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Mayane Chavez Barudin
Sovereign Energy
A proud Indigenous woman and Tribal member of Kewa Pueblo in New Mexico, Mayane Chavez Barudin is dedicated to advancing Tribal energy sovereignty and ensuring that Indigenous voices are central to the renewable energy transition, aiming to address historical injustices and uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples. To pursue this vision, Mayane started Sovereign Energy as a non-profit organization to build the individual and collective power of Southwest Pueblos and Tribes to lead the way toward a just, interdependent, and sustainable energy future. Previously, Mayane worked at Vote Solar as the Deputy Program Director of the Interior West Region, gathering expertise in strategizing legislative campaigns and regulatory intervention throughout the region. She also has worked in various capacities in the private energy industry, supporting ethical clean energy development and community benefits plans guided by principles of equity and environmental justice. Mayane holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford, as well as a Bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Deana Carrillo
California Energy Commission
Deana Carrillo serves as the Deputy Director of the Renewable Energy Division at the California Energy Commission. Prior to this role, she was the manager of the Local Assistance and Financing Office. Deana brings over 16 years of experience in leadership, public administration, clean energy policy, and finance to the position. Prior to joining the CEC, Deana was the Executive Director of the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA), serving under three different State Treasurers. At CAEATFA, she worked to develop and oversee various financing programs to support California’s climate, economic development, and social equity goals. Deana has a Master of Public Policy degree from UCLA, with a focus in regional economic development and urban poverty, and a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz in political science.
Sergio G. Carrillo
Connecticut Green Bank | CESA Board Treasurer
Sergio Carrillo is Director of Incentive Programs with the Connecticut Green Bank, where he oversees all programs and efforts designed to deploy clean energy through incentives by the Green Bank. The Incentive Business's current programs include the Residential Solar Investment Program (RSIP), the Smart-E Loan, and the Solar for All Program. Before joining the Connecticut Green Bank, Sergio worked with Chesapeake Utilities Corporation where he held several positions, including Manager of Rates, Contracts and Regulatory Affairs, and most recently acted as Director of Corporate Development, overseeing Strategy development and implementation. Sergio also has extensive experience leading retail electricity pricing to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as wholesale pricing procurement processes. He holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering, a M.Sc. in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from Penn State University, and an MBA from Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business.
Sarah Duffy
Illinois Power Agency
Sarah Duffy is the Deputy Legal Counsel of the Illinois Power Agency (IPA), an independent state agency tasked with developing procurement plans and solar energy incentive programs. Sarah joined the Agency in 2021, administering renewable energy programs and advising on issues ranging from labor requirements to emerging energy technologies. Sarah has deep experience in the state climate policy space, most recently as the North American Government Affairs Manager for the Under2 Coalition, a global network of subnational governments leading on climate action. She previously worked for Georgetown Climate Center where she consulted for state policymakers on electricity policy and federal rulemaking, and for the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and Environmental Law at the UCLA School of Law, where she was a Shapiro Fellow. Sarah earned her JD and bachelor’s degree from the Program in the Environment at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Tony Gonçalves
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Tony Gonçalves is a Supervising Resource Planner in the Resource and New Business Strategy Department at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). As the nation’s sixth-largest community-owned electric service provider, SMUD’s vision is to partner with its customers and community, provide innovative solutions to ensure energy affordability and reliability, improve the environment, and reduce the region’s carbon footprint. Tony has been with SMUD since 2015, and is responsible for assessing RPS and carbon implications, development of SMUD’s Integrated Resource Plan, and conducting economic analysis for proposed projects and programs. Tony previously worked at two other publicly owned utilities in California and started his career at the California Energy Commission, where he spent over 20 years working on renewable energy issues, and was manager of the renewable energy office from 2009 – 2013. Tony holds a B.S. in Civil and Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis.
Betsy Kauffman
Energy Trust of Oregon | CESA Board Chair
Betsy Kauffman heads up Energy Trust of Oregon’s renewable energy department, which provide cash incentives and technical assistance to solar, hydro, biopower, geothermal and wind projects in Oregon. The program has funded more than 8,000 commercial, residential, and large-scale solar projects and more than 20 hydro, bio, and geothermal projects. Along with a local neighborhood organization, Energy Trust operated the first Solarize effort in the nation. Prior to joining Energy Trust, Betsy worked at For the Sake of the Salmon where she managed the Salmon-Friendly Power program, one of Oregon’s first programs to allow utility customers to choose a renewable power option. Betsy also has a long history in the news business, having spent ten years as an anchor and reporter at radio stations across the country. She has bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and moonlights as a stand-up comic.
Jeremy Lewis
New Mexico State Energy Office
Jeremy Lewis serves as the Deputy Director for the New Mexico State Energy Office housed at the New Mexico Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Energy Conservation and Management Division. From 2019 to 2023, Jeremy was the Office of Renewable Energy Director at the New Mexico State Land Office where he launched the newly created Renewable Energy Office to lease state trust land for renewable energy projects. He guided the State Land Office’s growth to their one-gigawatt portfolio of wind and solar leases. Prior to 2019, Jeremy was Planning Bureau Chief for the New Mexico Energy Conservation and Management Division, where for ten years he served to forward programs, policies, projects, and education on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels/transportation. He has worked as a transmission policy analyst with Western Resource Advocates to increase renewable energy access to the grid; with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps to forward positive youth development and conservation in Northern New Mexico; and as a Peace Corps Volunteer to expand sustainable agriculture in Cameroon, West Africa. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters of Community and Regional Planning degree from the University of New Mexico.
Seth Mullendore
Clean Energy Group
Seth Mullendore is president and executive director of Clean Energy Group (CEG), where he oversees the organization’s mission to advance energy justice and catalyze innovative energy strategies to address the climate crisis. He previously served as vice president and a project director for CEG, leading efforts to enable greater access to the benefits of solar PV and battery storage technologies for low-income communities and communities of color and working with community-based partners to phase out polluting power plants with clean alternatives. Seth is a contributing author to the 2022 book “Environmental Justice and Resiliency in an Age of Uncertainty,” which examines various current environmental issues including energy justice.
Prior to joining CEG, Seth served as a Sustainable Energy Fellow with Union of Concerned Scientists and worked with Maine Clean Communities to advance clean transportation initiatives. Before shifting careers to focus on energy and equity, Seth worked in the technology sector where he founded and managed a web development and online engagement company specializing in outreach services for colleges and universities. Seth holds a M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Geosciences from the University of Southern Maine.
Galen Nelson
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center | CESA Board Vice Chair
Galen Nelson is the Chief Program Officer at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center where he oversees technology, market, and workforce development programs and initiatives across the organization’s buildings, transportation and net zero grid sectors. Galen serves on MassCEC’s executive team helping to inform organizational strategy and direction, and oversees the organization’s emerging climate finance work. Prior to this role, Galen led MassCEC’s Innovation and Industry Support division, where he created and managed several tech to market and commercialization acceleration programs, including in the microgrid, energy storage, and high-performance building sectors. Prior to joining the MassCEC, Galen led clean energy business and green affordable housing policy and program development efforts at the City of Boston. Galen has over ten years’ experience conceiving, developing, and managing energy transition programs and policies at the City and State level often at the intersection of urban planning, economic development, and clean energy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Colby College.
Tony Reames
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability
Dr. Tony G. Reames is a leading, international energy and environmental justice scholar and government policy advisor. Dr. Reames is the Tishman Professor of Environmental Justice and an associate professor in University of Michigan (UM) School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) where he founded of the Urban Energy Justice Lab and the Energy Equity Project. He is the Director of the UM SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic.
In June 2021, Dr. Reames took a professional leave of absence for public service from UM when he was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as Senior Advisor on Energy Justice. He was promoted to Deputy Director for Energy Justice. In 2022, he became the first-ever Deputy Director for Energy Justice Policy and Analysis when he established the Department’s new Office of Energy Justice Policy and Analysis within the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (now Office of Energy Justice and Equity). In July 2023 he was promoted to Principal Deputy Director for State and Community Energy Programs. Reames holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration from University of Kansas, a Master of Engineering Management from Kansas State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.
Georges Sassine
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Georges Sassine is the Vice President for Large-Scale Renewables at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). He leads NYSERDA’s work in advancing both land-based renewable energy and offshore wind resources. Prior to joining NYSERDA in September 2021, he spent nearly ten years at General Electric (GE) where he took on a wide scope of responsibilities including strategy, scenario planning, product management, innovation, marketing and business development. He started his career in engineering and policy analysis roles with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Middle East and at a couple of think tanks in Washington, DC. Georges has also worked with several multinational corporations driving policy analysis, investment and business strategy including Deutsche Bank’s Energy & Climate Change Advisors team in New York and Man Group’s energy private equity fund in London. He is also the founder of a non-profit that advocates for transparency and good governance in the energy industry. Georges has a Bachelor in Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut, and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University.
Regina Strong
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Regina Strong leads the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate (OEJPA) in Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Regina also leads the state’s Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team and established the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice. For more than 30 years, Regina has been a leader in public affairs, advocacy, and the fight for justice and equity. Achieving environmental justice and intentionally addressing systemic inequities are core elements of her work. Previously, she directed the Sierra Club’s Michigan Beyond Coal campaign, leading a team focused on transitioning our energy generation to clean, renewable energy. Regina also previously served as executive director of Community Development Advocates of Detroit, the trade association of nonprofit developers building affordable housing in the city. Throughout her career, she has advocated and organized to address inequities, ensure communities can speak for themselves, and build collaborative opportunities for change. Regina earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Science degree from Purdue University. She is an Environmental Leadership Program senior fellow in the Great Lakes Region.
Daniel White
District Department of Energy and Environment
Daniel White has over 14 years of experience with the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) in Washington, DC. Daniel manages programs focused on providing access to tools and resources to encourage the integration of energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainability, and innovation into project developments across the District. His experience also includes leading collaborative efforts with federal, state and local partners to develop strategies and implement best practices for solar programs. Most recently, through the District of Columbia “Solar for All program”, Daniel’s work has focused on Community Solar project models to scale sharing the benefits of solar energy for households in the most vulnerable communities.