Public Sustainability Partnership Advisory Board

Christine Ervin is widely credited as a major force behind the vibrant green building market. Serving as first President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, she led its growth into an influential coalition of nearly 5,000 organizations and host of LEED® and Greenbuild™. Ms. Ervin served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy from 1993-1997 and Director of Oregon’s Department of Energy from 1991-1993. She is an Editor-at-Large with GreenerWorld Media and serves on various Boards including the American Council on Renewable Energy, Turner Construction’s Sustainability Advisory Board and Oregon’s Climate Change Integration Group. Ms. Ervin’s upcoming book, Certified Green, explores the role of private-public partnerships in transforming markets.

Mr. Sheehy helped implement a $500 million national Green Building Fund and develops and consults on many green projects throughout the nation. He is active in BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) International, and has served as President and Vice Chair for several California and national BOMA chapters. He is also Vice Chair of the Governor’s Real Estate Industry Leadership Council and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Mr. Sheehy helped develop and operate the Joe Serna, Jr. California EPA headquarters building in Sacramento, which received the USGBC’s very first Platinum Certification through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Existing Buildings program.

Ms. Kawasaki holds key positions in California water, energy and the environment. She was appointed to the California Bay-Delta Public Advisory Committee by the Governor and the U.S. Secretary of Interior, and by the Mayor of Los Angeles as Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Previously, she served as General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Community Development Department. She established the Los Angeles City Environmental Affairs Department in 1990. She is co-chair of Friends of Manzanar, a member of the Women's Foundation Donor Circle, and serves on the Enterprise Foundation Leadership Council.

Michelle Wyman is a global expert and innovator on climate change strategy, energy policy and sustainable cites. She has worked with regional and local governments and their constituencies for over 15 years to develop both strategic and tactical solutions to their mitigation and adaptation challenges. Most recently left ICLEI USA where she served as Executive Director for six years and led its transformation to a nationally recognized organization working with over 600 US local governments and building bridges and common vision across international sub-national governments as well. Additionally, Michelle served as the international climate director for ICLEI Global leading local governments’ engagement multilateral institutions including the World Bank, United Nations and other multilateral institutions. Prior experience includes serving as the Natural Resources Director for the City of Fort Collins, Colorado and establishing a public sector practice focused on climate protection and sustainable development for Reed Smith LLP based in Washington DC. Her areas of expertise include climate protection, sustainable development, environmental management systems and environmental policy and law.

Peter Smith joined Pataki-Cahill after serving as the President and CEO of the New York State Energy and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for nearly four years. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Smith led the effort to establish the nation’s first clean energy technology park. As a member of Governor Pataki's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) leadership team, he directed NYSERDA's analysis and modeling of the region's electric generating system to determine the emission reductions, potential wholesale price impacts and fuel mix effects necessary to meet the carbon reduction goals of RGGI. He is the President of the Board of Directors of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, and a board member for the Alliance to Save Energy.

In 1997, Randy Manion became Western’s first Renewable Resource Program manager, designing and implementing the program he continues to manage today. Spanning Western’s 15-state service territory, the program includes consumer-owned utilities, federal agencies, and tribal utilities. Mr. Manion has held progressively responsible positions at Western since 1991, including Division Director of Power Marketing and Contracts and Manager of Energy Services for the Desert Southwest Regional Office. He has served in advisory capacities for the Sustainable Building Industry Council, the Electric Power Research Institute’s Green Power Target, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America and GeoPowering the West programs, among many others.

Roger Duncan previously managed strategic planning, government relations, on-site generation, demand-side management, and green building for Austin Energy. Mr. Duncan also serves on the Board of Directors of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, the Electric Drive Transportation Association, and The Public Sustainability Partnership. He was recognized as one of the “Top 20 Individual Carbon Reducers” in the world in the December 2005 issue of Business Week magazine. Mr. Duncan is director of the Plug-In Partners campaign, a national campaign led by the City of Austin to persuade automakers to manufacture plug-in hybrid vehicles, and to persuade lawmakers to provide incentives for plug-in hybrids.

Ron Nichols brings more than 30 years of experience in energy economics and management consulting to his current position, in which he serves as a management consultant to the electric utility and related energy industry. He specializes in public/private partnerships for planning, financing, and developing energy and water utility infrastructure and enterprises. In 2007, Mr. Nichols was part of a diverse team that consulted for the California Energy Commission, evaluating the effects of alternative levels of energy efficiency and renewable energy on carbon levels and electricity costs in California and throughout the Western Electricity Coordinating Council region. He also had a major role in the two largest revenue bond financings for infrastructure in the nation.

Seth Hulkower is the President of Strategic Energy Advisory Services, a firm serving clients with solutions in the areas of energy efficiency to business processes and facilities, identification and acquisition of energy assets and the development of markets for new technologies to serve the utility industry. Prior to this, Mr. Hulkower served as Long Island Power's Executive Director from 1996 until his appointment as Chief Operating Officer in 1999. Other prior engagements include Vice President at JFG Associates, Inc. a financial advisory and mangement consulting firm. He has also held positions with the consulting firm Putnam, Hayes, & Bartlett, Inc, New England Power Company and Stone and Webster Engineering Company. Mr. Hulkower is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Electric Power Research Institute.

Mr. Waite has more than 20 years of senior-level experience in community and strategic planning, housing, transportation, land use, and public finance, including a stint as senior policy advisor to HUD’s Deputy Secretary Alfred DelliBovi and Secretary Jack Kemp. He currently works with HUD’s constituents to improve the energy efficiency of properties assisted or funded by HUD. He also serves as the regional liaison to the regional director for HUD’s America’s Affordable Communities Initiative. Recently, Mr. Waite completed an executive exchange program with the Nevada Housing Division, in which he developed plans and guidance for the state’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and assisted in expanding Nevada’s energy efficiency programs. Mr. Waite serves on the Advisory Board of The Public Sustainability Partnership.

Bill Becker's leadership will result in a plan designed to help the next President of the United States jump-start federal leadership on global warming during his or her first 100 days in office. Previously, Mr. Becker worked for 15 years with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he became the principal expert on sustainable community development. He founded and directed DOE's Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development and its Smart Communities Network Website, the "granddaddy" of on-line resources about sustainable communities. Mr. Becker’s diverse career has also included stints as senior advisor to the Global Energy Center for Community Sustainability and as an adjunct faculty member for the Colorado Energy Research Institute.

William Golove leads wind development activities for CES. Prior to his position with CES, Mr. Golove was a Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he served as a technical advisor to various federal agencies, notably the DOE, USPS, and Department of Veterans Affairs, in the areas of renewable distributed generation projects, green power purchases and energy efficiency retrofits. Mr. Golove is the co-founder and immediate past Chair of the Public Renewables Partnership. He is also a recipient of a DOE Energy and Water Management Award and a two-time recipient of the Presidential Award for Leadership in Federal Energy Management for his work with the USPS.