, wetlands, grasslands, and shrublands, as well as a number of additional tools, updates, and improvements to the AFOLU Requirements.

Before joining Verra, Naomi focused on quality assurance for VCS, Gold Standard, and CDM projects with South Pole Carbon and provided program coordination for climate change and environmental services programs with Conservation International. She has worked on climate and environment-related issues for more than 15 years. Naomi holds a Master’s degree in International Development, with a focus on Environmental Policy, from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.

As Program Director for the Climate Action Reserve, Rob directs implementation of the Reserve’s various project registry services including the voluntary offset project registry, the Reserve’s role as a California Offset Project Registry, and Climate Forward. His responsibilities include overseeing staff that provide support for offset project reporting, verification, and registration; leading the development and delivery of all Reserve programs; and ensuring effective and efficient processes across the programs. Rob is also responsible for managing the Reserve’s verification accreditation program, which includes managing the Reserve’s relationship with verification bodies and international accreditation bodies.

Rob has been with the Reserve since 2011 serving in various roles within the Programs team, with particular areas of interest in forest, livestock methane, ozone depleting substances, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and land use and agriculture. Rob received a Master of Environmental Management from the Nicholas School at Duke University with an International Development Policy Certificate from the Sanford School of Public Policy and a B.S. in Operations Research from Columbia University.

Director of Disruption Technologies, ENGIE Impact

Kim Carnahan is Director of Disruption Technologies at ENGIE Impact – the advisory arm of global energy company ENGIE Group. She oversees the firm’s advisory services related to alternative fuels and environmental attribute commodities, including offsets. She and her team also manage the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA), a joint initiative of Environmental Defense Fund, RMI, and several of the world’s leading companies to create a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certificate system, driving decarbonization in the aviation sector.

Previous to joining ENGIE Impact, Kim most recently served as the United States Chief Negotiator for climate change, and over nearly a decade at the State Department, she managed the teams that negotiated the Paris Agreement and the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Agreement for International Aviation (CORSIA). Prior to her time at State, Kim was International Policy Director at the International Emissions Trading Association where she advocated for over market-based solutions to climate change.

Jan Mazurek, PhD directs ClimateWorks’ Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Fund. She has worked on energy and environmental policy at the federal and state level for more than 25 years. Prior to ClimateWorks, then-Governor Schwarzenegger (R-CA) appointed her to serve as Senior Policy Advisor to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Before CARB, Mazurek was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, advising on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency toxics, pesticides, and children’s health issues. She has published two books with the MIT Press and Johns Hopkins University presses, respectively, and more than 100 other publications, including op-eds in major U.S. newspapers. Dr. Mazurek also has testified on environmental policy matters before U.S. Congressional subcommittees. She holds a doctorate from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Mireille is an experienced climate change advisor and consultant with 6 years of experience providing strategic advisory to governments and the private sector. She is an expert in carbon markets, climate finance and international cooperation mechanisms. Mireille has supported several companies in the design of carbon procurement strategies, as well as providing advisory for the identification of investment opportunities for technological removals in voluntary markets. Before joining South Pole she was employed by the Mexican Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) where she followed the Paris Agreement negotiations, particularly on market-based mechanisms and climate finance.

Stacy Kauk, P.Eng. is the Director of Shopify’s Sustainability Fund and joined in January 2020. She also serves on the advisory board of the Carbon Management Research Initiative (CaMRI) at Columbia University. Prior to joining Shopify, Stacy was head of the Ozone Layer Protection Program at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Previously, Stacy worked on several chemicals management regulatory initiatives and represented Canada as a member of delegations for the Stockholm Convention and Montreal Protocol.

Stacy began her career as a practicing engineer designing environmental protection measures and pollution prevention controls for a variety of industry sectors. She has worked for the City of Ottawa, Morrison Hershfield, and Golder Associates. Stacy holds a Bachelor of Engineering and Masters in Public Administration from Carleton University.

Ugbaad Kosar is the deputy director of policy at Carbon180. She drives Carbon180’s federal policy work, leading the organization’s environmental justice initiative and broader forestry and land-based efforts. Ugbaad previously worked in international forestry and wastewater treatment and holds a dual M.Sc. in Forest Sciences and Renewable Resource Management.

Matthew Hurteau is an Associate Professor of Quantitative Ecology in the Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico. His research focus is on understanding how climate change and disturbance alter the distribution of tree species and carbon dynamics across landscapes. He works extensively with land managers and policymakers at the local, state, and federal level to facilitate science informing decision-making. http://www.hurteaulab.org/

I am a forester who seeks lasting solutions to sustainable rural communities and ecosystems. I develop and implement market mechanisms that result in healthy and resilient ecosystems. I create tools to quantify, monitor, and verify management actions and market activities that sequester carbon, improve biodiversity, and enhance long-term economic outcomes.

I received a CARROT award from the Climate Action Reserve in 2005 for pioneering work on the California’s first forest carbon offset protocol. I have worked with many passionate individuals and organizations since then to expand market mechanisms in Mexico and the United States for agroforestry, reforestation, urban forestry,

I love the kinship I share with people in forests at home and abroad, of diverse ethnic groups and economic classes, when it comes to the ‘simple’ discovery of a rare animal track, sharing visions for forest restoration and sustainable management, observing fish deep in forested landscapes, where ecosystems that include humans within them appear destined for a healthy and resilient future.

Malcolm North is a Research Forest Ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, and an Affiliate Professor of Forest Ecology, Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis. He received his Master of Forest Science at Yale University and his PhD in Forest Ecology from the University of Washington. His research includes work on examining forest restoration and ecosystem response, wildlife, wildfire and forest carbon dynamics published in more than 170 articles. His lab (students and postdocs) primarily focus on forest and fire ecology of Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests.

Carol Ekarius has been the Executive Director for the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) since 1999. In 2014, CUSP’s board and management created a new nonprofit, Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc (COCO) to help grow more CUSP-like watershed groups, and she serves as the CEO of COCO. Over her tenure, CUSP and COCO have worked extensively on forest health and wildfire issues, and began focusing on the carbon-market potential in this arena in 2014. Carol brings decades of experience in governmental and nonprofit management. Carol is also a freelance writer and the author of nine books, covering topics in sustainable, small-scale agriculture and farming and environmental solutions.

Stella Li is Senior Vice President of BYD Company Limited and President of BYD Motors LLC. She is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and long-term strategic planning for BYD’s North American and Latin American operations. Under Stella’s leadership, BYD has achieved exponential international market growth and became a dominant global force in clean technology and consumer electronics.

BYD Motors LLC is an American manufacturing company and a wholly owned subsidiary of BYD Company Ltd, a global technology company with over $18B in revenue annually and over 220,000 employees across the globe. BYD was founded in 1995 as a battery manufacturer and advanced consumer electronics company. In 2003, BYD entered the automotive market and began to apply its battery expertise to the challenge of transportation, becoming the largest domestic car manufacturer in China. BYD’s unique combination of battery and automotive experience is now revolutionizing every aspect of clean transportation, with a product line of 100% electric buses, trucks, forklifts, passenger vehicles, and monorail systems. BYD’s clean energy division also produces energy storage systems, solar panels, and LED lights.

Stella successfully launched BYD’s cutting-edge technology products into markets across the globe. In September 1996, Stella joined BYD as a Marketing Manager. She established the first overseas office in Hong Kong in 1997, the European headquarters in Amsterdam in 1999, and the North American headquarters for batteries and consumer electronics in Chicago in 2000. In 2002, she helped develop the partnership between BYD and Motorola, providing the latter with mobile phone batteries and a wide range of components and parts. As the architect of BYD’s thriving expansions in the Americas, Stella established the company’s North American clean energy and transportation headquarters in Los Angeles in 2011 and its manufacturing in 2013 for electric buses, trucks, and energy modules in Los Angeles County.

Stella earned her B.A. in Statistics from Fudan University – one of the top 5 universities in China and among the most selective institutions of higher learning in the world. She was appointed as Vice President of BYD Company Limited in 2002 and Senior Vice President in 2006. Since 2007, she has focused on BYD’s business development throughout the Americas.

Analisa Bevan is Assistant Division Chief of the Sustainable Transportation and Communities Division at the California Air Resources Board. She oversees the development and implementation of light duty vehicle regulations including the Advanced Clean Cars and Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Regulations and the programs and policies that support their implementation. She has been with the Board since 1992. Ms. Bevan holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Joel is an advocate for low-carbon technologies and a frequent speaker and writer on topics relating to electric vehicles, clean energy, water policy and climate policy. He is focused on continuing to build Plug In America as the leading independent voice for electric vehicles in the United States. Prior to joining Plug In America, he served as vice president for business development at the Climate Action Reserve, the state-chartered nonprofit that runs North America’s largest carbon offset registry. He has an MBA from UC Berkeley and an MA in international economics from the Johns Hopkins University. He drives a Nissan LEAF and mostly charges at home on a Clipper Creek HCS-50 Level 2 charging station.

Eric Seilo is currently a Senior Manager in SCE’s eMobility team which develops new utility programs and influences emerging state policies that incentivize greater EV adoption and use. Since joining SCE in 2011, Eric has led diverse teams responsible for requesting more than $1.4 billion at the Public Utilities Commission to accelerate the deployment of light-duty, medium-duty, heavy-duty and non-road goods movement electric vehicles across Southern California. Eric also helped design and develop the California Clean Fuel Reward and other utility-specific EV rebate programs funded by California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Eric holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from the University of Southern California.

Mandela Barnes serves as Wisconsin’s 45th Lieutenant Governor. He was elected on November 8, 2018. He is the first African American to serve as a Lieutenant Governor in Wisconsin, and the second African American to ever hold statewide office.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Lt. Gov. Barnes is the son of a public-school teacher and a manufacturing assembly line worker—both union members to whom he credits with shaping his worldview. A proud product of Milwaukee Public Schools, he graduated from John Marshall High School in 2003.

Lt. Gov. Barnes is a graduate of Alabama A&M University. After college, he worked for various political campaigns and in the city of Milwaukee mayor’s office, and then as an organizer for Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope, a Milwaukee-based interfaith coalition that advocates for social justice.

In 2012, at the age of 25, Lt. Gov. Barnes was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, where he served two terms. His time in the State Assembly included serving as Chair of the Legislature’s Black and Latino Caucus and becoming a recognized leader on progressive economic policies and gun violence prevention legislation.

Within his current role, Lt. Gov. Barnes serves as the Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change and also serves on the Governor’s Health Equity Council, Wisconsin Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Wisconsin Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force, Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability, and the statewide 2020 Census Complete Count Committee.

The lieutenant governor uses a platform of sustainability and equity to fight for solutions that invest in opportunities and fairness for every child, person, and family in Wisconsin, regardless of zip code.

Catherine Reheis-Boyd has served as the President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) since January 1, 2010. She oversees the trade organization’s operations and advocacy in five Western states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon. Over her 31-year career at WSPA, Ms. Reheis-Boyd has held a variety of leadership roles, including a 2003 appointment as Chief of Staff and subsequent promotions to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining WSPA, Ms. Reheis-Boyd was with Getty Oil and Texaco working on environmental compliance at the Kern River Field in Bakersfield, California.

She currently manages a broad range of Association activities, including legislative and regulatory issues associated with transportation fuels policy, air and water quality, climate change, renewable fuels and alternative energy issues, crude oil and natural gas production and many other issues in WSPA’s five states, and beyond those borders into Canada and abroad.

In 2016, Ms. Reheis-Boyd was named Distinguished Woman and Petroleum Advocate of the Year by the California Latino Leadership Institute.

Ms. Reheis-Boyd received her Bachelors of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and pursued postgraduate studies in environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.

The Western States Petroleum Association represents major integrated petroleum companies, independent refiners and oil and natural gas producers that explore for, produce, transport, refine and market petroleum, petroleum products, and natural gas as well as advanced alternative and renewable transportation fuels in the West. On behalf of the industry, WSPA works to encourage public policies that promote socially and environmentally responsible economic growth and prosperity.

Dr. Julio Friedmann is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Global Clean Energy Policy at Columbia University, where he leads a new initiative in carbon management. Recently, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy, where he held responsibility for DOE’s R&D program in advanced fossil energy systems, carbon capture, and storage (CCS), CO2 utilization, and clean coal deployment. He has also held positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Senior Advisor for Energy Innovation and Chief Energy Technologist, is a Distinguished Associate at the Energy Futures Initiative, and serves as a special advisor to the Global CCS Institute.

Dr. Friedmann is one of the most widely known and authoritative experts in the U.S. on carbon removal (CO2 drawdown from the air and oceans), CO2 conversion and use (carbon-to-value & CO2 recycling), and carbon capture and sequestration. His expertise includes industrial decarbonization, hydrogen production & use, conventional and unconventional oil and gas systems and international clean energy systems (including China, Europe, and the Middle East). Dr. Friedmann also serves as Scientific Advisor of Carbon Direct (a company dedicated to growth and deployment of CO2 removal technology and services) and is CEO of Carbon Wrangler, LLC (a consultancy). He serves on advisory boards for several companies focused on carbon capture, removal, and use.

Dr. Friedmann received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), followed by a Ph.D. in Geology at the University of Southern California. He worked for five years as a senior research scientist at ExxonMobil, then as a research scientist at the University of Maryland.

Jean-Philippe Brisson is a lawyer ranked nationally and globally who advises oil and gas, power, industrial, and financial institution clients on a wide range of energy and environmental matters, including carbon capture and sequestration and carbon neutrality.

Mr. Brisson is a partner in Latham & Watkins’ Environmental, Land & Resources Department where he serves as Global Co-Chair of the Environmental Regulation & Transactions Practice. He is one of the most experienced attorneys in the US in the climate change and carbon neutrality areas. Mr. Brisson is recognized by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, and Who’s Who Legal and is the recipient of a 2012 Burton Award for Legal Achievement. He is a registered lobbyist in California where he represents clients before the State Legislature and State Agencies.

Mr. Brisson was previously Vice President in Goldman Sachs’ Global Commodities business where he helped establish Goldman’s US carbon trading desk and worked on a number of private equity transactions. Over his career, he has diligenced, negotiated, structured, and drafted more than 200 environmental commodities transactions and has advised clients on environmental issues in more than 150 M&A, private equity, and banking transactions.

Mr. Brisson currently represents the FivePoint Holdings on the design of NetZero Newhall, the largest carbon neutral city in the world, Microsoft on the deployment of its $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund, and Occidental Petroleum on a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project in Texas.

Mr. Brisson is a trustee of Boys Hope Girls Hope New York.

Lauren Mechak is the Director of Program Development at ClimeCo, where she leads the research, design, and implementation of new project development efforts. She works across a diverse set of projects, from nature-based solutions and agriculture to industrial and energy production projects. Her areas of expertise include program design, financial modeling, carbon market policy, as well as carbon offset methodology design and drafting. Most recently, Lauren and the ClimeCo team worked with the Climate Action Reserve to finalize their Adipic Acid Production protocol, which received Board approval in September 2020.

Before working at ClimeCo, Lauren completed a Master of Environmental Management Economics and Policy at Duke University in 2018. During her time at Duke, she worked with the university’s Carbon Offsets Initiative to help Duke achieve carbon neutrality, served as an Article Editor for Duke’s Environmental Law and Policy Forum, and wrote policy briefs for Duke’s Center for Science and Society. Prior to Duke, Lauren earned her B.Sc. from McGill University in Biology in 2013 and worked for three years at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo.

Mr. McDougal supports EM clients that are participating in carbon offset, emission reduction credit, and renewable energy certificate (REC) programs for Element Markets. Mr. McDougal has over 10 years of experience in the environmental credit markets and specializes in development and commercialization of carbon offsets and emission reduction credits in the U.S. While on the engineering and carbon desk he has supported EM’s development, marketing operations in the biogas industry, managed over 20 carbon projects operating around the U.S., successfully completed over 70 verifications as the project proponent for over 20 carbon offset projects registered with the Climate Action Reserve, the Verified Carbon Standard, or the American Carbon Registry, and participated in the development and adoption of multiple carbon protocols. Prior to joining EM in May 2011, Mr. McDougal worked as an Environmental Scientist for Millennium Science and Engineering in Atlanta, GA. His main tasks included environmental remediation of impacted industrial and commercial properties, construction oversight, and assisting clients with permitting and complying with state and federal regulations for site specific operations. Mr. McDougal has a BS in Biological Sciences from University of Georgia and an M.S. in Environmental Analysis and Management from Rice University in Houston, TX.

As Policy Director, Sami co-manages the Reserve’s 11-person Analytical Team. Sami plans and manages the development of non-forestry protocol development work, including development of new protocols, as well as protocol updates, corrections, clarifications, and related policy statements. Sami assists the Program Director with updates and revisions to the Reserve’s program rules and policies, and in steering all non-forest offset projects through our program. Sami also directs the Reserve’s consulting activities, including international and domestic capacity development work.

Diane Moss is a Founder and Director of the Renewables 100 Policy Institute and an independent consultant focused on energy policy, government relations, and sustainability related communications and campaigns for a broad range of entities, including non-profits, clean tech companies, and utilities, among others. She recently served as Policy Director for the California Hydrogen Business Council and as South Coast Air Quality Management District Board Member Consultant and Sustainability Consultant to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. She previously served as South Coast Air Quality Management District Board Member Consultant to Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. She also was U.S. Policy Advisor to World Future Council and served as Environmental Deputy to United States Congressmember Jane Harman. Her writing on renewable energy related issues has been published in Wall Street Journal, Beam, Today’s Facility Manager, and Cleantechnica, among others. Ms. Moss studied at Harvard University and New York University and completed a thesis program in political science in Paris with professors from L’Institut d’Etudes Politques, University of Paris, and HEC. She also was an intern to the Costa Rican Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris.

Michael Colvin is the Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, California Energy Program at Environmental Defense Fund. Based out of EDF’s San Francisco office, Michael focuses on building decarbonization, gas utility business models, wholesale electricity markets and transportation electrification matters. Across each of these issues, Michael’s focuses on minimizing investment risk and aligning utility incentives with affordable, clean and safe energy services. Prior to joining EDF, Michael spent 10 years at the California Public Utilities Commission working on various energy and utility safety matters. Michael was energy advisor to former Commissioners Mark J. Ferron and Catherine J.K. Sandoval. Michael holds a Masters in Public Policy and a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Economics, both from the University of California, Berkeley. More information can be found at http://www.edf.org/

C. Beth (Hardy) Valiaho B.A., LL.B., LL.M.
Vice-President, Strategy & Stakeholder Relations, International CCS Knowledge Centre

As Vice-President, Strategy & Stakeholder Relations, Beth represents the Knowledge Centre amongst global decision makers and financiers to accelerate engagement on and understanding of the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS); and focuses on helping to link CCS knowledge within Canada and with other countries to reduce locked-in investments and collaboratively support the goals of the Paris Agreement. Her understanding of complex climate change matters, policies and regulations, and international financing concerns act as a solid basis for assisting both national and international implementation strategies for technologies that support environmental targets.
Prior to joining the Knowledge Centre Beth worked briefly as legal counsel for the provincial Crown utility. She pairs this industrial perspective with regulatory knowledge as Acting Director of Climate Change with the Government of Saskatchewan. During that time, Beth contributed to the drafting of Saskatchewan’s large industrial emissions legislation and regulations and facilitated intergovernmental discussions on national greenhouse gas regulatory development.

These positions are reflective of Beth’s time with the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy – an organization which sought to balance both environmental and economic priorities in Canada. Her work at the National Round Table specifically focused on analysing provincial/territorial climate action plans and making recommendations for low cost and sustainable pathways forward to reduce carbon footprints and reporting to the federal Minister of Environment.

Beth’s legal education, teaching and practice have explored balancing energy, the environment and social implications. With her Masters of Laws in environmental law and sustainability, Beth focused her education on climate change and providing rights to future generations for natural resources. Teaching environmental law at the University of Saskatchewan shaped her understanding of all areas of environmental law to a higher degree due the in-depth explanation of why and how environmental laws and policies are structured.

PJ Marshall, along with her husband Marvin, founded Restore the Earth Foundation, Inc. in 2008. PJ launched the not for profit after 40 years in the private sector as a top strategic marketing consultant for leading professional services firms such as Bechtel Corporation, Halliburton, and Fulbright & Jaworski LLP. Her prior not for profit experience was as a fundraiser, raising more than $50 million for organizations such as the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Houston Symphony.

Establishing Restore the Earth in response to a disaster, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, PJ and Marv pioneered an initiative to bring together the private and public sectors to begin restoration. These cross-sector partnerships are at the heart of the Restore the Earth strategy, business model and Impact Investment Fund.

Today, Restore the Earth’s private and public partnerships lead the way in landscape scale reforestation of 1 million acres in the Mississippi River Basin, “North America’s Amazon”, which will generate over 200,000,000 mt CO2e in additional, permanent carbon emission reductions.

Mike founded RenewWest in 2015 to connect natural and working lands to climate outcomes and carbon markets. At RenewWest, he has been proud to be on the team that developed the largest carbon-focused reforestation project in US history – the two million tree Collins-Modoc Reforestation Project. He is a featured expert for the U.S. Climate Alliance, the Colorado Forest Health Advisory Council, the Council of Western State Foresters, and others. Prior to RenewWest, Mike served as an officer in the United States Navy for over twelve years, primarily as an FA-18 pilot with postings in Japan, Italy, and Virginia and aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. Mike earned his BS from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2002, majoring in Systems Engineering, with a focus on Environmental Engineering and a minor-equivalent in Political Science. Last but not least, Mike is the lucky husband to Lindsey and father to Luke and Ellen.

As a Senior Forest Policy Manager, Jon will be helping with the development and improvement of forest protocols, technical tools, and computer applications. He is also contributing to the Reserve’s efforts to develop jurisdictional accounting frameworks for GHG emissions and reductions resulting from changes in land use and management. Additionally, he will be providing support to the Reserve’s registry program.

Jon has been working on forest carbon offset projects and policies since 2003, providing him with a deep understanding of the forest protocol and the behind-the-scenes operations of forest carbon projects. Prior to joining the Reserve, he was a private consultant, with a focus on climate change mitigation policies and projects, as well as watershed health. Jon also previously worked at the Pacific Forest Trust, where he stewarded conservation easements and fee title lands held by the organization and performed geospatial analysis for conservation planning. He earned a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, where his focus was ecosystem management. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Concentration in Environmental Studies from Carleton College.

Eric Sprague is the Vice President for Forest Restoration at American Forests. Eric oversees the implementation of our large landscape forest restoration efforts across North America. In this capacity, Eric develops and tests innovative restoration techniques, implements restoration plans and strategies in our priority landscapes, and supports policy initiatives to scale-up action. Throughout this work, Eric is integrating climate-science to ensure America’s forests adapt to a changing climate. Before joining American Forests, he directed the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s efforts to restore forest ecosystems, including accelerating the planting of trees along streams and using market-based forest conservation strategies. Outside of work, Eric enjoys chasing birds through Maryland’s forests with his family and dogs.

AF Inspiration:
“At American Forests, I help restore forests that countless people and wildlife depend on. Our restoration efforts help provide clean water and air to people across the country and expand habitat for thousands of animal species.”

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

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

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

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

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