Summit Speakers Dec 1 2021

Summit Series Speakers

Patricia Monahan

In April 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Patty Monahan to be one of the five commissioners on the California Energy Commission. She serves in the Energy Commission’s Science/Engineering position and is the lead commissioner on transportation. She has dedicated her career toward advancing clean energy technologies and cutting harmful pollution, with a focus on equity. Before joining the Energy Commission, she served as the transportation program director at the Energy Foundation, where she guided campaigns across the United States that advanced electric transportation and more efficient vehicles. She worked for the Union of Concerned Scientists in several roles, including director of the California office and deputy director of clean vehicles. She also worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and several energy-related consulting firms.

Commissioner Monahan received a bachelor of science degree from UC Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in energy analysis and policy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Cynthia Williams

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Cynthia Williams was appointed Director, Sustainability, Homologation and Compliance, at Ford Motor Company effective Dec. 2020. She is responsible for sustainable business plans and policies, environmental negotiations with regulatory bodies around the world, reporting on the company’s environmental and social performance, and engaging with non-government organizations and other external stakeholders.

Cynthia was the Assistant Director, Global Automotive Safety Office. In this position she was responsible for leading the safety governance process, including identifying, analyzing and making recommendations on potential safety and compliance concerns. She also was responsible for developing and coordinating responses to all government agency investigations.
Since joining Ford in 1992, as part of the Ford College Graduate Program in the Automotive Emissions and Fuel Economy Office, Cynthia held several positions, which included Ford’s Sustainability, Environment and Safety Director in Asia Pacific, Environmental Policy Manager, Energy Planning and Compliance Manager, and On-Board Diagnostics Production Compliance Programs Manager. Cynthia is the past chair of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Mobile Source Policy Committee.

Desiree Villalobos

Desiree Villalobos has over 23 years of electric utility experience at Southern California Edison, holding leadership roles in Finance, IT, and Customer Service. She is currently the Senior Manager of eMobility Business Development and Partnerships for SCE’s Charge Ready suite of programs, the largest utility-led EV charging infrastructure programs in the nation. Desiree holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Sven Thesen

Sven is a long-time electric vehicle and energy consultant and founder of ProjectGreenHome.org, one of the most energy efficient homes in the nation; BeniSol, LLC, a financing company focused on accelerating solar deployments on non-profits; and a boutique EV consulting firm. His passion for electric vehicles (EVs) began in the early 2000s. While working at PG&E, Better Place, Peninsula Clean Energy or his consulting firm, he has demonstrated vehicle-to-grid technology, the secondary use of transportation batteries in the stationary sector and intelligent charging with Tesla; spearheaded Palo Alto’s groundbreaking 2013 reach code; provided EV policy and program guidance for municipalities and the private sector; plus written numerous papers on same. At present, he is the co-leader and founder of the EV Charging Access for All Coalition advocating for equity and environmental justice in the California building codes.

Other notables include being one the 2,000 engineers and scientists whose work shares the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC guidelines. He and his family have been driving electric since 2007.

Analisa Bevan

Analisa Bevan is the Zero Emission Infrastructure Specialist at the California Air Resources Board. She oversees CARB’s zero emission fueling infrastructure activities and facilitates coordination with government agencies and stakeholders to ensure California has the necessary infrastructure to enable the transition to zero emission vehicles and equipment across light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and off-road equipment. Prior to this role she managed light-duty vehicle regulations including the Advanced Clean Cars and Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and the programs and policies that support their implementation. She has been with the Board since 1992. Ms. Bevan holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Mark Wenzel

Mark Wenzel manages the Light-Duty Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Analysis Office at the California Energy Commission, leading the State’s investments in light-duty electric vehicle charging and analytical work on infrastructure. Prior to joining the CEC, he worked on a variety of climate policy issues including transportation, emissions trading, and international engagement as a Climate Change Adviser at the California Environmental Protection Agency Office of the Secretary. He has worked for the California Air Resources Board’s Office of Climate Change and as an American Geophysical Union/American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Science Fellow. Mark earned a PhD in Earth and Planetary Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006.

Travis Allan

Travis J. Allan is the Vice-President, Public Affairs and General Counsel at FLO, one of North America’s leading electric vehicles charging networks and manufacturer of charging solutions. Travis works with and advises numerous governments across North America on electric vehicle (EV) and climate policy matters. He is the Chair of Electric Mobility Canada’s National Government Relations Committee and a member of the executive committee, a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Electric Autonomy, Chair of the Board at Project Neutral and he has been selected as one of Canada’s leading energy lawyers by Who’s Who Legal. He serves as a contributing editor at the International Energy Law Review (published by Sweet & Maxwell) and has previously served as adjunct faculty at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Moderator

Gil Tal

Gil Tal, Ph.D., is the Director of the Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center at the University of California, Davis (UCD). He is also a member of the faculty at the Transportation Technology and Policy Graduate Group and the Energy Graduate Group at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Tal is a leading expert on electric vehicle travel behavior, as well as understanding the role that incentives and infrastructure play in the electric vehicle market worldwide. He also researches the electrification of new mobility services and automated vehicles and their impacts on the electric grid. Dr. Tal published more than eighty articles and peer-reviewed conference proceedings and he works with policy makers and decision makers from government and industry in the US, China, and Europe. Previously, Dr. Tal was a post-doctoral researcher at UC Berkeley, and UC Davis. He holds a Ph.D. in Transportation Technology and Policy from UC Davis and a M.A. in Environmental Policy and Planning from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Dedrick Roper

Dedrick Roper has over 10 years of experience cultivating public-private partnerships, business offerings, and programs that advance electric mobility. His enterprising spirit and creative problem solving has helped spearhead EV adoption initiatives in some of North America’s most challenging segments. Dedrick is currently Director, Public-Private Partnerships at ChargePoint where his team helps public agencies achieve their EV charging deployment, R&D and manufacturing goals. Dedrick also serves on the board of directors at Charge Across Town, a nonprofit dedicated to getting people excited about driving and purchasing EVs. Prior to ChargePoint, Dedrick was a business leader in personal mobility including electric car share and electric bike share. He also spent four years in the NFL as a professional football player.

Jamie Hall

Jamie Hall is a senior strategist on the global public policy team at General Motors where he leads policy and regulatory efforts to support GM’s vision of a zero-emission future. He works closely with GM technical teams, policymakers, and industry stakeholders on policies and programs to enable EV market growth, including but not limited to infrastructure considerations and vehicle-grid integration. Prior to GM, he served as Policy Director at CALSTART, where he led legislative and regulatory initiatives in the clean transportation space. He received degrees from Princeton University and the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley.

Miriam Bouallegue

Miriam joined MEC in December 2019 as a Program Coordinator. She previously worked for the Missouri Department of Economic Development, as an Economic Development Incentive Specialist for the Community Development Block Grant program.

She received her Bachelor’s in Business Administration with concentration on International Business and minors in French and Economics from Truman State University. She is currently working on her Master’s of Public Administration at Southeast Missouri State University.

When Miriam has free time, she enjoys hiking Missouri’s many state parks and conservation areas with her dog, and exploring new restaurants in Kansas City.

Sara Rafalson

Sara Rafalson is a Vice President of Market Development and Public Policy at EVgo, where she leads public policy efforts to support the expansion of EVgo’s fleet electrification work as well as the company’s nation-leading public EV fast charging network with over800 locations across the U.S. Prior to joining the EVgo team, Ms. Rafalson led public policy and market strategy efforts for a national solar energy development firm based in Washington, D.C.

Nick Nigro

Moderator

Nick Nigro is the founder of Atlas Public Policy and has led Atlas as the company has become a respected voice in the public policy field. Nick has nearly 20 years of experience managing teams of various disciplines and sizes with a focus on innovation and value creation. He is a nationally known expert on climate change policy, transportation electrification, and the greater use of data in policy analysis. He has led the development of several complex financial and policy analysis tools, convened large groups of diverse stakeholders nationwide, is a frequent public speaker on energy and environmental issues, and has expert knowledge in web, database, and other advanced technologies. Nick holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of California Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Chris Faretta

Chris Faretta is the Clean Transportation Programs Manager for San Diego Gas & Electric. He is responsible for the Project Management Office which develops and implements the utility’s transportation electrification infrastructure programs. Prior to his Clean Transportation role, he held various roles at SDG&E in Fleet Services, Corporate Real Estate, and Land Services. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from California State University Northridge and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Yale School of Management.

Nicole Lewandowski

With over a decade of experience in the EV industry, Nicole helps retailers, real estate groups, and landlords identify and execute strategies for how to successfully bring EV charging to their properties. As Vice President of Site Development at EVgo, Nicole and her team help bring fast EV charging to locations across the country in a way that is seamless and effective. With experience working with EV networks and EV manufacturers such as Tesla, Faraday Future and SemaConnect, and a background in Retail Business from Columbia College, Nicole brings a unique perspective and experience to partners and companies alike.

Eric Wood

Eric Wood is a Senior Engineer at NREL leading EV infrastructure projects in California, New York, and on behalf of the US Department of Energy. Working in NREL’s Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences, Eric has a decade of experience integrating real-world travel data into the analysis of vehicle, infrastructure, and energy storage systems. He has a background in mechanical engineering and enjoys working at the intersection of the automotive, transportation, and power sectors.

John Eichberger

John Eichberger is Executive Director at the Fuels Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to evaluating issues affecting the vehicles and fuels markets.

Prior to the Fuels Institute, Eichberger was the Vice President of Government Relations for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) for nine years, where he oversaw the association’s government relations activities; represented the convenience and petroleum retailing industry before Congress, the Administration and the media; and directed the association’s petroleum related activities. Prior to that role, Eichberger was as the Director of Motor Fuels at NACS for six years. John joined the CEA board of directors in January of 2015.

Nancy Ryan

Dr. Nancy Ryan’s expertise combines high level government, corporate, and nonprofit experience crafting innovative public policies and regulations. She concentrates on strategic advice and economic analysis for utilities, OEMs, mobility companies, regulators, and investors throughout North America.

She focuses on successful outcomes that define the role of governments, utilities, and third-party vendors in the complex and dynamic arena of EV infrastructure deployment through market assessment, cost benefit analysis, valuation of vehicle-grid integration, and tariff design for EV charging.

Nancy served as the lead commissioner formulating first-in-the-nation transportation electrification policies at the California Public Utilities Commission. She continued in the private sector at Energy & Environmental Economics (E3), founding the consultancy’s transportation electrification practice.

Britta Gross

Britta Gross is the Managing Director of RMI’s mobility practice area, focused on the market-driven strategies and technologies required to accelerate towards carbon-free mobility solutions. Ms. Gross was formerly the Director of Advanced Vehicle Commercialization at General Motors, responsible for the energy and infrastructure strategies required to enable the commercialization of battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Britta is also currently the President of OUC’s Board of Commissioners, Orlando’s electric and water utility

Britta has an Electrical Engineering degree from LSU and studied language arts at the University of Wurzburg in Germany. She holds and has held numerous board seats, including the Alliance for Transportation Electrification (ATE), the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), MobilityData, Plug in America, the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) and served as a Governor appointee on both the Massachusetts Zero Emission Vehicle Commission and the Maryland Electric Vehicle and Infrastructure Commission. Ms. Gross has received numerous industry awards including the Forth Roadmap Career Achievement Award, Automotive News’ “Electrifying 100”, the GreenBiz “Verge 25” award, has testified to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and speaks regularly to national audiences on topics related to transportation electrification.

Josh Boone

Josh Boone is the founding executive director of Veloz. Josh has worked in the zero-emissions vehicle field for more than 10 years, bringing the public and private sectors together to advance awareness, understanding and consideration for electric cars. He creatively brings his policy and technical background to grow engagement across a variety of networks to passionately implement Veloz’s Electric For All mission.

Previously, Josh was the deputy executive director of the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative upon which Veloz was founded. He led all Veloz development efforts to foster the initial concept, including directing work efforts to give the organization a name, brand, visual identity, philosophy and workplan while also spearheading board development.

Josh holds MS and BS degrees from the University of California, Davis, and has authored several scientific publications. He and his wife have three children and drive electric.