EBA Energy Exchange

This episode features a roundtable discussion by leaders in Clean Energy initiatives. Diversity in Clean Energy (DiCE) is a coalition sponsored by Duke Energy’s Strategic Account Management Organization working collaboratively with Duke Energy’s supplier engagement arm, three strategic accounts and three representatives of diverse suppliers in clean energy. Its visionary outcome is to “advocate, utilize, drive visibility and open doors of opportunity for diverse suppliers in clean energy through collaboration.”

Guests on this Roundtable Episode Include:

Amy Bond, Energy and Sustainability Program Manager at T-Mobile. Amy was formerly Sprint’s Manager of Energy and Sustainability before its merger with T-Mobile. She worked previously as an executive assistant for Marcus & Millichap, a marketing assistant with Reece and Nichols, and as a publisher.

Cheryl Comer, Strategic Account Manager in the Sales and Relationship Management organization at Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. Cheryl previously taught middle school and high school music, and served as a high school principal in Arizona. She is a licensed attorney in North Carolina and Louisiana and practiced law in downtown New Orleans before joining Duke Energy in 2018. Cheryl continues to practice law in the capacity of a pro bono attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina.
Denis George, Manager of Energy and Legal, Kroger. Denis has over forty years' experience in energy procurement, utility rate and regulatory matters, renewable energy, energy management and contracting. Also previously worked as an attorney for DPL. He serves on the Smart Energy Decisions Customer Advisory Board.

Scott Harden, Chief Technology Officer, Energy at Microsoft. Prior to Microsoft, Scott held several technology leadership positions (including at OSI Digital and Bit Stew Systems) providing advisory and delivery services to architect and deploy advanced technology solutions for the power utility industry including advanced analytics, edge computing, machine learning / artificial intelligence and industrial data platforms. Previously Founder and CEO of Vertebrae.

Dana Redden, Founder, Solar Stewards, a social enterprise connecting corporate social responsibility initiatives with marginalized communities, and Founder and CEO of DCR Group LLC. Celebrating over a decade in the solar industry, Dana is a passionate solar professional dedicated to the development of distributed generation solar globally. She is among GRIST Magazine’s 50 Fixers, a two-time judge at the DOE/NREL Solar District Cup, and an ACORE Accelerate member.
Faustina Vincent, a socially conscious entrepreneur who recognizes the time-critical opportunity to limit our impact on the environment and seize new market opportunities in renewable energy. As Co-founder of VGI Energy Solutions, LLC. Faustina brings thought leadership, practical knowhow, and technical expertise to deliver energy solutions that enhance climate security and promote community resilience, primarily in underserved communities.

Van L. Vincent, President and CEO of VLV Development and a Partner of VGI Energy Solutions. Van is a climate change visionary and urban developer who works with community and elected leaders, housing portfolio owners, utilities, educational institutions, and purchasers of renewable energy credits to bring resilience and economic benefit to low-income communities. He previously led the affordable housing practice for the Chicago office of Virchow-Krause now Baker Tilly). He also served at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development's Office of Affordable Housing Preservation and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

In this episode, Catherine discusses her journey from a trailer park in East Los Angeles to studying at Yale, Oxford, and Stanford Law. Catherine tells Mosby about her first winter in New Haven and being the first Latina Rhode Scholar. They dig into net neutrality and its implications for energy policy, Catherine’s experience with the Yurok tribe in Northern California on access to energy issues, and climate justice. Catherine shares stories from her time as a Commissioner on the California Public Service Commission and some recommendations on books and productive habits.
Chapters

4:08 -Early life
8:00 - School years
52:40- Writing
2:27:30 - Lightning Round

Catherine J.K. Sandoval is a tenured Law Professor at Santa Clara University who teaches and conducts research on Energy, Communications, Antitrust, and Contract law. Her scholarship analyzes legal and policy drivers of energy, communications, and water infrastructure safety, reliability, and access gaps. She served a six-year term as a Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission, appointed by Governor Brown. She also serves as Director of Santa Clara University’s Oxford University Summer Law Program, and Co-Director of SCU Law’s High-Tech Law Institute and The Broadband Institute of California. She hails from a trailer park in East Los Angeles and communities facing environmental justice issues. She is the first Latinx CPUC Commissioner, first Latina Rhodes Scholar, and first in her family to earn a B.A. degree. She earned a B.A. from Yale University, a Master of Letters from Oxford University, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Her book chapter, Energy Access is Energy Justice, The Yurok Tribe’s Trailblazing Work to Close the Native American Reservation Electricity Gap, was published in ENERGY JUSTICE, US AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES (2018).

In this episode, Dr. Mansoor and Mosby have an in-depth conversation about EPRI’s history, work, and mission on advancing our generation, deployment and use of electricity in the United States and around the globe. Arshad talks in-depth about wind, solar, and hydrogen and how EPRI is thinking about distribution and storage. Arshad discusses next generation nuclear power plants, how that technology will continue to evolve, and how we can harness AI and new technologies to produce safer and cheaper nuclear-produced electricity, steam, and hydrogen. Dr. Mansoor explains his focus on climate change and how it is personal for him, coming from a densely populated country that is largely at sea level.

Dr. Tony Reames is a Senior Advisor for the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity with the Department of Energy. He is on leave from the University of Michigan where he is a professor of Environment and Sustainability and where he established the Urban Energy Justice Lab to conduct research and develop solutions on racial, income, and geographic disparities in energy access, affordability, decision making, and participation. Reames served in Iraq as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has worked in the public and private sectors as a licensed professional engineer. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, a Master of Engineering Management from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Kansas.

In this episode, Mosby asks Tony about his roots in South Carolina and how that shaped the way he thinks about energy and the environment. A champion of energy and environmental justice, Tony discusses some of his ground-breaking research on disparities in the cost of energy, the efficiency of living space, and the effectiveness of programs aimed at reducing energy poverty. He reflects on his service in Iraq as a commissioned officer with the Corps of Engineers and the ability of professional norms to connect cultures. Tony shares his perspective on the Infrastructure Bill which provides DOE and other government agencies with billions of dollars. Tony and Mosby discuss the Justice40 Initiative, its goal of delivering 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities, and what that might look like for projects and timelines. They also dig in to what he has learned over his dynamic career in the private sector, government service, and academia.

Suzanne Russo is chief executive officer for Pecan Street, having previously served as its chief of staff and chief operating officer. During her time at Pecan Street, Forbes named her one of five women ‘Using Technology to Blow Up Social Change.’ Suzanne also worked for New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. An urban planner with a masters degree in community and regional planning from the University of Texas at Austin, Suzanne has worked in Africa, China, India and the USA on community-based sustainable development.

In this conversation Suzanne talks about her time in New York at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the skills she learned working on energy efficiency projects there. We discuss her time in Kenya and how that shifted her focus to the human environment as she worked on solving issues related to energy conservation. We touch on the Texas blackout, systems level thinking, and her vision for a data utility regulator to ensure we get the most out of our smart grids, meters, and other sensors that we are going to need if we want to get to net zero.