The GreenGov program includes the Symposium agenda and speaker biographies.

1. SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

2. 2
GreenGov is a White House Council on Environmental Quality initiative focused on
federal energy and sustainability efforts. The 2016 GreenGov Symposium has been
organized to bring together senior Administration officials and Federal sustainability
stakeholders to discuss the March 2015 Executive Order, number 13693: Planning
for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade.
#GREENGOV2016

3. 3
GreenGov 2016 Participants,
Thank you for joining us to discuss strategies to green federal operations.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the George Washington University
are committed to being a resource and partner in your efforts to build a more sustainable
federal government. We hope that our symposium provides new ideas and inspiration for you
to take back to your respective departments and agencies.
We are excited to announce that at our symposium today George Washington University is
launching a case study series designed to help you and your colleagues learn about strategies
for improving sustainability across many domains. The first five case studies, found at
www.provost.gwu.edu/gwcasestudies, cover supply chain management, biobased
procurement, fleet electrification, power purchase agreements, and waste reduction. Read
about sustainability innovations underway at National Aeronautics Space Administration,
the Smithsonian, National Park Service, US Navy, General Services Administration, Veterans
Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, and US Postal Service. The case studies also
feature exemplary efforts led by industry and non-profit organizations. Overtime, additional
case studies will be added. We encourage you to use and share these resources.
Thank you to the United Soybean Board, GW Sustainability Collaborative, Center for Climate
and Energy Solutions and GW Food Institute for support of this event.
We look forward to collaborating with each of you.
Thank you for being a part of GreenGov 2016.
Sincerely,
Christine Harada
Federal Chief Sustainability Officer
The White House Council on
Environmental Quality
Kathleen A. Merrigan, Ph.D.
Executive Director of Sustainability
The George Washington University
3
GreenGov 2016 Participants,
Thank you for joining us to discuss strategies to green federal operations.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the George Washington University
are committed to being a resource and partner in your efforts to build a more sustainable
federal government. We hope that our symposium provides new ideas and inspiration for you
to take back to your respective departments and agencies.
We are excited to announce that at our symposium today George Washington University is
launching a case study series designed to help you and your colleagues learn about strategies
for improving sustainability across many domains. The first five case studies, found at
www.provost.gwu.edu/gwcasestudies, cover supply chain management, biobased
procurement, fleet electrification, power purchase agreements, and waste reduction. Read
about sustainability innovations underway at National Aeronautics Space Administration,
the Smithsonian, National Park Service, US Navy, General Services Administration, Veterans
Administration, Defense Logistics Agency, and US Postal Service. The case studies also
feature exemplary efforts led by industry and non-profit organizations. Overtime, additional
case studies will be added. We encourage you to use and share these resources.
Thank you to the United Soybean Board, GW Sustainability Collaborative, Center for Climate
and Energy Solutions and GW Food Institute for support of this event.
We look forward to collaborating with each of you.
Thank you for being a part of GreenGov 2016.
Sincerely,
Christine Harada
Federal Chief Sustainability Officer
The White House Council on
Environmental Quality
Kathleen A. Merrigan, Ph.D.
Executive Director of Sustainability
The George Washington University

4. 4
8:30-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:10 Welcome
Steven Knapp, President, George Washington University
Introduced by Frank Sesno, Director, School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
9:10-9:15 Feds at Work Video
9:15-9:25 Opening Remarks
Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director, the White House Council on Environmental Quality
9:25-9:35 Looking Back-Looking Forward: E.O.13693 and the Federal Sustainability Agenda
Christine Harada, Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, the White House Council on Environmental Quality
9:35-9:40 Cabinet Voices Video: EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy
9:40-10:15 Advancing Clean Energy: Lessons Learned During the Obama Administration
Jon Powers, Co-Founder, CleanCapital
Scott Sklar, President, the Stella Group, Ltd.
Greg Dotson, Vice President, Energy Policy, Center for American Progress
Diane Denton, Director of Environmental and Energy Policy and Sustainability, Duke Energy
Moderator: Amit Ronen, Director, GW Solar Institute, George Washington University
10:15-10:20 Cabinet Voices Video: Post Master General Megan Brennan
10:20-10:40 Learning the Trade: How GreenGov Case Studies Can Help
Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of Sustainability, George Washington University
Thomas Day, Chief Sustainability Officer, United States Postal Service
David Bingenheimer, Global Technology Manager, Dielectric Fluids, Cargill Industrial Specialties
10:40-10:55 Administration Priorities: Taking Action on Climate Change
Dan Utech, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, the White House
10:55-11:15 Getting Plugged-in: Deploying an Electric Fleet
Camron Gorguinpour, Director of Transformational Innovation, U.S. Air Force
Randy Johnson, Director, Electric Transportation Development, Energy Innovation Center, Southern Company
Moderator: Sarah Olexsak, Senior Sustainability Officer, the White House Council on Environmental Quality
11:15-11:45 Keynote: Chef Dan Barber, Food Trash or Treasure
Interviewed by Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of Sustainability, George Washington University
Responses from Michelle Lapinski, Food Waste Managing Director Closed Loop Foundation and Fund and
Kathleen Salyer, Deputy Director, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Environmental Protection Agency
11:45-12:00 Aligning Our Event with our Mission
Adele Ashkar, Associate Dean for Academic Excellence, College of Professional Studies, George Washington University
John Deignan, TapIt and Protect Your Pipes Coordinator, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Fritz Gottschalk, Owner, Veteran Compost DC
Anand Shantam, Instructor, Culinary Job Training Program, DC Central Kitchen
12:00-1:00 Luncheon
1:05-1:10 Cabinet Voices Video: Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus
AGENDA

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1:10-1:25 America’s Sustainable 21st Century Navy and Marine Corps
Dennis McGinn, Assistant Secretary of the Navy- Energy, Installations & Environment
1:25-2:00 Drops of Life: Sustaining Water Resources
Royce Francis, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Science, George Washington University
Beth Sauerhaft, Senior Sustainability Advisor
Meghan Stasz, Senior Sustainability Director, Grocery Manufacturers Association
Moderator: Peter Linquiti, Associate Professor, Director of the Environmental Resource Policy Program,
George Washington University
2:00-2:30 Keynote: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Introduction by Belinda Burrier, United Soybean Board Director
2:30-2:45 Building a Sustainable Infrastructure at NASA
Calvin Williams, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Strategic Infrastructure,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
2:45-3:10 A View of Sustainable Infrastructure from America’s Front Lawn
Nancy Bechtol, Director, Office of Facilities Management, Smithsonian Institution
Eric Hollinger, Archaeologist, Anthropology Department, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Lisa Benton-Short, Chair of the Department of Geography, George Washington University
3:10-3:35 The Data Center Frontier
Dale Sartor, Staff Engineer, Building and Industrial Applications, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Orlando Figueredo, Vice President, Consulting and Intelligence, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Barbara Humpton, President and CEO, Siemens Government Technologies, Inc.
Moderator: Don DuRousseau, Director of Research Technology Services, George Washington University
3:35-3:40 Cabinet Voices Video: Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker
3:40-4:10 Gigawatts to Storage: What are the Best Strategies?
Matt Roberts, Executive Director, Energy Storage Association
Kevin Kampschroer, Director, Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings, General Services Administration
John Kliem, Acting Director, Renewable Energy Program Office, U.S. Department of the Navy
Moderator: Donna Attanasio, Senior Advisor for Energy Law Programs, Professorial Lecturer in Law, GW Law School
4:10-4:15 Cabinet Voices Video: GSA Administrator Denise Roth
4:15-4:45 At the End of the Day, Resilience is Everything
David Bibo, Acting Associate Administrator for Policy, Program Analysis, and International Affairs,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Harriet Tregoning, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Community Planning and Development,
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Jainey Bavishi, Associate Director for Climate Preparedness, the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Leslie Jones, Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Agriculture
4:45-4:50 Sustainable GW Video
4:50-5:00 Closing Remarks
Christine Harada, Federal Chief Sustainability Officer, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of Sustainability, George Washington University

6. 6
THE SUSTAINABLE SEED
Federal government contracts are required to
specify products under the Federal BioPreferred®
Program that Congress established and is
supported by Federal Sustainability Executive
Order 13693 “Planning for Federal Sustainability
in the Next Decade”.
Ready to use, rapidly renewable, reduced
environmental impacts are three of the many
attributes of plant-based materials, including
those made with U.S.-grown soybeans.
The United Soybean Board is here to help
you meet your Federal requirement.
www.soybiobased.org
Soybeans are being used to make Biobased Cleaning Supplies,
Formaldehyde-free biobased hardwood plywood , New soy-biobased
motor oil, Soy-backed artificial grass, Soy-backed carpet and more.

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GW SUSTAINABILITY BY THE NUMBERS

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FEATURED SPEAKERS
CHRISTY GOLDFUSS
Managing Director, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Christy Goldfuss serves as Managing Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. CEQ helps to
develop the Administration’s environmental and energy policies and initiatives and works closely with Federal agencies
to implement them. Goldfuss helps oversee implementation of the President’s Climate Action Plan and works with other
White House partners on new strategies to tackle this global challenge. She also leads work to advance the President’s
agenda for protecting the lands and waters Americans value.
Goldfuss has significant experience as a leader on a range of environmental issues, most recently as a deputy director of the
National Park Service where she helped lead efforts to set and meet strategic goals related to conservation and preservation
of America’s natural and cultural heritage. In this capacity, she identified ways to make Federal resources more accessible,
including by spearheading the Administration’s “Every Kid in a Park” initiative. Prior to joining the Administration, she
created and directed the Public Lands Project at the Center for American Progress. Previously, she worked as legislative
staff for the House Committee on Natural Resources and as a reporter in Richmond, VA, Reno, NV and Redding, CA.
TOM VILSACK
Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Tom Vilsack serves as the Nation’s 30th Secretary of Agriculture. As leader of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
Vilsack is working hard to strengthen the American agricultural economy, build vibrant rural communities and create new
markets for the tremendous innovation of rural America. As the longest serving Cabinet member, Vilsack has worked to
implement President Obama’s agenda to put Americans back to work and create an economy built to last.
As chair of the first-ever White House Rural Council, Secretary Vilsack and USDA are taking steps to strengthen services
for rural businesses and entrepreneurs by finding new ways to make the connection between the demand for investment in
rural areas and the financial community.
Vilsack knows that conserving natural resources is critical to the long-term strength of our economy. That is why USDA
has enrolled a record number of private working lands in conservation programs and implemented new strategies - such
as landscape-scale efforts - to restore our forests and clean our water supply. This work is creating private sector jobs
protecting and rehabilitating our forests and wetlands, and providing increased opportunities for outdoor recreation, which
supports 6.1 million direct jobs across the country.
Under Vilsack’s leadership, USDA has partnered with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to improve the
health of America’s children. He helped pass and implement the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, enabling USDA to help
combat child hunger and obesity by making the most significant improvements to school meals in 30 years. He has led a
comprehensive effort to improve the safety of the American food supply, implementing changes to food safety standards to
prevent illnesses by reducing the prevalence of E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter in our meat and poultry.
He has made civil rights a top priority, reaching historic resolutions to all major past cases of discrimination brought
against USDA by minority groups, and taking definitive action to move USDA into a new era as a model employer and
premier service provider.
Prior to his appointment, Vilsack served two terms as the Governor of Iowa, in the Iowa State Senate and as the mayor of
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Vilsack was born into an orphanage and adopted in 1951. After
graduating Hamilton College and Albany Law School in New York, he moved to Mt. Pleasant, his wife Christie’s hometown,
where he practiced law. The Vilsacks have two adult sons, two daughter-in-laws, and four grandchildren.
DAN BARBER
Chef, Co-owner, Blue Hill Farm
Dan Barber is the Chef of Blue Hill, a restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, located within
the nonprofit farm and education center, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. His opinions on food and agricultural
policy have appeared in the New York Times, along with many other publications. Barber has received multiple James
Beard awards including Best Chef: New York City (2006) and the country’s Outstanding Chef (2009). In 2009 he was
named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. Barber's book, The Third Plate: Field Notes on the
Future of Food, was published by The Penquin Press in 2014.

9. 9
SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZERS
CHRISTINE HARADA
Federal Chief Sustainability Officer , The White House Council on Environmental Quality
On November 16, 2015, Christine Harada was appointed to the White House Council on Environmental Quality by
President Obama, where she serves as the Administration’s Federal Chief Sustainability Officer. In this capacity, she is
responsible for promoting environmental and energy sustainability across Federal Government operations including
360,000 buildings, 650,000 vehicles, and $445 billion annually in purchased goods and services. The Office of Federal
Sustainability works collaboratively with the Executive Office of the President and each of the Federal agencies to
implement the President’s Executive Orders on Federal Sustainability and the GreenGov initiative.
Prior to her appointment, Harada served as the Associate Administrator for Government-wide Policy at the U.S. General
Services Administration, where she helped provide government-wide policies and guidance to enable the sustainable
and efficient use of assets, effective acquisition leadership, identity management and sound information management.
Previously, Harada worked at The Boston Consulting Group and Booz Allen Hamilton, where she was a consultant
to Fortune 500 and public sector clients. During her tenure, she worked with corporate, not-for-profit and government
entities on key strategic, operational and organizational issues across a range of sectors, including healthcare,
international relief and development, aerospace, and the federal government. She led major projects to generate
performance improvements through process streamlining, enhanced customer service, improved deployment of
technology, more effective marketing programs and strengthened organizational effectiveness. Prior to her work in the
consulting field, Harada worked in Silicon Valley as an international program manager and Lockheed Martin as a senior
satellite systems engineer.
Harada was educated at the Wharton School and Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received
both an MBA in Finance and an M.A. in International Studies with a focus on East Asia and Japanese language, at
Stanford University, where she received an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and at MIT, where she received a B.S.
in Aeronautics and Astronautics.
KATHLEEN MERRIGAN
JENNA RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Executive Director of Sustainability, George Washington University
GreenGov Coordinator, George Washington University
Kathleen Merrigan leads the GW Sustainability Collaborative, GW Food Institute, and serves as Professor of Public Policy.
Merrigan serves as a Co-Chair for AGree, Board Director for the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, FoodCorps,
Council of Environmental Deans and Directors of the National Council for Science and the Environment and the United
Nations Environment Programme initiative TEEB for Agriculture & Food. From 2009-2013, Merrigan was U.S. Deputy
Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As Deputy Secretary, Merrigan created
and led the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative to support local food systems; was a key architect of First Lady
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign; and made history as the first woman to chair the Ministerial Conference
of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Before joining the USDA, Merrigan held a variety of
agriculture policy positions, including faculty member at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts
University, Administrator of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, and staff on the Senate Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition and Forestry, where she wrote the law establishing national standards for organic food. Merrigan holds a Ph.D.
in environmental planning and policy from MIT, Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas, and a B.A. from
Williams College. Recognizing the history and scope of her work, Time Magazine named Merrigan among the “100 most
influential people in the world” in 2010.
Jenna Riemenschneider is the GreenGov Coordinator at the George Washington University (GW) Sustainability
Collaborative. Since 2015, she has coordinated the annual GreenGov Symposiums and various GreenGov dialogues. She
also manages the GW case study effort, developing training materials aimed at federal managers working to achieve the
goals set forth by President Obama in Executive Order 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade.
Previously, Riemenschneider co-founded a Nantes, France based start-up producing at-home aquaponics kits for growing
vegetables using fish waste in a closed-loop eco-system. She was also a legal assistant at Arnold & Porter, LLP in New York,
NY.
Riemenschneider received her M.Sc. in Sustainable Development from HEC Paris with a certificate in Social Business/
Enterprise and Poverty. She has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

10. BIOGRAPHIES
10
Adele Ashkar - Associate Dean for Academic Excellence,
College of Professional Studies,
George Washington University
Adele Ashkar, FASLA, Associate Dean for Academic
Excellence at GW’s College of Professional Studies (CPS),
where she oversees the academic offerings of the college,
including many degree programs for working adults and career
changers. Ashkar earned a BFA in Landscape Architecture at
the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Landscape
Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She
practiced landscape architecture at the Office of Dan Kiley
in Charlotte, VT, then at the multidisciplinary design firm
HOK, Inc., in New York and Washington, DC. As Director of
GW’s Landscape Design Program until 2015, Ashkar launched
a Graduate Certificate and master’s degree in Sustainable
Landscapes. She teaches landscape design studio courses
and team-teaches the interdisciplinary undergraduate course
Introduction to Sustainability. She is very active in academic
and campus-wide sustainability initiatives at GW, where
she recently led a team of faculty and students in creating
guidelines for transforming the Foggy Bottom campus into a
sustainable, regenerative landscape.
Donna Attanasio - Senior Advisor for Energy Law Programs,
Professorial Lecturer in Law
George Washington University
Donna Attanasio joined The George Washington University
Law School in July 2013 as Senior Advisor for Energy Law
Programs, leads the Law School’s Sustainable Energy Initiative.
Herprimaryareasofresearch,writingandteachingrelatetothe
electric utility industry and its transition to a more sustainable
fuel mix. Attanasio has worked in the electric energy sector
for over 30 years, including over 24 years as a lawyer in
private practice. She is a former President of the Energy
Bar Association (EBA) and has been widely recognized as a
leading practitioner in the field of electric energy regulatory
law, including as the recipient of Euromoney LMG Americas
Women in Business Law Award for Energy, Natural Resources
and Mining (2013). Attanasio received her J.D. from Harvard
Law School and a B.A. in Economics from Smith College.
JaineyBavishi-AssociateDirectorforClimatePreparedness,
The White House Council on Environmental Quality
Jainey K. Bavishi is the Associate Director for Climate
Preparedness at the White House Council on Environmental
Quality. In this role, she leads the implementation of the
climate preparedness pillar of the President’s Climate Action
Plan. In the final year of the Obama Administration, Bavishi
is responsible for embedding and institutionalizing climate
resilienceconsiderationsacrossFederalprogramsandpolicies;
advancing climate equity to address the disproportionate
impacts of climate change on low-income and other vulnerable
communities; and developing innovative approaches to
climate adaptation finance. Most recently, Bavishi served as the
Executive Director of R3ADY Asia-Pacific based in Honolulu,
Hawaii, where she was responsible for initiating, expanding
and managing the start-up public-private partnership, which
focused on enhancing disaster risk reduction and resilience
in the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, Bavishi served as the
Director of External Affairs and Senior Policy Advisor to
the Administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) in Washington, DC. Bavishi was also
the founding director of the Equity and Inclusion Campaign, a
coalition of community-based leaders in the Gulf Coast region
that focused on recovery from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav
and Ike, at the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation. Bavishi
has a master’s degree in city planning from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and bachelors degree in public policy
and cultural anthropology from Duke University.
Nancy Bechtol -
Director of Smithsonian Facilities, Smithsonian Institution
Nancy J. Bechtol is the Director of Smithsonian Facilities (SF)
at the Smithsonian Institution. She manages all facilities
engineering and management needs within the nineteen
museums and research centers and the National Zoo that make
up the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and New
York, utilizing an in-house workforce of over 1850 FTE and an
operating budget of 340 million. She oversees the Capital,
Maintenance and Operations programs for all Smithsonian
facilities worldwide. Currently the largest capital project is
building the Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National
Museum of African American History and Culture. She
oversees the Office of Protection Services (OPS) and the Office
of Safety, Health and Environmental Management (OSHEM),
Smithsonian Gardens (SG) and the Office of Emergency
Management (OEM). Ms. Bechtol has managed facilities
related emergencies at Smithsonian including the 2006 flood
along Constitution Ave. that affected NMNH, NMAH and the
Castle. She has also managed the aftermath of the earthquake
in 2011 and many snow/ice storms.
David Bibo - Acting Associate Administrator for Policy,
Program Analysis, and International Affairs,
Federal Emergency Management Agency
David Bibo, MPP, is the Acting Associate Administrator for
Policy, Program Analysis, and International Affairs at FEMA.
In this role, Bibo leads the Agency’s strategic and resource
planning, data analytics, policy, audit, and international affairs
functions. As the career Deputy Associate Administrator, he
drove completion of FEMA’s 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. Bibo
brings Federal, state, local, and first-responder experience and
perspective to his FEMA role and is a career member of the
Senior Executive Service. Bibo served from November 2011
– December 2013 on the staff of the White House National
Security Council (NSC), most recently as Senior Director
for Preparedness Policy. He worked with Federal leaders to
foster initiatives to build and sustain the Nation’s capacity
to withstand and rapidly recover from all hazards. He led
development and implementation of national-level policy
related to individual and community resilience, preparedness
grants, health and medical preparedness, and national
security and emergency preparedness communications.
Previously, Bibo served as Director for Preparedness Policy,
coordinating interagency efforts to implement Presidential
Policy Directive-8: National Preparedness. Bibo served from
2009 – 2011 in the Office of the Administrator at the Federal
Emergency Management Agency as Counselor to the Deputy

11. BIOGRAPHIES
11
Administrator. Bibo provided leadership for several of the
Administrator’s priorities, including empowerment of FEMA’s
regional offices and efforts to enhance the capabilities of
FEMA’s workforce. Bibo also held various positions in state
and local government. Bibo holds a Master’s in Public Policy in
International Security and Political Economy from Harvard’s
John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of
Arts in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Stonehill
College in Easton, MA.
David Bingenheimer - Global Technology Manager,
Dielectric Fluids Cargill Industrial Specialties
David Bingenheimer, Global Technology Manager – Dielectric
Fluids–CargillIndustrialSpecialties,hasadiverseprofessional
background including 25 years of technical, marketing, and
product management experience. Bingenheimer has led the
dielectric fluids activities at Cooper Power Systems and Cargill
for the past decade. He has authored and presented technical
papers and training modules related to the application and
validation of dielectric fluids in transformers, and has actively
participated in numerous industry conferences and seminars.
Bingenheimer received his Bachelor of Science degree
in Electrical Engineering from Marquette University and
Master of Business Administration Degree in International
Management from the University of Dallas.
Lisa Benton-Short - Chair of the Department of Geography,
George Washington University
Dr. Benton-Short is an urban geographer with an interest in
the dynamics of the urban environment from many angles,
including: planning and public space, urban sustainability,
globalization, and immigration. Dr. Benton-Short has written
extensively on the urban environment. She has authored eight
books, including: The Presidio: from Army Post to National
Park (1998); Environmental Discourse and Practice (1999) and
Environmental Discourse and Practice: a Reader (2000) and
Cities and Nature (2007 and 2013), Migrants to the Metropolis
(edited with colleague Marie Price, 2008). She is also the editor
ofCitiesofNorthAmerica:contemporarychallengesinU.S.and
Canadian Cities (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014). Her most recent
book explores planning and development on the National Mall
and is titled The National Mall: No Ordinary Public Space with
University of Toronto Press (2016). She is currently working
on several collaborative research papers on sustainability,
including work with colleague Melissa Keeley (Geography).
Together, they are examining ways that U.S. cities are planning
for sustainability. She is also working on articles about
sustainability education and the interdisciplinary challenges
of sustainability as a pan-university effort. Dr. Benton-Short
is currently Chair of the Department of Geography and a
Senior Fellow at the Sustainability Collaborative. A native of
California, she received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford
University in 1986 and her Ph.D. in geography from Syracuse
University in 1997.
Belinda Burrier -Director, United Soybean Board
United Soybean Board (USB) Director Belinda Burrier and her
husband, Dave Burrier, use conservation tillage practices to
grow 600 acres of soybeans along with corn and hay at their
Union Bridge, Maryland farm. To protect and nourish the soil,
they plant cover crops on all their fields. For the last 14 years,
the Burriers have used cleaner-burning biodiesel to power the
equipment on their farm. The Burriers have increased their
plantings of new high-oleic soybeans that produce soybean
oil with increased functionality, including for new biobased
motor oil now being tested by the Department of Defense
and other government fleets. In addition to caring for their
own farm and Belinda Burrier’s national leadership role
through USB, The Burriers mentor four young farm couples
on agricultural marketing, financial planning, crop rotations,
conservation farming and equipment. Their goal is to help
this next generation of farmers to be independent. Because
of the potential for biobased products to create new markets
for soybeans, U.S. soybean farmers have invested millions of
dollars to research, test and promote biobased products. Much
of this work was done through the United Soybean Board,
which is composed of 70 U.S. soybean farmers, including
Burrier, appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to
invest soybean checkoff funds. As stipulated in the Soybean
Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, USDA’s
Agricultural Marketing Services has oversight responsibilities
for the soybean checkoff.
Thomas Day - Chief Sustainability Officer,
United States Postal Service
Tom Day leads the USPS effort in sustainability by creating
a culture of conservation throughout the Postal Service and
leading the adoption of sustainable business practices. Day
reports to Ronald A. Stroman, Deputy Postmaster General.
Working closely with Network Operations, Delivery and
Post Office Operations, Facilities, Supply Management, a
variety of vendors and the mailing industry, Day’s group sets
policies and assists implementation in areas of Environmental
Compliance, Sustainability, and Energy Initiatives. Prior to
serving in this role, Day was Senior Vice President, Intelligent
Mail and Address Quality (2007-2011), Senior Vice President,
Government Relations (2005-2007) and Vice President,
Engineering (2001-2005). In this capacity, he oversaw
development of all engineering efforts involving automation
and operations, building and equipment maintenance, and
the Postal Service’s award-winning environmental program.
In addition to his responsibilities at the U.S. Postal Service,
Day also formerly served (2007-2011) as Chairman of the
Standards Board for the Universal Postal Union. During his 32-
year Postal Service career, Day developed a solid operations
background with various assignments in delivery, distribution,
and logistics, including service as district manager of the
Southeast New England District from 1996 to 2000. He is a
third-generation employee who entered the Postal Service
as a management associate in the Northeast Region in 1984
following five years of service as an officer in the U.S. Army.
Day is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,
where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1978.
He represented the Postal Service as a Sloan Fellow at Stanford
University’s Graduate School of Business, where he earned a
Master of Science in Management in 1996.
John Deignan - TapIt and Protect Your Pipes Coordinator,

12. BIOGRAPHIES
12
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
John Deignan works for the Metropolitan Washington Council
of Governments as a program coordinator for the Community
Engagement Campaign, a collaboration of regional water
utilities and local governments. Deignan is responsible for
the TapIt Metro DC and Protect Your Pipes campaigns. This
regional collaboration promotes the value and safety of
tap water, advocates to protect source water, and educates
about the importance of investing in our region’s water
infrastructure. He is a native of Rockville, MD and graduated
from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Biological
Studies, and minor certificates in Sustainability and LGBTQ
Studies. As an undergrad, Deignan passionately advocated for
environmental and social justice and assisted with sustainable
agriculture research in the Department of Entomology.
Diane Denton - Director of Environmental
and Energy Policy, and Sustainability, Duke Energy
Diane Denton is director of environmental and energy policy,
and sustainability for Duke Energy. Her team is responsible
for determining and advocating Duke Energy’s position
on federal policy issues that may significantly impact the
company’s customers, shareholders and communities it serves.
In addition, Denton works very closely with policymakers
and other stakeholders to find working, sustainable solutions
to energy policy needs. She also has responsibility for the
company’s sustainability metrics. She was named to her
current position in July 2012. Previously, Denton served as
director of regulatory and legislative strategy for Duke Energy
in North Carolina, a position she held since 2007.Since joining
the company in 1996, Denton has held various leadership
positions on both the regulated and nonregulated side of the
utility, including director, large business customers; general
manager, marketing services; director of marketing for Duke
Energy Industrial; and project development manager for Duke
Energy North America, where she developed nonregulated
power plants in the Northeast region of the United States.
Denton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration from Guilford College and a Master of Business
Administration degree from the University of North Carolina
at Charlotte. Denton is active in the community and has served
on the boards of directors for Boy Scouts of America and for
Theatre Charlotte. She also served as chair of Duke Energy’s
2007 Charlotte Chamber of Commerce campaign and was a
member of the Marketing Committee of the Cultural Facilities
Endowment for the Arts & Science Council which raised more
than $60 million in private funding for numerous arts facilities
in the Charlotte area.
Greg Dotson - Vice President for Energy Policy,
Center for American Progress
Greg Dotson is the Vice President for Energy Policy at the
Center for American Progress. His work focuses on finding
solutions to the nation’s energy and environmental challenges.
For more than 18 years, Dotson was the lead environmental
and energy staffer for Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and a
top staffer on the House Energy and Commerce Committee
and the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform. His major accomplishments include House passage of
comprehensive climate change legislation and the enactment
of laws on clean energy, pesticide safety, drinking water, and
clean air. Dotson has also devoted countless hours to the
strategic defense of existing environmental protection laws.
Dotson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Oregon School
of Law and earned an undergraduate degree from Virginia
Tech.
Don DuRousseau -
Director Of Research Technology Services,
George Washington University
DuRousseauhasmorethan25yearsofresearchanddevelopment
experience as a technology maker, principal investigator and
entrepreneur. He is an active contributor to the fields of high
performance computing, systems engineering and adaptive
networking. He’s working to improve the cyberinfrastructure
fabricneededforBigDataprojectsastheDirectoroftheCapital
Area Advanced Research and Education Network (CAAREN);
a high performance networking collaboration located at GW’s
Ashburn campus. CAAREN was recently launched by George
Washington University to provide the high speed connectivity
that R&E centers need to drive innovations in education,
bioinformatics, genomics, digital health, finance, business
intelligence, social networking and politics. DuRousseau has
more than 40 publications on topics including real time signal
processing, adaptive systems and performance engineering.
His work involves the broad dissemination of HPC/SDN
technologies working with Internet2 and a backbone of
regional connectors delivering high speed connectivity to
Research and Education communities across the country.
Orlando Figueredo - Vice President,
Consulting and Intelligence, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Orlando Figueredo serves as vice president and segment
leader for Consulting and Intelligence business unit within the
U.S. Public Sector (USPS) region of Enterprise Services. He is
responsible for managing business performance and ensuring
delivery excellence for Intelligence Community accounts, the
integration of consulting services across the USPS account
portfolio, and the development of growth strategies that
expand market share through best-in-class solutions focused
squarely on helping clients achieve winning mission and
policy outcomes. Figueredo joined HP, now HPE, in 2001 and
has held a number of key sales, management and operations
positions, affording him extensive experience directing sales
and delivery teams, and leading efforts to provide technology
consulting and thought leadership across market-leading
business streams such as Cloud, datacenter transformation
and Green IT. Figueredo joined HPE after a 22 year career in
theU.S.AirForce(USAF)whereheservedasacommunications
computer officer. During his Air Force career, he occupied
notable leadership positions including staff assignments to the
National Security Council leading research and development
for the Systems and Technical Planning Directorate; and
chief of Information Services at the USAF Special Operations
School. He retired from the USAF in 2001. Figueredo attended
Chapman University, where he completed a bachelor’s degree
in applied mathematics. He also holds his master’s in software
engineering from the University of West Florida.

13. BIOGRAPHIES
13
Royce Francis - Assistant Professor, School of Engineering
and Applied Science, George Washington University
Dr. Royce Francis is an assistant professor in the Department
of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. His
work investigates risk and decision analysis problems related
to the design, development, policy, and management of
infrastructure systems. Dr. Francis has conducted sponsored
research in the areas of drinking water system asset
management, decision structuring for low impact development
investments, and resilience analysis of infrastructure systems.
Dr. Francis’s research has been sponsored by the National
Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST), the DC Water Resources Research
Institute [a United States Geological Survey sponsored
Institute], and DC Water. Dr. Francis, earned his dual Ph.D. in
Engineering and Public Policy and Civil and Environmental
Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University while a NSF
Graduate Research Fellow, and earned his B.S. in Civil
Engineering from Howard University.
Camron Gorguinpour - Director of Transformational
Innovation, Department of the Air Force
Dr. Camron Gorguinpour serves as the Director of
Transformational Innovation to the Assistant Secretary of the
Air Force for Acquisitions and is responsible for designing and
executing reform efforts with potential for rapid and dramatic
improvement to Air Force acquisition activities. He works with
internal and external stakeholders to solicit, advocate for, and
implement transformative concepts in a wide range of subject
areas. Dr. Gorguinpour also serves as Executive Director for
the Department of Defense Plug-In Electric Vehicle Program.
Prior to arriving at the Pentagon, Dr. Gorguinpour served as
Executive Director for Scientists & Engineers for America
and was the Co-Founder and Executive Director for Space
Science Outreach and Research (SSOAR). He also served for
four years as a lecturer in the Bioengineering Department of
the University of California, Berkeley.
Fritz Gottschalk - Owner, Veteran Compost DC
Fritz Gottschalk is a 25 year Army Veteran with tours in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Haiti, Panama as well as several
African nations and is a current George Washington Univerity
student in the Environmental Resource Policy Program. He
is the owner of Veteran Compost DC which has the mission
to make organic compost from food scraps collected in the
Washington DC Metro Area and more importantly, hire
Veterans.
Eric Hollinger - Archeologist, Anthropology Department,
National Museum of Natural History,
Smithsonian Institution
Eric serves as a Tribal Liaison for the Repatriation Office,
workingwithtribesinterestedinrepatriatingancestralremains
and sacred objects. Dr. Hollinger has served as Co-Chair of the
Natural History Museum’s Greening Task Force, is a member
of the Steering Committee of the Smithsonian’s Living in the
AnthropoceneCommitteeandisamemberoftheSmithsonian’s
Recycling Task Force. He designed the food waste composting
operations used by three museum restaurants and the
Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival and he created the Banners to
Bags recycling initiative. For his sustainability efforts, he has
received a NMNH Peer Recognition Award and the Secretary’s
Spirit of the Smithsonian Award. Dr. Hollinger has a B.A. and
M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Missouri and a
Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois.
Barbara Humpton - President & Chief Executive Officer,
Siemens Government Technologies, Inc.
Barbara Humpton serves as President and Chief Executive
Officer of Siemens Government Technologies, Inc., a federally-
compliant U.S. organization and leading integrator of Siemens’
innovative products, technologies and services for programs
and requirements at federal government agencies and
departments in the areas of energy generation, transmission,
distribution and efficiency, infrastructure modernization,
industrial applications and healthcare. Humpton is also an
Officer/Director member of the Board of Directors of Siemens
Government Technologies, Inc. Prior to joining Siemens,
Humpton served as a Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton
where she was responsible for program performance and
new business development for technology consulting in the
Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.
Earlier, Humpton was a Vice President at Lockheed Martin
Corporation with responsibility for Biometrics Programs,
Border and Transportation Security and Critical Infrastructure
Protection, including such critical programs as the FBI’s
Next Generation Identification and the TSA’s Transportation
Workers’ Identification Credential. Humpton is a graduate
of Wake Forest University with a degree in Mathematics. She
serves on the Government Contracts Advisory Board of the
George Washington University Law School. She resides in
Washington, DC with her husband David.
Randy Johnson - Director,
Electric Transportation Development,
Energy Innovation Center, Southern Company
Randy Johnson is director of electric transportation
development at the Southern Company Energy Innovation
Center. In that role, he is responsible for overseeing the
company’s evolving strategy and initiatives around the
emerging electric transportation business – both on-road and
non-road. For the past several years, the operating companies
of Southern Company have marketed non-road electric
transportation applications, focusing on sales of electric
forklifts, cranes, conveyor belts and other heavy duty electric
equipment. The current strategy will build on those initiatives
while creating new on-road electric transportation programs
and opportunities for customers. He serves on the Board of
Directors of Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA)
where as Outreach and Education Chairman he developed an
electric vehicle national education campaign. He serves on
the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Executive Electrification
Task force and is an active member of Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI). Under Johnson’s leadership, Southern
Company is focusing on electric distribution system impact
analysis, partnerships with the automobile and charging
station manufacturers, sales programs, pricing strategies

14. BIOGRAPHIES
14
and technology research and development. Johnson joined
Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, in 1983
as a marketing account manager. He has served in numerous
engineering and marketing leadership positions, including
commercial and industrial key account manager, marketing
supervisor, technical specialist, sales development manager
and manager of Alabama Power’s Technology Applications
Center. He was named Southern Company director of electric
transportation in May, 2010. Johnson has a civil engineering
degree from Auburn University.
Leslie Jones -Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources
and Environment, Department of Agriculture
Leslie Jones has worked in conservation for more than two
decades and currently serves as Deputy Under Secretary for
Natural Resources and Environment where she oversees the
U.S. Forest Service. Prior to joining the Obama Administration
at the Department of Agriculture, she was General Counsel
for The Wilderness Society. She is a graduate of Vermont Law
School. She grew up on both coasts, in urban California and
rural Maine, and now lives in Virginia.
Kevin Kampschroer - Director,
Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings,
General Services Administration
Kevin Kampschroer is the Chief Sustainability Officer, Senior
Climate Adaptation Official, and the Director of the Office of
Federal High-Performance Green Buildings at the U.S. General
Services Administration. He has created the framework for
which GSA responds to the challenges of greenhouse gas
emissions reductions and of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act’s mandate to move GSA’s Federal building
inventory toward high-performance green buildings. He has
devised a challenge for companies to dramatically improve
the government’s ability to achieve deep retrofits through
Energy Savings Performance contracts. His team manages
the government’s implementation of a comprehensive
improvement in the training and certification of facility
managers and personnel across the entire Federal government
(Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010). His most
recent publication as a contributing author is the first medical
study showing the link between building characteristics on
office worker stress and heart function-which showed the
beneficial results of good lighting, natural light and IEQ.
Michelle Lapinski - Food Waste Managing Director,
Closed Loop Foundation and Fund
Michelle Lapinski is food waste managing director for the
Closed Loop Foundation and Fund, structuring impact funds
to invest debt and seed stage equity to address food waste. She
oversees the Foundation’s efforts to raise awareness about,
source and offer philanthropic funding for new solutions to
our food waste challenges. Michelle works with companies and
investors to develop, scale and finance solutions to improve the
intersection of natural resource and business decision-making
and outcomes. Over the past 20 years she has advised the
world’s largest companies including Coca-Cola, McDonalds,
Shell, Dow and Starbucks, as well as the International Finance
Corporation. She has held management positions at Gap Inc.,
Business for Social Responsibility, Global Health & Safety
Initiative, and The Nature Conservancy. Michelle is the Board
Chair of Young Women Social Entrepreneurs, and a member
of the Steering Groups of the Natural Capital Coalition and
the Cambridge University ALIGN project on the food-energy-
water nexus. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University,
the masters program of the University of San Francisco, where
she was also an adjunct professor, and the Environmental
Leadership Program fellowship.
John Kliem - Acting Director, Renewable Energy Program
Office (REPO), Department of the Navy
John A. Kliem is currently serving as the Acting Director of
the Department of Navy (DON)’s Renewable Energy Program
Office (REPO). Prior to assuming the role of Acting Director,
Kliem severed as REPO’s Deputy Director from May 2014 to
July 2016. In his role as Acting Director, Kliem oversees the
planning, coordination and integration of renewable energy
projects at REPO, which was initially tasked with meeting the
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus’ goal of bringing one gigawatt
(GW) of renewable energy into procurement by the end of 2015.
Having surpassed the Secretary’s one GW goal, REPO is now
working to enhance the DON’s energy security by developing
resiliencyprojectsonNavyandMarineCorpsbases.Previously,
Kliem transitioned from the Navy Civil Engineer Corps after
serving for 26 years in positions of increasing authority in
construction management, contingency construction and
public works management. He served as the Chief of Staff to
the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and
Environment and as the Base Operations Support Director for
Commander, Navy Installations Command.
Steven Knapp -President, George Washington University
Steven Knapp became the 16th president of the George
Washington University in August 2007. His priorities include
enhancing the university’s partnerships with neighboring
institutions, expanding the scope of its research, strengthening
its worldwide community of alumni, enlarging its students’
opportunities for public service, and leading its transformation
into a model of urban sustainability. Dr. Knapp serves on
the boards of the Economic Club of Washington; the Greater
Washington Board of Trade; the Greater Washington Urban
League; the World Affairs Council - Washington, DC; the
National Symphony Orchestra; the Consortium of Universities
of the Washington Metropolitan Area; the Washington
National Cathedral Foundation; and Al Akhawayan University
in Ifrane, Morocco. He is chair of the Atlantic 10 Conference
Council of Presidents. He also serves as an honorary adviser
to the Sulgrave Manor Trust, and is a member of the senior
advisory board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council,
the executive committee of the Council on Competitiveness,
and the jobs committee of the Federal City Council. A specialist
in Romanticism, literary theory, and the relation of literature
to philosophy and religion, Dr. Knapp taught English literature
at the University of California, Berkeley before serving as dean
of arts and sciences and then provost of the Johns Hopkins
University. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and
a member of the Modern Language Association. The author
of three books and numerous articles, he earned his doctorate

15. BIOGRAPHIES
15
and masters degrees from Cornell University and his Bachelor
of Arts degree from Yale University.
Peter Linquiti - Associate Professor and Director of the
Environmental Resource Policy Program,
George Washington University
Peter Linquiti is an Associate Professor and Director of GW’s
Environmental Resource Policy Program. Dr. Linquiti teaches
sustainability and environmental policy courses for both
graduate and undergraduate students and his research focuses
on the political economy of climate change mitigation, science
and technology policy, and decision making under uncertainty.
Before coming to GW, he spent 23 years in the private sector
and was an Executive Vice President at ICF International, a
global energy and environmental consulting firm.
Dennis McGinn - Assistant Secretary of the Navy - Energy,
Installations & Environment, Department of the Navy
Dennis McGinn was appointed Assistant Secretary of the
Navy (Energy, Installations & Environment) on September
3, 2013. In this position, McGinn develops Department-wide
policies, procedures, advocacy and strategic plans. He also
oversees all Department of the Navy functions and programs
related to installations, safety, energy, and environment. This
includes effective management of Navy and Marine Corps real
property, housing, and other facilities; natural and cultural
resource protection, planning, and compliance; safety and
occupational health for military and civilian personnel; and
timely completion of closures and realignments of installations
under base closure laws. Mr. McGinn is the former President
of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), an
organization dedicated to building a secure and prosperous
America with clean, renewable energy. While at ACORE, he led
efforts to communicate the significant economic, security and
environmental benefits of renewable energy. McGinn is also
a past co-chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board and
an international security senior fellow at the Rocky Mountain
Institute. In 2002, after 35 years of service, McGinn retired
from the Navy after achieving the rank of Vice Admiral. While
in the Navy, he served as a naval aviator, test pilot, aircraft
carrier commanding officer, and national security strategist.
His capstone assignment was as the Deputy Chief of Naval
Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs, where
he oversaw the development of future Navy capabilities. In
a previous operational leadership role, he commanded the
U.S. Third Fleet. McGinn is a past member of the Steering
Committee of the Energy Future Coalition, the United States
Energy Security Council, and the Bipartisan Policy Center
Energy Board. He earned a B.S. degree in Naval Engineering
from the U.S. Naval Academy; attended the national security
program at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University; and was a Chief of Naval Operations strategic
studies fellow at the U.S. Naval War College.
Sarah Olexsak - Senior Sustainability Officer,
The White House Council on Environmental Quality
A Pittsburgh-area native, Olexsak develops and implements
policy that reduces GHG emissions through the manufacture
and deployment of sustainable transportation and advanced
energy technologies. She currently serves as a Senior
Sustainability Officer at the White House Council on
Environmental Quality.As part of President Obama’s EV
Everywhere Grand Challenge, Olexsak was charged with
growing plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging availability
at U.S. workplaces. In 2013, she launched the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) Workplace Charging Challenge which
has since partnered with 275+ employers to provide 5,500+
charging stations, resulting in an annual reduction of 17 million
pounds of GHG emissions.Notably, Olexsak helped to launch
DOE’s $25 billion ATVM Loan Program in 2009. During her
time managing the technical review of proposals under with
the program, loans in excess of $6 billion were executed for
American PEV manufacturing successes such as the Tesla
Model S and the Nissan Leaf. During implementation of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Olexsak facilitated
the review and award of automotive projects under a $2.3
billion advanced energy manufacturing tax credit.Olexsak has
been recognized with numerous professional awards and her
diversity of government roles has provided her with a strong
strategy and policy acumen. She was nominated by her peers
to serve as Chair of the Assistant Management Board, a DOE
team tasked with forming innovative recommendations to
senior leadership. Olexsak began her career as an analyst in the
fuel cell industry and holds an MS in Energy Policy & Climate
from Johns Hopkins University and a BS from Muskingum
University. She has written extensively on the implementation
of alternative fueled vehicles and her work on energy behavior
has been published in the Journal of Energy Research & Social
Science.
Jon Powers - Co-Founder, CleanCapital
JonPowersleadscorporatestrategyanddevelopment,investor
relations, and marketing at CleanCapital. Powers’ passion for
clean energy derives from his time served with the US Army
in Iraq and the realization that a clean energy economy is
vital to protect America’s national security interests. After
helping revolutionize the US Army’s energy program, Jon was
appointed by President Obama to serve as the Federal Chief
Sustainability Officer. While in this role, Powers recognized
the need to address the inefficiencies in clean energy finance.
Matt Roberts - Executive Director,
Energy Storage Association
Matt Roberts serves as the Executive Director of the Energy
Storage Association, overseeing operations and strategic
initiatives for the industry’s trade association. Roberts has
over 15 years of experience in energy policy, communications
and association management with a recognized expertise in
renewables, distributed energy, and sustainable infrastructure.
Prior to joining ESA, Roberts oversaw policy and operations
for a global energy trade association focused on reforming
the transportation infrastructure and expanding the use of
renewable fuels. Roberts began his career as a House staffer
and speech writer, and has consulted in the energy industry
with organizations and companies focused on solar, wind and
geothermal energy policy and deployment.
Amit Ronen - Director of the GW Solar Institute,

16. BIOGRAPHIES
16
George Washington University
Amit Ronen is the Director of the GW Solar Institute and a
Professor at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public
Administration at the George Washington University. In this
capacity he focuses on the economic, technical, and public
policy issues associated with the development and deployment
of solar energy. Prior to this position, Ronen served as Deputy
Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, leveraging
her membership on the Energy, Finance, and Commerce
Committeestohelpenactcleanenergytaxincentives,financing
instruments, and research and development authorizations
that catalyzed hundreds of billions of dollars of new energy
related investments. For example, he was a key strategist and
implementer behind the landmark Cantwell-Ensign bipartisan
clean energy tax incentives package that established the
eight-year Investment Tax Credit and removed the $2,000 cap
on residential solar installations. Ronen also authored and
championed Senator Cantwell’s innovative bipartisan climate
bill, the CLEAR Act, which offered a centrist alternative to
unwieldy and divisive cap-and-trade proposals. Previously,
Ronen held positions at the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the U.S.
Department of Transportation, and the White House Council
on Environmental Quality.Ronen received his undergraduate
degree from Pomona College and a Masters in Public Affairs
from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International
Affairs at Princeton University. Both degrees focused on
Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy.
Kathleen Salyer - Deputy Director, Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery,
Environmental Protection Agency
Kathleen Salyer is the Deputy Director of the Office of Resource
ConservationandRecoveryattheUnitedStatesEnvironmental
Protection Agency (US EPA), a position she has held since
January 2015. The Office is responsible for promoting resource
conservation through sustainable materials management,
ensuring safe management of solid and hazardous waste
and cleaning up environmental contamination at hazardous
waste management facilities. Prior to her current position,
Salyer was an Assistant Director of the Superfund Program
in US EPA Region 9 in San Francisco, CA. She has over 18
years’ experience cleaning up contaminated sites. Salyer
has a BA in Geology from Whitman College and a Masters
in Environmental Public Policy from University of Maryland,
College Park.
Dale Sartor - Staff Engineer, Building and Industrial
Applications, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory
Dale Sartor, P.E., is a staff scientist/engineer at LBNL where
he focusses on building efficiency technology applications.
He leads projects to develop and transfer new technology and
stimulate the use of underutilized technology. Sartor has an
AB in Architecture, and a Masters in Business Administration.
He is a licensed Mechanical Engineer, and a licensed General
Building Contractor. He has over forty years of professional
experience in energy efficiency and renewable energy
applicationsincludingtenyearsasaprincipalofanarchitecture
and engineering company, and seven years as the head of
LBNL’s In-House Energy Management Program. Currently
Sartor is focused on RD&D on energy efficiency in buildings
for high tech industries (i.e. laboratories, cleanrooms, and
data centers). He oversees the Federal Energy Management
Program’s new Center of Expertise for Data centers.
Frank Sesno -Director, School of Media and Public Affairs,
George Washington University
Frank Sesno is director of the School of Media and Public
Affairs at George Washington University. He is also an
internationally recognized journalist, with more than 30 years
of experience reporting from around the world and he spent
more than 20 years at CNN, serving as senior VP, Washington
bureau chief, White House correspondent, anchor and special
correspondent. Sesno’s latest project, Planet Forward, is a user-
driven website and television program that focuses on energy,
climate and sustainability issues. Currently, Sesno is writing
a book on the art of inquiry- how inspirational people have
discovered truth and success through curiosity, questions and
ability to actively listen.
Anand Shantam - Instructor, Culinary Job Training
Program, DC Central Kitchen
Anand Shantam was out of the workforce for 25 years before
she joined DC Central Kitchen’s Culinary Job Training
Program in December 2011. Battling addiction most of her
life, Shantam was rarely able to hold a steady job, constantly
dependent on family and friends and in deep financial trouble.
Shantam says finding her passion at DC Central Kitchen
changed her life; “Discovering that I was good at something,
people started relying on me and I felt I had value.” After
graduating, Shantam was hired by The Kitchen to work in the
school foods program which every day provides 6300 scratch-
cooked, locally-sourced meals in city schools. Shantam
recently accepted a new challenge and is an instructor in the
same program that helped put her back on her feet. She now
teaches students at DC Central Kitchen the necessary knife
and life skills they need to secure jobs in kitchens across the
city. DC Central Kitchen is a nonprofit organization working
to fight poverty, hunger, and poor health through a number
of innovative programs, including meal distribution and job
training. It's mission is to use food as a tool to strengthen
bodies, empower minds, and build communities.
Beth Sauerhaft - Senior Sustainability Advisor
Beth Sauerhaft is a Senior Sustainability Advisor with a PhD
in arid land agroforestry who has worked in both the public
and private sectors. Prior to her advisory work, Sauerhaft
worked as the Senior Director of Corporate Sustainability at
PepsiCo where she introduced sustainability to the innovation,
budget and strategic planning processes in Corporate R&D
and developed pilots/programs targeting enhanced social
or environmental sustainability of dairy and arable crop
supply chains.Before joining PepsiCo in 2007, she worked for
the US EPA as the Deputy to the Agricultural Counselor. In
that position, she provided policy advice to the Agricultural
Counselor, the Administrator and other EPA managers on
a variety of agricultural issues cutting across functional
responsibilities of the Agency and brought diverse stakeholder

17. 17
voices to the agricultural rulemaking process. Prior to working
at EPA, Sauerhaft worked at the USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service where she held national leadership
responsibility for Atmospheric Resource Quality Management
issues and before that was a District Conservationist in New
York where she worked with farmers to implement Farm Bill
programs and put conservation practices on the ground.
Sauerhaft was on the Board of Directors of the Children’s
Environmental Literacy Foundation from 2011-2015 and
chaired her town’s Sustainability Advisory Board from 2010-
2013.Sauerhaft earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University;
has a Masters of Environmental Managementfrom Duke
University in Natural Resource Ecology; and, a BA degree in
American Studies from Grinnell College.
Meghan Stasz - Senior Director, Sustainability,
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Meghan Stasz is the Senior Director, Sustainability for the
Grocery Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C. In
this role, she works on issues such as waste, water, sourcing,
energy, and other topics as they pertain to the food, beverage,
and consumer products industry. Among other initiatives,
Stasz is currently leading the Food Waste Reduction Alliance
initiative- a multi-year, collaborative, cross-industry initiative
to reduce food waste sent to landfill and increase food donation
to food banks in the U.S. She also is working extensively on
packaging and recycling efforts. Stasz has over ten years of
experience in the environmental sustainability field. Prior to
GMA, she spent several years with the Environmental Defense
Fund where she was the Project Manager of the organization’s
Farm and Food Policy Reform campaign. Stasz received her
B.A. from Hamilton College and her M.B.A. from Boston
College.
Harriet Tregoning - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
for the Office of Community Planning and Development,
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Harriet Tregoning leads the Office of Community Planning
and Development at the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development. She recently led HUD’s Office of Economic
Resilience, helping regions, cities, counties and towns across
the country build a strong foundation for a diverse and
prosperous economy based on enhancing community quality
of place, economic opportunity, fiscal stability, transportation
choice, and affordability. She was previously Director of the
District of Columbia Office of Planning, where she worked
to make DC a walkable, bikeable, eminently livable, globally
competitiveandthrivingcity.Herprioritiesincludedre-writing
the city’s zoning code for the first time in 50 years, planning
the revitalization of National Historic Landmark St. Elizabeth’s
Hospital campus as part of the consolidation of the Department
of Homeland Security’s Headquarters, and collaborating with
her transportation colleagues to bring the nation’s (then)
largestbike-sharingprogramtoDCin2010.Priortothisshewas
the director of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design
co-founded with former Maryland Governor Glendening. She
served Governor Glendening as Secretary of Planning. Prior to
her tenure in Maryland state government, Tregoning was the
director of Development, Community and Environment at the
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Tregoning’s
academic training is in engineering and public policy. She was
a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of
Design for 2003-2004.
Dan Utech - Deputy Assistant to the President for
Energy and Climate Change, The White House
Dan Utech is the Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy
and Climate Change. Prior to joining the White House, Utech
served as a Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Steven Chu. He
joined the Administration after 10 years in the Senate, where
he worked on a wide range of energy and environmental policy
issues.
Calvin Williams - Assistant Administrator for the
Office of Strategic Infrastructure,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Calvin F. Williams serves as the Assistant Administrator
for NASA’s Office of Strategic Infrastructure. He leads the
agency infrastructure policy efforts and the integration of
infrastructure issues in support of accomplishing NASA’s
Science, Aeronautic, Space Operations and Exploration
Missions. Williams joined NASA in 2002. Previously, he served
as the Director, Integrated Asset Management Division, where
he was responsible for managing the agency’s real property,
agency facility master planning and the Strategic Capabilities
AssetProgram.HeservedastheSustainableDesignChampion
at the NASA Headquarters where he received the NASA Blue
Marble Award for his contributions in implementing policies
for Green Building Design and Sustainable Leadership for
NASA facilities. Before coming to NASA, Williams worked for
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland
for 12 years. He held several positions including Program
Manager, Business Manager and Management Representative
for ISO 9001 in the Division of Engineering Services. Williams
managed both technical and administrative staff in support of
design and construction activities at the NIH. As the Design
Project Director of the Infrastructure Modernization Program,
Williams managed the campus-wide upgrade of the NIH
campus’ major utility systems. Prior to joining NIH, Williams
worked for the Department of Navy. He held the position as
a Program Manager at the Chesapeake Division of the Naval
Facilities Engineering Command, responsible for managing
energy and other facility engineering projects. At the Naval
Sea System Command, Williams served as Program Manager
responsible for the testing, monitoring and extending the
operating life of environmental systems onboard the Navy’s
nuclear class submarines. After graduating from college,
Williams worked for the Procter and Gamble Company
in Cincinnati, Ohio. There he held the title of Thermal
Engineer, responsible for designing and constructing heating,
ventilation and air conditions systems for manufacturing
facilities throughout the United States. Williams graduated
from Howard University, Washington, DC, with a degree in
Mechanical Engineering. He obtained a Master Degree in
Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,
Maryland. He also completed the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government Senior Executive Fellows Program.
17
voices to the agricultural rulemaking process. Prior to working
at EPA, Sauerhaft worked at the USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service where she held national leadership
responsibility for Atmospheric Resource Quality Management
issues and before that was a District Conservationist in New
York where she worked with farmers to implement Farm Bill
programs and put conservation practices on the ground.
Sauerhaft was on the Board of Directors of the Children’s
Environmental Literacy Foundation from 2011-2015 and
chaired her town’s Sustainability Advisory Board from 2010-
2013.Sauerhaft earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University;
has a Masters of Environmental Managementfrom Duke
University in Natural Resource Ecology; and, a BA degree in
American Studies from Grinnell College.
Meghan Stasz - Senior Director, Sustainability,
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Meghan Stasz is the Senior Director, Sustainability for the
Grocery Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C. In
this role, she works on issues such as waste, water, sourcing,
energy, and other topics as they pertain to the food, beverage,
and consumer products industry. Among other initiatives,
Stasz is currently leading the Food Waste Reduction Alliance
initiative- a multi-year, collaborative, cross-industry initiative
to reduce food waste sent to landfill and increase food donation
to food banks in the U.S. She also is working extensively on
packaging and recycling efforts. Stasz has over ten years of
experience in the environmental sustainability field. Prior to
GMA, she spent several years with the Environmental Defense
Fund where she was the Project Manager of the organization’s
Farm and Food Policy Reform campaign. Stasz received her
B.A. from Hamilton College and her M.B.A. from Boston
College.
Harriet Tregoning - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
for the Office of Community Planning and Development,
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Harriet Tregoning leads the Office of Community Planning
and Development at the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development. She recently led HUD’s Office of Economic
Resilience, helping regions, cities, counties and towns across
the country build a strong foundation for a diverse and
prosperous economy based on enhancing community quality
of place, economic opportunity, fiscal stability, transportation
choice, and affordability. She was previously Director of the
District of Columbia Office of Planning, where she worked
to make DC a walkable, bikeable, eminently livable, globally
competitiveandthrivingcity.Herprioritiesincludedre-writing
the city’s zoning code for the first time in 50 years, planning
the revitalization of National Historic Landmark St. Elizabeth’s
Hospital campus as part of the consolidation of the Department
of Homeland Security’s Headquarters, and collaborating with
her transportation colleagues to bring the nation’s (then)
largestbike-sharingprogramtoDCin2010.Priortothisshewas
the director of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design
co-founded with former Maryland Governor Glendening. She
served Governor Glendening as Secretary of Planning. Prior to
her tenure in Maryland state government, Tregoning was the
director of Development, Community and Environment at the
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Tregoning’s
academic training is in engineering and public policy. She was
a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of
Design for 2003-2004.
Dan Utech - Deputy Assistant to the President for
Energy and Climate Change, The White House
Dan Utech is the Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy
and Climate Change. Prior to joining the White House, Utech
served as a Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Steven Chu. He
joined the Administration after 10 years in the Senate, where
he worked on a wide range of energy and environmental policy
issues.
Calvin Williams - Assistant Administrator for the
Office of Strategic Infrastructure,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Calvin F. Williams serves as the Assistant Administrator
for NASA’s Office of Strategic Infrastructure. He leads the
agency infrastructure policy efforts and the integration of
infrastructure issues in support of accomplishing NASA’s
Science, Aeronautic, Space Operations and Exploration
Missions. Williams joined NASA in 2002. Previously, he served
as the Director, Integrated Asset Management Division, where
he was responsible for managing the agency’s real property,
agency facility master planning and the Strategic Capabilities
AssetProgram.HeservedastheSustainableDesignChampion
at the NASA Headquarters where he received the NASA Blue
Marble Award for his contributions in implementing policies
for Green Building Design and Sustainable Leadership for
NASA facilities. Before coming to NASA, Williams worked for
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland
for 12 years. He held several positions including Program
Manager, Business Manager and Management Representative
for ISO 9001 in the Division of Engineering Services. Williams
managed both technical and administrative staff in support of
design and construction activities at the NIH. As the Design
Project Director of the Infrastructure Modernization Program,
Williams managed the campus-wide upgrade of the NIH
campus’ major utility systems. Prior to joining NIH, Williams
worked for the Department of Navy. He held the position as
a Program Manager at the Chesapeake Division of the Naval
Facilities Engineering Command, responsible for managing
energy and other facility engineering projects. At the Naval
Sea System Command, Williams served as Program Manager
responsible for the testing, monitoring and extending the
operating life of environmental systems onboard the Navy’s
nuclear class submarines. After graduating from college,
Williams worked for the Procter and Gamble Company
in Cincinnati, Ohio. There he held the title of Thermal
Engineer, responsible for designing and constructing heating,
ventilation and air conditions systems for manufacturing
facilities throughout the United States. Williams graduated
from Howard University, Washington, DC, with a degree in
Mechanical Engineering. He obtained a Master Degree in
Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,
Maryland. He also completed the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government Senior Executive Fellows Program.

18. 18
NOTES

19. 19
NOTES

20. GreenGov2016.org
provost.gwu.edu/gwcasestudies
#greengov2016