Sascha von Meier
vonmeier@berkeley.edu
Program Director – Electric Grid Research, California Institute for Energy and Environment
Adjunct Professor, UC Berkeley
EcoBlock Project Principal Investigator; co-lead Energy team
Team(s): Energy, Project Management
Bio
Alexandra “Sascha” von Meier directs electric grid research at CIEE; she is also an adjunct professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department and a faculty scientist at LBNL. Her research focuses on the effective integration of renewable resources in the electric grid, specifically through the use of advanced sensing and control technologies. Sascha holds a BA in physics and a PhD in energy and resources from UC Berkeley. From 1999-2011 she was a professor of energy management and design at Sonoma State University, where she directed the Environmental Technology Center and the Green Building Certificate Program.
Daniel Kammen
kammen@berkeley.edu
Professor, UC Berkeley
EcoBlock Project co-Principal Investigator (PI of Phase 1)
Team(s): Energy, Project Management
Bio
Dr. Daniel M. Kammen is a Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley, with parallel appointments in the Energy and Resources Group where he serves as Chair, the Goldman School of Public Policy where he directs the Center for Environmental Policy, and the department of Nuclear Engineering. Kammen is the founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL; rael.berkeley.edu), and was Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center from 2007 – 2015.
Cathy Leonard
cathylnrd@gmail.com
Executive Director, Oakland Neighborhoods for Equity
Team(s): Community
Bio
Cathy a leading advocate for public safety, education, and neighborhood planning in Northwest Oakland. She is part of the staff of the Phat Beats food collective and formed a new consulting group, Oakland Neighborhoods for Equity.
Alex McBride
amcbride@oaklandca.gov
Assistant to the City Administrator/Chief Resilience Officer, City of Oakland
Team(s): Urban Planning
Therese Peffer
tpeffer@berkeley.edu
Program Director – Enabling Technologies, Energy Use in Buildings, California Institute for Energy and Environment
EcoBlock Co-lead Design/Construction Team, Interim Project Manager
Team(s): Design/Construction; Project Management
Bio
Therese manages and conducts energy-in-buildings and behavior research at UC Berkeley, ranging from new sensors, thermostat control and design, user interfaces and feedback, building controls, and innovative software to enable the energy, comfort and convenience benefits of the Internet of Things. She co-chairs the Behavior Energy and Climate Change conference. Therese earned a MArch at UOregon, a PhD in Building Science/Architecture at UC Berkeley, and is a licensed Architect. She lived on a solar and wind-powered homestead while writing and editing for Home Power magazine, and is currently trying to achieve a zero carbon lifestyle in her own home.
Kiran Jain
kiran.jain@gmail.com
Principal, Cityfi
EcoBlock General Counsel
Team(s): Legal
Bio
Kiran Jain is currently the Principal and lead resiliency subject matter expert at Cityfi. Kiran is formerly the former Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Neighborly, a venture-backed company delivering modern community finance to build the infrastructure people rely on to work, live, and play. She is the former Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Oakland, one of the inaugural cities in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities network. Kiran has served as a senior deputy city attorney focusing on land use, urban redevelopment and municipal governance. She is the founder of the Civic Design Lab focused on building community resilience.
From 2010 through 2013, Kiran served on the board of Asian Law Caucus, the nation’s first legal and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian Pacific American communities. Kiran also served as the founding attorney for Kiva, a nonprofit microfinance platform with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Kiran has received several honors for her work including the Asian American Bar Association’s Joe Morozumi Award for Exceptional Legal Advocacy, NAPABA Best Lawyers Under 40 and Next City Vanguard.
Harrison Fraker
fraker@berkeley.edu
Professor, UC Berkeley
EcoBlock Project Senior Advisor (co-PI of Phase 1)
Team(s): Design/Construction
Bio
Harrison Fraker, Jr., F.A.I.A., was educated as an architect and urban designer at Princeton and Cambridge Universities and is recognized as a pioneer in passive solar, daylighting and sustainable design research and teaching. He has pursued a career bridging innovative architecture and urban design education with an award-winning practice. He has published seminal articles on the design potential of sustainable systems and urban design principles for transit oriented neighborhoods.
Carl Blumstein
blumstei@berkeley.edu
Director, California Institute for Energy and Environment
Team: Project management
Bio
Carl has 35 years of experience in energy research and R&D management, and served for 10 years as the Associate Director of CIEE before becoming the Director in 2002. His research interests center on energy efficiency and energy policy. Carl’s recent work has included publications concerning evaluation and incentives for energy efficiency programs, the administration of energy efficiency programs, restructuring in the electric power supply industry, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and the role of market transformation in energy efficiency programs. Carl is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a member of the Board of Trustees of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, and a member of the Gas Technology Institute’s Public Interest Advisory Committee.
Eric Lee
ericclee@berkeley.edu
Research Administrator, California Institute for Energy and Environment
EcoBlock Team Administrator, Assistant Project Manager
Team: Project Lead
Bio
Eric Lee is responsible for pre- and post-award contracting duties including proposal preparation, award administration, subcontracting, and budget compliance. He prioritizes customer service and teamwork in his communications with Principal Investigators, Research Coordinators, Sponsored Projects Offices, and Contracts and Grants Accounting, as well as sponsor agencies and research institutions at the State, Federal, and private industry levels. Eric holds an M.B.A. in Finance from California State University, East Bay, and a B.A. in Managerial Economics from University of California, Davis.
Rich Brown
REBrown@lbl.gov
Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
EcoBlock Energy Team Lead
Team(s): Energy
Bio
Rich Brown is a research scientist in the Building Technologies and Urban Systems Division, where he has conducted research on energy use in buildings for over 20 years. He leads a team that is working to understand and develop solutions to address the growing energy use of electronics and miscellaneous equipment in buildings. His research interests include energy efficient digital networks, extreme efficiency in off-grid applications, data centers, and field monitoring of miscellaneous equipment in buildings. He leads LBNL’s technical support to the EPA Energy Star product labeling program. He holds an M.A. degree from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S.E. in Engineering and Management Systems from Princeton University.
Kate Ringness
Kate.Ringness@smartblocks.org
Co-Founder & Managing Director, SmartBlock Communities
EcoBlock Project Senior Advisor
Team(s): Legal/Finance/Business
Bio
Kate Ringness draws from her experience in policy, law, and finance to address climate change and affordable housing by working with diverse teams to design multifaceted energy efficiency, renewable energy, storage, and water conservation solutions for urban communities. She currently serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Oakland EcoBlock project.
She is a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley, where she has led coursework on advanced energy and economic development and conducts research on community microgrids.
Kate previously served as Co-Founder and Managing Director of The American Jobs Project, developing impactful strategies to grow local economies and create jobs for the millions of Americans who struggle to meet basic needs. She has a track record of constructing practical pathways to capitalize on the advanced energy economy and has authored more than 10 state-specific comprehensive publications.
Earlier in her career, Kate gained significant private sector experience, first as a small business owner and then as in-house counsel for Merrill Lynch in Europe, where she launched subsidiaries in three countries and advised the investment banking group. She is a Phi Beta Kappa honors graduate of Bucknell University, earned J.D. and LL.M. degrees from Duke Law School, and holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley.
Tim Lipman
telipman@berkeley.edu
Co-Director, Transportation Studies Research Center
Research Affiliate, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
EcoBlock Mobility Team Lead
Team(s): Mobility
Bio
Timothy E. Lipman is an energy and environmental technology, economics, and policy researcher and lecturer with the University of California – Berkeley. He is serving as Co-Director for the campus’ Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC), based at the Institute of Transportation Studies, and also as Director of the Northern California Center for Alternative Transportation Fuels and Advanced Vehicle Technologies (NorthCAT — see “northcat.org”) effort. Tim’s research focuses on electric-drive vehicles, fuel cell technology, combined heat and power systems, biofuels, renewable energy, and electricity and hydrogen energy systems infrastructure.
Lipman received his Ph.D. degree in Environmental Policy Analysis with the Graduate Group in Ecology at UC Davis (1999). He also has received an M.S. degree in the technology track of the Graduate Group in Transportation Technology and Policy, also at UC Davis (1998), and a B.A. from Stanford University (1990). His Ph.D. dissertation titled “Zero-Emission Vehicle Scenario Cost Analysis Using A Fuzzy Set-Based Framework” received the University of California Transportation Center’s ‘Charlie Wootan’ Ph.D. dissertation award for 1999. He is also a 2005 Climate Change Fellow with the Woods Institute at Stanford University, and he also received a 2004 Institute of Transportation Engineers service award, a 1998 NSF IGERT teaching fellowship, a 1997 University of California Transportation Center Dissertation Grant, a 1996 ENO Foundation Fellowship, a 1995 University of California Transportation Center Dissertation Grant, and a 1994 Chevron Foundation Fellowship. A native of Golden, Colorado, he graduated Cum Laude from Colorado Academy in 1986.
Sandy Robertson
sandrob@stanford.edu
Senior Research Engineer, Stanford University
EcoBlock Water Team co-lead
Team(s): Water
Bio
Dr. Robertson is a Senior Research Engineer (retired) and Lecturer in the Environmental Engineering and Science Program at Stanford. He works in the areas of physical-chemical processes for water and wastewater treatment as well as aquatic geochemistry. His bachelor’s degree, from Harvard College, is in Engineering and Applied Physics. He did his M.S. and Ph.D. work in Environmental Engineering and Science at Stanford. He spent two years in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer working on village water projects. He has also worked as a consulting engineer in Sacramento, California. At Stanford, his work has included studies related to copper partitioning in soils and groundwaters, photocatalytic oxidation of contaminants, membrane processes, and children’s exposure to pesticides. He has helped develop and run the Clean Water Program and Singapore Stanford Partnership, (graduate education) joint efforts involving the Stanford Environmental and Water Studies group and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
Ted Lamm
tlamm@law.berkeley.edu
Research Fellow, Climate Program, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
Team(s): Legal/Finance/Business
Larry Strain
strain@siegelstrain.com
Principal, Siegel & Strain Architects
EcoBlock co-lead Design/Construction Team
Team(s): Design/Construction; Community Engagement
Bio
Larry has 40+ year background in sustainable design, studied ecological systems at the Evergreen State College and the Farallones Institute in the 1970’s, and the early 1990’s, wrote a Guideline Specification for Green Materials, which became part of Building Green’s GreenSpec Directory. He has spoken on materials and sustainability at conferences throughout the country, is a past board member of the Northern California Chapter of the USGBC, and currently serves on the boards of the Ecological Building Network and the Carbon Leadership Forum. For the past 7 years Larry has focused on reducing the total carbon footprint of our buildings.
Susi Marzuola
susi@siegelstrain.com
Principal, Siegel & Strain Architects
EcoBlock co-lead Design/Construction Team
Team(s): Design/Construction; Community Engagement
Christine Scott Thomson
csthomson@pagethink.com
Senior Associate / Urban Planner, Page Southerland Page
Team(s): Urban Planning
Bio
Christine is an urban planner and designer with a focus on urban development, housing, and community revitalization projects that integrate sustainability at the urban and campus scale. With over twenty years of environmental planning and design experience, she specializes in using green site design and building strategies in her planning projects. Christine has been recognized as a member of the 2011 team of finalists in the Kaiser Permanente Small Hospital, Big Idea Design Competition and the 2004 winning team of the USGBC International Design Competition. She is a Certified Planner, LEED accredited professional, and a member of the American Planning Association.
Andréa Traber
atraber@integralgroup.com
Managing Principal, Integral Group
Team(s): Energy
Bio
Andrea brings years of combined experience in business leadership, deep green architecture, and sustainability and resilience consulting to her role as Managing Principal of Integral Group’s Oakland office. Internationally recognized as a green building and sustainability expert, Andrea has been involved in numerous green building projects, climate action plans, and sustainability and energy programs. A natural leader, Andrea is focused on inspiring her team to be engaged, inclusive, future-focused, and action-oriented.
Amy Dryden
adryden@aea.us.org
Director of Strategic Innovations, Association for Energy Affordability (AEA)
Team(s): Design/Construction
Bio
As a nationally recognized leader on green and low-carbon building, Amy brings over 20 years of industry experience to the EcoBlock team. Her interests lie in addressing climate change holistically through decarbonization and providing healthier homes that prioritize our most vulnerable communities. Amy recently served as the Director of Policy and Technical Innovation at Franklin Energy, where she advanced the firm’s strategic vision by designing market-friendly programs and developing policies and standards to support state and national goals. She is also the chief building scientist and researcher at Built It Green (BIG), where she has led the development of GreenPoint Rated for existing homes and a multifamily energy efficiency program.
Before joining BIG in 1997, Amy worked for a community planning firm where she managed community/watershed level planning efforts nationally to comprehensively address development, green infrastructure, climate mitigation and cultural preservation. Amy has extensive experience as a consultant in the building industry, and also worked as a builder/contractor. In the late 1990s, Amy initiated green building standards for two affordable housing developers, changing the way they built homes. In addition, Amy is a maker with a passion for creating and paddling.
Amy holds a Masters in City Planning and a Masters in Landscape Architecture/Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design.
David Warner
david@redhorseconstructors.com
Owner & CEO, Redhorse Constructors
Team(s): Design/Construction
Bio
David Warner is the founder and owner of Redhorse Constructors, one of the nation’s premier custom home construction companies in Northern California. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Elgin Energy Company, a geothermal development company in Northern California and founder of the Marin Agricultural Wind Co-op, a wind development charter whose mission is to provide locally produced energy to the Marin County energy grid. In 2010, he co-founded Human Needs Project with actress Connie Nielsen to bring a new level of quality water and sanitation services to the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. David holds a B.S. in Conservation of Natural Resources from UC Berkeley.
Nate Perez
nate@financedta.com
Managing Director, DTA
Team(s): Finance/Business
Bio
Mr. Perez has a background in law, economics, business administration, and statistical analysis. Since joining DTA, Mr. Perez has been involved in all aspects of the formation and implementation of hundreds of Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts and Assessment Districts located throughout California and other states, with responsibilities related to the development of tax spread proforma analyses, the preparation of rate and method of apportionments, public reports, and the accompanying agreements and bond disclosures. Additionally, Mr. Perez is DTA’s Program Manager for the California Statewide Communities Development Authority – Statewide Community Infrastructure Program (“SCIP”), for which DTA acts as the Assessment Engineer and Administrator for new districts all over the State.
Mr. Perez also has extensive expertise in the preparation, peer-review, and defense of development impact fee studies. This includes considerable work related to the preparation of facilities needs lists and the apportionment of infrastructure and services costs to a variety of land uses based on benefit criteria. He has also specialized in the apportionment of costs and the setting of service levels for the construction and maintenance of law enforcement and fire protection facilities, open space acquisition, parkland, transportation facilities, drainage facilities, government services facilities, community centers, and library facilities. Furthermore, he has also completed nearly 110 fiscal impact reports and 45 economic development analyses for a variety of residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments throughout California, New Mexico, Washington, and Texas.
Finally, his experience as an attorney has allowed Mr. Perez to effectively and efficiently evaluate dozens of state and Federal legal, regulatory, and administrative frameworks related to public finance and infrastructure development.
Prior to joining DTA, Mr. Perez worked for the Boston office of an international law firm, where he advised sponsors, managers, and investors on the tax aspects of fund formation and investment. Mr. Perez is admitted to the bar in both Massachusetts and California. Mr. Perez received his law degree from Harvard Law School, and his B.A. in Economics and History, with the highest distinction, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mr. Perez is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, where he regularly volunteers with UrbanPlan, the California Bar Association, and the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Mr. Perez has attained his Series 50 licensing as a registered Municipal Advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.