Bradley (“Brad”) Grams (they/them/theirs) is the Associate Director of Planning at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where they lead the Agency’s strategic finance and enterprise risk management (ERM) teams. Outside of the EPA, Brad is an Adjunct Lecturer in Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies, where they focus on qualitative research and program evaluation methods in the public sector and lead their Public Policy and Administration and Affinity Leaders and Learners mentoring programs. They also are an active mentor for students pursuing environmental and sustainability policy careers at The University of Chicago, Princeton University, Harvard University’s Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program, and Yale University’s Financing and Deploying Clean Energy Program. They hold degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Studies, both from the University of Chicago (AB/SB, 2005), and a Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) degree from Northwestern University (2017), where they focused on global environmental policy involving voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental social and governance (ESG) initiatives. They were a part of the 2021 DC CELI cohort.

Darien has worked at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) since 2016. In her current role, she advocates for climate action and clean energy policies in Congress, with a specific focus on electric vehicle infrastructure and zero-emission school buses. She has led the companion report to LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard since 2019. The report analyzes votes and leadership from the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. She studied Political Science and Campaign Management at American University. Darien is an alum of the CELI DC 2022 cohort and has previously worked with EMILY’s List and the EPA’s Office of Public Engagement.

Gerard works on the Programs & Policy team in Nuveen Green Capital’s New York City Office. He works with stakeholders and interested parties to advance Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) legislation across the nation. Gerard previously managed the Maryland Commercial PACE program. Under Gerard’s leadership, Maryland grew to have 15 C-PACE counties enables and over $20 million in clean energy investments. Gerard also helped develop C-PACE markets across the Midwest and Rocky Midwest closing C-PACE transactions in six states.

Gerard was also selected as a fellow at the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) that recruits and develops young professionals with strong working knowledge of energy markets and policy. While in graduate school, Gerard worked in the UK’s House of Lords conducting research and education on electricity market reform policy. Gerard received his B.A. in Political Science from Wake Forest University and holds a M.A. in International Political Economy from King’s College London.

Jackie works in the Office of Complete Streets in the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability. She works to build active transportation networks throughout the city of Philadelphia to improve mobility and address climate change by reducing car dependency. Prior to working with OCS, Jackie worked with the Office of Emergency Management on regional preparedness and supply chain resilience planning. Jackie's previous career experience includes climate change policy, clean energy project finance, and nonprofit management.

Jackie is the co-founder and founding Executive Director of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute. In this role, she oversaw all operations and expanded CELI from Washington DC to the San Francisco Bay Area. Jackie has an MA in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Resource Economics from the University of Delaware.

Lavannya Pulluveetil Barrera (she/her) has a background in organizing, advocacy, and community education around environmental justice, energy justice, food sovereignty, and more. She currently works as a consultant supporting the most visionary leaders committed to a just transition. Previously, she served as a Program Officer at The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, leading grantmaking in the Midwest. Before joining the Fund, Lavannya developed Vote Solar’s community partnership initiatives and supported the organization’s work to build an inclusive culture. Lavannya was also a Tom Graff Diversity Fellow with Environmental Defense Fund, focused on the equitable implementation of clean energy legislation. She was part of the 2020 Chicago CELI cohort.

Miaoru (she/her) is passionate about quantifying sustainability into financial metrics. She currently works in decarbonizing buildings for Amazon Web Services and has experience with project finance for solar developers and offtakers. She is the first in her family to attend college and work a white-collar job. Miaoru is an alum of the CELI DC 2021 cohort. In her free time, she’s learning hydroponic gardening and composting.