Gene Rodrigues is Vice President of Market Development at ICF, a global consulting and professional services provider with more than 5,000 professionals who share a passion for making a positive impact on the world and a focus on making big things possible for our clients. Prior to joining ICF, Gene spent 23 years at Southern California Edison (SCE), where he was responsible for the direction and oversight of SCE’s portfolio of Energy Efficiency, Demand Response, Low Income Energy Efficiency, Low Income Rate Assistance, California Solar Initiative and Self Generation Incentive programs.

Gene currently serves on the boards of directors of the California Efficiency + Demand Management Council and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. He is also co-chair of the Alliance to Save Energy’s Charles H. Percy Society. In 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented Gene with its first-ever Climate Leadership Award for individual leadership.

Joanne O’Neill has over 12 years of experience in the demand side management and utility industries. During this time Joanne has developed, launched and implemented numerous energy efficiency programs across residential, commercial and industrial customer segments. She has a long history of working with key market actors including manufacturers, retailers and contractors to successfully deliver these programs. In addition to energy efficiency, Joanne has led numerous product development efforts, including the design of time-of-use rate pilots and locational targeting of DSM resources for capital transmission and distribution project deferral. She has experience with portfolio regulatory submissions, testifying as an expert witness, state policy advocacy, and strategic planning processes. In her role as the Director of Programs, Joanne leads a team responsible for delivering a set of diverse, innovative and cost-effective offerings across northern and southern California in the commercial, public, industrial and agricultural sectors. She also continues to leverage her expertise in time variant rates and grid modernization to assist clients across the country. In addition to a MBA in Sustainable Business, she is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and certified in Pragmatic Marketing.

Sharyn Barata is the Senior Vice President for Opinion Dynamics ad has worked in a variety of positions over the past 30 years, including work as a utility employee, consultant, and business owner. She has worked for large companies (Itron, Florida Power and Light) and mid-sized companies such as Opinion Dynamics. She has served in a board capacity for the International Energy Program Evaluation Conference (IEPEC) for over a decade, and is now the President of IEPEC.  She also helped to start the now flourishing Behavior Energy and Climate Change Conference (BECC), and has played key roles in other industry organizations such as EMACS and PLMA.   Sharyn resides in Washington State, but frequently to Opinion Dynamics’ offices in Southern California and the Bay Area.

Kim Rodriquez is a passionate green advocate, with 20 years of utility experience and over a decade dedicated to demand-side management. Her leadership and strategic focus have helped grow large portfolios of energy efficiency programs ranging from small business and Low Income to large Commercial and Public Sector. Kim is an experienced, proven leader who understands the value of diverse perspectives in creating a results-driven, high-performance culture where employees feel valued and supported.

Ms. Rodriguez recently joined Nexant as Director of Utility Services, located in Southern CA. Kim oversees Nexant’s growing portfolio of programs across the State and works closely with industry partners and program administrators to identify new opportunities to innovate in the energy sector. 

She holds a BA in Business Administration & Management, and an MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from CSU San Bernardino.

Mahlon Aldridge currently leads strategy and product development activities and is responsible for Ecology Action’s strategic partnership development with top firms across the energy industry, financial sector, public agencies and multiple foundations. Mahlon has been with Ecology Action since 1993 and founded Ecology Action’s energy efficiency consulting practice. He led the team through its start-up and rapid early growth stages, which required him to be actively involved in policy engagement and proceedings before the CPUC and CEC. Mahlon served by invitation on several advisory groups and steering committees focused on driving deep, comprehensive energy efficiency for small to medium sized commercial buildings.

Lauren Casentini as an energy executive, consultant and entrepreneur, has been a national leader in energy efficiency program design and management, industry policy, and stakeholder engagement for more than 30 years. While at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), she spearheaded some of the nation’s first and most successful energy efficiency programs for the residential market. She went on to found two companies, Resource Solutions Group and Resource Innovations, to transform the industry with innovations that make resource efficiency more available, more accessible, and more affordable, for all populations. Lauren has also held key executive roles at CLEAResult, including Board member, Senior Vice President of the California and Midwest Region, and Senior Vice President of National Policy and Regulatory Relations.

Now as CEO of Resource Innovations, Lauren continues to provide strategic guidance to create programs that deliver sustainable energy savings for diverse energy industry clients and stakeholders. Lauren also remains active in influencing federal and state energy policy by serving as a speaker and panelist for energy forums and events nationwide. Lauren is a co-founder and long-time board member of the California Efficiency and Demand Management Council.

Jennifer Chamberlin brings more than 18 years of expert competitive market and policy advocacy to to her work in the energy industry. Jennifer has extensive experience advocating for, developing, and analyzing market rules and procurement policy across the competitive energy industry. Her career has focused on the market rules surrounding renewable energy, demand side resources and retail access marketplaces throughout the US.

Prior joining CPower to lead market development for its Demand Response business, Jennifer served the Director of Regulatory Affairs for Johnson Controls Integrated Demand Resources business unit, as the principal of Energy Policy Advocates, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Policy for LS Power Development, Manager of Regulatory and Government Affairs for Strategic Energy and Direct Energy, Manager of Regulatory Affairs for Chevron Energy Solutions, and Manager of Market Development for PG&E Energy Services. She was previously a consultant with Barakat and Chamberlin.

Cody Coeckelenbergh has extensive experience developing and managing the implementation of energy asset strategies for energy intensive business operations on three continents. Over the last 10 years, he has worked as a consultant to help clients cost effectively establish load management practices that line up with their business objectives. This has included minimizing supply requirements, enabling load balancing and grid management controls, and integrating renewable energy generation. Cody is currently the Director of Program Services for Lincus, where he operates the Water Infrastructure System Efficiency program for water and wastewater operators in SDG&E, SCE, and PG&E territory.

Terry Fry has more than 35 years of experience as an active proponent of economically efficient energy production, distribution, and use. His focus is on improving energy efficiency and creating demand response policies, programs, and technologies. Terry currently heads Cadmus’ Energy Services group, which comprises more than 250 staff members who deliver intelligent grid, distributed energy resources, and customer solutions to energy sector organizations. His expertise includes technical, economic, and policy analyses, reflected in the myriad engagements he has led on behalf of utility, governmental, and commercial client organizations worldwide.

Carmen Hendrikson has 15 years of experience in California’s energy efficiency and demand response industry, which includes previous work with EnerNOC, Ecos Consulting, and Energy and Environmental Economics (E3). At TRC, Ms. Henrikson is a strategic advisor for internal and external stakeholders across the Western U.S., and she designs and implements commercial and industrial efficiency and sustainability programs for clients across the country, including the California IOUs, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port of Long Beach. Her approach to consulting services focuses on increasing customer engagement through integrated energy efficiency, demand response, renewable technologies, and carbon reduction strategies. Additionally, Ms. Henrikson’s professional experience includes regulatory affairs and policy development, strategic and financial planning, business development and marketing, operations management, and contract negotiations. Ms. Henrikson holds a MBA and MSc in Natural Resource Policy from University of Michigan’s Erb Institute of Global Sustainable Enterprise, and a BA from Wesleyan University.

Jarred Metoyer is a Senior Principal Engineer and a Head of Department in DNV GL Energy Insights. In this role, he serves clients by understanding their needs and delivering solutions through directing, mentoring, and overseeing the quality of work of consultants and engineers across the West Coast. He also serves as Portfolio and Project Sponsor on several large projects and collaborates with colleagues to define analytical solutions across DNV GL Energy North America team of over 600 professionals with links to thousands of experts globally. Jarred’s areas of expertise include HVAC system measurement and analysis, building energy simulation, modeling and uncertainty analysis, field monitoring, and combining whole-building data analytics with engineering analyses for a range of applications. Jarred has more than 16 years of mechanical engineering experience with expertise in heat transfer and residential and commercial HVAC systems. His recent work consists of oversight of CPUC deemed EM&V, research and development of energy-use models for buildings using end-use metering and whole-building AMI data with advanced analytics, carbon-based cost-effectiveness development and decarbonization pathways, and building simulation tools. He also explores new ways DNV GL can reduce community and utility wildfire risk through grid and building resilience.

Matt O’Keefe is the North America Vice President, Opower Sales at Oracle Utilities. Matt is responsible for managing and executing the company’s sales and business development strategy in the United States and Canada. In this role, he leads a team that works with Opower’s customers throughout North America to develop and implement energy efficiency, demand response, customer engagement, and smart grid projects. He served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance from 2014-2016.

Prior to joining Opower, Matt worked at the California Energy Efficiency Industry Council where he worked with leaders of energy efficiency businesses, investor-owned utilities, and regulatory bodies to expand and stabilize the market for efficiency-focused companies. Prior to his work at the Efficiency Council, he held various positions in municipal government, non-profits, politics, and education. Matt’s work focused on the intersection of clean technology, government, and business. Matt is a former Teach For America corps member, and has degrees from UCLA and George Washington University.

Richard is the Senior Vice President of Willdan Energy Solutions.  As the founder of Onsite Energy, Richard Sperberg has more than 35 years of experience in EE and distributed generation projects and has led Onsite to be the leading independent ESCO in the industrial market sector. An early pioneer in the EE project field and long-time leader in the ESCO industry, he has worked in close coordination and collaboration with utility companies on such innovative programs as SCE’s Demand Side Bidding Pilot in the mid 1990’s, and the Standard Performance Contract program starting in 1997, when he was instrumental as the ESCO industry’s representative to the California Board For Energy Efficiency (CBEE) in shaping the future of energy efficiency programs in California. Prior to founding Onsite, which was recently acquired by Willdan Energy Solutions, Rich led projects on behalf of the Gas Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy involved in cogeneration, fuel cells and advanced nuclear power reactor development. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ms. Ying Wang, President and CEO of Okapi Architecture Inc., has an impressive thirty-plus year background in architectural practice, program management, energy efficiency and sustainability consulting. She is a licensed architect, LEED Fellow and holds certificates including LEED, WELL and Living Challenge.

She established Okapi Architecture Inc. more than ten years ago. The firm specializes in providing advanced technical advice to architecture and engineer teams on energy efficiency programs, such as the California statewide Savings By Design program. The firm has been the sole implementor of the program for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Gas Company since 2013 and will continue until the end of 2024. The program has benefitted more than three hundred projects, saved more than thirty-six million kWh and provided tens of millions of dollars in incentives for building owners and design teams.

Ying’s architecture practice focuses on large commercial and institutional design. She also pioneered and initiated sustainability practices for k-12 school districts. The Green School criteria she and others created has become the “design and construction standard” for K-12 new and existing facilities. She directed more than one hundred and fifty schools achieving high performance in Los Angeles City USD and San Bernardino City USD.

An advocate by heart, she is passionate about environmental issues and champions innovation in the energy technology space.  She regularly outreaches to university students and design communities on subject matters that improve the built environment.

She graduated from Virginia Tech with Architecture Master Design

Patricia Watts is President and CEO of Faith Com Inc., dba/FCI  Management (FCI). Founded in 1998, FCI is a full-service energy/water consulting company offering a broad level of expertise in energy/water efficiency services. Today, FCI is a certified, woman owned, minority, corporation, headquartered in Long Beach, CA with offices in New York and Georgia.

Ms. Watts developed her knowledge and skills from an expansive 24-year career in  the electric utility industry with Southern  California Edison. During which time she held management and supervisory positions in customer service, energy services, marketing, public affairs, and community relations. This experience allowed her to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the electric utility industry in both the regulated and deregulated environments.

Ms. Watts is very active in the community and illustrates her commitment through work on several boards in the City of Los Angeles and the State of California. She is a member of the Board of Directors and serves as the Treasurer for “Goals for Life” a non-profit organization that provides mentoring programs for at-risk students. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Community Build, a non-profit community development organization which focuses on bringing capital investments into South Central Los Angeles. Ms. Watts is on the board of the Koreatown Youth Community Center (KYCC) as well as the California Black Chamber of Commerce. She serves as the Chair of the Minority Business Input Committee (MBEIC) which is a subcommittee of the Southern California Minority Business Development Council (SCMBDC), and is a member of the Low-Income Oversight Board (LIOB) under the CPUC.

Ms. Watts has received numerous awards for her work in the energy efficiency community. In 2012, she was awarded the Minority  Green Energy Firm of the Year, selected by the Mayor’s Office of Economic & Business Policy, MBDA City of LA; and the NAWBO-LA Leadership & Legacy Award Winner-Hall of Fame Inductee of women business owners. In 2014, FCI was named the National Minority Contractors Association-California Minority Contractor of the Year. In 2015, FCI was named the Minority Business Development Agency  Green Energy Firm of the Year. In 2016,  she was inducted into the Black Leaders Hall of Fame for Excellence in Community and Philanthropy. In 2017, she was selected as Southern California Edison’s Black History Month Energy Efficiency Champion, and named  the Black Business Association’s  Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year.

Ms. Watts majored in Business Management at the University of La Verne, California.  She attended the Minority Business Executive Program and the Advanced Minority Business Executive Program, at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth University. In June of 2013,  Ms. Watts was selected to attend NMSDC’s Advanced Management Education Program, Kellogg Executive Education.  Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.  In 2017, she was certified as an Energy Efficiency Practitioner.