ENERGYANDPOLICY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Research and Communications Manager
- Research and Communications Manager at the Energy
- Research and Communications Specialist at the Energy and Policy Institute
Alissa Jean Schafer is a research and communications specialist at the Energy and Policy Institute.
Alissa Jean Schafer is a research and communications manager at the Energy and Policy Institute. She has been working in the policy and advocacy space since 2014, following several years of work in the building materials and solar industry. Most recently, Alissa was the solar and communications manager at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, managing many aspects of the statewide 2016 solar campaigns in Florida and working to advance good solar policy throughout the Southeast United States.
Alissa has a successful track record of working to effect change in the quest for climate change mitigation and adaptation. She is a recipient of the Solutions Project ONE100 award, serves on the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District, and is a board member for the Broward County Ruth's List and Floridians for Lowered Energy Costs. Alissa is also a clean energy educator for Catalyst Miami, a consultant to many elected officials and candidates, and a former Sunshot Initiative coach for the Department of Energy.
Alissa holds a MS in Communication Science from Grand Valley State University in her home state of Michigan, along with her BS in Communications from Aquinas College. South Florida has been home since 2012.
Job Titles:
- Research Manager
- Research Manager at the Energy
Charlie Spatz is a research manager at the Energy and Policy Institute. Prior to joining EPI, Charlie was a researcher for the Climate Investigations Center where he uncovered thousands of records documenting how gas utilities undermine climate solutions at the local, state and federal levels of government. His research can be found in dozens of new outlets, including National Public Radio, Associated Press, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Vox.
Charlie has campaigned on climate and energy issues since 2014, which includes work with Greenpeace USA and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. He currently lives in Portland, Maine.
Job Titles:
- Research and Communication Manager for the Energy
- Research and Communications Manager
Daniel Tait is a Research and Communication Manager for the Energy and Policy Institute. Prior to joining EPI, he was Chief Executive Officer of Energy Alabama, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy through education, advocacy, and technical assistance. He now serves as Energy Alabama's Executive Director.
Daniel has worked in sustainable energy since 2011 when a tornado outbreak in North Alabama motivated him to get involved with local efforts to build a more resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure.
Daniel was named the 2015 International Young Energy Professional of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers and is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, Huntsville Chapter. He also serves on the board of directors at Neighborhood Concepts, a Huntsville-based non-profit organization strengthening neighborhoods through the creation of affordable housing and the advancement of economic opportunities, and he serves on the advisory committee for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light.
Daniel is a graduate of Leadership Huntsville/Madison County's Connect Program and the Alabama Leadership Initiative. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a degree in International Trade and Foreign Language and resides in Huntsville, Alabama with his wife and two children.
Job Titles:
- Policy and Communications Manager
- Policy and Communications Manager for the Energy
Dave Anderson is the policy and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute.
Dave has been working at the nexus of clean energy and public policy since 2008. Prior to joining the Energy and Policy Institute, he was an outreach coordinator for the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He is also an alumnus of the Sierra Club and the Alliance for Climate Protection (now the Climate Reality Project).
Dave's research has helped to spur investigations into political attacks on clean energy and climate science by powerful special interests, such as ExxonMobil and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). His work has been cited by major media outlets, such as CBS News and the Wall Street Journal, and he has served as a speaker on panels at national solar industry conferences.
Dave holds a MA in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire, where he also received a BA in Humanities.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Executive Director of the Energy
- Executive Director of the Energy and Policy Institute
David Pomerantz is the executive director of the Energy and Policy Institute.
Prior to joining EPI, David spent eight years working with Greenpeace to move the electric sector away from fossil fuel and towards renewable energy. As a senior climate and energy campaigner, David worked to push major internet technology companies, including Apple and Amazon, to power their data centers with 100% renewable energy. The campaign catalyzed hundreds of megawatts of new renewable energy development and helped to defend and expand renewable energy policies and investment in the United States and abroad.
In addition, David designed and implemented the communications strategy for Greenpeace's work on electricity, leading to media coverage in Bloomberg Businessweek, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Wired Magazine. He also organized in communities in Ohio and New England for federal climate change and toxic chemical legislation. He previously worked as a reporter for newspapers in Boston and New York City.
Job Titles:
- Research and Communications Manager
- Research and Communications Manager at the Energy
Itai Vardi is a research and communications manager at the Energy and Policy Institute. Prior to joining the Energy and Policy Institute, he was an investigative journalist focusing on the fossil fuel industry and utilities, climate change denial and industry front groups, money in politics, and regulatory capture. His work appeared in such outlets as The Guardian, Huffington Post, DeSmog, and Mother Jones.
Itai also has a background in academia, where he conducted research and taught courses on the sociology of technology, social problems, and race & power. He has a MA in sociology from Tel Aviv University and a PhD in sociology from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Research and Communications Manager for the Energy
- Research and Communications Manager for the Energy and Policy Institute
Joe Smyth is a Research and Communications Manager for the Energy and Policy Institute. He has worked on climate and energy policy since 2007, as a researcher, writer, and organizer. He is a member-owner of an electric cooperative in Colorado and has investigated a variety of energy issues in the West, including the federal coal program, restrictions on distributed renewable energy development, and electric cooperatives.
Job Titles:
- Research and Communications Manager for the Energy
Karlee Weinmann is a research and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute. In her previous role at the City of Minneapolis, she focused on climate and land use policy and led development of nationally recognized ordinances that increase transparency of home energy costs. Karlee was also a researcher for the Energy Democracy Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and, before that, a reporter covering Wall Street dealmaking for a legal newswire. She lives in Minneapolis.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Research Associate for the Energy
Keriann Conroy is the research associate for the Energy and Policy Institute. Keriann has worked as a community organizer with the #TriHarder campaign, focusing on local, electric cooperative board reform and Colorado state climate legislation. She served as a research associate for Sustainable Development Strategies Group, analyzing the financial responsibility of municipal electric utilities in coal plant decommissioning.
Keriann graduated from the Master in Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University in 2019. Her masters' thesis researched the role of democratic, public participation in rural electric cooperatives and their generation and transmission providers. She has published writings on the Koch Brothers, the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Rural Electrification Act, and Tri-State Generation & Transmission.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director
- Deputy Director at the Energy
Matt Kasper is the deputy director at the Energy and Policy Institute. Before joining the Energy and Policy Institute in 2014, Matt was a research assistant for the Energy and Environment Policy Team at the Center for American Progress where he worked on state and local policy issues. Matt was also a fellow for Organizing for America in Indiana, and he spent time working in Hartford, Connecticut for the state legislature. A native of Illinois, Matt graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis. He lives in Illinois.
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow at Essential Information
Shelby Green is a Research Fellow at Essential Information, a non-profit dedicated to providing information to the public on important policy topics and encouraging public participation. She's working with the Energy and Policy Institute to research how to use data and social media to openly track how utilities evade accountability and climate responsibility.
Her interest in open communication extends to her position as Supervisor for Leon County's (FL) Soil and Water Conservation District, where she relies on citizen scientists and public data to monitor the health of local resources.