Ben Allen | California State Senator
Senator Ben Allen was elected in 2014 and now represents the 24th District covering the Westside, Hollywood, South Bay, and Santa Monica Mountains communities of LA County. Senator Allen chairs the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee, the International Sporting Events Special Committee, and the Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Arts, in addition to serving on standing committees focused on elections, emergency management, environmental quality, judiciary, and natural resources and water. Since the devastating Palisades and Eaton Fires, Ben has focused on supporting and streamlining the rebuilding process, and crafting policy solutions to shore up the insurance market and establish resident protections in the event of future disasters. An attorney and former school board member, Senator Allen has authored crucial legislation in the areas of economic development, environmental protection, climate change, green transit, educational equity, government transparency, insurance, and electoral reform. This includes moving California away from unsustainable single-use packaging, modernizing California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program, and creating a state general obligation bond measure to address the effects of climate change. He is a son of teachers and holds degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and UC Berkeley. He and his wife Melanie have two children.
Session: Building the Bond Between Housing and Climate Resilience
Shanette Anderson | Deputy Director of Contractor Development at Emerald Cities Collaborative
Shanette Anderson is the Southern California Deputy Director of Contractor Development for Emerald Cities Collaborative, the Third-Party Implementer for the Southern California Regional Energy Network’s (SoCalREN) Workforce Education & Training Programs. In this role, Shanette administers the E-Contractor Academy and Training Program by providing a wide range of Program Services to assist small, diverse contractors in getting prepared to compete for energy efficiency projects. Shanette has worked in the construction industry for nearly 20 years, managing programs to assist contractors and public agencies. She has a BA in Organizational Leadership and holds several other industry-related certifications.
Session: Workforce and Economic Development
Catherine Blakespear| California State Senator
Catherine S. Blakespear was elected in 2022 as the state senator for the 38th District, which represents northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. She previously served eight years in local government – six years as the Encinitas Mayor and two on the Encinitas City Council.
Blakespear is Chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and Chair of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency, which is tasked with improving support for the 351-mile rail line that runs from San Diego to San Luis Obispo and faces climate change threats. She sits on the Senate’s committees on governmental organization and transportation, the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and Budget Subcommittee 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy. She also is on the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies.
Blakespear authored 19 bills in 2023 and 2024 that have been passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. That includes environmental legislation that bans plastic bags from being provided at grocery store checkouts, and gun violence prevention legislation to ensure people undergoing mental health crises turn in their firearms.
Jaron Brandon | Supervisor at Tuolumne County
Supervisor Jaron Brandon represents the 5 th District of Tuolumne County since January 2021. He is a born and raised local that graduated from UC Merced, and a former Maddy Institute Alumni. His vision is to fight for the issues that affect working people in Tuolumne County, namely providing the housing, jobs, and transparency necessary to put our community on a resilient, sustainable path.
Session: Workforce and Economic Development
Rich Brown | Academic Researcher at California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), UC Berkeley
Rich Brown is an academic researcher at the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE) at UC Berkeley. His research interests span a broad range of topics related to the development and demonstration of technologies to reduce building energy use, including grid-interactive buildings; intelligent management of distributed energy resources, particularly through networked systems of sensors and controls, and direct current (DC) power distribution in buildings. His main project now is the Oakland EcoBlock, which is developing and demonstrating a neighborhood-scale approach to decarbonizing the existing building stock.
Rich comes to CIEE from over 30 years at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he led a variety of research projects on energy in buildings and regularly collaborated with CIEE researchers and UC faculty.
Rich holds an M.A. degree from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley, and a B.S.E. in Engineering and Management Systems from Princeton University.
Session: Transformative Neighborhood-scale Energy Solutions
Mindy Craig | Principal and Owner at BluePoint Planning
Mindy Craig offers over 25 years of experience in public policy, planning, and strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement services to organizations throughout California and the country, with a focus on energy, climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation. Mindy was the lead author on California’s New Residential Zero Net Energy Action Plan, California’s Commercial ZNE Action Plan, and, most recently, Advancing Decarbonization for Multifamily Buildings for the CPUC. She authored the Existing Buildings Energy Efficiency Action Plan for the CEC and collaborated with the US Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Lab to develop the Guide to High Performing ZNE Districts. Mindy also worked with EPA and FEMA on developing a Building Regional Resilience Toolkit for local and regional jurisdictions. Currently, Mindy is working throughout California with four Regional Energy Networks (RENs), as well as CCAs and Cities, working towards their decarbonization goals. She is the founder and principal of BluePoint Planning in Berkeley, California.
Session: Transformative Neighborhood-scale Energy Solutions
Roger Dickenson | Councilmember for the City of Sacramento
Roger Dickinson currently represents District 2 on the Sacramento City Council, a role he assumed in 2024. In this capacity, he focuses on revitalizing North Sacramento by prioritizing economic development, enhancing public safety, and addressing the homelessness crisis through sustainable housing solutions and prevention.
Previously, Roger was elected to the State Assembly in November 2010 and reelected in November 2012, representing the 7th Assembly District, including the Cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento. As a legislator, Dickinson focused on issues related to environmental quality, education, health and human services for children and families, economic development, and consumer protection.
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Dickinson served on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors from February 1994 through 2010. As a member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, Dickinson played key roles on issues such as health care, welfare reform, economic development, clean air, improved transportation, and smart growth
Session: Building the Bond Between Housing and Climate Resilience
Steve Frisch | President at Sierra Business Council
Steve Frisch is the President and CEO of the Sierra Business Council (SBC) a regional business-based non-governmental organization. SBC works through a network of 6,000 businesses, community organizations and local governments to foster thriving communities through “on-the-ground” projects that benefit the region’s social, environmental, and financial capital by applying the principles of sustainable development and entrepreneurship. Sierra Business Council has been actively engaged in California climate policy for more than 20 years and has advocated for programs and funding allocations to speed climate adaptation and mitigation practices through non-governmental organizations in partnership with local governments.
Session: Wildfire Resilience and Rebuilding Strategies for California
Angie Hacker | CEO, Principal Consultant at Prosper Sustainably
Angie Hacker is the CEO of Prosper Sustainably, LLC a woman-owned, microbusiness based in CA. She has 25 years of experience designing and leading community climate, energy, and land use initiatives in private, nonprofit and public roles spanning local, state, federal, and tribal government. Among current consulting roles, she serves as CivicWell’s Senior Policy and Practices Consultant the Statewide Best Practices Coordinator for the California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC). She previously served as Sustainability Division Chief for the County of Santa Barbara and oversaw local, state, federal, and ratepayer-funded energy and climate initiatives. Her areas of expertise include identifying needs, designing innovative local and regional solutions, communicating a strategic vision, pursuing policy and regulatory opportunities, obtaining resources, building local capacity, leveraging cross-sector partnerships, and engaging stakeholders. She enjoys managing complex projects and datasets to achieve results within multi-agency, political and bureaucratic environments. Angie earned a Master of Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Social Psychology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Session: Creative Funding Solutions
Carl Guardino | VP of Global Government Affairs at Tarana Wireless
Carl serves as the VP of Government Affairs & Policy for Tarana Wireless. After three decades in CEO and senior officer roles, including 24 years as CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Carl came to Tarana after leading global government affairs for Bloom Energy. Carl also serves as Chair of the CA Transportation Commission, which annually programs and allocates nearly $14 billion in transportation improvements throughout the state.
Through his past leadership roles, Carl has led and co-led 19 statewide, regional, and countywide ballot initiatives, winning 18 out of 19 campaigns. Carl graduated from San Jose State University, where he is a Distinguished Alumnus. Outside of work, Carl is a runner, cyclist, and triathlete, having completed 19 marathons and three IRONMANs. Carl and his wife, Leslee, have three children.
Allison Joe | Deputy Secretary for Equity at California State Transportation Agency
Allison S. Joe was appointed as Deputy Secretary for Equity and Workforce at the California State Transportation Agency by Governor Gavin Newsom December 2024.
In this role, Allison focuses on supporting equitable transportation solutions that benefit all communities and address statewide workforce needs to provide mobility and transport options for all. Prior to this role, Allison was instrumental in shaping policies to support clean transportation options, affordable housing and economic development in the City of Sacramento as the Senior Advisor and Policy Director to former Mayor Darrell Steinberg and members of the Sacramento City Council. Additionally, Allison played a foundational role in implementing the California Climate Investments (CCI) program as the Deputy Director of the California Strategic Growth Council and as a Senior Planner at the Governor’s Office of Planning & Research under Governor Jerry Brown.
Allison earned a master’s in Planning from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Claremont McKenna College. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Session: Transportation Equity at a Crossroads: Statewide Leadership in a Changing Landscape
Kirin Kumar | Director for Climate and Disaster Resilience at Northern California Grantmakers
Kirin Kumar is the Director for Climate and Disaster Resilience at Northern California Grantmakers, where he drives systems change and collective action in philanthropy to shift resources upstream and build community resilience to climate impacts. His work focuses on fostering public-private partnerships that enable capital absorption at scale—helping communities build shared priorities and co-create transformative pipelines of climate resilience projects. Previously, Kirin served as Deputy Director of Equity and Government Transformation at the California Strategic Growth Council, where he helped institutionalize capacity building and dismantle systemic barriers to public funding. Grounded in community self-determination and economic justice, Kirin’s career centers on shifting power and investing in the long-term well-being of communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
Session: Creative Funding Solutions
Adam Parris | Senior Director at ICF
Adam Parris helps people build equitable and just solutions to adapt to climate and societal change. As a Senior Director for Climate Resilience at ICF, Mr. Parris builds on his previous experience by leading work for state and local governments and community partners in responding to the impacts of climate change. Before joining ICF, he was the deputy director of climate science and services at the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice in New York City (NYC), where he worked with city agencies to design multi-million dollar initiatives in actionable science, based on the climate resilience needs of NYC’s hardest hit communities. Prior to that, he led the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay. While at SRIJB, Adam co-designed Cycles of Resilience, a participatory process to empower communities to develop climate action plans developed with community leaders, civic non-profits, and scientists and developed an urban extension program with Sea Grant including community flood monitoring. Adam has advised Federal agencies and numerous states, including California, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey, for which he has been awarded a Presidential Green.gov award as Climate Champion and a NOAA Administrator’s Award. Mr. Parris also directed NOAA’s Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP- formerly RISA) program, a network of regional centers that help expand the nation’s capacity to prepare for and adapt to climate. Prior to his time at NOAA, he worked at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission on policies to address climate change in the San Francisco Bay. Adam spent the first several years of his career working for ESA-PWA as a hydrologist and geomorphologist working on ecosystem restoration. He has co-edited two books with over 50 scientists across the US and published numerous peer-review papers, technical reports, and nonfiction articles. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Environmental Geology from Bucknell University and a Master of Science in Geology from the University of Vermont. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two kids who are a constant source of inspiration, humility, and good humor.
Session: Creative Funding Solutions
Kendra Ramsey | Executive Director at California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike)
Kendra Ramsey is the Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike), which advocates for equitable, inclusive, and prosperous communities where bicycling helps to enable all Californians to lead healthy and joyful lives. Prior to joining CalBike, Kendra managed active transportation plans and corridor studies for a consulting firm, working directly with community members, organizations, and government staff to create safe places to walk and bike. She also spent several years in state government advising agency staff on active transportation planning, design, and programming. She is the Director of the Sacramento Valley Section of the American Planning Association, and the Past President of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. Kendra is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and holds an MS in Community Development from UC Davis and a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz.
Session: Transportation Equity at a Crossroads: Statewide Leadership in a Changing Landscape
Kiara Reed | Executive Director at CivicThread
Kiara Reed is the Executive Director of Civic Thread (formerly WALKSacramento), where she advances health equity and environmental justice through community-driven planning and cross-sector collaboration. Her work focuses on equitable transportation, mobility justice, anti-displacement strategies, and people-centered policy, bridging community voice with institutional decision-making across the Sacramento region. A UC Davis alum and first-generation college graduate, Kiara is committed to building healthy, just communities where everyone can move, thrive, and belong. She serves as an executive board member of Clean Start and chairs the Transportation Working Group for the Sacramento Investment Without Displacement Coalition. She has been recognized as a 40 Under 40 honoree by the Sacramento Business Journal and as a Unity Change Maker by The Sacramento Bee.
Session: Transportation Equity at a Crossroads: Statewide Leadership in a Changing Landscape
Sherri Reusche | Director at Rural Utilization Business Center
Sherri Reusche has lived in Calaveras County since 1997 and has operated a family owned Construction business since 1990. Sherri graduated from Sacramento State University with a B.A. in Liberal Studies and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from National University. In 2023, she began working for Cal Asian Chamber of Commerce as Director of the Rural Business Center in Calaveras County. Her area covers Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Eldorado, and San Joaquin Counties. Sherri has actively taken on many leadership roles. She serves as Past Charter President for the San Andreas Rotary Club, newly retired – Calaveras Unified School District – Board Trustee (20 years), newly retired, Board Chair for the Calaveras Mariposa Community Action Agency, and is the Board President of Calaveras Chamber of Commerce. She always demonstrates her leadership skills with a hands-on approach and has great passion for her community. Her business and life motto is truly “Service above Self”.
Session: Workforce and Economic Development
Laurel Rothschild | Vice President of Energy Programs at The Energy Coalition
Laurel Rothschild is Vice President of Energy Programs at The Energy Coalition, a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and respected leader in the clean energy sector focused on designing and implementing strategies that inspire sustainable energy action. In her role, Laurel oversees a diverse portfolio of programs and collaborates with policymakers, local governments, community-based organizations, and industry partners across the state to advance the organization’s mission of empowering communities to leap into the future of clean energy.
With 20 years of experience, Laurel has worked extensively with local governments and communities to promote, scale, and demystify sustainable energy choices, translating policy into practical, community-centered solutions.
Laurel is Co-Chair of the California Energy Efficiency Coordinating Committee (CAEECC) and serves on the boards of the Association of Women, Water & Energy (AWWEE) and the California Efficiency + Demand Management Council (CEDMC). She is a Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) and a LEED Accredited Professional in Operations + Maintenance (LEED AP O+M), and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Session: Transformative Neighborhood-scale Energy Solutions
Tanisha Taylor | Executive Director at California Transportation Commission
Tanisha Taylor was appointed Executive Director of the California Transportation Commission in June 2023. In this capacity, she has a major role in affecting the outcome of all policies and actions adopted by the Commission, including the programming and allocation of several billion dollars annually for the construction of highway, passenger rail, transit, and active transportation improvements throughout California.
Tanisha Taylor initially joined the Commission as the Chief Deputy Director in May 2020. Before joining the Commission, Ms. Taylor previously held positions at the California Association of Councils of Governments and the San Joaquin Council of Governments. In each of these positions, Ms. Taylor was responsible for advocating for the diverse voices of regional transportation agencies statewide.“
Session: Transportation Equity at a Crossroads: Statewide Leadership in a Changing Landscape
Dawn Weisz | Chief Executive Officer at Marin Clean Energy
As CEO, Dawn is responsible for the vision, strategy, and leadership of MCE. Dawn began coordinating efforts to explore and launch MCE in 2004. Under her watch, MCE has launched service to more than 1.8 million residents and businesses in 38 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano. MCE has also entered into power supply agreements that have doubled the amount of renewable energy purchased for customers, exceeded State renewable energy portfolio standards, and achieved substantial greenhouse gas reductions to help communities reach State Assembly Bill 32 targets. She also helped launch and serves on the Board of the California Community Choice Association (CalCCA), which includes 25 member CCAs across California.
Dawn has more than 30 years of experience developing and managing renewable energy and energy efficiency programs while working for leading public agencies in the field. Previously, she managed energy and sustainability initiatives for the County of Marin, served as the Executive Director for Sustainable North Bay, and worked as a labor and environmental justice organizer in Los Angeles.
Dawn has been a guest lecturer at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, the American Planning Association, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She has also received awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Power Association of Northern California, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Session: Transformative Neighborhood-scale Energy Solutions
Gustavo Velasquez | Director at California Department of Housing and Community Development
In May of 2020, Gustavo Velasquez was appointed Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development by Governor Gavin Newsom. In this leadership role, Velasquez leads California’s housing policy agenda and administers a wide range of programs that produce, preserve, and protect affordable housing and address homelessness in communities across the state. Velasquez was a senior director at the Urban Institute, a renowned national research organization working to provide data analysis and insights to policymakers and practitioners in ways both relevant and actionable. Velasquez served for nearly three years as assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He served on behalf of the president as the strategic lead of the fair housing and inclusive community agenda for the Obama administration. During his tenure, HUD achieved groundbreaking enforcement victories in fair lending and in major housing discrimination cases. Velasquez led efforts to promulgate the landmark Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, a key tool for cities, states, and other HUD funding recipients to reduce inequality and disparities in access to opportunity.
Session: Building the Bond Between Housing and Climate Resilience
Christy Zamani | Executive Director at Day One
Christy Zamani is the Executive Director of Day One and a community leader with over 20 years of progressively responsible leadership experience across nonprofit and public-sector organizations. Since 2007, she has led Day One with a focus on public health, youth leadership, and equitable systems change, overseeing significant organizational growth—tripling the budget and expanding to multiple locations—while creating lasting pathways for youth leadership. Dozens of former program participants are now employed at Day One, with several advancing into full-time director and senior leadership roles, reflecting Christy’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of leaders.
A graduate and former Student Body President of California State University, Long Beach, Christy brings both strategic vision and hands-on expertise in public policy, community health, innovative programming, and youth development.
In addition to her long-standing work in prevention and public health, Christy has stepped up to support fire recovery, playing a central role in coordinating community response and long-term recovery efforts following the Eaton Fire. Her leadership emphasizes equitable recovery, cross-sector collaboration, and ensuring displaced and vulnerable residents have access to housing, resources, and sustained support throughout the rebuilding process.
Christy‘s passion lies in empowering disenfranchised communities, amplifying youth voices, and advancing public health. Christy is deeply committed to strengthening programs and policies that improve health, resilience, and community well-being—particularly for populations most impacted by systemic inequities and emergencies.
Session: Transformative Neighborhood-scale Energy Solutions