Steven Clarke
EEA Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy
From 2007 to 2008, Assistant Secretary Clarke, a resident of Belmont, served as a clean energy project manager at EEA, and then became the DOER’s director of wind energy development in 2009. While there, he led initiatives to develop renewable energy on state owned lands and facilities and ensured progress towards the Governor’s 2020 2,000 megawatt wind energy goal. He also co-authored a U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative report assessing the future of off-shore wind energy in the U.S. He earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Columbia University. Prior to joining EEA, he was pursuing a doctoral degree in energy and environmental policy at Stanford University.
Arthur Natella
Project Associate at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Arthur is a Project Associate who works with both the Workforce Development and Sector Development divisions at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Prior to joining the MassCEC, Arthur worked in Governor Patrick’s Constituent Services Office where he helped members of the public navigate through state government and provided assistance with maintaining and troubleshooting the Governor’s constituent tracking database. A graduate of American International College where he earned a B.A. in political science, Arthur is also experienced in community organizing with diverse groups across the Commonwealth.
Alex Sherman
Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)
Alex joined DOER after three years working in residential architecture and design around Boston. He manages the High Performance Buildings program, a stimulus-funded grant program, and helps coordinate implementation of the federal stimulus-funded State Energy Program initiatives. He believes that many solutions to building energy issues involve design, and wants to continue to explore and develop ways to help maximize the efficiency, sustainability and potential of the built environment. Alex was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, but, after graduating from Tufts University, he finds himself calling two cities he loves home. Alex spends his time biking, skiing, running, sketching and picking away at a mandolin.
Christie Howe
Project Manager, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Christie is a project manager at the MassCEC’s Renewable Energy Generation Division. Christie joined MassCEC (formerly the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative) in 2008, after graduating with a B.S. from the University of Richmond in Environmental Studies and Psychology. As a student, Christie was very active in environmental causes. She currently manages MassCEC’s three solar thermal incentive programs and enjoys walking or biking to work every day.
Dan Burgess
Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources
Dan helps manage the communication and outreach efforts for federal stimulus-funded clean energy projects in Massachusetts. Prior to joining DOER, Dan worked as a supply chain management professional in both the aerospace and software industries. He has experience in new media and website strategy, sustainability-focused writing and a passion for clean energy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Maine and a master’s degree in public administration from Northeastern University. Dan is originally from Maine, where he grew up on a dairy farm that now grows trees, organic produce, and is the home of a small clean energy company.
David Cash
Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Commissioner
Prior to serving as commissioner at the DPU, David served as the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs focusing on issues ranging from land and water management to energy, climate change, transportation, and waste management. Before working for the Commonwealth, David was a research associate at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a Lecturer in Environmental Science and Public Policy. He earned a Ph.D. in public policy from the Kennedy School, and a B.S. in biology from Yale University. David performed a full energy audit on his 1840s-built home, insulated the exterior, weatherized all of the windows and doors and installed a solar thermal unit for water heating. He also replaced a 1960s vintage gas furnace with a new combined heat and power furnace/generator, which he expects to yield energy savings of 30 to 40 percent. David instituted an electricity reduction plan with his 13- and 10-year-old daughters, where they earn savings directly related to decreases in the monthly household electricity bill. He has seen electricity use drop an overall 10 to 20 percent since instituting this incentive.
Dwayne Breger
Director of Renewable Energy Programs, Department of Energy Resources
Dwayne joined the DOER in 2002 with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of renewable energy and climate policy. A longtime resident of the Pioneer Valley, Dwayne worked under contract with the US Department of Energy as Lead Research Analyst and US Participant in the International Energy Agency’s Solar Heating and Cooling Program, which led to the design of a central solar heating plant with seasonal storage at UMass Amherst. Dwayne was also a faculty member at a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania teaching energy and environmental policy. He and his wife have two older boys - one in law school, the other entering college. Their home includes an old, but very functional, solar water heating system and a newer wood pellet stove which has greatly diminished their consumption of fuel oil. Professional opportunities twice called Dwayne and his family away from Massachusetts, but, he says, “the draw of the Valley, the politics, the aesthetics, and the clean energy and climate commitments lured us promptly back.” He holds degrees from Swarthmore College, MIT, and UMass Amherst.
Gerard Kennedy
Director of Agricultural Technical Assistance, Department of Agricultural Resources
Gerard started with the DAR in 1998 after working in the agrochemical industry as a residue and metabolism analyst at Jealotts-Hill Research Station in the UK. Gerard’s early work in coordinating environmental programs for the Department sparked an interest in the relationship between energy use on farms and environmental impacts. Since then he has facilitated the implementation of multiple renewable energy projects on farms through the Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program (AEEP). As the Director of Agricultural Technical Assistance, Gerard sees great opportunities through our local food production system for farmers to contribute to the Commonwealth’s energy efficiency future. He holds an MS from Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Gerry Palano
Energy/Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Department of Agricultural Resources
Gerry began working for DAR in May 2007 as the Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency Coordinator, promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy implementation on farms through education and technical assistance, including helping farmers take advantage of clean energy financial incentives. Since attending the first “Toward Tomorrow Fair” at UMass Amherst in the late 1970s, Gerry has devoted most of his career to the energy sector. He has 30 years of experience as an engineering consultant and energy project developer predominantly in the commercial, health care and institutional sectors, as well as in agriculture. A registered professional engineer in Massachusetts and New York, Gerry holds degrees in Mathematics and HVAC/Solar Energy. He actively incorporates energy conservation and efficiency in his personal life by minimizing the number of energy-consuming appliances in his Acton home, and taking mass transportation to work.
Greg Watson
Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Technology, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Greg’s distinguished career in the field of clean energy policy ranges from serving as the first director of the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust (now part of the MassCEC) to serving on the US Department of Energy transition team for then President-elect Barack Obama, and joining Governor Patrick’s trade mission to China in 2007. A founding member of the US Offshore Wind Collaborative, Greg convened the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s “Cape and Islands Offshore Wind Stakeholder Process” in 2002 – 2003, and chaired the American Wind Energy Association’s Offshore Wind Power Workshop in 2009. Serving on the boards of the Buckminster Fuller Institute and Bioneers, Greg commutes to work via public transportation from his home on Cape Cod, where he is a close follower of the nine-year process to site what would be the country’s first offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound.
Jim Bowen
Clean Energy Sector Development Director
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)
Jim Bowen manages MassCEC’s effort to develop the Commonwealth’s clean energy ecosystem, which includes activities such as infrastructure support, the production of research to address key barriers facing the industry, and facilitating partnerships within Massachusetts network of clean energy companies and researchers.
Prior to MassCEC, Mr. Bowen ran an import-export business, worked as a researcher on environmental issues at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and as a management consultant at Stax, Inc.
Kenneth Kimmell
Commissioner, Department of Environmental Protection
Kenneth L. Kimmell was appointed MassDEP Commissioner in January 2011. Since then, MassDEP has launched a clean energy results program to focus on the permitting and siting of clean energy facilities; completed a top-to-bottom review of all of MassDEP's permit programs and identified over twenty regulatory changes to streamline permitting. MassDEP also commenced an overhaul of its information technology systems to make the agency more efficient, transparent, and accessible to the regulated community and the public. Mr. Kimmell also serves as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Emission, Inc., and is active in the nine-member state effort to review and strengthen the nation's first mandatory greenhouse gas emissions cap and trade program. He joined the Patrick Administration in January 2007 as general counsel of EOEEA. In that capacity, he focused on major legislative initiatives, such as the merger of energy and environmental agencies into one secretariat; the Green Communities Act, the Global Warming Solutions Act, and the Oceans Act; state and federal permitting of the Cape Wind project, the nation's first off-shore wind project. Prior to that, Mr. Kimmell was in private practice and focused on environmental and land use law and litigation; and, graduated from Wesleyan University and UCLA School of Law.
Karin Pisiewski
Department of Energy Resources Consumer Affairs and SHOPP Coordinator
Karin started at DOER in 1998 as part of the Public Information team, moving to Consumer Affairs and SHOPP (State Heating Oil and Propane Program) Coordinator in 2003. Prior to joining DOER, she worked at a small conferencing company in Newton as a legal consultant. She has a BA in Political Science from Boston University and a JD from Suffolk Law School. In addition to installing efficient appliances and lighting in her home, Karin is now working on getting utility-run energy efficiency programs to help with new windows for her condo complex.
Maia Fitzstevens
Multimedia Intern, Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Maia is currently working with the EEA as a Multimedia Intern for the 2012 spring semester, while she pursues a degree in Environmental Studies at Wellesley College. At Wellesley, she's involved with the student environmental club and does research on compost use and lead in urban gardens. Maia grew up in Rochester, NY. Her love for nature developed during summer hiking and swimming adventures in Vermont. In her free time, Maia enjoys cooking, knitting, running, and playing guitar.
Marc Breslow
Director of Transportation and Buildings Policy, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Prior to EEA, Marc worked for many years in energy and climate policy, including positions with the city of Philadelphia and the Tellus Institute, and was the founding director of Massachusetts Climate Action Network. He currently represents the state of Massachusetts on the Climate Change Steering Committee of the New England Governors-Eastern Canadian Premiers. He Holds a Ph.D. in economics, with a focus on environmental policy. Marc has taken many steps to minimize use of electricity and heat at home, including efficient lights and appliances, insulation, air sealing, and turning off electronics when not in use. One of his primary interests is considering how to redesign our energy system and society to prevent catastrophic impacts of climate change, especially in poor nations.
Mark Sylvia
Commissioner, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)
Commissioner Sylvia was appointed commissioner in 2011 after serving as director of DOER’s Green Communities Division From 2009 to 2010. Created by the Green Communities Act, signed by Governor Patrick in July of 2008, the division supports energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts in Massachusetts’ cities and towns. Prior to joining the DOER in February, 2009, Sylvia was an official in Plymouth town government for over a decade, including serving as Assistant Town Manager and Acting Town Manager before becoming Town Manager in 2005. Working closely with Plymouth’s volunteer Energy Committee and professional staff, Sylvia helped lead numerous efforts in support of the Plymouth 2020 Plan – an initiative that set ambitious energy independence targets, including a goal to run all municipal buildings with renewable energy by the Town’s 400th Anniversary. Other Plymouth 2020 projects include implementation of a energy conservation policy, energy efficiency measures at town facilities, a pilot fuel-efficient vehicle program, and plans for the siting of two wind turbines at the town-owned wastewater treatment plant and solar pv panels at the town solid waste transfer stations. Mark’s experience also includes working as a contract consultant for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and serving in elected positions in his hometown of Fairhaven, including as a member of the School Committee from 1998 to 2004 and presently as the elected Town Moderator. Mark is a graduate of The American University in Washington, DC where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration.
Marybeth Campbell
Workforce Development Director, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Marybeth has ten years experience combined in government, public policy, public education and project management in the energy sector. She is currently the Workforce Development Director at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, liaising with higher education, vocational schools, and community-based non-profits and labor to develop training and workforce capacity that supports the Commonwealth’s growing clean energy industry. She most recently served as Public Education Manager for the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust where she oversaw two education initiatives that funded projects to increase awareness about the benefits of clean energy. Prior to joining the Trust, Marybeth worked as a senior research analyst for the Massachusetts House of Representatives Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. She has a BA in Political Science from Providence College.
Meg Lusardi
Director of Green Communities, Department of Energy Resources
Meg is Director of DOER’s Green Communities Division, and has, since August 2008, worked on the development and implementation of the Green Communities Program established for Massachusetts municipalities by the Green Communities Act. She also oversees implementation of the federal stimulus-funded Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program for municipalities with populations under 35,000. Meg joined the DOER in 2005 and, prior to passage of the Green Communities Act, worked on renewables development with the agency’s Renewable Energy team. She previously served as the Chief of Operations for Project Hope, a non-profit in Dorchester, and as a Project Manager at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael Judge
RPS Solar Carve-Out Program Coordinator
Michael has served as the Program Coordinator for the Massachusetts RPS Solar Carve-Out since it was launched in early 2010. He also works on and is familiar with the other aspects of Massachusetts’ Renewable and Alternative Portfolio Standard Programs. Prior to his time at DOER, he worked for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center on the implementation and administration of their Commonwealth Solar Rebate Programs. He is a lifelong Massachusetts resident and earned a bachelor’s degree in history and geography from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Patrick Cloney
Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)
Patrick joined the MassCEC after 18 years of experience in engineering, business, finance and government. Previously, Patrick was the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development. Patrick also served as vice president at Susquehanna Capital Management, and was a partner at Clear Power Ventures, where he focused on early stage energy and environmental technology companies. At the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, Patrick assisted companies seeking to locate, expand, or maintain their presence in Massachusetts. Patrick earned a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering with a concentration in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and was the recipient of the Massachusetts Maritime Alumni Award for Outstanding Student Engineer. Patrick also earned his master’s degree in business administration from Babson College’s Olin School of Management.
Rachel Offerdahl
Multimedia intern, Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Rachel served as the photo/multimedia intern at the EEA for the Fall 2010 semester as she delves into her final year at Boston University, where she is pursuing a dual degree in photojournalism and international relations. Rachel grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She spent her summers with her aunt and uncle visiting Hanging Rock State Park. There she developed a love for animals and the outdoors and an interest in environmental protection and preservation. She enjoys local food, rivers, reading outside, her kitten Puck, and making pictures of it all.
Scott J. Soares
Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner
Since joining the DAR in 1996 as the Commonwealth’s first Aquaculture Coordinator, Scott has served in a number of key capacities within the agency, expanding his expertise on a variety of agricultural issues. In April 2009, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles put Scott in charge of efforts to ensure a vibrant agricultural future for the Commonwealth as DAR Commissioner. His priorities revolve around sustainable farming and enhancing economic opportunities for the agricultural community. Believing that energy is a key component to these objectives, Scott has worked to foster renewable energy opportunities for the Commonwealth’s farmers. After seven years of active and reserve service in the U.S. Army, Scott graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a double major in Biology and Marine Biology, and obtained graduate training at the University of Rhode Island. In 2009, Scott received the Government Leadership Award from the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association and, in 2010, the Environmental Leadership Award from the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association.
Susan S. Kaplan
Department of Energy Resources, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
Susan is a seasoned strategic communications and marketing professional with a commitment to the environment and clean energy issues, who has changed processes, cultures, and behaviors in government, business, and healthcare. As a corporate environmental pioneer, Susan modified business practices and marketed environmental attributes at Polaroid Corporation in the 1990s. She later directed patient safety and medical malpractice communications within the Harvard medical community, at CRICO/RMF. In 2008, she returned to her roots, as a consultant to the sustainability firm, Sustainserv, Inc. In her current position, she is championing strategies to galvanize homeowners, renters, and businesses to reduce their energy consumption.
Ann Berwick
Chair, Department of Public Utilities
Ann Berwick was appointed Chair of the Department of Public Utilities by Governor Deval Patrick in June, 2010. Prior to that, Ann was the Commonwealth’s Undersecretary for Energy and also served as Acting Chair of the Energy Facility Siting Board. As Undersecretary, Ann was a key participant in the development of the Green Communities Act, the Patrick Administration’s signature energy legislation, and worked closely on its implementation with the state’s Department of Energy Resources and Department of Public Utilities. Ann worked with those agencies on a range of issues, including the introduction of a more progressive building code and the development of renewable resources in the Commonwealth.
Before serving in the Patrick Administration Ann was a senior consultant at M.J. Bradley & Associates in Concord, Massachusetts. In that role she advised non-profit organizations and electric distribution and generating companies on a wide range of issues, including environmental science; pollution control technology; and developments in state and federal energy and environmental law, regulation, and policy.
Ann served as Chief of the Environmental Protection Division in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office from 1991 to 1996, where she exercised joint oversight of the Massachusetts Environmental Strike Force. From 1996 to 1997 she worked in the Alaska Attorney General’s Office, where she participated in litigation before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. She has also been a legal services attorney, and a partner in the litigation department at the Boston law firm Goulston & Storrs.
Ann holds a B.A. from Radcliffe College and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She has four grown children and lives in Newton with her husband.
