ENERGY TRANSITION ACADEMY: Community Resilience Solutions for Policymakers

PARTICIPANT BIOS Energy Transition Academy 2020

ARIZONA

REPRESENTATIVE MITZI EPSTEIN Mitzi Epstein represents part of the Phoenix metro area in the Arizona House of Representatives. She is the ranking Member of the Ways & Means Committee and also serves on the Commerce Committee. She serves her community and the state of Arizona with work that includes mental health issues, education, and preserving clean air and the environment.

MAREN MAHONEY, ACC Maren Mahoney is Policy Advisor to Arizona Corporation Commissioner Sandra D. Kennedy. A significant focus has been on climate change policy, renewable energy policy, and energy affordability. Prior to working at the Commission, she worked with Kris Mayes at ASU at the Energy Policy Innovation Council on state energy policies, just transitions in Northern AZ. She is a graduate of New York Law School and the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University.

ACC COMMISSIONER LEA MÁRQUEZ PETERSON Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson was appointed to the Arizona Corporation Commission by Governor Doug Ducey in May of 2019. She is the first Latina to serve in a statewide seat in the state of Arizona. Lea has been an entrepreneur for many years and served as the President/ CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber from 2009 until November of 2018. The Tucson Hispanic Chamber serves the business community in the bilingual, bi-cultural region of the Arizona-Sonora border.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER GLOJEAN TODACHEENE Commissioner Todacheene is a Navajo Native American. Previously, she served two terms as a County Commissioner from 2007-2015 and was the first Navajo woman elected to San Juan County Commission District 1. In 2019, she ran again and won. She is a retired educator, who worked 14 years teaching Family and Consumer Science in grades 7-12 and was an elementary principal for 11 years for grades 3-6. She also served 4 years on the Navajo Nation Tribal Council from 2007- 2011. She is a member of NWCOG, NWSAS and SJ County Museum.

COLORADO

DENNIS ARFMANN Dennis Arfmann is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Center for the New Energy Economy. As a partner in the Colorado office of Hogan Lovells L.L.C. (a large international law firm based in London and Washington, D.C.) he was the Co-Chair of the firm's Global Climate Change & Clean Energy Group before he retired from the firm. Dennis worked with a number of utilities and clean energy companies.

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COUNTY COMMISSIONER RAY BECK Ray is a Moffat County Commissioner and served two terms on the Craig City Council and was Mayor for the City of Craig 2015-17. Commissioner Beck has served on numerous State and local Boards and Commissions. He also chaired and served two terms on the Colorado Aeronautical Board. Ray is a past member of the Colorado Northwestern Community College Foundation, and alumni from the class of 1970. Ray is currently serving his 11th year on the Executive Board of Club 20, a western slope lobby.

WADE BUCHANAN Wade is Director of the Colorado Office of Just Transition, established in 2019. Wade has worked in public policy for more than 30 years. He ran a state think tank (Bell Policy Center) for 15 years and has held leadership roles in the administrations of three Colorado governors, including policy director for two governors, director of the CO energy office, executive director of the CO Department of Natural Resources, chair of the Regional Air Quality Council, and senior advisor on aging.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER CLYDE CHURCH Commissioner Church is currently the Chair of La Plata County Commissioners. He is also, a chemist/educator with 40+ years manufacturing and executive experience in the semiconductor industry, motorhome industry, printing plus Industrial Extension at Iowa State University.

SENATOR KERRY DONOVAN Senator Donovan runs her family ranch which they have owned since the early 80’s, although the land's history extends to the Homestead Act. She attended University of Notre Dame and earned a BS in Science focused on Anthropology. She worked as an archeologist in cultural resource management. She worked for the Vail Valley Foundation as director of the Minturn Community Fund - both non-profits serving local communities. She served on the Vail Town Council and was Director of Academy.

SENATOR DENNIS HISEY It was State Senator Dennis Hisey’s previous elected position of El Paso County Commissioner that helped pique his interest in energy in general, and transportation specifically. El Paso County Commissioner from 2005 to 2017, Chairman 6 years; Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments and Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority board member from 2005 to 2017; previously served on executive boards for organizations including Colorado Counties Inc. and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

JUSTIN LéVEQUE Mr. LéVeque is a program manager and a public policy professional with specialties in energy, natural resources, and climate policy. He has experience working at local, regional, and state levels of government. Mr. LéVeque holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Public Policy from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, and two degrees from Santa Rosa Junior College. He is currently Section Head of the Research and Emerging Issues team at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

REPRESENTATIVE PERRY WILL Representative Will, a native Coloradoan who grew up farming and ranching in SE Colorado, always wanted to be a Game Warden since childhood, loved hunting, fishing and the outdoors. After high school he pursued a degree in Wildlife Biology and was fortunate enough to get hired on as a Game Warden for Colorado. Spent over 40 years in that profession, retired and got into the State Legislature via appointment from vacancy committee for House District 57 (Moffat, Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties). Up for re-election in 2020.

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MONTANA

REPRESENTATIVE GERALDINE CUSTER 2021 will be Representative Custer's fourth term in Montana House of Representatives. She had 36 years as Clerk and Recorder of Rosebud County, home of Westmoreland Coal's Rosebud Mine and the Colstrip coal-fired power plant. Rosebud County has a potential 750-megawatt wind energy project set for spring of 2021. Custer is a member of the Energy Committee in the Montana Legislature, as well as Chair of the CSG West Energy Committee.

SENATOR JANET ELLIS Senator Janet Ellis is in her first term in the Montana State Senate; she served two terms in the House. Last Legislature (2019), she served on the budget, State Administration, and Agriculture committees. Her interim committees include Legislative Finance, State Administration, and Energy & Telecommunications. Outside the Legislature, Janet worked for 29 years at Montana Audubon, retiring as Senior Director of Policy in June 2018.

SENATOR PAT FLOWERS Pat Flowers was elected to the Montana State Senate in 2018 and served in his first legislative session in 2019. He represents the west side of Bozeman, Big Sky and West Yellowstone. He served on the Senate Natural Resource and Fish and Game Committees as well as Senate Finance and Claims. In the interim he served on the Environmental Quality Council and the Legislative Audit Committees. This follows a career in Montana State Forestry and fish and wildlife management.

COUNTY COMMISIONER ROBERT E. LEE Robert Lee has been a Rosebud County Commissioner for 12 years. He owns a ranch with his family north of Forsyth. Rosebud County is located in southeastern Montana and has a coal mine and 4 coal fired electrical plants totaling 2250 megawatts. In January of 2020, the two smaller plants closed down (750 megawatts). The coal mine and power plants together employee 600 people. The County has 9500 residents. The mine and plants pay 70% of our property tax. Our economy is very dependent on coal.

DAN LLOYD Dan Lloyd has led the Montana Energy Office at the Department of Environmental Quality since August of 2020. Prior to this, Dan was employed by an energy development company working on transmission and storage projects and has served the state of Montana state for nearly a decade including positions with the Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Department of Commerce.

SENATOR MARY McNALLY Mary McNally is serving in the Montana Senate and has been in the legislature since 2011. She has worked on Energy Committees her entire tenure. She attended the Center’s Clean Energy Legislative Academy about 4 years ago and thought it was an excellent forum!

REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS POPE Chris is currently serving his second term in the Montana House of Representatives. Chris attended CNEE's Clean Energy Academy in 2019 and served on the MT House Energy and Telecommunications Committee. Chris has extensive business experience, and advocates for clean technologies, storage, grid modernization, customer choice and electric transportation. He is committed to fair, equitable and innovative ways to transition his state's traditional energy communities and working families.

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WILL ROSQUIST Will has worked at the Montana Public Service Commission for about 30 years, first as a rate analyst, then as manager of the economics and rate design program, and most recently as the administrator of the regulatory division. Before joining the Commission, Will worked with the U.S. Forest Service analyzing the economics of timber sales methods and post-sale treatment costs. Will has a degree in economics from the University of Montana and lives in Helena, Montana.

New Mexico

JULIA BARNES Julia Barnes is the lead policy analyst for Speaker Brian Egolf at the New Mexico legislature and has worked for the Speaker in this capacity since he became Speaker in 2017. She handles complex legislative issues related to civil law, environment, and energy. Ms. Barnes was part of the leadership team that was successful in passing the Energy Transition Act in New Mexico in 2019 which included a just transition fund for the affected community.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER CHRISTINE LOWERY, Ph.D. Commissioner Lowery is a retired social work academic (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), with social work practice at the Master's level before returning to complete a Ph.D. to teach. She performed Vietnam-era service in the air Navy, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Her post-retirement work is focused on services to the elderly, environmental work, and work on the Cibola County Commission, in NM.

CABINET SECRETARY SARAH PROPST Sarah Cottrell Propst was appointed by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to serve as the Cabinet Secretary of the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) in January 2019. EMNRDÂ’s divisions include Energy Conservation & Management, Forestry, Mining & Minerals, Oil Conservation, and State Parks.

REPRESENTATIVE DEBRA M. SARIÑANA State Representative Debbie Sariñana represents HD 21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Debbie received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from New Mexico State University, her Master’s Degree in Secondary Education-Mathematics from the University of New Mexico and, is a National Board Certified Teacher of Mathematics. Debbie was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2016. Debbie currently serves on the Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee and Education Committee.

ERIN TAYLOR Energy Planning and Program Bureau Chief for the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) Energy Conservation and Management Division. Previously Project Development Coordinator for EMNRD Mining and Minerals Division Abandoned Mine Land Program with specific focus on land reclamation, economic development, and community revitalization. Extensive experience with the National Environmental Policy Act and other associated environmental policy/regulation.

DR. ANNALINDEN WELLER Dr. AnnaLinden Weller is a city planner with specialties in sustainability and risk communication, climate change mitigation, and energy policy. She has also worked as a historian of the Byzantine Empire, and under the pen name ‘Arkady Martine’, writes science fiction and literary criticism. She is currently a policy advisor for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Office of the Secretary.

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UTAH

REPRESENTATIVE STEVE HANDY Member of the Utah House of Representatives, elected in 2010. Rep. Handy works in the areas of clean energy and air quality and attended the Center for the New Energy Economy's Clean Energy Legislative Academy in 2018.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER LARRY JENSEN Larry Jensen has had 38-year career in heavy construction. Contracted with coal mines and the gas industry for earth moving projects and building. Mr. Jensen is currently serving as county commissioner for Carbon County, Utah, after selling interest in his company.

REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINE WATKINS Christine Watkins has been representing Utah House District 69 for eight years. She has spent her adult life working and raising her family in Emery County and then moving over the border to Carbon County. She has supported the coal, oil, and gas industries. She has been a member of the Natural Resources standing committee and Natural Resources sub- appropriation committee. Christine was raised on a dairy farm. She is a retired elementary teacher and principal.

WYOMING

COUNTY COMMISSIONER RUSTY BELL Rusty Bell has been a Campbell County Commissioner since 2015. He is a small business owner in Gillette, representing a county in Wyoming that has the largest fossil fuel reserves in the state.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER COLLEEN FABER Colleen holds a bachelor of science from Montana State University in agronomy with a minor in soil science, and is a certified professional soil scientist. She has worked in the fields of conservation and agriculture, and most recently as an environmental manager in the oil and gas industry in Wyoming. She now holds the position of county commissioner in Campbell County, Wyoming. She and her husband own and operate a cattle ranch and a small oil production company.

RANDALL LUTHI Randall Luthi currently serves as Chief Energy Advisor for Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. Before joining the Governor’s office, Luthi served for 10 years as President of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA). Previously Luthi worked as a Wyoming State Legislator; a Deputy Director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and as the Director of the Minerals Management Service.

RENNY MACKAY Renny MacKay is Governor Mark Gordon’s Policy Director. He joined the administration in December 2018. MacKay previously served as the Communications Director for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department since 2014. Prior to that, he was the Communications Director for Governor Matthew H. Mead from 2011 to 2014. MacKay spent nearly a decade as a journalist covering statewide news for Wyoming Public Radio.

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER MARY THRONE Mary Throne has served on the Wyoming Public Service Commission since March 1, 2019. Mary, a proud Campbell County, Wyoming native, returned to the state in 1992, following college, law school, and practice with a Denver law firm. Mary has 30 years of experience in the natural resource field. For 10 years, Mary represented Cheyenne in the Wyoming House of Representatives, serving as Minority Floor Leader for four years. 5