John Rhodes is the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Long Island Power Authority by its Board of Trustees. He is a true public servant having been a trusted voice on clean energy reforms to both President Biden and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.

Prior to that Mr. Rhodes worked at the New York Department of Public Service (DPS), where he was Chief Program Officer, charged with overseeing New York’s ratepayer-funded programs for clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy affordability at New York agencies and utilities.

Before that, Mr. Rhodes was Special Assistant to the President in the Biden Administration’s Climate Policy Office, where he worked to advance the deployment of clean energy, transmission, and building and vehicle electrification solutions.
Mr. Rhodes also served as Chair of New York’s Public Service Commission (PSC) and CEO of its Department of Public Service. He developed and implemented ambitious, equitable, and practical clean energy policies to ensure reliability and to protect customers and communities. Major policies focused on distributed renewables, offshore wind, electric vehicle charging, building efficiency and electrification, data transparency, and utility bill affordability.

Mr. Rhodes was also President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).Before his time with NYSERDA, Mr. Rhodes was the Director of the Center for Market Innovation at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

David Sandbank is NYSERDA’s Vice President of Distributed Energy Resources, overseeing NY-Sun, Energy Storage and Clean Transportation. David, a former solar developer, joined NYSERDA in late 2014 as the director of NY-Sun bringing private market experience and incorporating results driven, public private partnership culture. New York has become a shining beacon on the national distributed solar stage with an increase of 3,400 MW deployed under David’s leadership and now ranks number one in the nation in community solar deployment and second in the nation for distributed solar deployment. In 2019 David was promoted to Vice President of Distributed Energy Resources at NYSERDA and now also oversees the energy storage and clean transportation programs.

Prior to joining NYSERDA, Sandbank worked as a solar developer, helping a start-up grow to more than one hundred employees and oversaw company operations, marketing, engineering, and installation teams. In November 2013, Sandbank was elected vice-president of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association to actively work with government agencies, policy makers and utility companies to help advance the solar industry in New York.

Tony DeFazio is an accomplished communications and public relations professional with a life-long commitment to volunteering and advocating for environmental and sustainable causes. A lifelong hiker, fisherman, and alpine skier, after graduating with a bachelor’s in politics from Ithaca College, he went to work in Washington D.C. for Clean Water Action where he served in various roles including community organizing, researching Superfund sites as well as supporting large donor capital raising campaigns. Later, he served for years as a Trail Ambassador for Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia. Today, Tony can be found summiting the High Peaks in New York on his quest to become an Adirondack 46er.

Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, Tony has developed and led public and media relations programs for a diverse array of private and public companies. As a widely respected agency leader and entrepreneur, he has successfully built two agencies—Sustainable PR is his third—and led public relations for a public company. Tony excels at narrative writing, business development, relationship building, media pitching, and coalition building. One of the notable campaigns Tony led was organizing thousands of residents in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania to successfully oppose the development of a 24-hour gas station and convenience store that would have required the town to amend zoning laws. Tony has since successfully organized residents and businesses throughout Upstate New York to develop community solar installations that are helping the state meet its mandate of 70% renewable energy by 2030. And In Glens Falls, NY, Tony has spearheaded the launch of the city’s new Vertical Farm, a hydroponics project that will become a model for similar projects throughout upstate New York.

During several decades in PR, Tony has placed thousands of stories for clients in influential media ranging from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to Huffington Post. His clients have appeared regularly on CNBC, FOX Business, and Bloomberg TV. While living and working in Philadelphia, Tony was also elected President of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Philadelphia Chapter: the world’s largest business communications trade group. Tony is currently a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s Albany, N.Y., chapter and PRSA’s Counselor’s Academy. Outside of industry associations, Tony is a member of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC), where he has participated in panels, forums, and networking events for more than two years. He also serves as an advisor to the City of Glens Falls’ Sustainability Committee.

Jessica Waldorf is currently serving as the Interim Executive Director of the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) where she is responsible for the siting of large-scale major renewable energy generation projects and major electric transmission facilities in New York State. She also serves as the Chief of Staff & Director of Policy Implementation at the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) where she is responsible for the development and implementation of regulatory policies in the areas of clean energy, utility regulation, and market innovation. Prior to joining DPS, she served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy in the Office of the Governor of New York State where she oversaw operations for the energy agencies and authorities in the State of New York, including administrative, budget, legislative, program, and policy priorities. She worked across this interagency portfolio to develop and implement policy and legislative initiatives to advance the Governor’s ambitious energy and environmental goals, with a focus on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. She has over sixteen years of experience working on complex clean energy projects and initiatives across New York State. Focus areas for this work include affordable housing and benefits for low-to-moderate income (LMI) individuals, development of innovative financing models, climate finance strategy, power generation, large-scale renewable technologies, clean energy workforce development, clean transportation, and building decarbonization and electrification.

Mrs. Waldorf served as a Lead Key Account Executive within the Clean Energy Solutions department at the New York Power Authority (NYPA). In this role, she served as a trusted advisor to customers seeking assistance from NYPA to help meet their energy conservation and distributed energy generation needs in the Capital District, Mohawk Valley, and North Country regions. Additionally, she led the development of new products and services including new customer utility rate offerings.

Prior to joining NYPA, Jessica worked at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for ten years in various roles and most recently served as a Project Manager on the Communities and Local Government team. In addition to working on NYSERDA’s Clean Energy
Communities program, she managed the development and implementation of Phase II of the Cleaner Greener Communities Program and the implementation of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing in New York State. Mrs. Waldorf also managed the development of a new statewide Community Energy Engagement program for locally based organizations to drive energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment to residential, multifamily, and small business customers, with a focus especially on low-to-moderate income customers.

Mrs. Waldorf received her Bachelor of Arts from the University at Albany with a concentration in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. She also holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus on Environmental and Education Policy from the University at Albany.

Camille Warner is a Project Manager on NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Siting Team. She works directly with local governments to develop permitting procedures to support responsibly sited land-based renewable energy facilities. She also works with industry stakeholders, community members, and state agencies to further New York State’s clean energy goals. Camille relies on years of experience as a project manager in the renewable energy market ensuring the successful development of small- and large-scale solar projects, as a wetland scientist knowledgeable of state and federal environmental permitting regulations, and as an environmental educator and community outreach leader where she excelled at educating and inspiring future leaders. Camille holds a master’s degree in Plant Science and Biotechnology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from SUNY College at Old Westbury.

Julie Melançon is Section Chief of the Division of Water’s new Green Energy Management Section, which coordinates and oversees the entire portfolio of renewable energy projects across New York State with support from Regional staff. Ms. Melançon has over 20 years of experience with construction stormwater in both the public and private sectors. She is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control and a member of both the National Association of Environmental Professionals and International Erosion Control Association.

For more than two decades, Marie Schnitzer has dedicated her career to renewable and sustainable energy. She started in fuel cell development and hydrogen generation. From there, she turned to consulting in utility scale wind and solar. Since joining National Grid more than three years ago, she’s focused on non-wire alternatives and energy storage. Now, as Ombudsperson for NY Distributed Generation, her work enables projects decreasing the carbon footprint in New York and throughout the world. She does this, she says, to help leave her daughter – and millions of other daughters and sons – a better world.

Sarah Brancatella is the Deputy Director with the Association of Towns where she previously served as Legislative Director and Counsel. In her role with AOT, Sarah leads advocacy efforts pertinent to local governments, assists municipal officials on multiple different issues, and travels around the state presenting. Sarah graduated from the University of Buffalo School of Law and SUNY Geneseo. In her free time Sarah enjoys volunteering at the local animal shelter, reading and writing, and following Buffalo sports.

Kate Daniel is the Northeast Regional Director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), a national trade association representing more than 100 community solar companies, businesses, and nonprofits working to expand customer choice and access to solar for all American households and businesses through community solar. In that role, she is responsible for leading campaigns to strengthen and sustain community solar markets in New England and New York. Kate previously served as Director of Policy for Catalyze, an innovative energy services partner and independent power producer (IPP) accelerating the transition to the renewable energy economy by creating new profit opportunities for commercial and industrial real estate owners. Prior to Catalyze, she was a Consultant with Sustainable Energy Advantage where she conducted policy and market analyses of the renewable energy sector in the Northeast, and supported public sector clients in clean energy program design and implementation. She was also previously part of the team that runs the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) out of the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center.

Valessa Souter-Kline is SEIA's Northeast Regional Director, working on solar and battery energy storage regulatory and legislative matters, principally in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Prior to SEIA, Valessa developed utility-scale wind, solar and storage projects, leading permitting efforts and building community support. Valessa holds a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's in Psychology from Guilford College.

Ed is passionate about driving transformative policy change in our industry -- especially aorund the critical issues of Interconnection and Land Use. Serving as RWE Clean Energy's VP of Policy Development and Distributed Government Relations, Ed has been active in Interconnection proceedings across the nation over the last number of years, advocating for common-sense reforms that will enable a high-DER, high-decarbonization future. After a 15 year career in the Energy Services sector, primarily with Constellation Energy, Ed joined Clean Energy Collective in 2019, moving over to ConEd CEB when the Clean Energy Businesses purchased CEC's operating assets along with its Development team. With the combination of the CEB and RWE into RWE Clean Energy, Ed now leads a team that is responsible for Distributed energy policy with a Community Solar focus and RWE's Policy Development. A committed urbanist (in addition to a climate activist), Ed lives in Hamilton Heights in Harlem with his partner Abby and their terrorist mini-dachshund, Otto.

Kerry E. O’Neill is CEO of Inclusive Prosperity Capital, Inc., an impact investment platform that spun out of the Connecticut Green Bank to scale up impact for underserved communities and underinvested markets nationally. IPC operates at the intersection of community development, clean energy finance, and climate impact using a collection of products and strategies and an ecosystem approach to matching capital with projects through local partners. Ms. O’Neill serves as the current Chair of EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board. Prior to joining IPC, Ms. O’Neill led the residential financing programs and low-income initiatives at the Connecticut Green Bank, a state entity that works with private-sector investors to create low-cost, long-term sustainable financing for clean energy to maximize the use of public funds. Her work at IPC and the Connecticut Green Bank has given her keen insight into the institutional challenges – and opportunities – associated with clean energy investing for underserved communities.

Brandon Smithwood is Vice President, Policy at Dimension Renewable Energy, a national developer and owner operator of community solar projects. Prior to joining Dimension, Brandon worked in solar trade associations, first as the California Director for the Solar Energy Industries Association and then as the Policy Director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access. Brandon’s previous energy policy work included managing state policy work for the non-profit Ceres and federal policy work for Westborough-based energy efficiency program administrator Conservation Services Group.

Brandon has a Masters degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree from Colby College. Brandon began his career as a corps member of Teach for America where he taught fifth grade in New Mexico.

Sam Alradhi is the Vice President of Operations at Polar Racking Group. Before joining Polar Racking, Mr. Alradhi was the Director of Projects for UGE, a leading renewable energy developer. At UGE, he played a prominent role in the company’s growth, scaling his project development team and processes successfully to a diverse range of international solar projects across four continents.

Greg Gibbons works as the Civil Engineering Manager for New Leaf Energy out of the Troy, NY office. Greg worked locally at a civil engineering consulting practice for nearly 10 years, where he earned his Professional Engineering License in 2014, before joining New Leaf Energy (formerly Borrego) in the fall of 2018. During his time at New Leaf Energy, Greg and his team have permitted over forty (40) 5-MW distributed generation (DG) solar projects across NYS, many involving complex wetlands permitting and avoidance measures. Greg is a graduate of Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY, where he earned a B.S. of Civil Engineering. Outside of work, he enjoys all types of outdoor activities and is actively involved in Capital Region CANstruction.

John Chaimanis is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure (KSI), a nationally recognized developer, owner, and operator of distributed-scale sustainable infrastructure assets. Today, KSI owns and operates over 85 projects, and is active in nearly a dozen states across the country.

In 2005, Mr. Chaimanis began working in renewable energy development and project finance, which coincided with the early adoption of utility-scale wind energy projects in the US. After working with regional renewable energy project developers in the New England region, and prior to founding KSI, he worked with a subsidiary of Edison International in California where he developed and financed utility-scale wind projects. Mr. Chaimanis has led over 100 project developments and financings.

Mr. Chaimanis is an established thought leader, lecturer, and author. He consults regularly with sustainable business startups, investors, and institutions on the topics of sustainability and project finance and is an adjunct faculty in the finance division at Babson College.

Prior to his career in clean energy investing, Mr. Chaimanis co-founded of a charter school in the greater Boston area. Mr. Chaimanis holds an M.B.A. from Babson College, a B.S. in Finance from Villanova University, and has earned certification from US SIF for Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI).

He has been featured in the Journal of Environmental Investing “Most Influential Investors” edition, the Institutional Investing in Infrastructure “In Focus” interview web series, the SunCast Podcast with Nico Johnson, the Solar Maverick Podcast, the Experts Only Podcast, the EM2U Podcast, the Elite Entrepreneurs Podcast, and is the author of a graduate-level energy investment business case.

Jamie Charles is the Manager for Grid Services Policy at Sunnova Energy Corporation, a leading residential solar and storage services provider. In this role, he advocates and works with industry leaders and state policymakers for legislative and regulatory policies that allow for the expansion and creation of solar + storage programs, virtual power plants, and microgrids. Jamie’s ability to leverage his knowledge and experience from multiple trade associations and state policy engagements gives him a unique ability to apply best practices and lessons learned in multiple markets.

Prior to joining Sunnova, Jamie worked for National Grid where he provided program management through their distributed generation interconnection process. During his time at National Grid, Jamie lead process improvements, reporting, and coordination with regulatory agencies and external partners, to grow distributed energy development within National Grid’s service territory. Jamie has previous experience managing and implementing policies alongside the federal government where he developed strong stakeholder engagement and government policy competencies. He got his Political Science degree from Washington State University and his Master of Science from University of Denver.

Sean Mahar, a graduate of Siena College, is the Interim Commissioner for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation where he works to manage an agency of over 3,000 employees engaged in all areas of environmental protection and management of the natural resources of the state of New York. Prior to becoming the Interim Commissioner, Sean was the Executive Deputy Commissioner where he worked to oversee internal and external agency operations, and guided implementation of key agency priorities. Sean previously served as Chief of Staff, and the Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs for the Agency. Before joining DEC, Sean was the Director of Government Relations and Communications for Audubon New York where he led efforts to advance state and federal conservation policies and build support for wildlife conservation initiatives in the state, including climate change adaptation strategies. Sean was also an adjunct professor at Siena College teaching Environmental Policy and Management. He currently lives in Niskayuna, NY with his wife Jessica and daughter Stefanie.

Roy “JR” Jacobson has worked in the Division of Fish and Wildlife for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for more than 30 years. He currently oversees statewide implementation of several habitat protection programs, including the freshwater wetlands regulatory program. JR started with the freshwater wetlands program in 1988 and has been working with colleagues to implement changes to the Freshwater Wetlands Act passed 2022. He is married to a wonderful wife and has two marvelous kids who, for some reason, fail to see that their Dad is “hip.”

First elected in 2012, NYS Assemblymember Patricia Fahy represents the City of Albany and the Towns of Bethlehem, Guilderland, and New Scotland. A leading advocate for job creation, environmental conservation, and quality education, Pat has been the prime sponsor of over 100 bills--59 of which have been signed into law including: providing critical cost saving measures for municipalities to own and update streetlights; ensuring access to quality legal representation for all New Yorkers while lifting an expensive unfunded mandate off the counties by reforming Indigent Legal Services (ILS); banning all firearm bump stock devices; creating the first statewide trails master plan; and examining modification or replacement of part(s) of I-787 in downtown Albany to expand waterfront access and development.

Pat has also introduced legislation that protects residents and businesses from potential petroleum disasters; funding universal pre-K transportation; protects consumer credit from the impact of data breaches; implements net neutrality principles; and expands L.E.A.D.

Pat serves on six committees, including Environmental Conservation, Higher Education, Transportation, Children and Families, and Tourism. She is the Vice-Chair of the Majority Steering Committee, which officially helps set the State Assembly’s overall priorities. Pat was awarded Freshman Legislator of the Year by the New York State School Boards Association during her first term in office and the Advocate for Choice award by Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood. In 2017, she was awarded the “Promoting Excellence in Mandated Representation” Award by the New York State Bar Association for her ILS legislation funding and creating caseload standards. In 2019, I received the New York Library Association’s (NYLA) Senator Hugh Farley Award for help securing a $20 million restoration of capital funding, and the New York State Industries for the Disabled’s (NYSID) Legislative Champion Award for work on behalf of individuals living with developmental disabilities.

Noah Ginsburg joined NYSEIA as Executive Director in early 2023. In this role, he is charged with advancing the solar industry in New York through policy/advocacy, public education, member capacity-building, and strategic initiatives.

Prior to NYSEIA, Noah spent seven years as a program director at Solar One, a nonprofit organization that expands access to the benefits of clean energy to all New Yorkers through education, solar technical assistance, and workforce development. While at Solar One, Noah built a robust program and strong team that developed more than 800 solar projects, primarily on affordable housing. From 2021-2022, he also served on the board of NYSEIA and chaired the NYC Policy Committee. From 2009-2011 Noah was a Solar Ombudsman at the City University of New York, working to identify and address barriers to solar in New York City. In 2011 Noah moved to California to work as data analyst and technologist with diverse solar companies including Sungevity, Sunrun and OnGrid. While in California Noah volunteered as a Team Leader on more than 40 solar installations with GRID Alternatives, a non-profit solar installer that serves low-income homeowners, and earned his NABCEP PV installation certification in 2014. Noah holds a bachelor's degree in Renewable Energy from the CUNY Baccalaureate program/Hunter College. He is passionate about accelerating local solar adoption while expanding equitable access to the benefits of clean energy.

Katie Soscia is a 10-year veteran of the solar industry, currently serving as the Executive Director of Solar Development at Montante Solar. There, she leads strategic solar development and origination, project evaluation, municipal permitting and approvals, and complex contract negotiations. During her tenure, Katie has seen how drastically the solar industry has been impacted by restrictive local laws and works to navigate difficult and complex situations by bridging the knowledge gap between local municipalities, communities, and project developers. She believes in finding a way to push projects forward successfully through thoughtful solar siting initiatives.

Betta Broad is working on the transition to a clean energy economy in New York. A native New Yorker, Betta has been an advocate for social justice, peace and sustainability for over two decades. Her first campaign was organizing for “Justice for Janitors” on her college campus. She then worked for a labor union, on campaigns to oppose unfair free trade agreements and to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws. As Deputy Director of Earth Day Initiative, she organized the major Earth Day festivals in NYC for five years before joining the campaign to ban fracking. She co-produced a series of videos called “Love NY: don’t frack it up!” and worked with advocates across the state to successfully ban fracking in New York. While working for Catskill Mountainkeeper she created the RenewableNY program that subsequently received a $1.8 million award from NYSERDA to expand Solarize campaigns across 15 counties.

Matthew Eisenson is a Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. At the Sabin Center, he leads the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative (RELDI), which facilitates pro bono legal representation of landowners and community groups to support siting utility- and community-scale renewable energy facilities and associated transmission and storage equipment. Before joining the Sabin Center, he served for four years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. He also previously worked as a litigation associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and as a law clerk for Senior U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Before law school, he served for three years as a special assistant to the President and Executive Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Matthew received a J.D. from Yale Law School in 2015 and a B.A. in History from Yale College in 2009.

Dr. William Acker is a well-known and highly-regarded scientist, business leader and entrepreneur in the field of energy. He currently serves as the first Executive Director of NY-BEST, the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium. Under his leadership, NY-BEST has grown its membership to more than 175 companies, created the BEST Test and Commercialization Center and new battery prototyping capabilities, and has performed pioneering work in advancing markets, policy, technology and product development. Dr. Acker is an active and influential voice for energy storage industry in New York State’s implementation of a zero emission grid and clean transportation.

Dr. Acker’s more than 30-year career in energy includes management and leadership roles with Optiwind, MTI and MTI MicroFuel Cells, Plug Power and Texaco. He serves on the Advisory Boards of the Center for Future Energy Systems at RPI, the RIT Battery Development Center, and the Southern Tier Clean Energy Incubator. He received a Ph.D, in Applied Physics and Engineering from Yale University and a B.S. in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic University.

Anika Wistar-Jones is the Managing Director of the Here Comes Solar program at Solar One, an NYC-based environmental education non-profit. Anika leads a team that provides free technical assistance for affordable housing and low-income communities to facilitate the adoption of solar throughout New York City. Over the years, she has supported hundreds of affordable housing properties to install solar using a variety of financing strategies, and has developed a deep understanding of the challenges and solutions to make solar accessible in hard-to-reach markets. Prior to Solar One, Anika worked for solar and energy efficiency startups, as well as environmental advocacy organizations, leading campaigns to fight climate change and fossil fuels. She is a Davis United World College Scholar and a graduate of Middlebury College.

T.R. is the CEO and Co Founder of Brooklyn SolarWorks and Brooklyn Solar Canopy Company. He has helped build a unique urban solar company focused on flat roof installations in NYC. Prior to Brooklyn SolarWorks T.R. was the Senior Regional Sales Manager for Sunrun and helped build Sunruns direct to consumer presence in the Northeast. T.R. Began is solar career by co founding AD Energy, a residential solar financing company. T.R. holds. BS in Geology and Environmental Studies from Ohio Wesleyan University and MBA in E-business from Maastricht School of Management.

Jason Kaplan is the President and Chief Legal Officer of PowerMarket, a leading community solar acquisition and management provider with over 850 MW under management. Jason is a leading advocate for the inclusion of low-income communities in community solar and has published numerous articles on the subject. Along with his other responsibilities, Jason has led the development of key strategic partnerships with non-profit organizations in NY and beyond that serve these LMI communities, including the Salvation Army and Resource Council of WNY. Jason loves being a vocal participant in community solar working groups, ensuring program rules align with both public policy goals and the practical realities of implementation. He holds a JD and Masters in Policy from Vermont Law School, cum laude, and BA in Geology from Colgate University, cum laude.

Ms. Peters specializes in strategic planning and regulatory matters related to an increasingly decarbonized electric power system.

She focuses her research on resource planning in decarbonized electric markets and the economic analysis of distributed energy resources. Ms. Peters has expertise in capacity expansion modeling, electrification grid-impact studies, and the emerging role of virtual power plants (VPPs) in decarbonized markets. She has supported utilities, renewable developers, research organizations, technology companies, and other private sector clients in a variety of energy regulatory and strategy engagements.

Jackie is New Energy Equity’s Chief Investment Officer and is responsible for shaping the company’s project finance strategy. She has over a decade of experience in the renewable energy industry, with a focus on community solar. Jackie has a unique perspective, having spent time providing tax equity financing at PNC Energy Capital, greenfield developing individual projects, and successfully acquiring over 300MWdc of development stage assets for Nexamp.

Charles Callaway is a resident of West Harlem. As the Director of Workforce Development at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Charles taps into his many years of working with and leading empowerment programs throughout Harlem. At WE ACT, he has recruited and trained more than 2,000 people in 30 hours of OSHA and 32 hours of asbestos handling classes along with more than 100 certified solar installers. As a result of this, more than 200 now have jobs, including 138 community members working in the construction field 78 in the solar industry. Charles has also been instrumental in developing a solar workers cooperative, SUNS: Solar Uptown Now Services, with his solar trainees, and they have installed 14 megawatts of solar power to date. Charles previously served as WE ACT’s Director of Organizing, playing a key role in organizing residents around significant issues in the community and helping them understand the importance of advocating on its own behalf. He worked with Harlem residents on the Columbia University expansion and 125th Street rezoning. Charles also worked with the Mother Clara Hale Community Taskforce and the MTA to build the first green bus depot in Harlem.

Andrew Gordon is the Director of Development at Carson Power where he leads the execution of all development activity including project origination, site control, interconnection, and permitting through Notice to Proceed. Before joining Carson Power, Andrew was a Development Manager at AES Clean Energy where he led the development of over 600 MWs of New York solar projects ranging in size from Community Solar through Utility Scale.

Raymond Marino is an Environmental Scientist with HUNT Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors & Landscape Architect, DPC. He has provided environmental services and ecological tasks on hundreds of projects throughout New York State during the last decade. Ray is a graduate of Dowling College with a BS in Environmental Science, he also earned a MS in Earth Science from Long Island University. Ray works on a wide variety of environmental planning and assessment projects, including solar array site investigations, throughout New York State. Ray and the HUNT environmental team have provided support for more than 150 solar sites, performing wetland delineations, obtaining tree heights, and support for endangered and threatened species at locations less than 20 acres to greater than 100 acres. Ray performs wetland delineations, as well as wetland permit applications, and other ecological functions in accordance with SEQRA. He delineates identified wetlands and prepares the technical documentation inclusive of a wetland delineation report, data sheets, figures, and photos sheets. He also prepares wintering & breeding bird surveys, performs field work & reporting for Phase I & II ESAs, completes site inspections, and provides groundwater, soil, and air testing. Ray’s work experience is enhanced by his educational background in both Environmental and Earth Sciences, as well as his various environmental certifications, which include Long Island Master Naturalist; OSHA Construction Safety and Health certificate (10-Hour); Certified in Wetlands Delineation; Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation/Regional Supplement/Waters of the United States Training.

Daniel A. Spitzer is a Partner at the law firm of Hodgson Russ LLP. He is the Renewable Energy Practices Leader and a member of the Cleantech Practice, Green Building Practice, Land Use & Economic Development Practice, and Real Property Tax Assessment & Eminent Domain Practice. Dan concentrates his practice on environmental law, renewable energy, sustainable development, land use law, municipal law, real property taxation, and real estate development. His practice involves numerous renewable energy projects, including representing municipalities, developers, land owners, and financing entities. His work, from project inception through successful litigation, includes some of the largest wind farms in the eastern United States, multiple utility and small-scale solar projects, and landfill gas-to-energy, biomass, storage, transmission, and energy efficiency projects.

A primary part of Dan’s work focuses on National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) review and compliance with federal and state environmental statutes. His work includes environmental assessments for large-scale telecommunications projects and power generation projects. He counsels agencies and private clients on compliance with historic preservation laws, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and other federal and state environmental statutes and regulations, and has drafted PILOTs, Host Community Agreements, PPAs, EPCs, MIPAs and other contracts. He is a frequent speaker and writer on sustainable development, property taxation, SEQRA, and zoning issues. Dan has a J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law and an MSc in Sustainable Development from the University of London.

Anthony J. Fiore was appointed Chief Program Officer for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on January 25, 2023. In this position, Mr. Fiore leads NYSERDA’s cross-cutting programmatic strategy, leveraging program and market assessments to optimize sector-specific interventions and economywide strategies to meet the climate goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and execute New York’s Climate Action Council Scoping Plan – the framework for how New York will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero emissions, increase renewable energy use, and ensure all communities equitably benefit in the clean energy transition.

Mr. Fiore has over 24 years of government experience across a broad range of disciplines. Most recently Mr. Fiore has served as the Chief Decarbonization Officer for the City of New York. In this role, Mr. Fiore was responsible for the overall management of carbon emissions from government operations and oversaw competitive grant programs related to energy efficiency, innovative technology development, distributed clean energy generation, large-scale renewable energy development, energy supply contracting, and workforce development.

Prior to this role, Mr. Fiore served as the City’s Director of Energy Regulatory affairs where he served as the City’s primary energy policy advocate before numerous local, State, and federal agencies, and providing analysis over a wide range of regulatory and legislative matters related to energy. Mr. Fiore also has extensive knowledge in water quality, environmental health and safety, engineering and operations, and restructuring of revenue collection operations.

Mr. Fiore previously served on a number of energy-related boards and committees including NYC Building Sustainability Board, Pathways to Carbon Neutral NYC Technical Advisory Committee, Northeast Deep Decarbonization Pathway Advisory Committee, and the NY Smart Grid Consortium Board. Mr. Fiore holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences from Binghamton University, and a Master’s in Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University with a concentration in Environmental Health Sciences. Mr. Fiore has also conducted research in evolutionary ecology at Binghamton University and the University of Michigan.

Liz Grisaru is Senior Advisor for Policy Implementation in the New York State Department of Public Service. She has been in and out of government over her career. At DPS since 2012, she currently works with different departments on CLCPA compliance issues with a focus on long term transmission planning and the State’s offshore wind program. She also works with distributed generation developers and utilities on improving the interconnection process and as co-chair of the Department’s Interconnection Policy Working Group. In past lives, she was interim director of the Environmental Certification and Compliance group, Managing Attorney with the Office of General Counsel, an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office, in-house counsel to the New York Independent System Operator, and General Counsel to a renewable energy development company. She holds a JD degree from NYU School of Law and a BA in History and Literature from Harvard University.

Kelly Friend serves as Nexamp’s VP of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, having served in this position since April of 2018. She leads Nexamp’s policy-related efforts, shaping and advancing Company and industry engagement within legislative and regulatory processes across key clean energy markets. Kelly works closely with Nexamp’s project development and finance teams to anticipate policy-based risks and develop strategies to execute on emerging opportunities.

Prior to joining Nexamp, Kelly spent three years as a member of GE’s Government Affairs and Policy team in Washington D.C. She managed global government affairs for GE Hitachi, coordinating regulatory engagement and advocacy for GE’s four electricity businesses.
Before GE, Kelly worked for Keller and Heckman in Washington D.C. as an associate in the firm’s chemical control, pesticides, and workplace safety practice groups. At Keller & Heckman, she assisted companies in navigating the complex set of environmental, health and safety regulations that govern the manufacture, sale, and use of chemicals.

Kelly holds a law degree from George Mason University School of Law, a master’s degree in political science from Suffolk University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and their three sons.

Rachel Charow is the Section Manager of the Flexible Demand group at Con Edison. She is focused on the development of a roadmap for grid flexibility and the future integration of flexible services into customer programs. Since joining Con Edison, Rachel has worked in policy and program management across a variety of roles, including demand response, low- to moderate- income (LMI) energy efficiency, and utility thermal energy networks. From 2020-2021 she co-chaired the LMI Joint Management Committee, a group of NY utilities and NYSERDA, and led the development and implementation of the State's Affordable Multifamily Energy Efficiency Program. Prior to joining Con Edison, Rachel worked in utilities consulting at Accenture on nuclear power projects, demand response programs, and energy efficiency analytics.

Rachel has a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Georgetown University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. She is a Fulbright scholarship recipient, and she serves as a member of the Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee for the Department of Energy.

John Muthersbaugh currently serves as an Assistant Engineer with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in Albany, NY. At NYSDEC, John works in the Division of Water, Bureau of Water Permits, with the SPDES Construction General Permit (CGP) program. Prior to joining NYSDEC, John worked as a Staff Engineer with Enman Kesselring Consulting Engineers in Rutland, VT, and before that as an Engineering Intern with the New York State Department of Transportation in Albany, NY. John earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering Technology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Prior to his career in engineering, John worked in several industries including education and healthcare after earning a B.A. in Biblical & Theological Studies from Gordon College.

Zeryai is the Deputy Director of the Office of Markets and Innovations at the NYS Department of Public Service (DPS), where he leads the Wholesale Market Issues, Clean Energy Standard and (Retail) Market Structure sections of the Office of Markets and Innovations.

Prior to his appointment to the DPS, Mr. Hagos was the Senior Director of Business Development at Tendril (Uplight), where he helped grow a new distributed energy resources platform called Orchestrated Energy.

Mr. Hagos began his career at General Electric, where he most recently served as the Growth & Strategy Director for GE’s Power business in the US. Zeryai’s responsibilities at GE included leading cross-business growth initiatives in the electric power sector, managing GE's long-term power market forecast in North America and serving as a subject matter expert for the US power markets in support of corporate strategy

Zeryai holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and political science from Bucknell University and a master’s degree in economic forecasting at the State University of New York at Albany. Zeryai recently re located back to NY’s Capital Region with his wife and daughter

Max Joel is the Director of the NY-Sun Initiative at the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA). NY-Sun is a statewide initiative to build 10 Gigawatts of distributed solar by 2030. NY-Sun includes the Solar Energy Equity Framework, which commits more than $400 million to projects benefitting low-and-moderate income households, affordable housing, disadvantaged communities and environmental justice communities. Max also serves as an Expert Advisor to the United States Treasury Department supporting the implementation of the Low-Income Communities Bonus Tax Credit authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Kevin co-founded GreenSpark Solar in 2002 and assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2008. Under his leadership, GreenSpark became the 11th fastest-growing business in Rochester in 2015, and
reached the top spot on the Rochester Chamber of Commerce's Fastest Growing Companies list in 2017 and 2023.

Kevin's industry involvement extends to his position on the board of NYSEIA (New York Solar Energy Industries Association), advocating for sustainable growth of solar energy across New York State.
Additionally, he serves on the board of the Amicus Solar Cooperative, a member-owner purchasing cooperative of over 70 independent, values-driven solar energy companies represented in all 50 states, US
territories, and Canada.

Recognized locally, statewide, and nationally for his contributions to the distributed solar & wind industry, Kevin boasts over 1 GW of renewable energy installations across the country. His accolades range
from the inaugural recipient of the Community Wind Innovator Award in 2011 to being named Business Person of the Year in 2022. Kevin's commitment to policy advocacy and championing the interests of
small and mid-sized solar and wind businesses is evident in theseaccomplishments.

Kevin's dedication to renewable energy is matched by his commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture, with GreenSpark consistently named a Rochester Top Workplace. He continues to drive meaningful
work within the solar industry, making a tangible difference for our communities and the environment.

Kate Tohme is an experienced energy law attorney with legal and technical expertise in renewable energy. In her current role as Director of Interconnection Policy at New Leaf Energy, Kate works around the country engaging with diverse groups of clean energy stakeholders to improve processes for distributed generation interconnection, with a focus on proactive long-term system planning and cost allocation. Prior to joining New Leaf, Kate spent 4 years in private practice and served as Hearing Officer, Chief of Staff, and DG and Clean Energy Ombudsperson at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, playing a key role in establishing the nation’s first multi-beneficiary cost share program for interconnection. Kate is an active participant in stakeholder working groups and collaborations across the country, Co-Chair of the MA IIRG, and DG representative on the MA Grid Modernization Advisory Council.

Beren assists clients in achieving their legal, regulatory and policy goals with a focus on electric utility regulation and expansion of distributed energy resource (DER) markets. His practice includes representing and advising rooftop solar and battery storage developers, industry trade organizations and other stakeholders before state public utility commissions across the country to remove anti-competitive policies, expand customer choice, and create a level playing field for DERs to provide grid services and achieve public policy goals. His practice covers multiple facets of DER policy and public utility regulation, including net metering, interconnection, distribution system planning, virtual power plants, community solar, community choice aggregation, and performance-based regulation.

Alana Semuels is an economics reporter at TIME who has written a series of stories about problems in the residential solar industry. She previously worked for The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe.

Matt Foran is National Grid’s Interim VP of Account Management NY. His Customer Account Management teams develop strategic plans with our largest customers and developers on electric and gas infrastructure, energy efficiency, demand management and electrification. He also leads the teams that coordinate the planning and delivery of customer-driven electric connections and gas connections projects as well as the interconnection of renewable power projects. Matt has been an employee of National Grid for 28 years and has held various leadership roles in sales, energy efficiency and business development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Brown University and an MBA from Babson College. He enjoys playing bass guitar in a local rock band and taking long walks with his wife Barbara and chocolate lab Hazel.

Jonathan Cohen joined NYSEIA as Policy Director in May 2022. He has worked in the solar industry since 2014 and most recently served as Government Liaison for SUNation Solar Systems on Long Island. Prior to that, he served as the Long Island Community Programs manager for Level Solar. Jonathan brings 25 years of public policy advocacy experience to his role at NYSEIA, and has served his community as a civic leader for his entire adult life, including as an Executive Board member of the Manorville Chamber of Commerce. Prior to his career in the solar industry, Jonathan worked in the medical field for 17 years, including as District EMS Supervisor at Mastic Beach Ambulance. He resides in Manorville, NY with his wife Carolyn, daughter Emma, and son Zachary.

David co-founded EmPower in 2003 to make solar the dominant energy source in New York and beyond, and is dedicated to accelerating activities to achieve this goal. As CEO, David is responsible for leading and managing the company along with the management committee. David’s day to day includes commercial business development, battery system sales, community solar projects and managing the SunPower Master Dealer partnership.

As an advocate, David conducts outreach to build support for clean energy amongst political, community, business and religious leaders, and the public at large. David has testified before the United States Congress Science Committee about the DOE Solar Decathlon and solar energy, and has been involved with numerous TV, print, internet, radio and documentary interviews.

David is a current board member of Vision Long Island. He has a Master of Science in Energy Management from the New York Institute of Technology, where he received the Faculty Award for outstanding achievement, and co-led the 2005 Solar Decathlon solar-hydrogen zero energy home project.

He has a BA in Economics from the University of Vermont, where he received the Freeman Saltus Award in Economics. David was a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Photovoltaic Installer. David started his career as an Institutional Equity Advisor at Merrill Lynch where he sold Japanese equities to large U.S.-based investors.

Bryan Murray, P.E. is the Director of Grid Modeling at Switchbox, a think tank producing rigorous, accessible data on state climate policy for advocates, policymakers, and the public. Bryan’s technical background is in power electronics and controls, quiet innovations that have unlocked so much distributed energy potential, and he led electrical design and testing at an ocean energy spinout from UC Berkeley. In parallel with his work with Switchbox, Bryan is chipping away at a PhD focused on integrating the load shifting capabilities of new electrified appliances and vehicles into standard grid planning modelings.

Artie Perri is Director of Sales for Greentech Renewables Long Island and Head of Programs for the Long Island Solar & Storage Alliance.

Harrison currently works at the Research Director for the NYS Laborers’ Organizing Fund which represents 44,000 union laborers across New York State. He has been with the Laborers for over 12 years and recently has been excited to work on creating good green union jobs in the renewables industry. Before joining the Laborers, he worked as a community organizer in Buffalo and Albany, NY. In his spare time, he enjoys playing pickup basketball and hockey. Harrison currently lives in Albany, NY with his wife and three children.