resilience, adaptation & innovation: leading in a changing … · 2019. 11. 4. · 2019 awwee...

2 0 1 9 A W W E E C o n f e r e n c e

R e s i l i e n c e , A d a p t a t i o n& I n n o v a t i o n :

L e a d i n g i n a C h a n g i n g C l i m a t e

N o v e m b e r 1 3 - 1 5 , 2 0 1 9

S i l v e r a d o R e s o r t & S p aN a p a , C a l i f o r n i a

WWW.BUCHALTER.COM

LOS ANGELES NAPA VALLEY ORANGE COUNTY PORTLAND SACRAMENTO SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SCOTTSDALE SEATTLE

Proud Sponsor of the 2019 AWWEE Conference

COMMITTED TO WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP AND GENDER EQUITY

2 0 1 9 A W W E E C o n f e r e n c e R e s i l i e n c e , A d a p t a t i o n & I n n o v a t i o n :


WELCOME TO THE 2019 AWWEE CONFERENCE

On behalf of the Board of Directors, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the beautiful Napa Valley and the2019 AWWEE conference. When we held the first AWWEE conference in San Diego ten years ago, we weredelighted to have 50 women in attendance and the support of five sponsoring organizations. Today, we arejoined by 215 women and have the support of 30 sponsoring organizations. I could not be more proud when Ireflect on how this organization has grown and to see it thriving!

At the beginning of this year, the Board of Directors began a strategic planning process to reflect upon whereAWWEE is today and plan for the future. As the most integral part of our organization, our members inspireour mission. Throughout the process, we kept our focus on how to sustain and enhance the memberexperience, while also positioning the organization to continue growing. The 2020 to 2025 Strategic Plan waspublished just this week. I encourage you to visit our website to read the plan and I hope you will be as excitedas we are by what we have planned for the next five years.

The theme of this year's conference is Resilience, Adaptation and Innovation: Leading in a Changing Climate.Women leaders and experts in the water, energy and environment fields will enlighten us regarding some oftoday's most important climate-related issues. Our breakout and interactive sessions will provide the perfectopportunities for personal and professional enrichment. Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of our conferencesis the opportunity to reconnect with familiar friends and colleagues, cultivate new connections, and enjoy theunique benefits of the diverse AWWEE community.

I want to close by thanking the people and organizations who made this event possible - the planningcommittee of Directors, our Executive Director, Administrative Assistant and the many volunteers who arehelping out this week, our speakers and presenters, and our generous sponsors. Finally, I want to thank you forbeing here and for supporting AWWEE with your membership.

Cheers!

Gwenneth O'Hara | Board President

BuchalterSan Diego Gas and Electric & Southern California Gas CompanySalt River ProjectSan Francisco Public Utilities CommissionCalifornia Energy CommissionLos Angeles Department of Water & PowerMetropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniaBraun Blaising Smith WynneDNV GLPERseSomach Simmons & DunnTurlock Irrigation DistrictValley WaterWater Replenishment District

Arevik PetrosyanAspen Environmental GroupDTA Long Beach Water DepartmentMeyers NavePiper JaffraySmith, Watts & HartmannStoel Rives LLPThe Energy CoalitionWoodard & CurranLaura DollPhyllis Currie ConsultingGreenworks LendingBob Murray & AssociatesCAP Law on behalf of McGeorge School of Law

OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

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Gwenneth O'Hara, PresidentShareholder | Buchalter

Sharon Cohen, SecretaryChief Regulatory Counsel | Sempra Energy

Nancy Saracino, Vice PresidentManaging Attorney | Western Energy & Water

Veronica Hicks, TreasurerRetired | California Department of Water Resources

Nancy AnderDeputy Director, Sustainability | California Department of General Services

Jenna CansecoPrincipal Consultant & Transportation Electrification Lead | DNV GL

Phyllis CurrieConsultant | Phyllis Currie Consulting

Lisa DavidsonDirector of Customer Programs | San Diego Gas & Electric

Dian GrueneichSenior Research Scholar | Stanford University

Lana HaddadLegislative Services Section Manager |Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Barbara HaleAssistant General Manager, Power | San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Reiko KerrSenior Assistant General Manager, Power System Engineering &Technical Services | Los Angeles Department of Water & Power

Andrea RoessManaging Director | DTA

Virginia ThompsonAccount Manager | California ISO

Laura Doll Retired | PG&E

Mary NicholsChairwoman | California Air Resources Board

Nancy SutleyChief Sustainability & Economic Development Officer | Los Angeles Department of Water & Power

ADVISORY DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS



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Allison LopezSenior Associate, Products & Strategy | Energy Solutions

CENTRAL COAST (New in 2019)

Jessica Kinnahan Senior Project Manager | Dudek

Michelle SevillaField Representative | Office of Assemblymember Monique Limón

CENTRAL VALLEY (New in 2019)

Nicole Lange Utility Analyst | Turlock Irrigation District

LOS ANGELES

Katie Ellis Senior Project Manager | Southern California Public Power Authority

SACRAMENTO

Jennifer RotzAssistant Corporate Secretary | California ISO

SAN DIEGO

Hilary Haskell Environmental Sustainability Advisor | San Diego Gas & Electric

SILICON VALLEY (New in 2019)

Pari Khosraviani Senior Control System Engineer | Valley Water

ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE

Ivana Dorin Program Manager | The Energy Coalition

AWWEE also recognizes the contributions of the 80+ members who volunteer to serve on these teams and organize events throughout the year.

REGIONAL TEAM LEADERS

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:15 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m

2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14

Wine & Cheese Reception Location: Terrace

Light Breakfast Buffet Location: Fairway Deck

General Session Location: Silverado Ballroom

Welcome Remarks

Keynote Assemblymember Laura Friedman

Panel DiscussionThe Times They Are A-Changin'

Brunch Location: Fairway Deck

Concurrent Breakout SessionsLocations Posted

Embracing and Capitalizing onChange

Following a Non-Traditional CareerPath to Reach Your Dream Job WhileSupporting Your Family

How to Foster Collaborative Influence

Concurrent Breakout SessionsLocations Posted

How to Become a More EngagingPublic Speaker

The Working Woman's Guide

Transforming Anxiety into Excitement



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3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14

BreakLocation: Fairway Deck

Experiential and Interactive Practices inResilience, Adaptation and Innovation Location: Silverado Ballroom

DinnerLocation: Fairway Deck

Continental Breakfast Buffet Location: Fairway Deck

General Session Location: Silverado Ballroom

Welcome Remarks

Panel DiscussionPath to Power: Women Leaders from the Western Region

Panel DiscussionThe Future is Now

Panel DiscussionDrivers of Change

Closing Remarks

Attendees are on their own for lunchfollowing the closing remarks

Optional Post-Event Wine TastingPre-registration and payment ofseparate registration fee required



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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:15 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.



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Laura Friedman was elected to the California StateAssembly in November 2016 to represent the 43rdAssembly District which encompasses the cities ofBurbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge, as wellas the communities of La Crescenta and Montrose, andthe Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village,Beachwood Canyon, Los Feliz, East Hollywood,Franklin Hills, and Silver Lake.

Long recognized as a steadfast advocate for the environment, in January 2019 she wasnamed the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, which covers airquality, climate change, renewable energy, coastal protection and many more keyenvironmental issues.

During her first term in the Assembly, Laura authored landmark legislation to encouragewater conservation, and strengthen environmental sustainability. Among her billssigned into law by Governor Brown were AB 3232, which puts California on a path toachieve zero-emissions in all new buildings by 2030, and AB 1414, which improved theaffordability and accessibility of solar installations in communities across California.

For the 2019-2020 Session, Laura has introduced a series of bills to encourageinnovative solutions to decrease emissions in the transportation sector, protectelectricity customers from high costs and price swings in the natural gas fuel market,explore the role of energy storage, and establish a clean energy clearinghouse tostreamline investment opportunities.

Laura’s career in public service began at the local level. She was elected to the GlendaleCity Council in 2009 where she focused much of her work on ensuring the city had asustainable plan for its energy needs and community services. She served for sevenyears on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of SouthernCalifornia, and is a past Board Member of the Southern California Association ofGovernments where she served on the Energy and Environment Committee.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERASSEMBLYMEMBER LAURA FRIEDMAN

From record-breaking snowfall to historic droughts, climate change and itsaccompanying extremes in weather patterns are having severe impacts on ourenvironment and communities. In response, leaders must act as both offensive anddefensive change agents. Our panelists will discuss what the latest science ispredicting for our water supply, water quality and impacts on the environment andaquatic species, how those impacts will affect their sectors and what actions they aretaking now to address them. Our panelists will describe how they are influencingwater policy and decision-making, and what sorts of actions are most effective atspurring change. Some entities have used litigation as a lever; we will hear from ourpanelists how this has worked over time, what the alternatives are and what newsolutions are needed as challenges with managing the effect of climate change on ourwater supply and water resources become more acute.

Kim Delfino, California Program Director at Defenders of WildlifeEllen Hanak, Water Policy Center Director and Senior Fellow at the Public PolicyInstitute of CaliforniaJoone Lopez, General Manager at Moulton Niguel Water DistrictLaura Zuckerman, Deputy Attorney General at State of California Department ofJusticeModerated by Nancy Saracino, Managing Attorney at Western Energy & Water andVice President of the AWWEE Board of Directors



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PANEL DISCUSSIONTHE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'

As California Program Director, Kim Delfino overseesthe work of Defenders of Wildlife's California programteam in protecting and restoring California’s imperiledwildlife and the places in which they live. Since joiningDefenders in 2000, Kim has developed an expertise inland use planning, endangered species conservation,and water law, including serving on the CaliforniaWater Commission from 2010-2015.

Kim Delfino

Kim currently serves on the boards of the Water Education Foundation; SustainableConservation; and the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy andResources Trends.

Kim began her career as an associate attorney in Washington, D.C. with the publicinterest law firm of Meyer & Glitzenstein, where she specialized in cases involving theEndangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and other environmental laws. She holds aBachelor of Arts from University of California, Davis and a J.D. from McGeorge Schoolof Law at the University of the Pacific.

Ellen Hanak is director of the PPIC Water Policy Centerand a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute ofCalifornia. Under her leadership, the center hasbecome a critical source of information and guidancefor natural resource management in California. Shehas authored dozens of reports, articles, and books onwater policy, including Managing California’s Water.



Ellen Hanak

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Ellen's research is frequently profiled in the national media, and she participates inbriefings, conferences, and interviews throughout the nation and around the world.Her other areas of expertise include climate change and infrastructure finance.Previously, she served as research director at PPIC. Before joining PPIC, she heldpositions with the French agricultural research system, the President’s Council ofEconomic Advisers, and the World Bank. She holds a PhD in economics from theUniversity of Maryland.

Joone Lopez is General Manager of the Moulton NiguelWater District, which provides water, wastewater andrecycled water services to approximately 170,000people within South Orange County. Before joiningMoulton Niguel, she served as General Manager ofCalaveras County Water District located in NorthernCalifornia.

Joone Lopez

Joone’s prior experience includes working for Apple Valley Ranchos Water Companyas Assistant General Manager and serving as Deputy General Manager of CentralBasin Municipal Water District.

Joone is a Board Member for Association of California Water Agencies, CaliforniaWateReuse Association, Capistrano Unified School District Foundation, SouthernCalifornia Water Committee, and Tilly’s Life Center. Preceding her career in thewater industry, Joone was a Police Officer for the City of Pasadena, where shereceived the Silver Medal of Courage for valor under fire. She holds a master’s degreein public administration from California State University, Northridge and a bachelor’sdegree in communications from University of California, San Diego.



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Laura Zuckerman has been a Deputy Attorney Generalin the Environment Section of the CaliforniaDepartment of Justice since January 2006. Prior tojoining the section, she spent four years as a memberof the Attorney General’s Energy Task Force, engagingin large-scale investigation of, and complex civillitigation involving, the California energy industry.

Laura Zuckerman

Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Laura practiced complex civil litigation atMcCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, where she began her litigation career afterclerking for the Honorable William H. Orrick, Jr., United States District Court, SanFrancisco.

At the Attorney General’s Office, a significant portion of Laura's work consists ofmatters undertaken in the Attorney General’s independent capacity to enforceenvironmental laws, including Proposition 65 and other statutes relating to protectionof human health and the environment.

She received her J.D. from University of California Berkeley School of Law, where shewas an articles editor for the Ecology Law Quarterly. She received her A.B. magna cumlaude in social studies from Harvard University.

As Managing Attorney at Western Energy & Water,Nancy Saracino represents clients in the energy andwater sectors in regulatory proceedings andcommercial transactions. Nancy draws on her tenureas the Vice President, General Counsel, ChiefCompliance Officer and Corporate Secretary of theCalifornia Independent System Operator to adviseclients on California ISO processes and rules and oncorporate governance structures and compliance.

Nancy Saracino

Nancy provides strategic advice to companies navigating complex and evolving rulesgoverning California’s energy infrastructure and markets and related to the westernmarket expansion.

Nancy formerly served as a supervisor in the California Department of Justice's EnergyTask Force, where she litigated cases on behalf of the State of California thatstemmed from the energy crisis. In 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Nancyto serve as chief counsel and then chief deputy director of the California Department ofWater Resources, where she also served as the Governor's lead negotiator forrestructuring the state's long-term electricity contracts. She was also a partner in theenergy practice group with the law firm of Crowell & Moring.

Women leaders in the water, energy and environment fields share stories from theirjourneys to success.

Cristina Ahmadpour, President of Isle Inc., Managing Director - AmericasMelanie Frye, President and CEO of WECCCarla Peterman, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Southern California EdisonModerated by Dian Grueneich, Precourt Energy Scholar at Stanford University andMember of the AWWEE Board of Directors

PATH TO POWER SERIES

Path to Power is AWWEE's signature speaker series. Featured speakers are invited to share their professional experiences, lessons learned throughout their careers and offer advice to women pursuing a similar path. Designed to be informal and more conversational in format, we encourage attendees to ask their own questions of the speakers.



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PANEL DISCUSSIONPATH TO POWER: WOMEN LEADERS FROM THEWESTERN REGION

Cristina Ahmadpour is a consultancy executivespecializing in emerging technologies and innovativebest practices in the water sector. As ManagingDirector of Isle’s Americas business, she leads a teamthat works with the most progressive water utilities intheir interest to identify, evaluate, and engage bestavailable solutions that drive value to their servicesand business operations. Facilitating and curatingtechnical and organizational solutions that respond totop priorities has been an integral part of how sheworks with water sector leaders today.

Cristina Ahmadpour

Cristina is passionate about communicating the value of water in her community and isoften seen recruiting the next water professional in her everyday interactions. Cristinais also enthusiastic about elevating the visibility of women entrepreneurs in the watersector. She volunteers for her local Water For People chapter and the American WaterWorks Association’s sub-committee on Innovation. She graduated from Vermont LawSchool with a master's degree in environmental law, emphasis in energy, and receivedher Bachelor of Science in business administration, emphasis in global businessmanagement from California State University. Cristina is a graduate of the WaterEnvironment Federation’s Water Leadership Institute 2015 class.

Melanie Frye is President and CEO of the WesternElectricity Coordinating Council (WECC) where sheoversees WECC's mission to effectively and efficientlymitigate risks to the reliability and security of theWestern Interconnection’s Bulk Power System. Melanieachieves this work through active interactions withmembers and key stakeholders, by managingrelationships with regulatory and policy-setting bodies,and ensuring WECC contributes to a positiverelationship with the North American Electric ReliabilityCorporation (NERC) and the Electric ReliabilityOrganization (ERO).

Melanie Frye

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Melanie leads the WECC organization and works to strengthen the developingleadership culture. She created the framework for WECC’s Invented Future and shapedthe transformation within the organization. She has profoundly influenced thedevelopment of the internal organizational culture to inspire alignment with the “why”of WECC. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from WeberState University in Ogden, Utah, and a Utility Executive Course Certificate from theUniversity of Idaho.

Carla Peterman is Senior Vice President of RegulatoryAffairs at Southern California Edison, one of thenation’s largest electric utilities. She is responsible atthe national and state levels for the company’sRegulatory Affairs and Energy and EnvironmentalPolicy organizations, overseeing regulatory strategyand operations and environmental affairs.

Carla Peterman

Previously, Carla held several positions in state government including serving as aCommissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission and the California EnergyCommission. She also served as Chair of the California Commission on CatastrophicWildfire Cost and Recovery.

Carla holds a Doctor of Philosophy in energy and resources from the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley.



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Dian Grueneich is an internationally recognized energyand environmental policy expert. Dian began hercareer in the 1970s at the California EnergyCommission and later founded her own law andconsulting firm. She served as a Commissioner on theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission from 2005-2010. Dian has been a member of the ElectricityAdvisory Committee of the U.S. Department of Energyand the External Advisory Committee of the NationalRenewable Energy Laboratory.

Dian Grueneich

Since 2014, Dian has been with Stanford University, where she is a Precourt EnergyScholar with Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy and an Affiliated Scholar with theBill Lane Center for the American West. Dian helped found the Stanford EnergyInternships in California and the West program and created Stanford’s on-lineCalifornia and Western Energy Lecture Series. She has also co-developed “BuildingEnergy Efficiency: Technology, Policy, and Finance”, available fall 2019 underStanford’s Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies Professional Certificate.

The Exchange program is offered to active AWWEE members only.

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Technology holds the promise of delivering greater resilience for our communities aswe contend with more severe impacts from extreme weather, wildfire and otherdisruptions to our grid. Our panelists will discuss solutions like microgrids that arechanging how our communities will be prepared to manage service disruptions, andwhether a possible transformation is on the horizon that will also improve quality oflife in frontline communities. They will also offer their views on where the greatestchange is possible and what will influence deployment and implementation.

Rachel DiFranco, Sustainability Manager at City of FremontVeronica Eady, Assistant Executive Officer for Environmental Justice at CaliforniaAir Resources BoardDeanna Haines, Director of Energy & Environmental Policy at Southern CaliforniaGas and San Diego Gas and ElectricLaura Lewis, General Counsel at Sacramento Municipal Utility District Moderated by Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager for Power at SanFrancisco Public Utilities Commission and member of the AWWEE Board ofDirectors

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PANEL DISCUSSIONTHE FUTURE IS NOW

Rachel DiFranco is a LEED Accredited Professional inOperations & Maintenance (LEED AP O+M) with amaster’s degree in natural resources and sustainabledevelopment. She is an accomplished sustainabilitypractitioner with demonstrated expertise in strategicclimate mitigation, distributed energy resources, smartcity technology deployment, adaptation and resiliencyplanning, and community-based social marketing.

Rachel DiFranco

As Sustainability Manager and Smart City Co-Facilitator for the City of Fremont,Rachel is responsible for implementing Fremont’s Climate Action Plan, helping the citytransition from an auto-oriented suburb into a resilient, sustainable, innovative, andstrategically urban city. Major recent accomplishments include the implementation of amicrogrid demonstration project at Fremont Fire Stations to increase operationalresiliency, development of energy and green building reach codes to mandate solarand EV charging infrastructure in new developments, and an update of the City’sclimate action framework to align with a 2045 goal of a post-carbon community.



Veronica Eady

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Veronica Eady, Executive Assistant Officer forEnvironmental Justice, serves as the primary contactfor the California Air Resources Board (CARB) onenvironmental justice issues and concerns. She isresponsible for providing policy consultation andrecommendations to CARB staff, as well as thedevelopment and implementation of all major CARBprograms to ensure that environmental justice andtribal concerns are considered.

Veronica was formerly Vice President and Director of Conservation Law FoundationMassachusetts and was the Associate General Counsel and Director ofEnvironmental Justice at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, a non-profit civilrights law firm in New York City. She has also served as Director of theEnvironmental Justice and Brownfields Programs for the Massachusetts ExecutiveOffice of Environmental Affairs, where she was the principal author ofMassachusetts Environmental Justice Policy.

Additionally, Veronica was Executive Director of Alternatives for Community andEnvironment, an environmental justice advocacy organization, and is the former chairof U.S. EPA’s federal advisory committee for environmental justice, the NationalEnvironmental Justice Advisory Council.

Veronica has held appointments on several faculties, including Europe-ViadrianaUniversity in Germany, Tufts University, in the Department of Urban andEnvironmental Policy and Planning, Fordham Law School, and the Stanford LawSchool. She received her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University ofSouthern California, and her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College ofthe Law.

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R e s i l i e n c e , A d a p t a t i o n & I n n o v a t i o n : L e a d i n g i n a C h a n g i n g C l i m a t e

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Deanna Haines is Director of Policy and EnvironmentalStrategy for Southern California Gas Company andSan Diego Gas and Electric. She has worked for theUtilities since 1988 and has held various leadershippositions primarily in the engineering andenvironmental areas. Currently, Deanna leads theUtilities’ Policy & Environmental Strategy area tosupport sensible and balanced policies that areconsistent with the primary directive of the Utilities todeliver safe, reliable and affordable energy.

Before Deanna’s current position, she was the Director of Gas Engineering overseeingthe engineering standards, training and research programs related to the design,operation and construction of the gas infrastructure. In her engineering role, Deannadeveloped the Utilities’ first Risk Assessment Mitigation Phase (RAMP) filing on ClimateAdaptation & Resiliency for the gas infrastructure. Prior to leading the Engineeringdepartment, she was the Director of Environmental Services responsible for permittingmajor projects and developing and implementing policies and programs to driveenvironmental stewardship and support operations with environmental compliancerequirements.

Deanna has served on several scientific committees, including the South Coast AirQuality Management District’s Best Available Control Technology Scientific ReviewCommittee and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Industrial CombustionCoordinated Rulemaking Committee. She further served on the American GasAssociation’s Distribution, Transmission and Engineering and EnvironmentalCommittees. She is on the College of Engineering, Computer Science & TechnologyDean’s Advisory Board for Cal State Los Angeles. She currently serves on the Board ofthe American Cancer Society.

Deanna has a master’s degree in business administration from the University ofRedlands and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University ofSouthern California.

Deanna Haines



Laura Lewis

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Laura Lewis is the Chief Legal Officer and GeneralCounsel for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District(SMUD). In this position, Ms. Lewis is responsible formanaging and coordinating all SMUD legal matters,including litigation, contested regulatory agencyproceedings, settlement discussions, and claimsmanagement. She operates as a strategic resource for

the Board of Directors, general manager, and executive management teamregarding the development of SMUD policies, strategies, programs and initiatives.Additionally, she serves as the secretary to SMUD’s elected Board of Directors.

Laura also oversees SMUD’s government affairs and reliability compliancedepartment. In this capacity, she is responsible for management and coordination ofall legislative matters and regulatory requirements affecting SMUD at the state andfederal level, including the FERC-NERC electric reliability standards.

Laura serves as General Counsel to the California Municipal Utilities Association, asVice President of the KVIE Public Broadcasting Station, and as a Board member ofthe Midtown Association.

Laura received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, SanDiego, and her J.D with great distinction from McGeorge School of Law at theUniversity of the Pacific.

Barbara Hale is the Assistant General Managerresponsible for the San Francisco Public UtilitiesCommission's (SFPUC) power functions. That includesSan Francisco’s public power utility, Hetch HetchyPower, serving 150 MW on an operating budget ofabout $150 million/year. In addition, Barbara isresponsible for establishing and operating SanFrancisco's

Barbara Hale

Community Choice Aggregation program, CleanPowerSF, where all SanFranciscan’s are eligible to receive electric supply from the SFPUC, with transmission,distribution, and billing provided by PG&E. The CleanPowerSF program, launched inMay, 2016, and is presently serving about 360,000 accounts. Together, these retailelectricity programs serve 80% of the consumption in San Francisco. She is alsoresponsible for San Francisco streetlights.

Prior to her employment with SFPUC, Barbara worked for the State of CaliforniaPublic Utilities Commission in progressively responsible positions, including Advisorto President, Administrative Law Judge, and Director of Strategic Planning.



Decarbonization efforts are changing how we think about transportation, leading toinnovations in public transit, ride sharing, micromobility, and more. Our panelists willdiscuss the changes already underway, what this might mean for how we live andwork in the future, and how we can ensure equal access to clean, safe, reliabletransportation for all members of our communities.

Becky Frank, Community Planning Branch Chief at Caltrans District 4Tara Lynn Gray, CEO of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce Audrey Neuman, Analyst, Transportation Electrification in the Energy Division at theCalifornia Public Utilities CommissionKrute Singa, Principal Regional Planer at Bay Area Metro (MTC and ABAG) Moderated by Jenna Canseco, Principal Consultant and TransportationElectrification Lead at DNV GL and member of the AWWEE Board of Directors

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PANEL DISCUSSIONDRIVERS OF CHANGE

Becky Frank is Community Planning Branch Chief forCaltrans District 4 where she manages CaltransSustainable Transportation Planning Grants within thedistrict. The grant program encourages stakeholderand community engagement in project planning toachieve California's emission reduction targets.

Becky Frank

Becky has also provided technical assistance to facilitate bicycle, pedestrian and transitprojects on the state highway system and has coordinated Caltrans input on local andregional plans that impact the state transportation network.



Tara Lynn Gray is President and CEO of Fresno MetroBlack Chamber of Commerce (FMBCC). FMBCC is acommunity-based organization with a global reachadvancing the interests of the greater African-American community through the creation ofopportunities, advocacy, and business & economicdevelopment. FMBCC envisions an equitable, open andthriving market without social, political, or economicbarriers for all.

Tara Lynn Gray

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Tara holds a master's degree in christian studies from Grand Canyon University, abachelor’s degree in business management from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga,California, and a graduate of UCLA Anderson School of Business, ManagementDevelopment for Entrepreneurs Program. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,the recipient of the California Black Chamber of Commerce 2012 Leadership Award,the 2009 Small Business of the Year Award, and the 2004 recipient of AllstateInsurance Company “From Whence We Came” National Pioneer in Technology Award.

Audrey Neuman is a transportation electrificationanalyst for the California Public Utilities Commission'sEnergy Division. In this role, Audrey works on policiesand programs to further transportation electrificationin the state of California. She oversees compliancewith existing infrastructure programs at the investor-owned utilities, provides support to decision-makers inevaluating new utility proposals and policies in thetransportation electrification space, and collaborateswith staff at other state agencies on transportationelectrification policy.

Audrey Neuman

Audrey has been working in clean energy and climate change for the past seven years.Prior to joining the CPUC, she worked at Project Drawdown, a climate solutionsresearch nonprofit, where she supported the communications and research teamsand managed content creation and outreach. Prior to this, she worked at AntennaGroup where she managed communications and public relations efforts for cleanenergy companies. Audrey received a bachelor's degree in environmental studies fromthe University of California, Santa Barbara.



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Krute Singa is a principal planner in the planningsection at the Metropolitan TransportationCommission/Association of Bay Area Governments(MTC/ABAG). Her suite of projects include the ClimateInitiatives program and the Carsharing and MobilityHubs pilot project. Before coming to MTC/ABAG inlate 2016, she managed the CommuteSmart programat the San Francisco Department of the Environment.In both positions, her objective is to help reach thestate’s greenhouse gas emissions targets by creatingpolicies, partnerships and behavior change programsto reduce solo driving trips. Krute received hermaster’s degree in city and regional planning fromUniversity of California, Berkeley.

Krute Singa

As Transportation Electrification Lead for NorthAmerica at DNV GL, Jennao is responsible for clientmanagement, project oversight, and staff supervisionin the areas of program planning and evaluation;technology and market assessment; behavioral andsocial science research; and analysis for energy andelectric transportation.

Jenna has consulted on all aspects of energy and electric vehicle programs andprojects, and has an extremely successful track record of managing consulting teamson large-scale, multi-faceted, multi-year engagements. She is adept at stakeholderengagement, and has facilitated numerous large stakeholder workshops for regulatoryagencies and other clients. Jenna has recent training in zero-emissions vehicletechnologies from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.

A recognized leader in energy and sustainability, Jenna serves on the AWWEE Boardof Directors and on the Board of Directors and Planning Committee for theInternational Energy Program Evaluation Conference.

Jenna Canseco



LET US MATCH YOU WITH A MENTEE IN 2020

A year-long opportunity for two-way learning

Apply today to part ic ipate in The Exchange

You have great experience and advice to share

The Exchange program is offered to active AWWEE members only.

Visit awwee.org for more informationApply by November 30, 2019 for the 2020 session

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Rebecca is an improviser, actor, trainer, and coachwith a degree in Government and InternationalRelations from Smith College, and a workingbackground in the non-profit world. Rebecca regularlyleads workshops at companies and organizations allacross the Bay Area, nationally, and abroad - applyingthe principles of improvisation to the workplace,teaching presentation skills, engaging in role playing,and facilitating design thinking workshops.

EXPERIENTIAL AND INTERACTIVE PRACTICES IN RESILIENCE, ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION

Rebecca Poretsky



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Learn how to optimize work in order to create results that make a difference and gaincommitment from others to embrace change. In this interactive session, participantswill be encouraged to embrace change so they may achieve results that are greaterthan expected and make a positive difference in their workplace.

Janet Morris, Executive Director of the Program Office at the California ISOJoanne Serina, Executive Director of Customer Service and Stakeholder Affairs atthe California ISO

BREAKOUT SESSIONEMBRACING AND CAPITALIZING ON CHANGE

Janet Morris joined the California ISO in 2003 withmore than 20 years of experience in softwaredevelopment and project implementation. She becameDirector of the Program Office in 2009 following thesuccessful transition of the Market Redesign andTechnology Upgrade (MRTU) project. Since 2009, sheled hundreds of projects to successful deployment andactivation while continuing to manage the day-to-dayactivities of the Program Office.

Janet’s role includes initiating and funding the project, conducting a comprehensiveand enterprise-wide impact assessment, delivering the business requirementsspecifications, and providing overall project management for each project and release.She is currently the technology lead paving the way to the ISO's reliability coordinatorservices implementation.

Janet holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from Santa ClaraUniversity in California and she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in ComputerScience from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She alsocompleted Quality and Process Improvement classes in conjunction with the JuranInstitute and holds a Lean Six Sigma certificate.

Janet Morris



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SJoanne Serina is the Executive Director of CustomerService and Stakeholder Affairs at the California ISO.She serves the day-to-day needs of clients includingcustomer onboarding and readiness, training andclient engagement in stakeholder market and policyinitiatives.

Since joining the ISO in 2006, she has held various senior and director level positionsincluding leadership positions within the Operations Division responsible for SystemOperations training and certification and as a Senior Program Manager during theimplementation of the California ISO market.

Prior to her career in the energy industry, Joanne spent 12 years in the informationtechnology sector developing innovative business solutions for Intel Corporation andleading product development for an Intel subsidiary, Pandesic LLC, delivering e-commerce solutions.

Joanne holds a bachelor’s degree from the Anderson School of Management,University of New Mexico.

Joanne Serina



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Women are often told that they should “lean in” to their careers to achieve theirprofessional goals. This session will explore the concept of making strategic careerdecisions to achieve a work-life balance while still moving towards their goals.Discussion will include deciding if and when to take a new position, evaluating short-term versus long-term goals, adjusting expectations, and handling career transitions.

Krista Reger, Resource Specialist at Metropolitan Water District of SouthernCalifornia

BREAKOUT SESSIONFOLLOWING A NON-TRADITIONAL CAREERPATH TO REACH YOUR DREAM JOB WHILESUPPORTING YOUR FAMILY

Krista Reger has over 15 years of experience in thedrinking water industry. She holds a bachelor'sdegree in natural resources from Cornell Universityand a master's degree in environmental engineeringfrom the University of Florida. She began her careeras a hydrogeologist for the South Florida WaterManagement District working on water use andconservation issues.

Krista has worked on a range of issues including source water protection, stormwatermanagement, water efficiency, water quality, and water resource management. Mostrecently, she was the program manager for the Long Beach Water Department’saward-winning Lawn to Garden program. As Resource Specialist, she now specializesin outdoor conservation and is currently the program manager for Metropolitan WaterDistrict of Southern California's turf replacement program.

Krista Reger



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Organizations live or die on relationships. A leader’s ability to create successfulcollaborative relationships can radically influence how well a project flows, a teamworks, and an organization thrives. Effective team leaders have one skill in common:collaborative influence, the ability to get things done by building strong collaborationsand facilitating effective processes. This session will introduce the six essential skillsand how to foster collaborative influence.

Heidi Kolbe, Facilitator and CEO at The Kolbe Company

BREAKOUT SESSIONHOW TO FOSTER COLLABORATIVE INFLUENCE

Heidi Kolbe is a highly skilled, nationally andinternationally recognized facilitator and projectconsultant. She specializes in creating organizationalignment to enable teams to accomplish great thingstogether. She has twenty-nine years of strategicplanning, organizational development, facilitation,training, community engagement, and public policyformation experience.

Heidi has conducted strategic planning for a wide variety of government, non-profit,and business organizations that focus on improving the quality of life including thoseworking on water, environment and energy issues. Most groups are multi-disciplinaryand multi-sector representing a wide variety of interests, needs and approaches. Heidi holds professional certification from all three national entities certifyingprofessional meeting facilitators. She is a licensed mentor trainer in the Technology ofParticipation, a set of collaborative tools designed to take light years off meetings.Heidi leads a team who teach collaborative skills and methods across the UnitedStates. Her organization offers courses from beginning meeting facilitation to themaster’s level. She is author of a chapter on reshaping the California Judicial System inthe book Government Works: Profiles of People Making a Difference.

Heidi Kolbe



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Whether presenting at a team staff meeting, a Board meeting, a business pitch, agovernment hearing, or even an interview, your ability to communicate clearly is crucialto your ability to connect with and motivate an audience. In this interactive session,participants will learn tips for public speaking and presentation skills to help thembecome more confident and engaging presenters.

Jessyca Sheehan, Vice President at Lucas Public Affairs

BREAKOUT SESSIONHOW TO BECOME A MORE ENGAGING PUBLICSPEAKER

Jessyca Sheehan has extensive experience partneringwith state, national and global organizations onstrategic communication and public affairs campaigns.Her particular areas of expertise include corporatecommunications, message development, stakeholderengagement, issues management and crisiscommunications. She has led public speaking,presentation and message training seminars andprofessional coaching for Fortune 500 companies andsenior executives.

Before joining Lucas Public Affairs, Jessyca served as vice president of a Bay Area-based public affairs agency where she oversaw strategic communications andengagement programs for high-profile statewide initiatives in the energy and utilitiessector. Previously, she was a director at the Sacramento office of APCO Worldwidewhere she led the firm’s North America Energy and Clean Tech practice. Earlier, sheworked at the California Chamber of Commerce supporting public affairs activities, andat a statewide nonprofit organization. Jessyca volunteers as a member of AWWEE's Sacramento regional team. She is alsoactively involved with California Women in Energy. In 2011, Sacramento Magazinenamed Jessyca one of “12 Women to Watch.” Jessyca has a bachelor's degree in English and French from the University of California,Los Angeles. She taught English at a high school in the southwest of France followinggraduation.

Jessyca Sheehan



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In this session, participants will discuss three common issues facing women in theworkplace: 1) Impostor Syndrome2) Navigating Work-Life Balance (especially as a caregiver)3) How to Hustle Without Burning Out. Based on a collection of New York Times articles, the presenters will guide participantsthrough interactive exercises while sharing best practices and innovative ideas.

Ivana Dorin, Program Manager at The Energy CoalitionRebecca Hausheer, Director of Energy Services at The Energy Coalition Laurel Rothschild, Vice President of Energy Programs at The Energy Coalition

BREAKOUT SESSIONTHE WORKING WOMAN'S GUIDE

Ivana manages engagement, education, and outreachactivities for The Energy Coalition and its programs.She has over eight years of experience serving theenergy needs of communities and supporting localgovernments with energy strategic planning and therollout of benchmarking requirements to IOU (investor-owned utilities) Local Government Partnerships.

Ivana Dorin

Ivana has worked with several local governments across southern California assistingthem with developing energy efficiency projects, energy action plans, and energyrelated messaging and outreach. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmentalpolicy from University of California, San Diego and a mater's degree in environmentalpolicy from Colorado State University.

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Laurel Rothschild is Vice President of EnergyPrograms at The Energy Coalition. In her role, sheoversees The Energy Coalition’s diverse portfolio ofprograms and collaborates with stakeholders acrossthe state to advance the organization's mission ofempowering communities to leap into the future ofclean energy. She has over 13 years of experiencepassionately working with local governments andcommunities to promote energy efficiency actionthrough various Programs.

Rebecca holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from University of California, LosAngeles, a master’s degree in environmental science and management from Universityof California, Santa Barbara and is a LEED Accredited Professional in Operations &Maintenance (LEED AP O+M).

Laurel Rothschild

Rebecca Hausheer

Rebecca Hausheer, Director of Energy Services for TheEnergy Coalition, leads the implementation of theSouthern California Regional Energy Network's(SoCalREN) Public Agency Programs and ensures thatall program goals and objectives are met. She has over7 years of energy efficiency experience in the publicsector with expertise managing diverse stakeholdersand project types. She provides leadership to her teamthrough her wealth of experience in investor-ownedutility (IOU) programs and has supported or led IOUSoCalREN Program coordination efforts since 2013.

As a long-time member of AWWEE, she previously served as the team leader for theOrange County/Inland Empire regional team. Laurel is a Certified Energy Auditor (CEA)and LEED Accredited Professional in Operations in Maintenance (LEED AP O+M). Shehas a bachelor’s degree in business economics from University of California, SantaBarbara.



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Anxiety and excitement source from the same chemical process in the brain. Whatseparates the two feelings is our emotional associations from past experiences. In thissession, participants will learn how to recognize the difference between true anxietyand perceived anxiety. Participants will leave this session with a few easy tools tohelp them convert perceived anxiety into excitement to alleviate stress and increaseproductivity.

Megan Poage, Lead Market Design & Regulatory Policy Developer at the CaliforniaISO

BREAKOUT SESSIONTRANSFORMING ANXIETY INTO EXCITEMENT

In her current role, she advances ISO initiatives to improve market efficiency as a leadpolicy developer. She specializes in real-time operations, energy market design, andthe energy imbalance market (EIM). Megan’s current focus is leading a redesign of theISO’s day-ahead market to enable accurate unit commitment and ensure adequatesupply is available to meet California’s dramatic net load curve – commonly referred toas the duck curve. Megan has previous experience as a manufacturing engineer and designed advancedcomposite solutions for unmanned aircraft; she also spent time as a quality engineerfor a biomedical company in the Bay Area. Megan holds a Bachelor of Science degreein mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University and a master's in aeronauticalengineering from the University of California, Davis.

Megan Poage

Although electricity may appear to be readily available,there’s a lot happening behind the scenes to keep thelights on. Megan Poage’s career with the CaliforniaISO has focused on ensuring reliable, economic energyis accessible throughout the state of California. Shespent five years as an electric grid operator andmanaged the high voltage electric system, monitoredfor contingencies and outages, and controlled energyinflow to the ISO balancing authority area.



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