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Board of Directors
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.
Danielle Deane-Ryan
Danielle Deane-Ryan has devoted her career to her passion for advancing strategic, equitable climate crisis solutions. She is the inaugural Director of Equitable Climate Solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund. Prior, Danielle was a senior advisor to foundations including the Libra Foundation, the Donors of Color Network, and the Heising-Simons Foundation. Danielle has held executive roles at The Nathan Cummings Foundation; within the Obama Administration at the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy; Green 2.0; the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; and the Hewlett Foundation.
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.
Brian Granaham
Illinois Power Agency | CESA Board Vice Chair
Brian Granahan is the Chief Legal Counsel of the Illinois Power Agency, an independent state agency tasked with developing procurement plans and conducting energy, capacity, and renewables procurement events and developing solar energy incentive programs. Brian began his career as an associate with Sidley Austin LLP and worked as clean energy advocate and staff attorney with Environment Illinois before shifting to the public sector, and serving as a policy advisor to two Chairmen at the Illinois Commerce Commission. Prior to joining the IPA, Brian was a Vice President with the strategic consulting firm of Tur Partners LLC working to incubate a startup low-profit, limited liability company (L3C) focused on cleantech adoption by municipal governments. Brian holds a B.S. from the University of Iowa and a J.D. from New York University and is a former board member of the Illinois Environmental Council and Green Economy Chicago.
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 Land Office
Jeremy Lewis is director of the Office of Renewable Energy at the New Mexico State Land Office leasing and stewarding state trust land for renewable energy projects. He currently manages a one-gigawatt portfolio of wind and solar projects and is working to grow renewable energy in the Land Office to four gigawatts. He was bureau chief for the New Mexico Energy Office where for ten years he worked to forward projects, policy, and education on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels and transportation. He has served 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 Masters of Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico and a BS from the University of Massachusetts.
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
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.
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.