Climate Portfolio Manager, Emerson Collective

Amanda is a Climate Portfolio Manager at the Emerson Collective where she leads philanthropic investments at the intersection of climate and community empowerment. She previously led growth strategy for a Silicon Valley agriculture technology company and helped start a solar energy company in Nepal. Amanda is an avid plant-based chef and loves exchanging recipes.

Managing Director, S2E Technologies (US) Inc.

Ashley Hammerbacher is the Managing Director for S2E Technologies (US) Inc. where she leads the development of sustainable communities and buildings. Ashley particularly enjoys the challenge of transforming the building industry's perspective on what immediate changes are possible to create a net-zero building stock. Ashley loves to run and ski (especially back home in Canada), but also loves to laze around inside reading sci-fi, romance, and fantasy novels.

Principal Product Manager, Grid Innovation, Pacific Gas & Electric Company

Bennett is the program lead for PG&E’s Remote Grid Initiative, creating a new type of utility service through Standalone Power Systems using hybrid renewable microgrid technology. Bennett also takes risks on stage as an improviser and in the mountains on rock and snow.

Sr. Technical Program Manager, Energy Products Engineering, Tesla

C. Barker Carlock is a Sr. Technical Program Manager for Tesla's Energy Product Engineering team where he helps oversee the industrial storage battery programs. His passion for building equitable energy ecosystems drives his career ambitions, which are focused on ensuring emerging markets have access to the clean energy they need to grow sustainably. Barker also serves as a board member to A Home Within, an organization that provides a platform for mental health services to the beautiful lives in foster care. When not working, you might find Barker spending quality time with friends in the great outdoors, working with his hands to create something new, or enjoying a meal with his patient, loving partner.

Associate, McGuireWoods

Caroline Jo focuses her practice on advising project developers, sponsors, investors, and financiers in all aspects of the development, financing, and acquisition, and sale of renewable energy projects throughout the United States. She's lived in eight countries on four continents and has left the Bay Area twice, only to move back for the third time because she couldn't stay away from both the weather and the great density of incredible folks working in clean energy.

Associate Director, Samuel Lawrence Foundation

Chelsi Sparti is the associate director of Samuel Lawrence Foundation where she advances positive social change on environmental and energy issues. She is Indigenous, of the Wintu tribe in Northern California. Chelsi is an incoming master's student at Cal Berkeley's Energy and Resources Group. She spends her free time exploring trails and scuba diving.

Senior Energy Analytics Engineer, Hanwha Q Cells North America

Dakota is a Senior Energy Analytics Engineer for Hanwha Q Cells North America where he designs energy storage + solar projects for C&I applications and does product management for internal analytics platforms. Dakota is also a Board Director and Community Engagement Lead for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), a non-profit where he works to build a pipeline for AANHPIs in public service. In his spare time, Dakota enjoys practicing kendo, taiko, capoeira, mixing music, or going on foraging + backpacking trips to source ingredients for monthly pop-ups out of his kitchen.

Contract Specialist, Wärtsilä Energy

Davita is a contract specialist for Wärtsilä's Energy Storage and Optimization group, where she specializes in lifecycle services for grid-scale battery energy storage systems. Previously she worked in proposal management for standalone, hybrid, and microgrid battery storage applications. Davita enjoys downhill skiing and recently began fostering elderly dogs.

Sales Director, Voltus

Diana is a Sales Director at Voltus where she helps C&I energy users maximize the value of their operational flexibility and manages ongoing demand response customer relationships, across new U.S. markets. She is an avid skier, road cyclist, and general outdoor enthusiast. Diana loves food and spent a not-insignificant amount of time during COVID honing her pasta-making skills. She is passionate about grid edge technologies that promote the clean energy transition and excited to learn from her fellowship cohort as well as the broader CELI community.

MBA Candidate, Kelley School of Business

Divya is a chemical engineer. She has worked as a process engineer in the oil and petrochemical industry designing different units of the plant. Passionate about moving into greener avenues of the industry she switched to applications of membranes and absorbents for reduced carbon emissions. She is currently pursuing her MBA from Kelley School of Business to fortify her grounding in strategy and business development in clean energy.

Divya loves classical music and is professionally trained in Indian Carnatic music. Incorporating yoga into her life was the best thing she did during the pandemic and hopes to be able to do a headstand someday.

Senior Program Operations Analyst, Stem Inc

Eleanor Adachi is a Senior Program Operations Analyst at Stem Inc, where she manages performance reporting to external stakeholders and supports energy storage system operations in demand response and performance-based incentive programs. Prior to Stem, she worked on resource adequacy at PG&E and developed solar projects for nonprofits and low-income communities at Resonant Energy. Eleanor holds degrees in engineering science and physics from Smith College. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, reading, and getting creative in the kitchen.

Midmarket Account Executive, Aurora Solar

Elliot Goldstein is a 'Solarcoaster' veteran and an Account Executive at Aurora Solar. At Aurora Solar, he partners with growth stage solar contractors around the world to improve their design and sales processes by leveraging the Aurora platform. When he's not talking about the future of distributed solar and storage you can find him saying weird lines at Bay Area improv events or cycling in the East Bay hills. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economic Geography from the University of California, Berkeley, and has served as a Climate Corps Bay Area Fellow and volunteer with GRID Alternatives to install solar around the Bay Area.

Market Intelligence and Insights Manager, Karius

Ethel is a Market Intelligence and Insights Manager at Karius, where she focuses on developing a deep understanding of customers' needs and experiences to inform strategy and drive scale. Ethel is interested in applying her experience bringing new technologies to market in the climate tech space, particularly for novel approaches to carbon management and removal. Ethel is based in Oakland, CA, where she is an avid runner, hiker, and Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing) enthusiast. Ethel received her MBA and MPH from UC Berkeley and BA in Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago.

Energy Engineer, DNV

Frank-Eric is an energy engineer for DNV, where he does technical reviews of customers' energy efficiency applications, including calculation of energy savings and verification of equipment specifications to issue incentives from the state’s energy efficiency fund.

Outreach and Construction Solar Corps Fellow, GRID Alternatives

Garrison is the Construction and Outreach Solar Corps Fellow for GRID Alternatives in Willits, CA, where he installs solar for Native American Tribes and assists them in organizing projects on their reservation. Garrison enjoys camping and going on road trips whenever possible. Following CELI, he will be attending the University of Delaware to pursue his Master’s in International Business.

Policy Analyst / Coordinator - Energy & Environment, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Govinda is a Policy Coordinator / Analyst for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group where he analyzes energy- and environment-related legislations, regulations, and frameworks for member companies. He is a Fulbright Scholar and has worked for project developers/investors in various roles across South Asia and Africa before arriving here. A trail to hike, a place to camp, and a bike to ride are all he needs in life!

Hardware Product Manager

Grace is a hardware product manager at Gradient, a startup recently spun out of Otherlab and Cyclotron Road. She works on lowering the barriers to installing high-efficiency, retrofit heat pumps. Previously, Grace worked at Plume Labs, an air pollution tracking startup in Paris, and NASA Goddard and JPL. Outside of work, you can either find her hiking in the mountains or foraging for uni along the coast. 

Associate, Macquarie

Hans is a Principal Investor with the Macquarie Group focused on Renewables and Energy Technology. He worked on transactions as a principal investor deploying over $4bn of equity capital into the Energy Transition space over the past 5 years. He is currently focused on mobility and distributed energy. Hans is an avid skier, tennis player, and angel investor.

Vice President, Generate Capital

Jason is a Vice President at Generate Capital where he focuses on capital markets activities. Jason is an avid traveler who has traveled to over 25 countries and looks forward to traveling again in the near future.

Senior Manager, Product Development, Fluence

Jillian Burgoyne is based in Berkeley, California, where she currently works as a Senior Manager of Product Development at Fluence. She has seven years of experience working in the energy industry, including in large thermal generation manufacturing and engineering, and battery energy storage. In her current role, Jillian specializes in utility-scale battery energy storage, and she is responsible for bringing new product lines to market. Even as a child, Jillian was passionate about sustainability: constantly rummaging through her parents’ recycling bins to turn soup cans and tissue boxes into something useful. In her free time, Jillian enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles, and hiking with her husky, Hatchi.

Environmental Designer, Atelier Ten

Jimmy is an Environmental Designer at Atelier Ten, where she aligns her passion for climate resilience, decarbonization, and a just energy transition with her day-to-day work on high-performance buildings and master planning. She served on the City of Berkeley Energy Commission from 2020-2021, representing District 3. On the weekend, you'll find her hiking the Oakland hills or biking between East Bay pizza spots (always looking for new recommendations!).

Research Associate, Building Decarbonization Coalition and Associate Instructor, UC Davis

Kristin George Bagdanov is an associate at the Building Decarbonization Coalition, where she helps consumers learn about the benefits of building electrification and supports communities that are working to pass electrification reach codes. She holds an MFA in creative writing and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Davis, where she researches and writes about the relationship between energy transitions, cultural production, and social movements in the U.S. and teaches courses on environmental literature. When she's not working, you can find her writing, publishing, editing, and reading poetry, or working with her local Sacramento community to advocate for equitable climate change solutions. More here: kristingeorgebagdanov.com


Program Associate, Fossil Fuels, Energy Foundation

Manuel is a Program Associate, Fossil Fuels for the Energy Foundation where he supports national strategies for reducing the use of fossil fuels in the electricity sector. His professional interests exist at the intersection of clean energy, urban sustainability, and environmental justice. Manuel has lived on three continents and completed his Master's degree in Paris. During his free time, he enjoys photography and reading Latin American fiction.

Senior Project Manager, Pacific Gas & Electric Company

Mariana Sierra is a Sr. Project Manager for PG&E where she has worked for over 16 years and manages capital infrastructure projects. She is an avid cyclist and has completed the AIDS Life Cycle ride, a 545-mile bike ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Sales Analyst, US Utility, Nextracker Inc.

Melina is a Sales Analyst at Nextracker, where she project manages utility-scale tracker projects from initial RFP to contract negotiation and execution, working closely with various solar developers and EPCs in the US. She is also a VP of Community at YPE SF Bay Area, leading the creation and launch of their inaugural Scholarship Program this year. Melina is an identical twin and was born in Lima, Peru, but has called the Bay Area home since moving to CA at 7 years old.

Regulatory Analyst, California Public Utilities Commission

Dr. Michelle Thompson works at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as a regulatory analyst working on demand response. Michelle holds a doctorate in Environmental Science & Engineering from UCLA, a master’s in public administration in Environmental Science & Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from UCLA. Over the past five years, Michelle has collaborated on water-energy projects with scientists, government agencies, and stakeholders in over 15 different countries.

Policy Counsel, Embark Trucks

Monika is the Policy Counsel for Embark Trucks, an autonomous long-haul trucking company, where she serves in-house counsel functions and advocates for state and federal policies that support the deployment of autonomous trucking. She loves all things racing, from rowing to Formula 1.

Programs Specialist, Peninsula Clean Energy

Peter Ambiel is a Programs Specialist at Peninsula Clean Energy where he manages electric vehicle charging infrastructure programs focused on increasing charging accessibility for San Mateo County residents. He is interested in electrification impacts to distribution infrastructure, new financing vehicles for climate infrastructure, improving implementation of large-scale infrastructure programs, and increasing equity and access to the energy transition. Peter enjoys long days on a bike or a trail with friends, weekend mornings watching the English Premier League, and was voted "Most Likely to Host a Late Night Talk Show" in high school.

Project Development Associate, Clearway Energy Group

Sami Walter is a Project Development Associate at Clearway Energy Group where she manages both utility and community-scale solar projects across the United States from inception to construction. Sami loves traveling, meeting new people, and trying new foods. During quarantine, Sami lived the digital nomad life and road-tripped across the US for six months to visit national parks and family.

Graduate Student, Stanford University

Sindhu Nathan is a Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering at Stanford University, where she researches materials used for producing synthetic fuels from carbon dioxide. Sindhu is passionate about science and evidence-based policymaking and advocacy, especially in the context of energy and the environment. In addition to being a leader on campus and in her community, Sindhu is an avid baker, puzzler, and reality TV fan.