Luis Bernal is the Deputy General Counsel at the Appalachian Regional Commission. In this capacity, he provides legal advice to senior leadership and operational units of the Commission on a wide range of legal matters pertaining to grants management and cooperative agreements for economic development, broadband deployment, and access to capital. Prior to joining the Commission, Luis worked at the USDA- Rural Utilities Services, where he advised leadership in the Electric Program on the design and implementation of energy efficiency programs and renewable energy projects, in particular the Rural Energy Saving Program. He also led the Puerto Rico Energy Affairs Administration (2009-2012).

In that role, he established and implemented policy for renewable energy and energy efficiency and conservation projects and investments, liaised with the US Department of Energy, and oversaw the implementation of federally funded programs and daily operations of the organization.

Luis holds a Master of Laws in Energy and Environmental Law from the George Washington University Law School and a Juris Doctor from Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law.

Laurel Blatchford was appointed as Treasury’s Chief Implementation Officer for the Inflation Reduction Act in January 2023. In this newly created role, Laurel is leading a team focused on the implementation of Treasury’s provisions of the IRA across Treasury and the IRS.

Over the course of her 25-year career, Laurel has held senior leadership roles in the non-profit, government and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, as Managing Director and Senior Advisor at Blue Meridian Partners, she collaborated on $100M of investments focused on economic mobility and advised Blue Meridian’s portfolio of grantees on their approach to policy as a tool for impact and influence. Prior to joining Blue Meridian in 2020, she was President of Enterprise Community Partners, one of the nation's largest affordable housing and community development intermediaries. During her six-year tenure at Enterprise, Laurel led a team of 250 staff working in 12 markets across the United States that built capacity on the ground, piloted new advisory solutions for local leaders, and connected partners to capital, including public sector grant funding as well as private capital.

Laurel also has extensive federal and local government experience; she served as a senior political appointee in the Obama Administration, including as Executive Director of the Hurricane Sandy Task Force and Chief of Staff at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development between 2009 and 2013. Prior to that, she served as a senior leader at City Hall and in New York City’s housing agency during the Bloomberg Administration. She also served on both the Obama-Biden and Biden-Harris presidential transition team and was nominated for a Senate-confirmed role in the Biden-Harris Administration. She is a graduate of Williams College and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and lives with her family in Washington DC.

Robert is director of the Home Region Program at the Walton Family Foundation. In this role, he leads the foundation’s work advancing economic and cultural vibrancy, opportunity and inclusion in Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta.

Robert has more than 25 years of experience in workforce housing, philanthropy, community development and governmental affairs. Most recently, he led efforts to promote financial inclusion and economic empowerment as senior vice president of Citi. In previous roles, Robert partnered with nonprofit and public agencies to build more inclusive cities; managed a Community Development Financial Institution; directed nonprofit solutions for an affordable housing organization; and served in local government in four states.

Robert has a master’s in public administration from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s in political science from Appalachian State University.

Liz Carlisle is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she teaches courses on food and farming. Born and raised in Montana, she got hooked on agriculture while working as an aide to organic farmer and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, which led to a decade of research and writing collaborations with farmers in her home state.

She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: Lentil Underground (2015), Grain by Grain (2019, with co-author Bob Quinn), and most recently, Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022).

She holds a Ph.D. in Geography, from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Folklore and Mythology, from Harvard University and she formerly served as Legislative Correspondent for Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Office of U.S. Senator Jon Tester. Prior to her career as a writer and academic, she spent several years touring rural America as a country singer.

Leon Childs, Community Engagement Associate, contributes a strong background in community engagement, social justice initiatives, community organizing, and social justice initiatives to Groundswell’s Save On Utilities Long term program. He has more than 16 years of experience in community organizing and public relations. Leon is dedicated to engaging the community, and he is a dedicated volunteer for service projects around the globe.

Leon spent 8 years as a director of an after-school mentoring and tutoring program. Through this experience, he gained a huge understanding of the LaGrange community and the community’s needs. Leon also served as the Vice President of sales in the metal industry, where he gained knowledge of small business outreach. An advocate for the people in all aspects of his life — including education, housing, jobs, and just being a strong voice for the people — Leon has been on the front lines of a wide array of important issues. He holds a degree in business administration from Grandmarshall and has received education, social justice and community awards. Leon is constantly trying to make the world a better place.

Jen has extensive experience driving social impact and sustainability initiatives with early-stage companies, Fortune 500s, and NGOs. Her background includes partnership development between smallholders, multinationals, government, and civil society organizations.

Jen has a deep understanding of social and environmental challenges and her passion is spearheading sustainable, equitable growth for complex global systems.

Keith Dennis is the President of the Beneficial Electrification League, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to increase understanding of the benefits of electrification by promoting the market acceptance of beneficial electrification. He is also the CEO of Electrification Strategies, LLC. Keith has an interdisciplinary background in engineering, business, and law. He worked for nearly a decade at the trade association for 900 not-for-profit electric cooperatives (NRECA), where he was Vice President of consumer member engagement. In 2015, he coined the term “environmentally beneficial electrification,” which led to an industry movement around beneficial electrification.

Keith joined NRECA directly from the Department of Energy where he led a Policy and Guidance Team for a $3.2 billion energy efficiency and conservation grant (EECBG) program. He also served at The White House where he supported several large energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

Keith holds three degrees from Dartmouth College and a Master of Studies in Environmental Law (M.S.E.L) from Vermont Law School. He is also licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) and holds multiple certifications in the energy field.

Josh Ewing leads the Rural Climate Partnership, a collaborative fund supporting working people, small businesses, and family farmers to implement rural-led climate solutions. RCP works to ensure rural communities have the tools and opportunities to benefit from all the economic and community benefits that flow from the transition to clean energy and regenerative agriculture.

Born and raised in western Nebraska where the Ewing family runs a cattle ranch, Josh has lived and worked in rural America most of his life. With his wife Kirsten, Josh lives on the border of the Navajo Nation in the 150-person town of Bluff, Utah, where he serves as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

Fabio Ficano is an eclectic entrepreneur, investor, and tireless business development partner, recognized for his passion in creating and advancing new businesses, ventures and partnerships. He excels at bringing together complex projects with multiple stakeholders to successful ideation and growth. He is known for his expertise in clean/green technology, hard tech, renewable energy, large infrastructure, security technology, mass transportation, intermodality, and Intelligence Augmentation.

Before joining BootstrapLabs as Head of the Venture Studio for Climate and Energy he was part of the founding team at MODOS, a distributed mobility-on-demand solution, and an investor at Baruch Future Ventures. He also co-founded and chaired the International Relations and Renewable Energy Initiatives for the Silicon Valley Italian Executive Council (SVIEC) and is a former member of the “US–Italy Bilateral Climate and Energy Partnership”, an agency created by the U.S. Department of State and the Italian Government to pursue joint research programs on climate change and low-emission technology.

Fabio is founder of Elettranova, and LufraRise, a firm specialized in seed investments, business development, government and industry affairs and bi lateral investments between U.S. and European enterprises, including scouting emerging technologies on behalf of the largest European Utilities and Transmission System Operators. He co-founded and is Partner of Moncada Energy USA and Moncada Energy Malaysia & Philippines (now under Moncada Energy Group) and was co-founder and Managing Director of VM Relazioni Istituzionali USA, a legislation monitoring firm.

Kyler Geoffroy is the Online Marketing Manager for the Urban Resilience Project (URP), a grant-funded program of the non-profit publisher Island Press that works to champion sustainable, equitable communities in the era of climate change. As part of URP, he works with thought leaders, activists, and other change agents in the publication of original short-form writing (articles, op-eds, etc) into external media outlets. He also spearheads a variety of digital media initiatives across social media, podcasts, and other online mediums. Prior to his work at Island Press, Kyler was Managing Editor of Towleroad, the largest LGBT news blog in the United States, and also worked at the progressive advocacy group People for the American Way (PFAW). He is a native Texan and currently resides in Anaheim, CA with his partner Eric and ferocious cat Tommen.

Aubrey Germ is the Climate and Resilience Planner for Baltimore’s Office of Sustainability. She oversees and manages hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and community resilience plans and projects including Baltimore’s Climate Action Plan, Hazard Mitigation Plan, and Community Resiliency Hub Program. She hails from Cleveland, Ohio and holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from Harvard University as well as a BS in Environmental Health Sciences from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a Morehead-Cain Scholar.

Aubrey is passionate about improving urban and ecological resilience through thoughtful planning, equitable community engagement, and forward-thinking environmental and sustainable design. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, ceramics, traveling, and spending time outdoors.

Rachel Halfaker is an Associate Director at the Center for Financial Markets at the Milken Institute. Rachel leads the Community Infrastructure Center, developing strategic partnerships between communities, capital providers, and advisory firms for equitable, climate-resilient infrastructure deployment. Prior to her work at the Milken Institute, Halfaker worked at the intersection of urban technology and economic development. She worked as an Urban Development Consultant in Deloitte’s Smart Cities practice supporting clients with regional and national place-based economic development and later as the head of Launch in Washington DC for a Mobility startup utilizing machine learning and computer vision for curbside management.

Halfaker holds a Masters in Urban Planning from Georgetown University and a BS in Information Systems from the University of Florida.

Been there, done that! Sam spent over 25 years in our public school system's transportation department. He does hold a CDL, and yes, he has driven school buses. Sam was the Executive Director of Transportation with Fulton County Schools in Atlanta Georgia. He retired from GA's 4th largest school district in 2020. He helped neighboring Cobb County Schools (GA's 2nd largest school district) for 6 months serving as Interim Executive Director of Transportation until March 2021. Yancey Bus Sales and Service, the GA Blue Bird Bus Dealer, asked Sam to help them transition school districts from a diesel-powered school bus platform to viable alternative powered platforms. The journey began. Sam holds a BS in Administrative Management from Clemson University. In 2014 he completed the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Certified Director of Pupil Transportation program, the equivalent of a Master's Degree in Pupil Transportation.

Glen Hooks is Policy Manager for Audubon Delta, a regional arm of the National Audubon Society encompassing Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, where he focuses largely on climate and clean energy issues. Glen has nearly twenty years organizing environmental campaigns across the state and nation.

Prior to joining Audubon in late 2021, Glen served as Director of the Arkansas Sierra Club, as Executive Director of the Arkansas Democratic Party, and as an attorney in public and private practice. He is a graduate of Hendrix College and the UALR Bowen School of Law.

Adaora Ifebigh is the Senior Director of Impact at Sol System and leads efforts to execute Sol’s comprehensive Impact and Infrastructure strategy. In this role, she builds community partnerships and collaborates with local organizations who are driving positive change in their communities in their efforts to address systemic challenges to sustainability. Ms. Ifebigh has over 15 years of program management and leadership experience across the energy sector with specific experience in energy access and community impact work in rural cooperative territory. As Program Director for Energy Access at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), she started and led the Advancing Energy Access for All initiative that spotlights cooperatives' involvement in facilitating healthy communities, explores the innovative ways they do it, and uncovers new directions community assistance programs are taking. The initiative created a sustainable practice around supporting cooperatives as they holistically serve their members, especially low- and moderate-income households and to ensure that rural communities are not left behind in the transition to clean energy.

Bill Inman is the Vice President of Member & Strategic Services at Aiken Electric Cooperative. With over three decades of experience in the industry, he has been instrumental in providing reliable energy solutions to the community. Bill holds a B.S. in Administrative Management from Clemson University and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University. Before joining Aiken Electric, he worked in banking.

Before joining Aiken Electric, he worked in banking. Bill is actively involved in community organizations such as the Rotary Club, Salvation Army Board of Directors, and Savannah River Site Redevelopment Authority. He has also served as the Aiken Chamber of Commerce Chair and United Way of Aiken County Chair. Bill enjoys traveling with his family and staying active in his free time.

Through my previous experience I have expertise in building HVAC systems, performance contracting, controls as well as knowledge of industrial controls. I am a past member of the USGBC Energy and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group. I served as Chairman of the USGBC Chapter Steering Committee. I have participated in various types of LEED projects including: LEED-Neighborhood Development, LEED-Commercial Interiors, LEED-New Construction, LEED for Existing Buildings, and LEED-Homes.

Chris served as Chairman of the Arkansas Alternative Energy Commission, formed in 2009. In 2008, I was a Commissioner on the Arkansas Governor’s Commission on Global Warming. Through this commission, greenhouse gas reduction policies were developed for the Governor and Arkansas Legislators. I have also served in many capacities for the U.S. Green Building Council and am a past consultant for the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI). I have presented on sustainable design and construction to various groups including Master Speaker at the USGBC Greenbuild Conference, American Planning Association, National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB), the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), graduate architecture programs, and various sustainability conferences.

Tiffani Lawson contributes a strong background in youth and community development, community engagement, and community outreach to Groundswell’s Energy Programs team in her role as the Resiliency Program Manager. With more than 12 years of experience in the nonprofit youth development sector, Tiffani is dedicated to creating safe and equitable spaces for socioeconomically disadvantaged youth and communities by advocating for access to safe spaces, opportunities for growth and development, and the resources necessary for success.

Prior to joining Groundswell, Tiffani held leadership positions in various organizations, including The City of Houston, YMCA of Greater Houston, Grand St. Settlement, Inc., and The Children's Aid Society, working in community engagement and outreach, program management, program development, and youth development across Houston and New York City, including Washington Heights, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.

Tiffani earned her Bachelor's degree in Communications from Tennessee State University and her Master's degree in Youth Development from The City University of New York (CUNY). Outside of work, Tiffani is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She loves animals and international travel.

Autumn Long directs the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, a regional financial and technical assistance program designed to catalyze solar development in coal-impacted Central Appalachian communities. She previously served as a Regional Director at Solar United Neighbors, a national nonprofit dedicated to grassroots solar advocacy and education.

Ms. Long holds a NABCEP PV Associate certification and teaches a course on solar PV technology and policy fundamentals at West Virginia University. She co-chairs the Central Appalachian Network’s Clean Energy Working Group and chairs the advisory board of New Roots Community Farm in Fayetteville, West Virginia.

Ms. Long lives in the New River Gorge region of West Virginia, where she enjoys climbing, trail running, paddling, swimming, hiking, and playing music.

Laurie Mazur is the Editor for the Urban Resilience Project (URP), a grant-funded program of the non-profit publisher Island Press that works to champion sustainable, equitable communities in the era of climate change. In that role, Laurie works with activists and others to co-create articles, blog posts and op-eds—and to place that content in appropriate news outlets. (A compilation of that published work is available here.)

Laurie is the author/editor of three books; her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian and many other publications. A mother of two adult sons, Laurie lives just outside Washington, DC.

Will McIntee serves as Senior Advisor for Public Engagement at The White House handling rural, agriculture, food, and nutrition engagement. He served as the National Rural Engagement Director on the Biden-Harris campaign.

He previously served at the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Obama-Biden Administration, in the Office of Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) in Iowa, and as the Midwest Outreach Director for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. A native of northeast Iowa, Will is an alum of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

Michelle Moore is author of “Rural Renaissance” and CEO of Groundswell, a 501(c)(3) that builds community power by eliminating energy burdens and increasing economic opportunity with community solar, resilience centers, residential energy efficiency, and pioneering research. A social entrepreneur and former White House official with roots in rural Georgia, Michelle is a relentless agent for change. Her accomplishments range from cutting the government’s energy bill by $11 billion and deploying 3.2 Gigawatts of new renewable energy for President Obama, to developing LEED into a globally recognized brand for USGBC.

Michelle also serves as a Senate-confirmed member of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors and as Secretary of the Board for the Interdenominational Theological Center. Her work is rooted in her faith and the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Al is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CapZone Impact Investments LLC, a positive impact operating company created in early 2018 as one of America’s first Qualified Opportunity Funds, and formed to Connect Profits to Purpose.  CapZone is building a solutions-oriented Opportunity Zone investment platform, offering national OZ data/analytics/compliance services and products to the market, and developing Zone Equity as a new financial asset class.

Opportunity Zone projects, businesses and other Environmental, Social and Governance plus Resilience investments can advance positive social impact at scale; CapZone is proud to bring together human, financial and intellectual capital to invest in low income communities and solve seemingly intractable problems throughout the U.S.

In her own words, “COURAGE is the catalyst for change,” and Dianne Dillon-Ridgely is the very definition of a changemaker. Shattering glass ceilings and claiming her place at the table to be a voice for equity and sustainability throughout her life Dianne leads with courage and passion. In the last forty years Dianne has been a dedicated Environmentalist and Human Rights Activist at the forefront of society's shift from an industrial one to one focused on sustainability.

Appointed by three US Presidents across three Administrations, she has served on twenty-three US Delegations at the UN and other global meetings. By appointment of the White House she attended the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the 1997 General Assembly Special Session and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, making her the only person to serve on all three US delegations.

Dan is an attorney, author of fiction and non-fiction works, and an international speaker and TEDx alum. He has been honored over the years to represent some of the leading green and pedestrian scale building organizations, including the US Green Building Council, the World Green Building Council, EcoDistricts, Congress for the New Urbanism, Groundswell, and Building Transparency. He has written chapters in nine books, co-authored A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development, and is on sabbatical finishing Saving the Dark Night and Her Children, due out in 2024.

Dan has also authored a series of fantasy novels centered on human relationships with the world around them. Most of Dan’s practice and writing these days focuses on the design of human habitat and that design’s impact on interactions among humans and with other living creatures.

Tyler Swanson is a graduate research assistant at the University of Arizona studying the social dimensions of agrivoltaics.

Tyler began studying agrivoltaics in the context of policy and rural economic development at the University of Illinois and has since published his work in Q Magazine, the Chicago-Kent Journal of Environmental and Energy Law, and the Agrisolar Clearinghouse.

Tyler's goal is to assist in the development of sustainable transitions for rural communities.

In place of Greg Barron-Gafford, Tyler will present Agrivoltaics as a Tool for Rural Communities.

Lauren Waldrip currently serves as the Executive Director for the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association and Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation. Through this role, Lauren oversees communications, media relations, trade association management, event planning, government relations, grassroots engagement and activities for state and federal PACs. She regularly engages in advocacy efforts regarding regulatory issues through the Public Service Commission and policy issues through the legislature.

Lauren previously acted as partner at Campbell Ward, a Little Rock based public affairs and public relations firm. While at Campbell Ward, Lauren served as the Executive Director of the Arkansas Rice Federation and testified on behalf of farmers before the Public Service Commission regarding net metering.

She has worked as Project Coordinator for the Razorback Foundation, where she created and implemented a program that increased membership by 20%. Lauren assisted with the re-branding of the Razorback Foundation and aided in planning events for current and prospective donors. She has provided public relations assistance for U.S. Senator John Boozman and for the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation.

Lauren serves on the Arkansas Foodbank board and recently served on the Little Rock Water Reclamation Commission. She has been named to Arkansas Business’ 20 in their 20’s and Arkansas Money and Politics’ Future 50 lists and is a Leadership Arkansas graduate.

As Director of Subscriber Services, Rashad Williams is at the helm of Groundswell’s effort to provide low-to-moderate-income households with access to clean energy resources, information, programs, and products that empower them to mitigate both the physical and financial barriers to going solar.  As an advocate for social and environmental justice, Rashad is committed to advancing equitable clean energy solutions that center the people closest to the problem.

Rashad provides strategic direction, project governance, and general program oversight to Groundswell’s subscriber services delivery. He uses a people-centric approach to coordinate various elements of the program including customer support, marketing & communications, software development, and data analytics. With over 5,000 income-qualified subscribers under management, this work directly drives Groundswell’s ability to build community power and share solar savings where they are most needed.

A native of Atlanta’s south side, Rashad attended Georgia State University, where he earned a master’s degree in public policy and a bachelor’s in sociology. When he’s not working to identify solutions that benefit marginalized communities, you can find him reading a good book, discovering new ways to stay active, or traversing the D.C. food scene.

Wynn became SECO Energy’s CEO in December 2021. They are the 7th largest distribution cooperative in the nation. Wynn also served for 24 years as President and CEO of Roanoke Electric Cooperative in North Carolina before making the move to SECO Energy. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Management Information Systems from Troy University.

With a cooperative career that spans over 40 years, Wynn’s resume reflects a long list of awards and accomplishments with creative solutions that are turning the challenges of the energy industry evolution into major opportunities.

Wynn was recently awarded the Clyde T. Ellis award from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The award honors those who have made exemplary contributions that promote the principles and progress of rural electrification and the development and use of natural resources. NRECA’s board of directors named the newly formed NRECA Diversity Champion award in his name.