CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Development and Digital Communications Coordinator
- the Development and Digital Communications Coordinator
Ben Hagen joined the Clean Energy Transition Institute in July 2021 as the Development and Digital Communications Coordinator. Ben is passionate about the Institute's mission and decarbonizing the Northwest.
Ben spent the past seven years working with Seattle-based nonprofit organizations, whose missions focus on expanding the reach of rowing and music programs in the Northwest. During this time, his work supported development priorities, logistics, and operations.
In addition, Ben coached rowing in Seattle and Tacoma and worked with musicians throughout the Puget Sound.
Ben grew up in Southern California and has been in the Northwest since 2010 when he moved to Washington state for college. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics, with minors in Math, Business, and Music from the University of Puget Sound.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board
Bonnie provides public affairs and clean-economy expertise forUMC, a Northwest mechanical contractor. Previously, she opened new markets for solar in the Northwest through policy, thought leadership, and business development.
Bonnie's career started at the Northwest nonprofit Climate Solutions and includes stints working for the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine.
When Bonnie isn't accelerating the business of commercial energy efficiency, she's outside pursuing trails with friends, dogs, and her two young children.
Bonnie holds a BA from Middlebury College and a masters from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. At Yale, she worked for the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and helped teach a masters-level course on grassroots campaigning.
Job Titles:
- Digital Communications Consultant
- Founder and Director of Modern Trailhead
Caleb Smith is the founder and director of Modern Trailhead, a digital media consulting agency that specializes in video production and website design. Caleb also serves on the Board of the nonprofit New Dawn Guatemala, an organization that works to foster ecological sustainability, economic vitality, and educational advancement in rural Guatemalan communities.
As the former Washington Policy Associate for the Seattle-based clean energy economy nonprofit, Climate Solutions, he analyzed legislative and regulatory policy development covering state and federal climate policy, clean energy, carbon markets,utility regulation, and transportation fuels.
As an undergraduate at the University of Washington's Jackson School of International Studies, Caleb spent a semester abroad in Geneva, Switzerland,where he studied multilateral diplomacy and worked with the Global Institute for Water, Environment, and Health. While there, he researched Swiss renewable energy systems and Social Entrepreneurship. Caleb then spent a semester abroad in Cadiz, Spain, where he studied the Spanish language and tutored the mentally handicapped in English.
Caleb received his Bachelor of Arts in International Development from the University of Washington with a Minor in Spanish in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Designer, One Visual Mind
Carol Maglitta has been working as a graphic designer for 25 years. Her work experience includes freelance, small studios, educational publishing and advertising agencies and is One Visual Mind's lead on most of its print work. Carol studied graphic design at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder / Stolte Family Foundation
Job Titles:
- Research Consultant With the
- Research Fellow, Clean Economy Industrial Summit
- Researcher at the International Council
Claire Buysse is a research consultant with the Clean Energy Transition Institute, focusing on the equitable development of a clean energy workforce in the Pacific Northwest. She has a master's degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington, where she studied urban air quality and climate change and a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the College of Saint Benedict.
Claire is currently a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation, where she works to inform vehicle emission standards and electrification policy in North America. Most recently, she assessed the feasibility of zero-emission trucking at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. When she's not working, you can find her in the dance studio, on the bus, or chasing some alpine air.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Founder
Eileen V. Quigley is Founder and Executive Director of the Clean Energy Transition Institute. Eileen spent seven years at Climate Solutions identifying the transition pathways off fossil fuel to a low-carbon future in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. She built and led the New Energy Cities program, which partnered with 22 Northwest cities and counties to reduce carbon emissions.
As Director of Strategic Innovation, she oversaw New Energy Cities, as well as Sustainable Advanced Fuels, which worked to accelerate the development of advanced low-carbon fuels for aviation, marine, and fleets and the Northwest Biocarbon Initiative, which aimed to demonstrate the role that natural systems play in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. She is the author of numerous reports and publications on decarbonization strategies.
Eileen served as Executive Director of three nonprofit organizations for 12 years and ran RealNetworks' Nonprofit Affairs Division for seven years, helping nonprofit organizations use the Internet for social change. She spent six years as a magazine and newspaper journalist in Washington, DC, and New York, NY, covering business and national politics, and three years editing a quarterly journal of public policy, economics, and culture for the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.
She currently serves on the board of Stockholm Environment Institute-US, as well as the advisory board of the Western Washington University Institute for Energy Studies. Eileen received her Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia University in 1983 and her Bachelor of Arts in Literature from Yale University in 1980.
Job Titles:
- Carbon Program Director / Microsoft
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow, NW Clean Energy Atlas
Jade Sauve is pursuing her doctoral in Oceanography at the University of Washington, having obtained her Master of Oceanography in December 2021. Her research investigates carbon and oxygen fluxes in the near-surface Southern Ocean using data obtained from autonomous instruments.
Before her graduate studies, she completed an undergraduate degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill University in 2018.
In her free time, Jade enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest's amazing outdoor opportunities, different from her native Québec, as well as baking and practicing Tai Chi.
Job Titles:
- Principal at Evolved Energy
Jeremy Hargreaves is a Principal at Evolved Energy Research and an expert in energy systems analysis, focusing on least-cost electricity system planning and distributed energy resource evaluation. Jeremy's consulting insights into long-term grid-scale and distributed resource planning challenges have helped utilities and investors navigate the prospect of a high renewable future while minimizing impacts to customers.
His portfolio of domestic and international work contains many examples where he has leveraged impactful analysis to inform energy policy development. His education includes a doctor of philosophy degree, focused on energy systems optimization, and a master's degree in environmental management and economics, both from the Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a master's degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College, London.
Jessica Adair is a licensed CPA and owner of Adair Business Consulting. She has 20 years of experience in the accounting profession. As a former auditor, she is able to apply her knowledge to help small businesses with budgets ranging from $250,000 to $10 million.
Jessica works mainly with nonprofits to produce quality financial information and procedures to ensure that they are able to focus their time to further their mission.
Jessica has been a CPA since 2005 and received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her Master of Business Administration in Executive Accounting from City University of Seattle.
"I love accounting so you don't have to." - Jessica Adair
Job Titles:
- Video Communications Consultant
Jessica Plumb is working with the Clean Energy Transition Institute to identify and share compelling stories about Washington's transition to renewable energy, with a focus on rural communities.
Jessica Plumb is an award-winning filmmaker and writer, and the creative director of Plumb Productions, a multi-media storytelling company specializing in short films focused on the environment, people, and place. She is the Producer and Co-Director of Return of the River, a feature documentary about the largest dam removal in history, recognized with over a dozen festival awards, including "Best Storytelling" by the International Wildlife Film Festival.
Plumb's clients include HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Olympic National Park, Passion Pictures, Goddard College, the Marine Resources Council, Jefferson Land Trust, Friends of the San Juans and numerous non-profit institutions. Her creative work has appeared in theaters and galleries throughout the United States and internationally; forthcoming projects include a video installation on climate change at the Seoul Museum of Art in South Korea.
Raised on the coast of Maine, Jessica has made her home on the Olympic Peninsula for almost two decades, close to wilderness and waters she loves. Prior to moving to the Pacific Northwest, she worked in Boston and Beijing, and served as interim editor of the Yale China Review. Plumb holds a B.A. from Yale University and an interdisciplinary MFA from Goddard College. She is currently a guest lecturer at the Seattle Film Institute on media and the environment. For more, visit www.plumbproductions.com.
John moved to Seattle several years ago after a 25-year career as an investment banker in New York, Hong Kong, and Chicago. His most recent role was as a senior banker raising capital for US companies in the Healthcare, Consumer Products, and Retail industries. John was a Fellow in the Northwest Conservation Philanthropy Fellowship program in 2015 and serves on the board of Sightline Institute. He is an active investor in early stage clean tech and sustainability companies and is a member of E8, an angel investing group focused on clean tech.
Outside of his environmental pursuits, John has a keen interest in music and the arts. He is a former chair of the board and Life Trustee of Interlochen Center for the Arts, an arts educational and cultural institution located in Michigan. John holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA in Economics from Northwestern University.
Kate MacArthur is a rising third-year at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, where she is pursuing a B.A. in Global Studies with a concentration in Global Environments & Sustainability. Additionally, she is minoring in French and Urban & Environmental Planning. She hopes to combine these areas of study to work towards a globally greener future - not only in the sustainability sense but also in terms of increasing physical nature, especially in urban settings. She believes fostering a deep, symbiotic connection between individuals and the nature that physically surrounds them every day is the first step in building a population that is engaged with and invested in the future of the global environment.
Beyond her interests in the environment and sustainability, Kate is passionate about photography. She runs a Charlottesville-based freelance business and is also the Senior Associate Editor of the photography section for the Cavalier Daily, UVA's 132-year-old newspaper.
Born and raised in Seattle, Kate's education at Seattle Academy and Bertschi School fostered an early understanding of and attention to clean energy and sustainability. She attributes her passion for the environment to her early education, as well as to the social and physical character of the Pacific Northwest, and she is eager to help preserve and develop this character through her work with CETI.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board
Kathleen left her position as Vice President at Microsoft in 2003 to devote her efforts to environmental issues. She has been an active partner in Social Venture Partners, serving on grant committees, the Advocacy and Policy Committee, and as a Lead Partner. She is on the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy of Washington and was a 2015 Northwest Conservation Philanthropy Fellow with a focus on Water Sustainability. Kathleen is a member of E8, an organization of early stage investors who share a mission to accelerate the transition to a clean economy through supporting new innovation, where she has served on the Screening Committee since 2017.
Kathleen was with Microsoft from 1988 to 2003, where she progressed through various roles from marketing and strategic planning to Vice President of software divisions. During her tenure in Microsoft Office, she was part of the leadership team that grew the Office product line from $100M to a business of over $5B in revenues. Prior to Microsoft, Kathleen was a strategy consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, working with a number of Fortune 500 businesses including machine tool robotics and construction materials. Born in a Midwest farming family, Kathleen received a B.A. in Mathematics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Treasurer
- Vice President
Liz is a partner in the K&L Gates Seattle office and a member of K&L Gates' Energy, Infrastructure, and Resources practice. Her national legal practice concentrates on a range of matters related to energy and water regulation, transactions, and project development.
She focuses on regulatory matters in mergers, asset acquisitions, and other transactions; licensing, re-licensing, and compliance for hydropower facilities; siting, permitting, and development of renewable and traditional energy facilities; conducting litigation involving energy facilities, water rights and rates, and advising clients on public policy issues.
Liz received her Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College, Phi Beta Kappa, and her law degree from Harvard Law School cum laude. She received the Best Lawyers' 2012 Seattle Energy Law Lawyer of the Year award and is the author of numerous presentations and articles on a wide range of energy issues related to her law practice.
Job Titles:
- President / Caspian Group
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow, Community - Defined Decarbonization
Mariah Caballero is a Graduate Research Fellow at the Clean Energy Transition Institute and Doctoral Student in Vanderbilt University's Community Research and Action (CRA) program. In addition to her work with CETI, Mariah contributes research to the Drinking Water Justice Lab and serves a Research and Development Intern for Sandia National Laboratories.
Previous to her time at Vanderbilt, Mariah received bachelor's degrees in biology and geography from Vassar College. After working at the Centers for Disease Control, Mariah was employed as a data analyst for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)'s Office of Research and Development (ORD), in the Drinking Water Management Branch (DWMB).
Today, Mariah provides research and analyses to CETI's Community-Defined Decarbonization project (formerly Equitable Rural Building Decarbonization). Having grown up in rural Eastern Washington, Mariah's research interests include rural and Latinx community development, equitable water and energy systems, and environmental justice.
Job Titles:
- Center Director / Stockholm Environment Institute
Job Titles:
- Executive Director / Alliance for Transportation Electrification
Job Titles:
- Building Sector Consultant
Poppy Storm is consulting with the Clean Energy Transition Institute on strategies to decarbonize the built environment. She is also a member of the Clean Energy Transition Institute's Advisory Council. Poppy is Founder & Director of Innovation at 2050 Institute.
Poppy has over 15 years of experience in the energy efficiency and decarbonization field, with a focus on market transformation in the building sector. Prior to founding 2050 Institute, she led the Policy and Planning team at Ecotope, Inc., in Seattle for 10 years. Poppy founded 2050 Institute to use a strategic "2050" lens to design frameworks, policies, codes, and programs that interlock across regional, state, local, community, and utility programs and policies. She uses a whole system approach and design thinking to identify the strategies and analysis necessary to align policy mechanisms with actual energy and GHG reductions.
Poppy has an interdisciplinary background in commercial and residential building stock studies, heat pump technologies, energy use intensity (EUI) target setting, decarbonization potential assessments, energy code development and evaluation, targeted tools for policy and program planning, impact and process evaluations, market research studies, and strategic planning. Many of her projects have included extensive stakeholder facilitation and coordination with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, the Regional Technical Forum, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Bonneville Power Administration, manufacturers, distributors, designers, and large, small, and rural utilities. Poppy has a master's degree in Whole Systems Design and Change Management from Antioch University, and a bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Washington.
Job Titles:
- Attorney / Cascadia Law Group
Ross is a climate and clean energy advocate who is a Director for the Sierra Club (National Board) and Climate Solutions, as well as the Clean Energy Transition Institute. He is an Instructor at Western Washington University's Institute for Energy Studies, where he is a founding member of the Advisory Board. Ross was a Senior Advisor at Climate Solutions, where he managed the Business Partnership Program, advocated for strong climate and energy policy, and helped lead the successful campaign to stop coal export facilities on the West Coast. Ross also led Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest, the first stakeholder roadmap for cleaner fuels to power the next generation of flight, and has worked with aviation stakeholders on cleaner solutions in Brazil, Singapore, and around the world.
Ross brings more than 35 years of experience working on public policy and environmental issues. He was a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates) where he managed the environmental law practice and represented a wide range of public and private clients. Ross also has extensive public agency experience at the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Seattle Monorail Project, where he directed legal and environmental activities. A Northwest native, Ross is a graduate of Pomona College and the University of Washington School of Law.
Ruby Moore-Bloom joined the Clean Energy Transition Institute in January 2022 and is committed to working toward a clean energy future in the Northwest.
Ruby oversees CETI's Northwest Clean Energy Atlas, which explores energy data relevant to deep decarbonization in the Northwest in interactive data visualizations. She also led CETI's Clean Materials Manufacturing project, which helps industrial stakeholders and policymakers understand different methods for decarbonizing six of Washington state's manufacturing sectors.
Ruby provided research for CETI's Operation 2030 project, which offers a blueprint for how Washington can get on the path to decarbonizing its building sector at the speed and scale that the state's decarbonization targets require. She also provides research and analytical support for CETI's Net-Zero Northwest project, both its energy pathways project, as well as its workforce and employment analysis, and she regularly blogs on a wide range of topics relating to deep decarbonization strategies for the Northwest.
Prior to joining the CETI team, Ruby lived in Jordan as a faculty member of King's Academy. She taught classes on the history of ancient, classical, and modern worlds and served as curriculum lead for the ninth and tenth grade history courses. She also supported students as a dorm parent and advisor. Before teaching high school, she worked with adult English language learners at Literacy Source in Seattle, WA as a program assistant and AmeriCorps volunteer, where she developed and taught classes incorporating ESL, U.S. citizenship skills, and digital literacy for low-income adult learners.
Ruby speaks Spanish and Arabic and received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Middle East Studies from Brown University in 2017.