ENERGY FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, West
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Diversity
- Vice President, Programs and Equity
As Vice President, Programs and Equity, Adrianna leads and manages the coordination of U.S. Energy Foundation's work to develop, foster, and sustain a diverse workplace with equity and inclusion as core values. She also works with our program teams on external equity strategies.
A nationally recognized expert on strategic power-building, sustainability, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, Adrianna most recently served as Director of Partner & Community Engagement at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In 2007, Adrianna also founded and, for a decade, served as Executive Director of Voces Verdes, a national coalition of Latino business, health, community, and cultural leaders, advocates, and organizations calling for action on clean energy and climate, and one of the first organizations dedicated to building leadership among Latinos and Latinas on sustainability. She began her career at NRDC as an attorney litigating cases on pesticides, toxics, drinking water, and air quality.
Adrianna Quintero is Energy Foundation's Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This blog post is based on a...
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, West
Job Titles:
- Manager, Funder Research and Operations
Alexandria Yuan supports projects and assignments related to the cultivation and stewardship of U.S. Energy Foundation's funders. She helps manage key relationships by engaging directly with funders, tracking funder engagement, drafting funder materials, and contributing to meeting and event planning. In addition to working with the Strategic Partnerships team, Alex collaborates with program colleagues and teams on funder-related projects and contributes to other institutional efforts.
Prior to joining U.S. Energy Foundation, Alexandria served as Management Analyst for the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda, where she managed business processes and databases to improve organizational effectiveness. Prior to that she was the Senior Analyst, Budget and Planning for the City of County of San Francisco City Administrator's Office. She also previously worked with the California Air Resources Board, Oakland Unified School District, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and as a Program Associate for China Strategy and Analysis at Energy Foundation China.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Southeast Campaigns
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Northeast Communications
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, Southeast
Job Titles:
- Program Director, West Communications
Andrew contributes a communications perspective to EF's state and regional strategies in the West; manages EF's state communications work and other regional communications contracts and grants; develops, tests, and shares guidance to advance key narratives across states and regions; serves as a point to connect state stories and national communications partners; and builds strong relationships and communications capacity among EF grantees in their regions.
Andrew came to EF from Energy Media, a collaboration of EF and Resource Media, where he served as the U.S. West Regional Communications Director. Prior to that, Andrew was the Vice President of Communications Strategies at TSC2 Group, where he provided communications strategies and solutions for a variety of clients. Andrew previously led communications and marketing efforts for the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization that facilitates economic development in the Las Vegas Valley. He also has worked as a reporter with the Las Vegas Sun.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Strategic Communications
As strategic communications is necessary to drive public support for ambitious climate policy action and mobilize key constituencies that will hold policymakers accountable over time, Andrew plays the key role of supervising regional staff, developing strategies, and raising resources to advance that vision. Andrew works with colleagues across EF to develop and execute communications and campaign strategies in line with EF's Program Team goals.
Andrew came to EF from the Energy Media Project, a collaboration of EF and Resource Media, where he served as that project's Director. Prior to that, he spent years in the international climate communications space where he was a Senior Associate, Issues and Investigations at the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC). At the GSCC Andrew helped launch the Issues Management arm of the organization, specializing in rapid response ahead of, during, and after the 2016 presidential election. Andrew previously worked with the Global Call for Climate Action in various roles, including production of a daily rapid response memo on international climate news, and eventually served as the organization's Communications Director working with a diverse coalition of 450 nonprofit organizations in more than 70 countries working to secure a world safe from the worst impacts of climate change. Andrew began his career as a journalist in the American West and in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- Program Lead, Strategic Communications
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Fossil Fuels
Job Titles:
- Accounts Payable Accountant
- Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Leadership
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer / Thermal Battery Corporation
- Chief Executive Officer of Thermal Battery Corporation
Arvin Ganesan is the Chief Executive Officer of Thermal Battery Corporation, a climate tech company that is developing a long duration and flexible energy storage system to accelerate the adoption and utilization of renewable energy. Arvin previously served as the Global Head of Environmental and Energy Policy at Apple, where he led teams focusing on clean energy procurement, circularity, and engagement with electric utilities.
Prior to that, Arvin was Vice President for Federal Policy at Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), where he led efforts to support policies that enable rapid growth of businesses that develop and use advanced energy technologies.
Before joining AEE, President Barack Obama appointed Arvin to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), serving first as Associate Administrator for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, a role in which he was primary political advisor to then-EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on congressional and political strategy. He later served as the agency's Deputy Chief of Staff, overseeing the development, rollout, and communications of environmental policy. Prior to his tenure with the EPA, Ganesan was the primary advisor to U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) on all energy and environmental matters, including the Clean Air Act and climate change, toxic chemicals, and national water policy.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant, Programs
Bianca Joseph serves as a resource to ensure that grantee partners have the support they need to continue their good work, whether that is through planning and managing projects and budgets, making and administering grants, or developing and implementing systems and processes to facilitate internal and external collaboration.
Bianca previously served as a constituent coordinator for the Passive House Institute US. Prior to that she was a membership and communities associate for the Innovatis Group, a customer engagement company, and a youth development mentor with City Year Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Senior Vice President
Brian Stanley oversees Finance, Human Resources, Grants Management, and IT/Knowledge Management at U.S. Energy Foundation, ensuring proper staffing, efficient operations, and the establishment and implementation of accurate systems and departmental goals and objectives. He is responsible for organizational risk management and the facilitation of work processes between the Operations, Program, and Strategic Partnerships teams.
Serving as a creative collaborator with the CEO and Management Team, he provides leadership in establishing and implementing organization-wide priorities, including oversight of the annual budget process and helping to foster and operationalize the foundation's cultural values: Learning, Service, Ownership, and Accountability.
Brian's most recent role was COO at Hamilton Families, a non-profit whose mission is to end family homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area. He led daily operations and strategic initiatives for an organization with a staff of more than 150 employees. He also oversaw nationally recognized programs that serve 800 families annually, as well as operational units, including finance. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of the Oakland Public Education Fund, and before that served as Director of Programs for the San Francisco Education Fund.
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Northeast Campaigns
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board
- President and CEO of the Connecticut Green Bank
Bryan Garcia is the President and CEO of the Connecticut Green Bank, the nation's first state-level green bank. Before joining the Green Bank, he was Program Director for the Yale Center for Business and the Environment. He has co-edited two publications: Carbon Finance: Environmental Market Solutions to Climate Change and Carbon Finance II: Investing in Forests for Climate Protection.
Bryan previously served as Connecticut's Climate Change Coordinator, and was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer specializing in NGO capacity-building and environmental education in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Business Partner
Carmela is responsible for driving programs, policies, and procedures in the areas of talent management, recruitment, employee relations, and compensation, serving as a thought partner and sounding board and providing advice and guidance to EF's Programs department on human resources best practices. She consults with employees of all levels, coaching and guiding managers and employees across a variety of people-oriented concerns.
Most recently, Carmela was a Senior Human Resources Consultant with NPAG Consulting, where she provided strategic human resources and organizational development expertise and guidance on behalf of clients throughout the U.S. Prior to that, she was a Senior Human Resources Partner with Truth Initiative, serving as a trusted advisor to staff and leading talent management strategies, employee relations plans, investigations, counseling and coaching initiatives, and performance management processes. Carmela also has worked with U.S. Bank as a Regional Talent Acquisition Manager.
Carmelia Lipatova is responsible for supporting the preparation of budgets and reports, processing and tracking all revenue, and supporting internal and external special requests related to grant awards and grantmaking. She works in close collaboration with the Strategic Partnerships, Grants, and Program teams.
Carmelia most recently served as a Procurement Coordinator and Order Processor/Planner at Applied Ceramics, Inc. located in Fremont, CA. Her duties included invoice processing, general ledger reconciliation, forecasting and order replenishment, and supporting the year-end close and auditing process. She previously worked at AOSense Inc., National Home Health Services, and at the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova.
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Southeast Communications
Casie contributes a communications perspective to U.S. Energy Foundation's state and regional strategies in the Southeast; manages the foundation's state communications work and other regional communications contracts and grants; develops, tests, and shares guidance to advance key narratives across states and regions; connects state stories and national communications partners; and builds strong relationships and communications capacity among U.S. Energy Foundation grantees.
Casie previously worked at Energy Media, a collaboration of U.S. Energy Foundation and Resource Media, where she served as the Southeast Communications Director. Previously, Casie worked with a variety of clients as Founder and Principal of Casie Yoder Consulting, and provided communications strategy and campaign management. Prior to that, Casie was a Public Information Officer with the City of Decatur, Georgia, where she was a spokesperson, and managed writing and editing speeches, crisis communications, and led project management for the city's communications.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant, COO and Operations
Job Titles:
- Program Associate, States and Regions
Job Titles:
- Program Associate, Northeast
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, West
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Funder Relations, Strategic Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, Clean Transportation
Job Titles:
- Interim Program Associate, Northeast
Elizabeth Thomas manages strategy development and implementation. She designs systems for tracking grantee progress and synthesizes that information for communication to key stakeholders. Elizabeth leads on cross-team alignment and integration with the Policy, Operations, Strategic Partnership, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion teams, and supports the Senior Vice President, Programs, in developing and tracking organizational budgets.
Previously, Elizabeth worked at Peninsula Open Space Trust as the Grants and Government Relations Manager. Prior to that, she worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, for Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown on environmental issues.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, States and Regions
As Vice President of the States and Regions Program, Emily leads the EF team comprised of policy, campaign, and communications experts investing in place-based campaigns in two dozen states across the country's four major regions. She provides program management to oversee the implementation of EF's strategic vision, and program leadership to integrate strategy, processes, budgeting, and management across the program teams. Emily has worked at EF since 2017, when she launched the foundation's Northeast program.
Previously, Emily served as U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's Chief Environmental Policy Advisor and as an environmental health advocate at Earthjustice.
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Strategic Communications
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, Southeast
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Programs and Equity
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Clean Grid
Job Titles:
- Senior Salesforce Administrator and Architect
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Community Engagement / Environmental Defense Fund
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager, Strategic Communications
Job Titles:
- Intern, Programs and Equity / West
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board Liaison
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Southeast Campaigns
Jane L. Breyer leads the development, execution, and evaluation of fundraising and partnership strategies to advance the clean energy mission of U.S. Energy Foundation. She also collaborates with international philanthropic partners and helps to lead efforts that drive resources to the climate and clean energy advocacy field globally.
Jane has over 30 years of experience focused on connecting people, ideas, and resources. She came to U.S. Energy Foundation from HopeLab, where she served as Vice President for Partnerships and Impact (HopeLab is part of the Omidyar Group). Prior to joining HopeLab, Jane spent 13 years as an independent consultant to organizations such as Envision Schools, REDF, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Red Cloud Indian School, Environmental Defense Fund, Frameline, and the Chez Panisse Foundation, among others.
From 1992 to 2001, Jane served as the Director of Development for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, where she oversaw all aspects of a large development operation. Prior to her work at the AIDS Foundation, Jane spent a decade in the arts, including leadership roles at the San Francisco Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, Midwest
Job Titles:
- Program Director, West Policy
As Chief Executive Officer, Jason Mark leads U.S. Energy Foundation operations, program strategy development, grantmaking, and partnerships, overseeing a staff of over 100 people working to advance clean energy policies throughout the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Western regions.
Prior to assuming the role of CEO, Jason served as U.S. Energy Foundation's Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs, managing a team of policy, public engagement, and communications experts who invest in diverse organizations nationally to drive clean energy action. He joined the organization in 2007 as Director of the Transportation Program and then as Deputy Director of U.S. Programs.
Prior to joining U.S. Energy Foundation, Jason worked for the Union of Concerned Scientists, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at Princeton University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Accounting
- U.S. Energy Foundation 's Director of Accounting
As U.S. Energy Foundation's Director of Accounting, Jeanette oversees the integrity of EF's financial record-keeping and compliance including managing the monthly close, audit preparation, and the submission of tax and other external filings.
Jeanette brings more than 12 years of experience in accounting and finance. She previously served in the role of Controller for EF. Before that, she was the fund manager at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to that, she was the controller/grants and contracts manager for JVS (Jewish Vocational Service-a San Francisco nonprofit) from 2005 to 2011.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President, Programs
Job Titles:
- Senior Manager, Program Strategies and Operations
Job Titles:
- Director, Communications, Strategic Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Programs
Job Titles:
- Program Director, State Federal Climate Initiative
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Building Decarbonization
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Southeast Policy
Job Titles:
- Vice President, People and Culture
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Northeast
Jonathan supports the Northeast Office's internal coordination, helps manage the workflow of the team's grantmaking efforts and grantee engagement, and performs research on policies, programs, and initiatives in the Northeast. He also assists in preparing funder communications and board dockets on behalf of the team.
Most recently, Jonathan was a Manager of Defend Our Future, a project of the Environmental Defense Fund, where he designed the campus ambassador program to empower students on climate action, built and maintained organizational relationships in order to advance climate priorities in Congress, and managed Defend Our Future's legislative strategy. Jonathan also previously worked as a Project Manager and as an Operations Coordinator with Defend Our Future, coordinating climate leadership summits and preparing campaign proposals and reports. Prior to that, Jonathan was a Communications Manager at Conover + Gould Strategy Group in Washington, DC.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Program Operations / Joseph Washington
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant, Team Lead
Job Titles:
- Senior Human Resources Generalist
As Senior Human Resources (HR) Generalist, Karen independently leads the daily operational aspects of the HR function in areas including recruitment, employee onboarding, Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), employee relations, compensation, benefits, and training. Karen works closely with employees and managers to answer questions and help resolve complex issues in the areas of benefits and employee relations.
Prior to EF, Karen worked as an HR Generalist at Care Indeed in Menlo Park, CA, conducting community outreach at local schools for potential candidates, and managing the hiring and onboarding process for new staff. Karen also served in an HR role with the Center for Social Dynamics, where she spearheaded diversity & inclusion projects and coordinated new hire orientations.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Midwest Policy
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, West Campaigns
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Northeast Policy
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Midwest Communications
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Southeast Policy
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate, Programs
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Southeast
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Knowledge Systems
Job Titles:
- Program Lead, Fossil Fuels
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Midwest Policy
Job Titles:
- Director, Strategic Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Program Director, California
Job Titles:
- Program Director, West Campaigns
Mariela Hernandez guides U.S. Energy Foundation's strategies to build public support for clean energy and climate policies in the West. Working in the region and in close partnership with campaign experts in both U.S. Energy Foundation's San Francisco office and other regional offices, she designs and funds strategies that create the diverse coalitions and collaborations needed to meet the ambitious state policy goals in the power, buildings, transportation, and climate sectors.
Prior to joining U.S. Energy Foundation, Mariela was Nevada State Director for The Impact Project based in Las Vegas, where she advanced state-level economic and democracy policies by providing communications, advocacy, and organizing resources as well as grantmaking dollars to partners in the state, along with other duties. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Jacky Rosen, advising her on policy and legislation. She also held various roles with U.S. Senator Harry Reid, most recently as Southern Nevada Deputy Director.
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Local Power
Job Titles:
- Program Associate, States and Regions
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Member and Partner Engagement
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Northeast
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, Programs and Equity
Michael Segura is responsible for performing general ledger account review, maintenance and reconciliation, preparing journal entries, financial statements and reports, creating and maintaining schedules, supporting the grant closeout and expenditures reporting, and assisting the Controller and Chief Financial Officer.
Michael previously served as the Senior Accounts Payable for Perfect Day, Inc., and before that held a temporary accounting position with U.S. Energy Foundation. He was General Ledger Accountant at Lime, Inc., and prior to that had served as Staff Accountant at Rubrik, Inc. and at Reputation.com. He also has held finance positions at Solar City and BrandVia Alliance.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Associate, Clean Transportation
Job Titles:
- Technical Training Specialist
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Midwest Campaigns
Job Titles:
- Program Associate, Industrial
Job Titles:
- Program Associate, Clean Power
Job Titles:
- Media Inquiries
- Senior Director, Communications
- Senior Director, Communications, Strategic Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, West Policy
Job Titles:
- President and CEO / Maine State Chamber
Patrick joined the Maine State Chamber in October 2023 as President and CEO after returning to his home state from serving in a number of state energy leadership positions in New England. Most recently, Patrick was the Commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources under former Governor Charlie Baker in Massachusetts. In that role, Patrick oversaw offshore wind procurements, new building codes, solar policies, and all other state and regional energy policies. Patrick also served on the board of the National Association of State Energy Officials, and several state and regional energy boards.
Prior to working in Massachusetts, Patrick was Director of the Maine Energy Office from 2013 to 2016 in the Governor Paul LePage administration, where he led efforts to expand air source heat pump adoption and other energy efficiency investments. He previously served as an adviser to former U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe in her Washington, D.C., office.
Job Titles:
- Program Director, Midwest Campaigns
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Program Operations / Joseph Washington
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, Midwest
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Director, Strategic Communications
Job Titles:
- Senior Payroll Accountant
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, Southeast
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Senior Advisor at U.S.
Ryan Werder serves as Senior Advisor at U.S. Energy Foundation (EF). As EF's Senior Advisor, Ryan supports the Program team in facilitating and launching innovative strategies with a particular focus on campaign design and building public will for equitable climate action. He also supports funding partners in connecting and learning from the deep knowledge within EF's grantee network.
Ryan opened EF's Midwest office in 2013 and subsequently led the regional team through nine years of growing and supporting the Midwest community of grantees and funders, serving through April 2022 as Senior Regional Director, Midwest.
Before joining the EF staff, Ryan was Deputy Director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, where he helped guide the organization to four-fold growth during his tenure. He also led the organization's work in convening and coordinating broad, diverse, and bipartisan coalitions around energy, land use, and water protections. He began his career as a Field Representative for Congressman John Dingell. In that role, at the height of the Great Recession, Ryan worked directly with families in diverse and hard-hit communities around Detroit on home foreclosures, worker displacement and retraining, economic development to spark new jobs, and protecting the last mile of the Detroit River as the nation's first international wildlife refuge.
Ryan also serves as the Executive Director of Energy Action Fund, EF's affiliated 501(c)(4) organization.
Job Titles:
- Senior Grants Systems Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Learning and Development Manager
As Senior Learning and Development Manager, Sam plays a key role in understanding and promoting EF's mission, vision, values, and operational objectives, and is a key advisor to the Senior Director, Human Resources (HR), on people-development strategy for the organization. Sam is responsible for project managing all major organizational development initiatives that include performance consulting, employee onboarding, performance management, employee development, succession planning, leadership development, and employee-facing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Prior to joining EF, Sam was the Director of Organizational and Professional Development at Cascadia College in Bothell, Washington, where she led organizational development and change management, led employee engagement and DEI programs, and collaborated with HR to manage complex operational processes. Sam has a special interest in trauma-informed work, teaming, and leadership, and infuses trauma-informed principles into her interactions and products. She also has worked as a teacher with Yoga Behind Bars, and led classes, designed curriculum, and trained volunteers and staff in trauma-informed breath, movement, and meditation in a men's prison.
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, Northeast
Job Titles:
- Senior Regional Director, West
Job Titles:
- President, Managing Principal / Analysis Group, Inc.
Job Titles:
- Program Lead, Clean Transportation
Job Titles:
- Program Associate, Strategic Communications
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, States and Regions
Job Titles:
- Program Director, California
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Midwest Operations
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager, Program Operations
Job Titles:
- Manager, Funder Relations, Strategic Partnerships