Joe Desmond
Executive Director
Joseph Desmond leads the Council’s work to accelerate and expand the markets for energy efficiency, demand response, and distributed energy resources. As Executive Director, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Council, managing staff and Board-related matters, and connecting with members.
Mr. Desmond combines entrepreneurial vision, deep energy domain expertise, and communication skills to navigate complex regulatory and political environments successfully. His leadership and stakeholder engagement strategies are guided by insights into the utility, legislative, and public policy decision-making process at local, state and federal levels.
Before joining the Council, Desmond was President of Catalyst Partners, a consulting firm providing legislative and regulatory services and project development support for biofuels, carbon capture and sequestration, and long-duration energy storage. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Government Affairs for BrightSource Energy, a leader in the design and development of concentrating solar thermal technology. Before BrightSource, he was Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Ice Energy, Inc., and Senior Vice President of External Affairs at NorthernStar Natural Gas.
Desmond served numerous executive roles under California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, including Deputy Secretary of Energy for the State Resources Agency, Chairman of the California Energy Commission, and Undersecretary for Energy Affairs. Before public service, Desmond was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Infotility, Inc, a consulting and software firm creating value derived from energy usage data, including demand response communications and control applications. Before that, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Lighting, Inc., and previously Vice President of Parke Industries.
He has served as a Board Director for the American Council on Renewable Energy, an Advisory Board Member for the Precourt Institute for Efficiency at Stanford, and Vice Chair of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee.
Mr. Desmond earned a B.S. in Marketing, Finance, and Management from Northeastern University, graduating magna cum laude.
Please get in touch with Joe at jdesmond@cedmc.org
Greg Wikler
Senior Advisor
As the Council’s Senior Advisor, Greg advises Council staff, consultants and members on various policy and strategic issues that are essential to progressing all behind-the-meter clean energy resources. In his over 30 years of experience in the energy industry, Greg has addressed a variety of issues related to demand-side resources including energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, energy storage and grid modernization programs for the electric and gas industries. Over this time, Greg has directed numerous national, regional and utility-specific market potential and load forecasting studies, technology assessments, integrated demand-side resource program designs, economic assessments, evaluation studies, and extensive stakeholder collaboration and resolution.
Before joining the Council, Greg was a Managing Director at Navigant from 2014 to 2019, where he directed a variety of cutting-edge consulting assignments related to clean energy issues for utility and agency clients in California, Arizona, Hawaii, New York, Canada and Asia. Prior to that, he was Director of Regulatory Affairs at EnerNOC from 2011 to 2014, where he led the company’s energy efficiency and demand response regulatory and policy advocacy efforts in California, Colorado, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he was Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Global Energy Partners from 1995 to 2011, where he led demand-side resource client engagements in California and other US states addressing topics ranging from resource planning, program design, implementation and evaluation.
Greg received his Bachelors degree in Energy Economics from UC Davis and his Masters degrees in Economics and Urban Planning from the University of Oregon.
Please contact Greg at gwikler@cedmc.org.
Clark McIsaac
Director of Policy and Strategy
Clark McIsaac is CEDMC’s Manager of Policy & Strategy with a primary focus on advancing the Council’s energy efficiency efforts. Clark brings over a decade of public policy experience and five years of energy policy experience to CEDMC.
Over his five years of energy policy experience, Clark managed a State Government Affairs program for a large public utility district (PUD) in Washington State. During this time, Clark developed, strategized, and advocated for pivotal legislation and regulations that advanced opportunities for: clean energy requirements, building and appliance efficiency standards, electric vehicles (EV) and EV charging needs, rooftop and community solar incentives, and infrastructure safety improvements. He worked often and closely with legislators, the Governor’s Office (including agency staff), and local elected officials.
Clark’s previous experience focused on local government, politics, and public processes. Over this time, he helped facilitate successful, yet challenging, policy discussions among key stakeholders and foster collaborative relationships between elected officials, municipal government, and the community. Clark joined CEDMC in 2022.
Please contact Clark at cmcisaac@cedmc.org.
Kira Kimick
Member Services Manager
Kira joined the CEDMC team in 2015 and after a couple year hiatus, she is thrilled to be back in 2021! As a marketing professional, she maintains the website, creates email announcements, formats the newsletter and handles all graphic design needs. She is in charge of CEDMC’s events including the Fall Conference, Spring Symposium, Trainings and Business Forums. Kira is the go-to person for member’s questions and if she doesn’t know the answer, she knows how to find it!
Previously, Kira has spent 20 years in marketing, events and graphic design with positions in the forest products, wine, and real estate industries. Kira received a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of New Hampshire. She currently lives in Vermont with her husband, daughter, and dog.
Please contact Kira at kkimick@cedmc.org.
