2010 Speaker Bios
View our 2010 Program Sessions and Schedule
The following exceptional speakers will be addressing the 2010 educational tracks at West Coast Green.
A
Allison Arieff
Columnist, New York Times
Writes, lectures, and consults about architecture, design and sustainability. She grows 20 different vegetables on her urban "farm" in San Francisco.
Jared Asch
National Director, Efficiency First
Jared has worked for 6 U.S. Senators, 3 presidential campaigns and several Members of the Congress and the Florida Legislature. He just completed his first Iron Man and teaches at UC Berkeley.
B
Panama Bartholomy
Advisor to Commissioner Douglas, California Energy Commission
Panama is an advisor to Commisioner Karen Douglas of the California Energy Commission on topics including Green building, land use, climate change, renewable energy, transmission and biofuels policy. He drives a biodiesel powered car and tries to play Mandolin.
Dave Bartlett
VP, Industry Solutions, IBM
Jon Bonanno
CIO, Sustainable Power Assets (SPA)
Chairman of the Board of Directors & Co-Founder, Principle Power
Chairman & Member, Keiretsu Forum’s Cleantech Investment Committee
CIO, Sustainable Power Assets (SPA) Mr. Bonanno began Sustainable Power Assets (SPA) in 2010 to focus on sourcing, advising, building, owning, selling and operating renewable energy assets. Primarily focused on solar, SPA works with development partners in the US and Europe to bring smart capital to bear on the deployment of qualified projects.
Sherry Boschert
EV Expert and Author, Plug In America
Co-founder of Plug In America, Boschert is the editor of "Charged Up & Ready To Roll: The Definitive Guide To Plug-in Electric Vehicles" and author of the book "Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America." The San Francisco Chronicle named her one of the nation's top green leaders in 2009.
Adam Boucher
Founder & CEO, Adam Capital Inc.
Adam Capital is a renewable energy investment fund specializing in rooftops scale project finance. \r\nThe architecture of the fund reflects Boucher's personal vision. He represents a new generation of fund manager, with an absolute commitment to collateralized asset-based lending and a personal resolved to triple bottom line returns.
Jeff Burkland
Financial Modeling Expert
As a part-time CFO for startups, Mr. Burkland brings over 15 years of strategic and tactical financial management experience. Adept in business plan development, fund raising, financial modeling, management reviews, exec team strategic planning, and process improvement, Mr. Burkland has shaped and managed the financial function for numerous companies.
C
Josiah Cain
Principal, Design Ecology
Josiah Raison Cain is a Harvard trained landscape architect with 16 years experience in ecological design and green building applications. He has been featured on radio and television, lectures regularly, and teaches courses at Esalen, Sonoma State University and UC Davis. He is currently a Partner and Chief Design Officer at Design Ecology in Mill Valley, specializing in vegetated architectural systems and urban ecological solutions.
Catherine Chiu
Principal, Falcon Group
Catherine Chiu is a finance specialist with investment banking, venture capital, and angel investment experience. As Principal at Falcon Group, she provides strategic finance advisory services to growth-stage companies in financial planning and analysis, fund-raising, joint venture, mergers & acquisitions, and overall finance strategy.
Amy Skoczlas Cole
Director, eBay Green Team
Will Coleman
Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures
Will Coleman is a partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures (MDV) focusing on energy and cleantech investing. Prior to MDV, Will worked in Washington, DC as a legislative director for a renewables coalition building state and federal level coalitions to support renewable energy legislation, and as a consultant to private equity and project finance clients focusing on the energy sector.
Mathias Crawford
Research Manager, Institute for the Future
Mathias is a Research Manager at the Institute for the Future, where he worked with game designer Jane McGonigal to built the Foresight Engine: IFTF's platform for massively social thought experiments that address provocative scenarios about the future.
D
Doug Davis
Vice President, Intel Architecture Group
General Manager, Embedded and Communications Group
Doug Davis serves as vice president of Intel Architecture Group & general manager of the Embedded and Communications Group. In this role he is responsible for growing Intel's business in a broad range of embedded market segments and helps deliver a range of embedded processor products to a variety of customers.
Brian Duggan
Director of Thought Leadership Programs, West Coast Green
E
Ann Edminster
Green Building Consultant, Design AVEnues
Ann Edminster is an international expert on green building and a principal author of LEED for Homes. Her new book, Energy Free: Homes for a Small Planet, offers guidance on net-zero energy design. An acclaimed teacher and facilitator, she advises builders, developers, manufacturers, architects, utilities, public agencies, entrepreneurs, and non-profits.
Anthony Eggert
CA Energy Commissioner
Anthony Eggert was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in January 2010 and fills the Environmentalist position on the five-member Commission. \r\nCurrently, Commissioner Eggert serves as Presiding Member of the Efficiency Committee and as Associate Member on the Transportation Committee, AB 32 Implementation (Ad Hoc Committee) and the Federal Stimulus Program (Ad Hoc Committee).
F
Prudence Ferreira
CEO, Integral Impact Inc.
Prudence Ferreira, CEO of Integral Impact Inc, is a green building and energy consultant with special focus on Zero Net Energy buildings. She is VP of the USGBC-REC Board and helps lead Passive Buildings CA. Her credentials include LEED AP, GreenPoint Rater, BPI-trainined Building Scientist, T24 CEPE, HERS Rater, Passivhaus Consultant and Permaculture Designer.
Eric Corey Freed
Principal, organicARCHITECT
Eric Corey Freed, is Principal of organicARCHITECT, an architecture & consulting firm, with nearly 20 years of experience in green building. Eric is author of 4 books, including "Green Building for Dummies." His new book is "Green$ense for the Home." Eric is considered a leader in the field; named by San Francisco Magazine "Best Green Architect" in 2005 and "Best Visionary" in 2007.
G
Lisa Michelle Galley
Managing Principal, Galley Eco Capital LLC
Marc Geller
Board Member, Plug In America
Kathleen Gilligan
Partner, EcoStrategy Group
Kathleen Gilligan is a co-founder of EcoStrategy Group, a consulting firm that helps companies effectively communicate their sustainability efforts. The firm specializes in stakeholder engagement and data-driven communications. Kathleen is a LEED-Accredited Professional, and has worked with businesses in multiple industries, from start-ups to public companies.
Steve Glenn
CEO, livinghomes
Steve Glenn is the founder and CEO of LivingHomes, LLC (www.livinghomes.net), a premier developer of modern, prefabricated homes that combine world-class architecture with an unparalleled commitment to healthy and sustainable construction.
Susan Goltsman
Founding Principal, MIG, Inc.
An expert in children's environments, her award winning designs tell the story of a place and its people, weaving history and art with function and form to create places that become destinations. She holds degrees in Environmental Design, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Psychology.
Kira Gould
Co-author, Women in Green, Director of Communications, William McDonough + Partners
Writer Kira Gould, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, is director of communications for William McDonough + Partners, and works from the firmís San Francisco studio. Kira is co-author, with Lance Hosey, of Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design (Ecotone Publishing). She writes for Sustainable Industries, Metropolis magazine, and other publications.
Scott Green
Clean Tech and Regional Policy, City of San Jose
Dian Grueneich
Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission
H
Arno Harris
CEO, Recurrent Energy
Arno Harris is CEO of Recurrent Energy, a leading developer of solar power projects providing clean electricity to utilities and large energy users. Arno writes about solar and renewable energy on his blog Clean Energy Future (http://www.arnoharris.com).
Ken Hayes
Developer, Kinsey Probasco Hayes Development
Jim Heid
Founder, Urban Green
Jim Heid is a sustainable development advisor, land planner and developer, whose focus is the creation of developments that provide a positive contribution to their environment, region, and residents. In 2000, he founded UrbanGreen to advise established development companies, governments and legacy NGO’s that seek better development models. With over thirty years experience in the design and development of new community, urban infill, and resort developments, Jim is known to effectively resolve the complex layers of community design and real estate development using a variety of proven tools and best practices.
Christine Herzog
Smart Grid Library
A consultant, author, and a professional explainer focused on Smart Grid technologies and solutions. She helps clients understand and navigate the electricity ecosystem of emerging technologies and markets. She authored the Smart Grid Dictionary, the first dictionary defining jargon, acronyms, and terminology used by utilities, regulators, standards organizations, and manufacturers.
Darian Rodriguez Heyman
Co-Founder, CODE Green Agency
After five years of service, Darian recently stepped down as Executive Director of Craigslist Foundation and as a Commissioner for San Francisco's Department of the Environment. Most recently, Heyman launched Code Green Agency, which provides strategy, messaging, and fundraising for the green economy.
Marc Hinshaw
Founder and Creative Partner, Holt Hinshaw
30 years as Creative Director and Principal Designer on a wide array of user-experience projects and accounts involving some combination of branding, architecture, strategic planning, content development, and software design. Core creative practice is an internationally recognized, multidisciplinary design consultancy concentrating on one-of-a-kind assignments for prestigious and diverse clients.
Timonie Hood
Green Building Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region 9
David Hopkins
Co-Author, The Tactics of Hope: How Social Entrepreneurs Are Changing Our World
I
Graham Irwin
Principal, Essential Habitat
Graham Irwin, CPBD, CGBP, LEED AP, Certified Passive House Consultant, is the principal of Essential Habitat, a design and consulting practice with an emphasis on Passive House methodology. A founding member of the Passive House Alliance and Passive House California, Graham also lectures regularly and trains Passive House Consultants for the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS.)
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Anup Jacob
Founding Partner, Virgin Green Fund
Anup Jacob is a Partner of Virgin Green Fund and a Member of its Investment Committee. VGF invests growth capital in renewable energy and resource efficiency sectors.
Brad Jacobson
Associate, EHDD Architecture
Brad leads some of EHDDís high-performance projects including a net zero energy, LEED Platinum office building for the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. His Global Ecology Research Center at Stanford University reduced carbon emissions by over 60% and was named a AIA Top Ten Green Building in 2007.
Karen Janowski
Parter, EcoStrategy Group
KJ focuses on helping clients to understand and engage with key stakeholders and to communicate their sustainability efforts in a way that has impact and integrity. She frequently speaks and writes on these topics. She is a leader and active member of several sustainability focused non-profit organizations.
Cindy Jennings
VP, Cohn Marketing
Cindy leads Cohnís sustainable and clean technology brand practice, guiding companies on how to integrate sustainable practices and communications into a brand as well as advising clean tech companies about how to launch and implement a combination of smart marketing strategies and tactics.
Todd Johnson
Partner, Jones Day
Todd Johnson represents founders, investors, and companies pursuing renewable energy solutions, impacts on sustainable growth, energy efficiency, energy optimization, corporate governance transparency, and those pursuing "for-benefit" models, by advising on corporate financings (including offerings of debt and equity securities, venture capital financings, and private equity buyouts), joint ventures, restructurings, corporate counseling, and mergers and acquisitions. Todd founded Jones Day's Northern California practice in 2000 by opening its Silicon Valley Office. He presently leads the Firm's Renewable Energy and Sustainability Practice.
David Johnston
President, What's Working
Johnston has trained thousands of builders and industry professionals worldwide. Johnstonís 4 books: Building Green in a Black and White World (2000), Green Remodeling, Changing the World One Room at a Time (2004), Green From the Ground Up (2008). Toward a Zero Energy Home .
K
Daniel Kammen
Professor of Energy, University of California, Berkeley
Daniel M. Kammen is the “Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor of Energy” at the University of California, He holds appointments in the Energy and Resources Group, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the department of Nuclear Engineering. Kammen is the founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL). Kammen is also the Co-Director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment. Daniel Kammen is a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. In 1998 was elected a Permanent Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.
Michelle Kaufmann
Principal, Michelle Kaufmann Studio
Michelle Kaufmann is an accomplished architect, designer and advocate for smarter ways to design, build and live. She has led the field of prefab green homes, has been widely published and has received numerous awards including Top Firm 2008 by Residential Architect, and has been called ìthe Henry Ford of green homesî by the Sierra Club.
Bruce King
Director, Ecological Building Network
A recovering structural engineer who has spent 20 years figuring out how to build with what is already here, Bruce King gets asked to speak about that in places like London, Beijing, Sydney, Havana, Hong Kong, Toronto, and even Berkeley. He also raises chickens and writes books.
L
Rich Lechner
Vice President, Energy & Environment IBM
Diane Loviglio
VP Business Development, Wattbot
Hunter Lovins
Founder & President, Natural Capitalism Group
Hunter Lovins is an international consultant, professor, speaker and author on enhancing business value while practicing environmental sustainability. She presents regularly to audiences ranging from business, government, community groups and universities. For over 20 years, she has been widely published, quoted and referred to on how being environmentally friendly increases profits. Hunter is one of the founders of the new field of Sustainable Management, a co-developer of America’s first accredited MBA Sustainable Management program and a Professor of Business at Presidio School of Management.
M
Leif Magnuson
Residential Green Building Coordinator, EPA
Leif Magnuson is an Environmental Scientist and Residential Green Building Coordinator at the U.S. EPA Pacific Southwest Regional office in San Francisco, CA. He has worked for EPA for 20 years. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biology from Stanford University.
Lisa Margonelli
Energy Policy Director of New America Foundation
Lisa Margonelli writes about the global culture and economy of energy. Her book about the oil supply chain, Oil On the Brain: Petroleum's Long Strange Trip to Your Tank, was published by Nan Talese/Doubleday in 2007. Recognized as one of the 25 Notable Books of 2007 by the American Library Association, Oil On the Brain also won a 2008 Northern California Book Award for general nonfiction. As director of the New America Foundation Energy Policy Initiative, Ms. Margonelli's work includes an examination of the promise and possibility of the post-oil world and California's unique opportunity to benefit from new technologies and policies. She is also looking at the unexpected complications of alternative fuels and energy efficiency.
William McDonough
Founding Partner and Principal, William McDonough + Partners
William McDonough is a world-renowned architect and designer. He is founder and principal of William McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design; a principal of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry and a Venture Partner at VantagePoint Venture Partners.
Martin Melaver
CEO, Melaver, Inc.
Jerry Michalski
Founder, REX, the Relationship Economy eXpedition
Leading an expedition into the Relationship Economy; looking for fellow travelers.
Gregory Miller
Senior Advisor & Chief of Investments, Google.org
David Mount
Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB)
David Mount is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB). He is on the greentech team at KPCB, and works with growth-stage companies in the sustainability field.
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Bonnie Nixon
Co-Founder, CODE Green Agency
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Ryan Parker
Director of Marketing, Embedded and Communications Group, Intel
Deborah Patton
President, Applied Brilliance
As an innovator in strategic marketing and communications, Deborah develops and produces unique thought-leadership programs that push the limits of creativity and innovation. She believes that the lynchpin to resilience in any creative discipline is to step outside of your own comfort zone, and recognize the patterns of unconnected threads of emerging trends as harbingers of cultural change.
Jacob Petersen
Landscape Architect and Urban Designer, Hargreaves Associates
Peter Pfeiffer
Principal, Barley & Pfeiffer Architects
Peter is an Architect & Building Scientist who was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for his achievements in mainstreaming green building in America over the past three decades. He is a principal of Barley & Pfeiffer Architects. Residential Architect cited him as one of the 10 most influential architects of past decade.
Jill Pilaroscia, IACC
Principal, Colour Studio, Inc.
Naomi Porat
CEO, ZETA Communities
Joe Preis
Founder, GreenBuildingPower.com & Keiretsu Forum
R
Joshua Raffaelli
Associate and Kauffman Fellow, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Joshua Raffaelli is an Associate and Kauffman Fellow at Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Joshua's primary areas of interest are in energy and services businesses.
John Marshall Roberts
Founder & CEO, Worldview Learning
Kevin Rowell
International Program Director
Kevin currently acts as the International program director of Kleiwerks International a 501(c)3 dedicated to education, research and development of sustainable communities world wide.
Peter Rumsey P.E.
Founder & President, Rumsey Engineers
A national leader in the design of low energy buildings, Peter has designed mechanical systems for data centers, cleanrooms and labs that are among the most energy efficient in the U.S. He is a frequent lecturer at industry events, conferences, and universities. His focus has been transforming the building industry by designing affordable and dramatically energy efficient buildings.
Mike Russo
Professor University of Oregon, Author “Companies on a Mission”
S
William Sarni
Founder & CEO, Domani
Mr. Sarni is founder and Chief Executive Officer of DOMANI with 30 years of experience in providing sustainability and environmental consulting services to private and public sector enterprises. Over the past 10 years he has successfully built a consulting firm focused on providing innovative yet practical sustainability technical and business solutions to multinational firms committed to increasing revenue, mitigating risk and improving operating efficiency through the implementation of sustainability programs.
Bry Sarté
Principal & CEO, Sherwood Design Engineers
S. Bry Sarté, PE, founder of the Sherwood Institute and Sherwood Design Engineers, is a leading designer in green and sustainable engineering. He is the recent author of Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design, which serves as a comprehensive guide to integrating sustainable strategies into infrastructure planning and design with emphasis on water resource management, site design and land planning.
Nakul Sathaye
Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of CA, Berkeley
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Environmental Energy Technologies Division, and the UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies. I have worked on electric vehicle infrastructure deployment, super efficient home appliance standards, environmental life-cycle assessment, green supply-chain optimization, and green transportation infrastructure management.
Laura Schewel
CEO, Virtual Vehicle Company
Anneke Seley
CEO, Phoneworks
Anneke oversees Phone Works, a sales strategy and implementation consultancy with special expertise in phone and Web selling. Phone Works helps clients increase revenue at decreased cost and less environmental impact than traditional sales practices. Anneke is the coauthor of "Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology."
Scott Shell
Senior Associate and Sustainability Expert, EHDD Architects
Scott Shell is a nationally-recognized expert on the design of zero energy buildings, and how it changes the architect's approach to design, client interface, and buildings in use. He has completed and monitored a handful of zero energy buildings, with construction now beginning on the 50,000 sf zero energy Packard Foundation.
Suzanne Shelton
CEO, Shelton Group
Suzanne Shelton is the president and CEO of Shelton Groupñone of the few ad agencies in the country that focuses on motivating mainstream consumers to make sustainable choices. As President and CEO of Shelton Group, she leads her firm's efforts in bringing energy efficient and sustainable products & services to market in a way that engages consumers and moves them to action.
Jennifer Siegal
OMD, Corp
Jennifer Siegal is known for her work in creating the prefab home of the 21st century. She holds a MArch from SCI-Arc, was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University and is now a Visiting Professor at USC. The winner of the inaugural 2009 USA Network ìCharacter Approved Awardî she is celebrated as the ìleading innovator shaping American culture.
Kristina Skierka
Senior Advisor, Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, Climate Strategies Branch, Energy Division, CPUC
As an Energy Foundation Senior Fellow, Kristina is working with the California Public Utilities Commission to help implement the visionary goals of California's Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan.
Matt Stein
Author and Principal of Stein Design
Engineer, green builder, and graduate of MIT, and Author of the bestselling book When Technology Fails, Stein has built hurricane resistant eco friendly homes and designed dozens of consumer /industrial products. An outspoken advocate for making a radical shift in the way we do business to create a truly sustainable world, Stein is also a guest columnist for the Huffington Post.
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Nabih Tahan
Principal, BauTechnologies
Nabih Tahan, aia, has been involved in energy efficient design and construction in California and Austria. He has introduced the Passive House Standard to California and established BauTechnologies to connect and transfer knowhow between Austrian professionals and their American counterparts through design and construction, including product manufacturing and modern prefabrication techniques.
W - Z
Chris Waugh
Practice Lead, Consumer Experience Design, IDEO
Jeff Weinberger
Principal, DS3 Consulting
Jeff Weinberger founded DS3 to help mid-size and large organizations integrate sustainability into the core of their business and develop sustainable strategies that create opportunities, drive innovation and achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace. Jeff is a recognized thought-leader, speaker, writer and blogger on sustainability, disruptive marketing and Web 2.0/Enterprise 2.0 technology.
Adam Werbach
Global CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi
Adam Werbach is the Chief Sustainability Officer for Saatchi & Saatch. He's the bestselling author of Strategy for Sustainability. Elected president of the Sierra Club at age 23, Werbach has been working to fight humanityís dumbest efforts to destroy the earth for far too long already.
Lorie Wigle
Eco-Technology General Manager, Intel Corporation
President, Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Lorie Wigle leads Intel's Eco-Technology effort, which is focused on the sustainability leadership of Intelís products including energy efficient performance and design for the environment. She also drives external programs related to PCs, data centers and smart grid. Lorie has been with Intel for 26 years.
Alex Wilson
Founder & Executive Director, BuildingGreen
Alex Wilson is the founder of BuildingGreen in Brattleboro, Vermont and executive editor of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec. He is author of Your Green Home and recipient of the 2010 Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing.
Peter Yost
Residential Program Manager, Building Green
Peter Yost has been building, researching, teaching, writing, and consulting on high performance homes for more than 25 years. His expertise ranges from construction waste management to building durability. Peter has made significant contributions to the NAHB Research Center, Building Science Corp, EEBA, USGBC's LEED for Homes program, and DOEís Building America program.