Participants September 2020 Clean Energy Legislative Academy

ARIZONA

REPRESENTATIVE ANDRÉS CANO Representative Andrés Cano represents the 3rd legislative district in the Arizona House of Representatives. Raised by a single mom, Representative Cano, 28, saw a path for advancement in Arizona’s public schools. He is a first-generation college graduate. In 2012, Representative Cano accepted a position as a senior aide to Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías in Tucson, Arizona. He became the youngest policy advisor in the County's history, overseeing the Supervisor’s constituent outreach and neighborhood relations. Six years later, in 2018, Representative Cano, a Democrat, was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives.

REPRESENTATIVE KIRSTEN ENGEL Representative Kirsten Engel is an Arizona State House member from Tucson finishing her second term in office and running for the Arizona State Senate. She is also a member of the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Law where she teaches environmental and administrative law and the legislative process. She is passionate about helping Arizona transition to clean energy using its plentiful solar resources to power homes, businesses, and government while creating good jobs and reducing climate change.

REPRESENTATIVE MITZI EPSTEIN Representative Mitzi Epstein is a Member of the Arizona House of Representatives. A small business owner, state PTA leader, AYSO leader, and lifelong community problem solver, Representative Epstein has spent her adult life working at the community and state levels to strengthen the economy. She focuses her legislative efforts on education, sustainability, and health issues.

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SENATOR SINE KERR In 1980, Senator Sine Kerr and her husband Bill started their dairy business with 15 cows. Thanks to hard work and dedication, today they have 1,100 milk cows and 800 replacement heifers. Senator Kerr’s passion for agriculture extends beyond their farm and dairy, as she sits on the Arizona Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors and is serving her first term as the Women’s Leadership Chair. She also advocates on behalf of Arizona’s farmers and ranchers whenever the opportunity arises.

REPRESENTATIVE ARLANDO TELLER In 2009, Representative Arlando Teller returned home to the Navajo Nation to work as a senior transportation planner for the Navajo Nation Division of Transportation. A year later, Representative Teller was promoted to program manager for the new Department of Airports Management within the Division of Transportation. He is currently the Deputy Division Director. In his free time, Mr. Teller enjoys working on the family farm located within Canyon De Chelly National Park, traveling with family and friends, participating in traditional ceremonies and being with his grandsons, Eli Natannii and Kai Hozho. Representative Teller represents Legislative District 7, and is assigned to the Transportation Committee and Land & Agriculture Committee.

COLORADO

TRACEY BERNETT, CANDIDATE FOR STATE LEGISLATURE Tracey Bernett is the Democratic candidate for House District 12. She is a retired industry analyst in the computer storage industry and has also worked in the computer, aerospace/defense, energy, and construction industries. She was Chairman of the Butterfly Pavilion board, Vice Chair of Sustainable Resilient Longmont and a policy analyst for State Senators Mike Foote and Faith Winter. Mrs. Bernett has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in engineering from Cornell University.

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KARLIN GRAY, ADVISOR AND EXECTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE Karlin Gray is the Advisor and Executive Assistant to Colorado's Speaker of the House, KC Becker. In addition to working on critical energy related legislation sponsored by the Speaker, Karlin also assesses and conducts policy research on environmental and energy related matters for the Colorado House Democratic Caucus.

DR. KAREN MCCORMICK, CANDIDATE FOR STATE LEGISLATURE Dr. McCormick is a veterinarian, small business owner, and mom to three who is running for the open seat in House District 11. This area includes Longmont, Niwot, Lyons, and Allenspark. Karen is passionate about solving problems and helping people. Her areas of focus are making healthcare more accessible and affordable, working to mitigate the effects of climate change to protect our earth for the future, and finding better avenues to more securely fund public education.

INDIANA

REPRESENTATIVE ETHAN MANNING Indiana State Representative Ethan Manning serves House District 23, which includes portions of Miami, Cass, and Fulton Counties in rural north central Indiana. He serves as Vice-Chairman of the House Utilities, Energy, and Telecommunications Committee. He also serves on the 15-member statutorily created 21st Century Energy Policy Development Task Force, which will make a report to the legislature with policy recommendations by December 1st, 2020. Representative Manning also sits on two other standing committees: Public Health and Agriculture and Rural Development. Ethan grew up on his family beef cattle farm in Miami County, Indiana. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management and is a real estate broker, auctioneer, and real estate investor. Prior to serving in the legislature, he served as President of the Miami County Council. He is married to Dr. Bridget Kennedy and they live in Peru.

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REPRESENTATIVE MIKE SPEEDY Representative Mike Speedy is an Indiana State Representative for House District 90, representing the southeast portion of Marion County, Indiana. Prior to serving in the House of Representatives, Representative Speedy served southeast Marion County on the 29-member Indianapolis City-County Council for nearly seven years. In this capacity, he concluded his council services as Chairman of Public Works Committee. He earned his B.S. in Real Estate Finance from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Representative Speedy also attained a law degree from IU's School of Law at Indianapolis. He maintains his law license and a designation as a Certified Commercial Investment Member. A second generation real estate developer, Representative Speedy also runs and operates a small business in Indianapolis.

MICHIGAN

CHRISTOPHER HATTON, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR As a returning participant at this legislative academy, Chris is proud to represent the state of Michigan. This legislative term, his office introduced a bill that would lift the arbitrary cap on rooftop solar imposed by utilities. They are still in talks with DTE Energy and CMS Energy, the two biggest electric providers in the state and are hopeful to reach an agreement later this year.

MINNESOTA

REPRESENTATIVE ANNE CLAFLIN Representative Anne Claflin is an environmental scientist with a background in climate change policy and greenhouse gas emissions analysis. In the Minnesota House, she is the Vice-Chair of the Environmental and Natural Resources Finance Committee and a member of environmental policy, water, labor, and jobs and economic development committees.

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ALY GUNSTROM, MAJORITY CAUCUS RESEARCHER Aly Gunstrom works on the Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy Committee in the Minnesota State Senate as its majority caucus researcher. She has worked for the Senate for seven years, working on a variety of policy issues from energy and environment to elections.

SENATOR DAVID SENJEM Senator David H. Senjem is an 18-year Republican state senator from Rochester, Minnesota. He has served as both the Senate Majority and Minority Leader. He is chairman of the Capital Investment committee and vice-chair of the Tax committee. He is a decade-long participant in Minnesota’s Germany Energy Policy Exchange Program. He is the current author of “Clean Energy First” legislation and heads a monthly think tank around moving Minnesota into a clean energy future.

MONTANA

SENATOR JANET ELLIS Senator Janet Ellis is in her first term in the Montana State Senate; she served two terms in the House of Representatives. Last Legislature (2019), she served on the Budget, State Administration, and Agriculture committees. Her interim assignments currently include Legislative Finance, State Administration, and Energy and Telecommunications. Janet worked 29 years at Montana Audubon, retiring in June 2018, where she received several awards for her policy work. Janet lives in Helena with her husband.

NEW MEXICO

ELIZABETH BARDWELL, POLICY ANALYST Elizabeth Bardwell lives in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico, which is experiencing a lot of triple-digit heat this summer and is ready to dive into clean energy policy. Beth has a J.D. from the University of Oregon and has worked on conservation and freshwater policy in New Mexico for over 20 years. In 2020, Beth was a bill analyst for the New Mexico House of Representatives' Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Beth is currently assisting Representative Angelica Rubio, New Mexico House District 35 on clean energy/broadband issues.

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JULIA BARNES, LEAD POLICY ANALYST FOR NEW MEXICO’S HOUSE SPEAKER Julia Barnes is the lead policy analyst for House Speaker Brian Egolf in New Mexico's House of Representatives. Speaker Egolf is interested in continuing to look at progressive energy and environmental policies to fight climate change after New Mexico was successful in passing the broad Energy Transition Act in 2019. Julia Barnes is an attorney and facilitator who has worked for Speaker Egolf since his election to his leadership position.

REPRESENTATIVE REBECCA DOW Representative Rebecca Dow and her husband Aaron own Dow Technology, a multifaceted technology firm. In addition, Representative Dow provides consultation services to for-profit and faith-based early childhood providers operating in the Rocky Mountain region. Representative Dow is a member of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry and the Truth or Consequences Rotary Club and is active at her local church. She is the founder of AppleTree Educational Center, one of Sierra County, New Mexico's largest private employers. Representative Dow holds an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood from Tulsa Community College and a Bachelors in Business Management from Oral Roberts University, and is mother of two children, Jaylah Dow-Pendleton, and Seth Dow.

REPRESENTATIVE ANGELICA RUBIO Representative Rubio was born and raised in rural southeastern New Mexico and is the youngest daughter of Mexican immigrants. Angelica grew up with a deep working knowledge of the power found in numbers, as well as a flair for making her case. After earning her degree in Government from New Mexico State University, Angelica worked in Washington, D.C. She later moved to East Los Angeles to pursue a graduate degree in Latin American Studies, as well as an education in community organizing. Establishing herself as a fierce change agent, Angelica returned home and demonstrated the same urgency. In 2016, Angelica won a seat in the New Mexico State Legislature, where she now serves – focusing on energy policy through the lens of environmental and workers justice. Representative Rubio is also a champion for equitable outdoor recreation that not only benefits younger New Mexicans, but more importantly working towards the protection of public lands.

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OHIO

CORY VENTRESCA, LEGISLATIVE AIDE Cory Ventresca is the Legislative Aide for State Representative Casey Weinstein, who represents Ohio's 37th District in Akron's suburbs. He has a life-long interest in clean energy that stems from his father's many years of service as the Energy Coordinator for the City of Columbus. As Legislative Aide, Mr. Ventresca has staffed Representative Weinstein on the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee and worked on legislation to promote electric vehicles, energy efficiency and wind power, as well as other renewable resources.

TEXAS

JAMES BRASE, POLICY STAFFER James Brase has worked in both public sector as well as non-profit settings in roles that have included managing staff, office administration, analysis of public policy, and constituent casework. Mr. Brase is currently a policy staffer for Texas Senator Bob Hall.

REPRESENTATIVE JON ROSENTHAL Representative Jon Rosenthal has been in Texas since 1979 after being born in the prestigious Stanford University Hospital in 1963. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin in 1991, Jon earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He has since worked for over 25 years as a Project Manager, Engineering Manager, and Subsea Systems Engineer in and around the oil and gas industry. In 2016, Jon earned a Graduate Certificate in Subsea Engineering from the University of Houston. Representative Rosenthal has been a strong fighter, advocate and champion for better public schools, healthcare, and ensuring we have comprehensive criminal justice reform across the State of Texas. As a new member to the 86th Legislative session, Representative Rosenthal will be serving on the County Affairs and Energy Resources Committees.

VIRGINIA

JANINE GASPARI, CHIEF OF STAFF TO DELEGATE MARK KEAM Janine Gaspari is Chief of Staff to Delegate Mark Keam (D-Virginia). In 2019, she earned her B.A. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. As a student she engaged in community organizing to shed light on concerning donations to the university, amongst which included donations that supported climate denial research.

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WISCONSIN

REPRESENTATIVE GRETA NEUBAUER Representative Greta Neubauer was born and raised in Racine and has been a dedicated advocate for progressive causes for the past ten years. Representative Neubauer believes in building a bright future in Racine through collaborative, community-driven policymaking. Her primary policy interests center on family- supporting jobs for every worker, community-oriented justice initiatives, and addressing climate change. In college, she led a campus campaign addressing climate change and went on to co-found and lead the Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network, which supported students organizing around the country. Most recently, she served as former State Representative Cory Mason’s Legislative Aide before running for the 66th Assembly District seat herself. She was sworn-in for her second term to the Assembly on January 7, 2019, and she is proud to serve as a Wisconsin legislator.

JOE ZAPF, PUBLIC POLICY ADVISOR Joe Zapf is Committee Clerk of the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy and Secretary of the Small Business Regulatory Review Board. Mr. Zapf has an MBA from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and serves as a public policy advisor to Representative Adam Neylon.

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